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David Nelson Sutton Papers, 1919–1965

Call number: Mss1 Su863 a

David Nelson Sutton (1895–1974), a native of West Point, Va., and a graduate of the University of Richmond, served as an associate counsel to the prosecution during the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, which tried accused Japanese war criminals in 1946. At the trial, which was held in Tokyo, Japan, Sutton helped convict leaders responsible for such atrocities as the Nanking Massacre of 1937 and the economic exploitation of occupied China. The David Sutton Papers, 1919–1965 (call number: Mss1Su863a), include trial correspondence, interrogation transcripts, various court documents (including photographic evidence of Japanese atrocities), entries from a diary Sutton kept during a visit to rural Japan, and souvenirs. The collection, which is described in greater depth in the VHS online catalog, would interest those studying the aftermath of the conflict in the Pacific Theater during World War II and postwar relations between the United States and Japan.

Images
The photograph reproduced here shows Sutton (seated at center in the dark suit) at the war crimes tribunal in Japan. The accompanying postcard is of the "Temple in Heaven" in Beijing, China, built during the Ming Dynasty. Sutton visited the site during his travels in Asia.

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Go to the VHS online catalog