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Partly-printed DS, in German, signed “W. Keitel,” one page, 7.75 x 12.25, January 15, 1946. 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 request testimony from "Dr. Stuckart, undersecretary in retirement, last Ministry of the Interior," noting that he was, to his knowledge, "at present in the military prison at Nuremberg. Keitel cites Stuckart's knowledge of these facts: "1) He knows that a meeting of the Reichs Defense Council has never taken place. 2) He can testify to the position of the Chief of the High Command of the Armed Forces relating to constitutional laws."
Keitel states that the testimony is relevant because "my responsibility in the opinion of the prosecution shall result from my position as Chief of the High Command of the Armed Forces and as a member of the Reichs Defense Council." Signed at the conclusion in pencil by Wilhelm Keitel, and countersigned by his defense counsel. Backed by archival paper and in fine condition, with professional cleaning and minor restorations to the paper. Accompanied by a contemporary English translation.
As State Secretary in the Reich Ministry of the Interior, Stuckart was deeply involved in the legal machinery of the Nazi state, including helping draft the Nuremberg Race Laws and later attending the Wannsee Conference. Keitel’s counsel, however, sought to use him on the much narrower question of governmental structure: whether the Reich Defense Council ever actually convened and whether Keitel’s position as chief of the OKW carried the constitutional authority the prosecution attributed to it.
This formed part of a broader defense effort to portray Keitel as a military-administrative subordinate rather than an independent policymaker; other testimony at Nuremberg likewise maintained that the Reich Defense Council existed largely on paper and never formally met. The argument ultimately did not shield Keitel from responsibility: the Tribunal convicted him on all four counts, emphasizing his direct participation in transmitting and signing criminal orders rather than relying solely on his formal titles within the Nazi government.
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