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Partly-printed DS in German, signed in pencil, “W. Keitel,” one page, 7.75 x 12.25, November 24, 1945. Document headed (translated), "The International Military Tribunal, Defendant's Application for Summons for Witness," made while preparing his defense for the Nuremberg trials. Keitel and his defense lawyer, Otto Nelte, request testimony from Giles Romilly, "nephew of the former Prime Minister Churchill…last in a German War Prisoners' Camp," who had knowledge of the following facts: "1) That the German Troops landed in Narvik and English Troops were on the way to Narvik for landing. 2) That the war prisoners were well treated in German War Prisoners' Camps."
The document states that these are relevant to Keitel's defense, as they demonstrate: "1) That the Highest German leadership in Norway must have landed in Narvik in order to prevent English landing. 2) That the O.K.W. has done everything according to the rules of the Geneva Convention in handling War Prisoners which were in their sphere." In fine condition. Accompanied by a contemporary English translation.
This document was created during the early stages of the Nuremberg Trials, when Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel—Chief of the German High Command (OKW)—was preparing his defense against charges of crimes against humanity, crimes against peace, criminal conspiracy, and war crimes. Keitel and his attorney sought Romilly’s testimony to support claims that Germany’s 1940 invasion of Norway was a preemptive action against an impending British landing at Narvik, and that German forces treated Allied prisoners in accordance with the Geneva Convention. Giles Romilly—war correspondent and nephew of Winston Churchill—had been captured at Narvik in May 1940, held as a prisoner of war in Oflag IV-C (Colditz Castle), and ultimately escaped during a transfer in April 1945.
The document reflects a broader defense strategy employed by Nazi leadership at Nuremberg: to justify acts of aggression as military necessity and to deny systemic wrongdoing by emphasizing selective evidence of lawful conduct. While such arguments were ultimately rejected by the tribunal, this piece offers a revealing glimpse into Keitel’s attempt to recast Germany’s wartime actions within a legal framework as he faced judgment for his role in the Nazi regime. He was found guilty on all counts of the indictment and executed by hanging on October 16, 1946.
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