Nuremberg, November 20, 1945. An international tribunal initiated proceedings against 21 German leaders for the prosecution of war crimes committed by the Nazis. These trials, which lasted almost a year, had a decisive impact on the theoretical position of the international community in future State crimes (practice has been another matter). But before the defendants could sit on the bench, the Allies had to overcome several disagreements between them.

Churchill was in favour of rapid clearance: identify high-ranking officers and shoot them within a maximum of six hours. Roosevelt initially accepted the British proposal, but was rejected by the rest of the US government. The Soviets wanted a trial that would reveal the criminal nature of the Third Reich and in April 1945 Roosevelt’s successor, Harry Truman, also slid in favor of it. Finally, in May, the British approved the creation of an international military court.

One of the main problems of the case was who was tried and what charge was imposed, since the trial had a legal basis of doubt. But the winners of the war got involved in another debate: where would the trials take place? Germany was then divided into several areas of occupation and each wanted to bring the matter to itself. The British and Americans wanted to do it in Leipzig, Munich or Luxembourg, but the Soviets proposed Berlin as the “fascist capital”; Berlin was obviously in the Soviet camp. The American military Lucius Clay then proposed Nuremberg, which was the site of massive fascist events. Also, unexpectedly, the courthouse was still standing in the devastated city and had a prison behind it. The Soviets had to reluctantly accept the location. And so the Second World War was over and the Cold War was welcomed.