Key facts
- Diaries of US prosecutor David Nelson Sutton from WWII have been revealed.
- Sutton was an assistant prosecutor at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East (Tokyo Trial).
- The diaries detail the process of documenting Japanese atrocities in Nanking.
- They also highlight the relationship Sutton developed with the Chinese people he helped.
Newly revealed diaries from World War II prosecutor David Nelson Sutton offer a glimpse into the arduous task of documenting Japanese wartime atrocities, particularly those committed in Nanking. Sutton served as an assistant prosecutor at the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, commonly known as the Tokyo Trial. His personal writings lay bare the gruelling effort involved in compiling evidence, which included nearly 50,000 pages of trial documents, and underscore the unlikely bonds he forged with the Chinese people whose experiences he helped bring to light.