Robert H. Jackson Center

Robert H. Jackson Center Dynamic programs, exclusive exhibits, and curated collections housed in an historic 1858 mansion

06/24/2026

in — June 24, 1946 — Trial Day 162:
Von Neurath resumed the stand after the weekend recess and was questioned by Dr. von Ludinghausen on his policies as Foreign Minister.

Von Neurath testified on German rearmament, the Rhineland remilitarization of 1936, the German-Austrian agreement of July 1936, and the Hossbach conference of November 1937, at each stage seeking to characterize his own role as that of a moderating influence who had sought diplomatic rather than military solutions to German foreign policy objectives.

Von Neurath also corrected a statement from the previous session, clarifying that his assignment in London had been from 1903 to 1907, not a different period as had apparently been misunderstood through translation.

Cross-examination by Soviet Prosecutor Raginsky addressed Von Neurath's activities as Reich Protector of Bohemia and Moravia from 1939 to 1941, including the treatment of Czech universities, the administration of justice, and the implementation of measures against the Czech population. Von Neurath testified on the context for each measure and sought to distinguish his own role from that of his successor Heydrich.

roberthjackson.org/events

06/23/2026

Join us at the Jackson Center this Friday at 6 p.m., when we ask, "What is Patriotism, Really?," part of our 25 Years of Asking Questions Series.

The speaker, Professor Helen Knowles-Gardner, is Research Director at the Institute for Free Speech, a scholar of American law and politics, and Managing Editor of the Supreme Court Historical Society’s Journal of Supreme Court History.

Free and open to the public. roberthjackson.org/events

06/23/2026

Day 1 of DC Week: Our interns got a close look at rare primary source documents at the Library of Congress, grabbed lunch with author and Georgetown Law professor Brad Snyder, and capped the evening watching the Nationals hold off the Phillies 4-1 at Nationals Park. Not a bad Monday in the nation's capital.

06/22/2026

in — June 22, 1946 — Trial Day 161:
Defense counsel Dr. von Lüdinghausen opened proceedings in the case of Defendant Konstantin von Neurath by addressing the Tribunal on a supplementary request to examine former French Ambassador André François-Poncet.

He reported that Francois-Poncet had responded by letter to a summons and that the French Delegation had agreed to admit the letter in lieu of testimony, making the witness application unnecessary. The President agreed that this was a convenient resolution, subject to questions of relevance.

Von Lüdinghausen reported that François-Poncet had replied by letter to the summons and that the French Delegation had agreed to submit the original letter to the Tribunal. Because both the French and British delegations raised no objection to the letter being used, the application to call François-Poncet as a witness became unnecessary. The President agreed that this was a convenient course, subject to any later question of relevance.

Von Neurath then took the stand and began testimony on his career as Reich Foreign Minister from 1932 to 1938. Direct examination by Dr. von Lüdinghausen covered Von Neurath's activities during the 1935 rearmament period, including the reintroduction of conscription and the creation of the Luftwaffe.

Von Neurath testified that, in his judgment, no war plans existed in Germany at that time and that neither Hi**er nor those around him then harbored aggressive intentions.

The crew has landed! On , Kristan and the 2026 intern cohort leaned in for a group "ussie" to mark their arrival in Was...
06/22/2026

The crew has landed! On , Kristan and the 2026 intern cohort leaned in for a group "ussie" to mark their arrival in Washington, D.C. before diving into DC Week: a packed schedule of meetings and visits to the institutions that shaped, and were shaped by, the legacy of Justice Robert H. Jackson. Stay tuned. 🏛️📸

06/21/2026

in — June 21, 1946 — Trial Day 160:
Justice Robert H. Jackson conducted the prosecution cross-examination of Albert Speer. Jackson focused on the gap in Speer’s defense: Speer claimed that his ministry merely requested manpower for armaments production, while other agencies supplied the workers; Jackson pressed whether Speer could really separate his production program from the forced-labor system that fed it.

Jackson’s questioning drew out Speer’s admissions that he demanded labor, knew foreign workers were being used, and understood that some had come to Germany against their will. The examination put Speer’s technocratic defense under pressure by showing that armaments production, labor allocation, and coercion were not separate moral worlds in practice.

Day 160 therefore became one of the clearest moments in the Speer case: Jackson did not need to prove that Speer personally rounded up workers. He sought instead to show that Speer’s ministry knowingly benefited from, encouraged, and depended upon a labor system built on coercion, prisoners of war, foreign civilians, and concentration camp labor.

06/20/2026

If you missed our screening of Nathan-ism on June 6, it is now streaming. Stop by the Center to see Nathan Hilu's artwork! We will have the art on display through July 14th! The first five people to visit and mention this post will receive a special, limited-edition Sharpie made in Nathan's honor.

06/20/2026

in — June 19, 1946 — Trial Day 158:
Albert Speer was called to the stand by his counsel, Dr. Hans Flächsner, and began his direct examination. The testimony opened with Speer’s background as Hi**er’s architect and then shifted toward his wartime position as Reich Minister for Armaments and War Production.

Speer tried to define his role narrowly: his ministry collected industry’s demands for labor but, he said, did not recruit workers, determine their legal status, or decide whether they were Germans, foreign civilians, prisoners of war, or concentration camp inmates.

Trial Day 158 is important because it laid the foundation for the clash that followed. Speer admitted that his armaments program required large numbers of workers and that labor demands were gathered from industries under his ministry, while attempting to shift responsibility for procurement and coercion to Sauckel and the labor offices.

That distinction, requesting labor versus obtaining it became the central vulnerability in Speer’s case. Speer’s direct testimony also introduced the posture that made him stand apart from many defendants: he accepted a measure of political and moral responsibility for the regime while trying to confine his legal guilt to administrative responsibility.

By presenting himself as a technocrat rather than an ideologue, he created the issue that the prosecution would later press — whether technical administration of armaments could be separated from the forced labor system that made production possible.

roberthjackson.org/events

06/19/2026

Hit the road with the interns!

This weekend, our summer interns are headed to for DC Week, and in true road trip fashion, they put together a playlist for the drive: songs about America, songs about traveling, a few wistful ones about love lost, all with a beat that keeps you moving... and you can listen along!

It also happens to be .

Got a suggestion? Put it in the comments below and maybe we'll add it!

Safe travels, and good music, all the way to DC.
🔗 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0NOMZwljwgzpZZ0rhD7368?si=73c9af0d5f33442c

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