Fritz Fischer listening to his verdict and sentence, August 20, 1947. Courtesy of UW Special Collections.
Seated deep underneath school grounds, the stacks of Gallagher Law Library are filled with countless records, essays, and historical narratives. The library’s archival collections rival that of most other major institutions such as Harvard and Stanford, and tucked safely away in a temperature and light-controlled room lay transcripts of one of the most controversial, important, and shocking series of cases to ever be expounded in a courtroom; the Nuremberg Trials.
Holding original mimeographed copies of the trial’s proceedings, the story of how UW came to acquire such significant and important historical memorabilia is more personal than one may think. Judge Walter B. Beals, an early and inspired graduate of UW’s inaugural graduating class of 1901, played a pivotal role in the outcome of the trials as the presiding judge over American military litigations.
Overhearing the “Doctors Trial,” Beals worked tirelessly for nine months, leaving his post as chief justice over the Washington Supreme Court, to condemn the heinous war crimes the Nazis and their allies had committed against civilians and prisoners passed off as a terrifying excuse to ‘advance scientific knowledge.’ Working through hundreds of cases and trying dozens of defendants, Beals was provided with an original mimeographed copy for his work to bring the monsters of the war to justice. As a gift to his alma mater, Beals arranged for his transcribed copy of the trials to be gifted to the Gallagher Law Library.
Despite the age of the copies and low-quality paper and ink on which the contents of the trial were printed, the transcripts are still in relatively good shape. Some of the pages are yellowed with age and fraying at the sides, yet the shocking words of the case still remain largely legible and just as striking. Flipping through the crinkled pages, one feels the intense implications of finding themselves tumbling into a time that has left indelible marks on the world it has left behind.
Considering the sanctity of the documents, one might assume that they are to be kept private and inaccessible to hands that may further their fragility; this is not the case. Rather, the papers are readily available to students in a variety of contexts. UW law librarian and head of public services, Alena Wolotira, shared information as to student accessibility and research concerning viewing the transcripts.
“There’s no restrictions other than [taking] reasonable steps to make sure that the materials are safe,” Wolotira said. “And it’s not a problem. We just have to be careful.”
It is well known that the UW is an institution in the Seattle community and the larger national academic community as well. With access to resources like this at our fingertips, it’s hard to forget the power that the student body has, especially when considering the role we all play in shaping the future.
“We care about access to information that’s really important and libraries are designed to be places where people can do research without a need for intervention from anyone else,” Wolotira said. “It’s [the transcripts] there, and if people are interested, that’s great.”
Reach writer Ella Goulet at archive@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @ella_goulet Bluesky: @ella-goulet.bsky.social
Like what you’re reading? Support high-quality student journalism by donating here.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.