launched into yet another long discourse, Jackson ordered him
to answer yes or no. Too late, he saw the American judge,
Parker, lean over and whisper something to the president, Law-
rence. “Mr. Justice Jackson,” interrupted the latter, “the tribunal
feels that the witness should be allowed to make whatever expla-
nation he cares to make in answer to this question.”
Jackson blushed. Grinning broadly at Jackson’s humilia-
tion, Göring continued.
Worse was now to come. Jackson challenged Göring on
Tuesday, the nineteenth, about the extreme secrecy of the Nazis’
planning. Göring smirked, and answered that he could not re-
call having seen the U.S. government publish details of its own
mobilization plans. There was loud laughter. Jackson tore off his
earphones and appealed to the judges for protection in vain.
“Göring’s answer,” he caviled to his learned colleagues after-
ward, “was impudent and argumentative and the court should
have used its gavel.”
There were extraordinary scenes at the prosecutors’ secret
meeting that night, as the shorthand record shows:
: The arrogance of Göring in today’s session
supports what opponents of this trial have always said:
if you give these people a chance to speak they will
propagandize and make it a farce.
When I objected to Göring’s attitude [and] re-
quested the Court to instruct him to answer respon-
sively, [the American judge] whispered in the ear of
the presiding judge, and thereupon the Court over-
ruled me on its own motion without even hearing an
objection from Göring’s counsel.
If Göring is permitted to get away with this he will
encourage all the defendants to do the same thing. I
have never heard of such a rule for cross-
examination, The witness should be compelled to