Sir Hartley Shawcross,
General R. A. Rudenko.
Dear Sirs:
In the Indictment of German War Criminals signed today, reference is
made to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and certain other territories as
being within the area of the U.S.S.R. This language is proposed by
Russia and is accepted to avoid the delay which would be occasioned by
insistence on an alteration in the text. The Indictment is signed
subject to this reservation and understanding:
I have no authority either to admit or to challenge on behalf of the
United States of America, Soviet claims to sovereignty over such
territories. Nothing, therefore, in this Indictment is to be construed
as a recognition by the United States of such sovereignty or as
indicating any attitude, either on the part of the United States or on
the part of the undersigned, toward any claim to recognition of such
sovereignty.
Respectfully submitted,
/s/ ROBERT H. JACKSON,
Chief of Counsel for the United
States.
To the Clerk or Recording Officer,
International Military Tribunal:
The representative of the United States has found it necessary to make
certain reservations as to the possible bearing of certain language in
the Indictment upon political questions which are considered to be
irrelevant to the proceedings before this Tribunal. However, it is
considered appropriate to disclose such reservations that they may not
be unknown to the Tribunal in the event they should at any time be
considered relevant. For that purpose, the foregoing copy is filed.
/s/ ROBERT H. JACKSON
ORDER OF THE TRIBUNAL
REGARDING NOTICE
TO INDIVIDUAL DEFENDANTS