Review by Choice Review
Discussions of accountability for crimes committed during World War II have been limited almost exclusively to the Nuremberg and Tokyo war crimes trials. This revelatory book, drawing on many newly released documents, discusses the little-known United Nations War Crimes Commission (UNWCC) to which 17 countries brought cases against over 36,000 individuals and groups between 1944 and 1948. It is a story of early condemnation of those abuses committed by the Axis powers, strong conviction and collaboration to hold perpetrators accountable, unlikely leaders (e.g., China, India), and a fair and sophisticated legal process. The book demonstrates that the Allies came out against the Holocaust and other crimes much earlier than is recognized. Most significantly, the UNWCC's work has been largely ignored by the legal community. Many of the supposed innovations in international human rights law in the past two or three decades were already established in the 1940s. These include debates over obedience to superior orders, command responsibility, torture, and rape as a war crime. Those interested in the development of international human rights and justice will find this work essential reading. Summing Up: Essential. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. --Andrew G. Reiter, Mount Holyoke College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
