SECOND DAY
Wednesday, 21 November 1945
Morning Session
THE PRESIDENT: A motion has been filed with the
Tribunal and the Tribunal has given it consideration, and insofar as
it may be a plea to the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, it conflicts
with Article 3 of the Charter and will not be entertained. Insofar as
it may contain other arguments which may be open to the defendants,
they may be heard at a later stage.
And now, in accordance with Article 24 of the Charter, which
provides that, after the Indictment has been read in court, the
defendants shall be called upon to plead guilty or not guilty, I now
direct the defendants to plead either guilty or not guilty.
DR. DIX: May I speak to Your Lordship for just a moment?
THE PRESIDENT: You may not speak to me in support of the motion
with which I have just dealt on behalf of the Tribunal. I have told
you that so far as that motion is a plea to the jurisdiction of the
Tribunal, it conflicts with Article 3 of the Charter and will not be
entertained. Insofar as it contains or may contain arguments which
may be open to the defendants, those arguments may be heard
hereafter.
DR DIX: I do not wish to speak on the subject of a motion. As
speaker for the Defense I should like to broach a technical question
and voice a question to this effect on behalf of the Defense May I do
so? The Defense Counsel were forbidden to talk to the defendants this
morning. It is absolutely necessary that the Defense Counsel should
be able to speak to the defendants before the session. It often
happens that after the session one cannot reach one 's client at
night. It is quite possible that counsel may have prepared something
overnight which he wishes to discuss with the defendant before the
session. According to our experience it is always permissible for the
Defense Counsel to speak to the defendant before the session. The
question of conferring between Defense Counsel and clients during
sessions could be dealt with at a later date.
At present I request, on behalf of the entire Defense, that we be
allowed to confer with our clients in the courtroom, into which they
usually are brought at a very early hour. Otherwise, we shall