Murray C. Bernays papers, 1919-1975

Series I contains biographical data about Bernays; a photograph of him for The National Cyclopedia of American Biography; his military orders and commissions during World War I and World War II; awards and diplomas; and official documents relating to his retirement from the U.S. Army in 1945. The series also includes unpublished poetry written by Murray Bernays and by Louise Bernays and an unpublished manuscript by Murray Bernays titled, "This is the Land" about a Russian woman who emigrates to the United States with her children in 1899 to join her husband. There are also postcards from trips taken by Murray Bernays while he was in Europe for the Nuremberg Trials.

Series II contains personal correspondence including letters written by Murray to Louise Westing in the 1930s before their marriage, undated letters written between them, and letters written to Louise while Murray was in Europe preparing for the Nuremberg Trials. There is also military correspondence and memos that are primarily between the American legal team preparing for the trials, but also between Bernays and some European counterparts. After Bernays' retirement from the U.S. Army in November 1945, the correspondence relates mostly to talks and publications by Bernays about preparations for the Nuremberg Trials.

Series III contains files of reports, agendas, memos, telegrams, background literature, testimony, and plans related to the preparation for the Nuremberg Trials. Bernays organized the files in sections under the titles “Preparation of Evidence,” “Secret Evidence,” and “Trial and Punishment.” He numbered each document and provided an index at the beginning of each section indicating the general contents of each numbered document. Additionally, there is one folder of unnumbered documents that were also used for trial preparation. This series also contains news releases produced by the American legal team, photographs, and publications written about the trials by Bernays and other authors.