VOA News — The National Archives Wednesday were handed the original Nuremberg Laws – the documents that historians say laid the groundwork for the Nazi mass murder of 6 million Jews.
The 1935 laws, signed by Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, had been in a private library near Los Angeles since U.S. General George Patton spirited them out of Europe at the end of World War II.
The papers were given to U.S. Archivist David Ferriero in Los Angeles Wednesday.
Archives officials say their collection of original Nazi documents is now complete.
The Nuremburg Laws stripped Jews of their German citizenship and forbade them from marrying non-Jews. The laws also barred Jews from flying the national flag or hiring non-Jewish women as housekeepers.
Historians say General Patton disobeyed orders and brought the original Nuremberg Laws to the library for safekeeping after the war.
Patton’s commander, General Dwight Eisenhower, wanted to keep the papers in Germany to use as evidence in the Nuremberg war crimes trials.
The National Archives in Washington plan to display the documents for the 75th anniversary of Hitler’s signing of the laws next month.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.