The National Offices Conference was one of the key events in the history of the UNWCC – a summit bringing together representatives of all sixteen national offices that worked with the Commission in the Royal Courts of Justice, in May/June 1945, with the aim of coordinating and giving impetus to the unprecedented set of war crimes trials planned.
Indian and Chinese officials proposing path-breaking models for military justice tribunals rubbed elbows with US Navy officers describing their practical systems for mapping alleged war crimes (down to the colours of pins they used), as well seminal figures in the history of human rights like René Cassin.
Below, we present footage from the Conference – sadly without sound – showing this momentous event.