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ALS in German, signed “Papen,” one page, 8 x 10.5, October 22, [1945]. Handwritten letter to the Secretary of the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg, in full: "As I know superficially only two gentlemen on the list of attorneys, not knowing however whether these are suited to conduct a political trial, I request a short conference with Dr. Schacht. Dr. Schacht, who is from Berlin, is probably the only person who knows the two gentlemen and who could advise me as to which person could be chosen for the conduct of a political trial." Backed by archival paper and in fine condition.
Written just three days after Papen was formally served with the indictment and a list of available German attorneys, the letter captures the defendants at Nuremberg in the earliest stages of organizing their legal defenses. Papen’s request to consult Hjalmar Schacht is especially notable: both were prominent former officials facing prosecution before the International Military Tribunal, and both would ultimately be among only three defendants—along with Hans Fritzsche—acquitted on all charges.
The brief note offers an unusual glimpse of the informal cooperation among prisoners as they confronted an unprecedented international trial, with Papen relying on a fellow defendant’s familiarity with Berlin legal circles to help select counsel capable of handling what he pointedly called a “political trial.”
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