Evening star., 1945-10-18
Chief Judge for
Soviet Presides
At Session
partial Tert OF Indictment
on Page A-2.
By the Associatee Press.

BERLIN, Oct. ia massive
book-size Indictment charging
German war criminals collec-
lively and individually with
crimes which led to the worlds
worst war was filed today at the
first public session of the Inter
national War Crimes Tribunal
The court session at which the
25,000-word document was formally
handed up was held in the high
ceilinged room of the Allied Control
Authority Building-the same build
ing where some of the participants
in the July. 1914, plot against Adolf
Hitler were tried.
Nikitchenko Presfdes.
In the big, ornate chamber which
formerly housed the Berlin Superior
Court, history's first international
military tribunal set to work after a
brief opening ceremony conducted in
four language.
Maj. Gen. I; T. Nikitchenko, chief
judge for the Soviet Union, presided
After swearing in members of the
tribunal, he announced The. court
was in session. Then the prose
cutors pres sfnted the indictment.
Nikitcherko arose, acknowledged
acceptance iof the indictment, and
made a statement for the court
which disclosed that in addition to
the "a major individual defendants,
the prosecution would seek to con-
vict six Nazi party and military
groups as criminal organizations.
The "a top-ranking Nazis named
in the indictment are charged in
dividually and collectively with a
multiplicity of crimes costing mil
lions of lives. Their hearings prob
ably will begin in November, the
defendants having been given &c
days In which to prepare their
cases.
Disposition of Nazis Weighed.
Meanwhile, deliberations already
are under way in Berlin among
representatives of the United States,
Britain, the Soviet Union and
France on the disposition of Ger
mans not classed as war criminals
but deemed, none the less, menac-
ing to the future peace of the world.
Among these are high-ranking off,
GERS of the General Staff Corps, in
Guiding officers in the Navy and
air force, who have demonstrated
they possess dangerous potentiali-
ties. All are Jumped together in
what is called the "elite group"
There are two other groupings
One lists persons of dangerous
skilled capacities, such as scientists
who produced the v weapons and
those who have received decotorates
in chemistry and research. The
other embraces those considered
more than nominal Nazis, who
might be dangerous politically.
Nikitchenko announced that Brit
aims Lord Justice Lawrence would
preside at the trial at Nuremberg
and announced that promptly after
the serving of the indictments, the
tribunal shall fix and announce the
date of the trial" The indictments
were to be served today on the de-
PENDANTS, who are in custody al
Nuremberg.
Organizations Held Criminal
Nikitchenko said the prosecution
would seek to prove these organiza-
tons were criminal:
The Reich cabinet, the leadership
corps of the Nazi party; the Schultz
staffeln (SS), the Sicherheitsdienst
tSD, or secret service), the Sturm-
abteilung tSA, or storm troops, the
general staff and the high command
of the NaI armed forces.
A spokesman for the United States
prosecutor said the last named
pair-the general staff and high
conmand-would be considered as
zone entity, with choice represent
ative segment specifically indicted. y
Notice will be given under Article
of the Charter" Nikitchenko said,
that the prosecution intends to ask
the tribunal to declare these organi-
cations or groups, of which the de-
PENDANTS or some of them we're
members, are criminal organizations,
and any member of any such group
will be entitled to apply to the tri-
bunal for leave to be heard by the
tribunal upon the question of the
(See CRIMES, Page A-3)