Defendants

Martin Bormann: He was in charge of the Aid Fund of the SA (or the Sturm Abteilung); he also became the Chancellery in 1941 and then, later, became secretary to the Fuehrer. Bormann was known to have an influence on the decisions Hitler made, though there is no evidence that shows he attended any of the important meetings.
There was an argument whether Bormann was dead, but the council decided it was a waste of time arguing his fate. In the Nuremberg Charter it states in Article 12, that it, allows proceedings in the absence of the defendant.

 Karl Doenitz: He was the Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy in 1943. The evidence can’t prove that he knew any of Hitler’s plans for war; however, he did have an army of U-boats prepared for war. He let the U-boats sink all merchant ships; the fact that they were enemy or neutral was irrelevant.

 Hans Frank: During his testimony he told his feelings of being sorry for what he did and said, “A thousand years will pass and the guilt of Germany will not be erased.” And, he tried to pass the responsibility on his shoulders to people of higher command.
Hans Frank was the President of the Academy of German Law until he had a dispute with Himmler and was dismissed. He was quoted saying, “Poland shall be treated like a colony; the Poles will become slaves of the Greater German World Empire.” He was a key person in the plan for slave labor.

 Wilhelm Frick: There were many roles in which Frick took part in; he was the Minister of the Interior which gave him information about the plans for war and the torture of people in nursing homes, hospitals, and asylums. He signed laws (including laws that ordered the elimination of Jewish people) and gave orders to countries and the population.  

 Hans Fritzsche: After a job as a radio commentator he later became the head of the Wireless News Service for the Reich Government and was in charge of the Media. It was found, however, that he held no positions of power which gave him control of the decisions of war.

 Walther Funk: His role was an economic advisor to Hitler; thus, giving him the power to order possessions of Jewish people to be property of the SS. The main thing that basically saved him was that he never had or took a lead role in the activities that he participated in.

 Wilhelm Keitel: He was the Chief of Staff of the High Command of the Armed Forces, during the time Hitler was in power. He was in attendance at all the conferences that plans of war were discussed. The defense that he was just following orders wasn’t valid under the Charter.

 Hermann Wilhelm Goering: Goering was known as the second in command to Hitler; only until their relationship fell apart in 1943. He was also in charge of the German Air Force. He told the council, freely, that he had held the conferences he attended and that he demonstrated violations of counts two and three.
During court he is quoted saying, “I must one hundred percent responsibility. I even overruled objections by the Fuehrer and brought everything to its final development.”

 Rudolf Hess: He was imprisoned with Hitler in 1924, during the imprisonment he became Hitler’s Deputy and confidant; and he was the top ranking official in the Nazi party. Every action was in support of Hitler’s ultimate plan; until after the war when he escaped to England. The council did not find enough evidence; his psychological health was questioned before the trial. There was a test before his trial; it showed that he was found competent enough to stand trial.

 Ernst Kaltenbrunner: He was the leader of the Austrian branch of the SS and he was also leader of parts of the Gestapo. The ones under his command slaughtered over four million Jewish people in the concentration camps. During trial, he defended himself by saying that he was under orders involving foreign intelligence. He also said he never assumed control of activities of the SS police; he said he never knew the entire plan.

 Alfred Jodl: He was the Chief of Army Operations and he held many high-ranking positions in the Reich starting in 1935. He wrote, “The genius of the Fuehrer, and his determination not to shun even a World War, have again won the victory without the use of force. The hope remains that the incredulous, the weak, and the doubtful people have been converted and will remain that way.”
He defended himself by saying that he was just an innocent soldier who followed Hitler’s orders, but this was not a valid defense. It contradicted Article Eight of the Charter.

 Erich Raeder: He was the Chief of the Naval Command, as early as 1928. Although later he was replaced by Doenitz at his request. He was charged with sinking a British passenger ship that was headed for America, and for sinking merchant ships; enemy or neutral.

 Alfred Rosenberg: When Hitler was in jail, Rosenberg took over his charge of the Nazi party. He was charged with the invasion of thousands of homes in France. Occasionally he noted the harshness used, but continued with his orders until the end of the war.

 Fritz Sauckel: He was an important person where the topic of slave labor came up. The evidence was overpowering when it showed him establishing labor service in Germany. He said, “Out of five million foreign workers who arrived in Germany not even 200,000 came voluntarily.”

 Hjalmar Schacht: He was the Commissioner of Currency, President of the Reichbank, and Minister of Economics during the war. Goering had taken over the position Schacht had as an influential person in the rearmament effort. He was acquitted because he was not involved in any war plans. 

 Arthur Seyss-Inquart: He was active in the Austrian Nazi party, and took the position of Minister of Security and Interior. He used the defense that he was only following the orders that Hitler gave him, which still wasn’t valid under the Charter.

 Albert Speer: He was a personal friend of Hitler, and he was the architect; also holding important positions in the Nazi party. There was no evidence that showed him participation in plans for war; though he was very active in slave labor. He defended himself by saying that he used these laborers only because the demands for labor were so great.

 Julius Streicher: The positions he held made him notorious for the crimes against humanity, even though there was no evidence that showed him participating in plans for war. He was a spokesman for the annihilation of the Jewish people and is quoted saying,
       “A punitive expedition must come against the Jews in Russia. A punitive expedition which will provide the same fate for them that every murder and criminal must expect: Death sentence and execution. The Jews in Russia must be killed. They must be exterminated root and branch.”

 Konstantin von Neurath: He was the Minister of Foreign Affairs and advised Hitler on many strategic moves for the military. He stayed active as the Reich Minister, even though he was able to retire in 1938. Defending himself he said that the enforcement of what Hitler said was carried out by the police, and not him.  

 Franz von Papen: He was once the Chancellor of Germany. However, there is not enough evidence to tell if he participated in plans for war.

 Joachim von Ribbentrop: He became the Foreign Policy Advisor to Hitler, and later served as Ambassador to England. He was active in plans to attack Poland. He defended that he was only carrying out orders of the one he followed, Hitler. However, that being an invalid response, it was declared that his actions were of his own doing.

 Baldur von Schirach:  He was the Youth Leader for the Nazi party; he took over all of the youth groups that competed against Hitler’s youth groups. The programs were intense and prepared the children to be able to stand in for the SS. It stressed the importance of giving your life to Hitler.