The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-11-20

with rapt attention over the ear- phones attached to their bench.
 Hermann Goering, the number one defendant, twisted uneasily in his front row seat. From time to time he leaned over to whisper something to his benchmate. Rudolf Hess, and occasionally an inane grin twitched across his fat face.
 He nodded several times as Alder traced the illegal development of the German air force under his di- rection in the pre-Munich days when Nazi Germany was secretly arming for war against the world.
 The Russian prosecutors sat al- most within arms reach of Goering, but they ignored him studiously.
 Hess Claims Amnesia
 The yellow-faced Hess beside him was more impassive through out, clinging stubbornly to his claim that he remembered nothing of the Hitler era in which he played so large a part.
 He spoke occasionally to Goering and Joachim Won Ribbentrop, but fo rthe most part he maintained an air of cold aloofness from his fellow Nazis and his judges alike.
 Hess stared grimly at the wall when the indictment enumerated the mass murders carried out by the Nazis in their bid for mastery of Europe. Goering's eyes dropped to the floor, and Franz Won Papen merely cupped his chin in his hand in an academic manner as if he per- Sonally were not involved.
 Hjalmar Schacht, branded as the financial brains behind the Hitler facade, laughed derisively when the French prosecutor read off that sec- ton of the indictment dealing with the murders and mass deportations of the Nazi regime.
 Goering Heads
 The shabby, far-haunted men who now must answer to the world for the lives of more than 100000 persons slaughtered on the battle fields and in the concentration camps of Europe rose to face their judges at 10:03 a. m. (4:03 a. m. EST.
 Goering, wearing a prominent number one" across his ribbonless- chest, was the first of the 20 pres ent defendants to enter the court room.
 He stepped in behind an Amer ican MP at 9:19 a. m, clad in light-grey uniform without insignia. The fate Reichsmarshal looked in- tently around the courtroom and smiled nervously at his guard.
 Streicher Still Arrogant
 Rudolf Hess, looking yellowish, skinny and bald, followed him in. Hess wore a grey business suit and he sat tensely in the prisoners dock, staring straight ahead.
 Julius Streicher stalked in few minutes later and sat down heavily. He leaned forward in his seat, one hand on his hip, and surveyed the courtroom arrogantly.
 By 9:42 a. m, all the prisoners were in the dock and the room be- gan filling up with members of the four-power prosecuting staffs and the black -robed, black-capped de- fense lawyers.
 The accused men took a lively interest in the proceedings. cran- ing their necks to inspect each new arrival, fiddling with the translat- ing devices on their chairs and conferring animatedly with their counsel.
 Purpose Set Down
 The trial was opened formally by the four presiding justices, Fran cis J. Riddle, American; Sir Geof- frey Lawrence, British; Maj. Gen. Johann T. Nikitchenko, Russian, and Henri Donnedieu de Vabre, French.
 Lawrence outlined the purposes of the tribunal and recited the his tory of this precedent-making case that for the first time in human annals establishes aggressive war as a crime against mankind.
 "The tribunal has heard with sat- isfaction the steps taken by the prosecution to aid defense counsel make possible a just defense" Law renee said.
 This trial is unique in the judi cial history of the world. It is a solemn responsibility of all involved to discharge their duties without fear or favor"
 Indictments Read
 He reminded the crowded room that he would insist on strict -