notes for all sources “Bombardment, barrage, curtain-fire, mines, gas, tanks, machine-guns, hand-grenades— words, words, but they hold the horrorof the world.” World War I Machine Gun Training Source: Erich Maria Remarque, “All Quieton the Western Front,” 1930. “It is my opinion that the use of this barbarous weapon at Hiroshima and Nagasaki was of no material assistance in our war against Japan. The Japanese were already defeated and ready to surrender because of the effective sea blockade and the successful bombing with conventional weapons . . . My own feeling was that being the first to use [the atomic bomb], we adopted an ethical standard common to the barbarians of the Dark Ages. I was not taught to make wars in that fashion, and that wars cannot be won by destroying women and children.” Source: Admiral William D. Leahy, President Truman’s Chief of Staff, in his memoir “I Was There.” The privilege of opening the first trial in history for crimes against the peace of the world imposes a grave responsibility. The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant, and so devastating, that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored, because it cannot survive their being repeated. That four great nations, flushed with victory and stung with injury stay [stop] the hand of vengeance and voluntarily submit their captive enemies to the judgment of the law is one of the most significant tributes that Power has ever paid to Reason . . . Source: Chief Prosecutor Robert H. Jackson, November 21, 1945, Nuremberg. Whereas the recognition of inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world. Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom . . . is the highest aspiration of the common people.
- World War I Machine Gun Training Source: highlights the horror and devastation of war, specifically mentioning various weapons and methods used in combat.
- Admiral William D. Leahy, President Truman's Chief of Staff: expresses his opinion that the atomic bombs used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki were unnecessary and ethically wrong, as Japan was already defeated.
- Chief Prosecutor Robert H. Jackson at the Nuremberg trial: emphasizes the gravity of the crimes committed by the defendants and the importance of holding them accountable through the rule of law.
- Declaration of Human Rights: emphasizes the fundamental importance of recognizing and respecting the dignity and rights of all individuals, and the need to prevent barbarous acts that violate these rights.