Guide to the papers of Sir William Webb

The papers of Hon. Sir William Webb are held within the Private Records collection at the Australian War Memorial's Research Centre. They document Webb's involvement and contribution to the International Military Tribunal for the Far East during 1947 and 1948. The papers occupy 1.4 shelf metres and comprise a range of record types: draft judgements, legal briefs, records of proceedings, legal exhibits and correspondence. The Tribunal elected the Australian member, Sir William Webb, as president. The Tribunal consisted of nine, then later eleven judges from allied nations. Twenty eight major war criminals were convicted, four more than the number at Nuremberg, Germany. Oral testimony was heard from 419 witnesses but the bulk of the evidence was given in 779 affidavits and 4,336 documents. The proceedings took two and a half years and were recorded in a transcript of 49,858 pages. The judgements were handed down in late 1948, with a summary of the facts and findings of the Tribunal released on the 10 September 1945.