MR. ROBERTS: I suggest to you, as you raise that point, that nowhere in international law will you find the shooting of hostages legalized at all.
JODL: Then it is not with certainty prohibited anywhere in international law. I believe it is an open question. In our directives, even in the Handbook on Tactics, the concept of taking hostages had been laid down for years.
MR. ROBERTS: That may be so, and I do not want to argue with you about it. I suggest to you that the Hague Regulations protect the lives of civilians in occupied countries, unless they commit crimes, of course, and also prohibit collective punishment of the innocent.
If you do not want to say any more on that—I do not want to stop you if you do.
JODL: I can only summarize and say that every word here is in accord with the directives applicable in the German Army, and these directives were not illegal. But one would have to argue this problem with experts on international law.
MR. ROBERTS: Very good. Now, will you look at one other document dealing with Norway? It is D-582.
My Lord, it is a new document, and I offer it as GB-491.
[Turning to the defendant.] Is that a document which comes from your office?
JODL: Yes. It originated with the Armed Forces Operations Staff, Quartermaster Section.
MR. ROBERTS: Do you know of it or not?