7160 - Fritz Sauckel Autograph Letter Signed at Nuremberg, Pleading for a Meeting to Save Himself

Fritz Sauckel Autograph Letter Signed at Nuremberg, Pleading for a Meeting to Save Himself ALS in pencil, in German, signed “Fritz Sauckel,” one page, 8 x 11.75, October 31, 1945. Handwritten letter to the "Major and Liaison Officer of the General Secretary of the Court of Justice," in full (translated): "Herewith I should like to respectfully request that I be allowed to speak with you today in regard to my defense." Backed by lightweight cardstock and in fine condition, with a closed tear to the right edge. Accompanied by a contemporary English translation. As General Plenipotentiary for the Employment of Labor under the Four Year Plan, Sauckel ran the program that forcibly deported roughly five million people from occupied territories to work in German industry, agriculture, and war production under conditions that killed enormous numbers of them. This brief, almost pleading note finds him just weeks into captivity, reaching out for a private word with his liaison officer as he began building a defense against charges that would end in his execution. Sauckel was convicted on two counts, war crimes and crimes against humanity, and hanged October 16, 1946.