I. Foundation & Purpose

Constituted in London in November 1966, the tribunal operated under a unique legal framework. Unlike the Nuremberg Trials, it held no state power to enforce sanctions but relied on moral authority and the weight of evidence presented by international witnesses.

The Five Core Questions

1. Has the U.S. Government committed acts of aggression according to international law?
2. Has the American army made use of or experimented with weapons forbidden by the laws of war?
3. Has there been bombardment of targets of a purely civilian character (hospitals, schools, dams)?
4. Have prisoners been subjected to inhuman treatment, torture, or mutilation?
5. Have forced labor camps been created or acts of genocide committed against the population?

"We are not judges. We are witnesses. Our task is to make mankind bear witness to these terrible crimes and to unite humanity on the side of justice in Vietnam."

— Bertrand Russell

II. Historical Context & Origins

Based on the analysis of historian Gabriel Kolko, the intervention of the United States in Vietnam was not a civil war but a direct extension of American global strategy following World War II.

III. Stockholm Session (May 1967)

The first session focused on the origins of the conflict and the technical nature of U.S. weaponry.

Key Testimonies

• Jean-Paul Sartre: Established the legitimacy of the tribunal based on universal conscience rather than state mandate.
• Gabriel Kolko: Detailed the economic and strategic motives of U.S. imperialism in Southeast Asia.
• Jean-Pierre Vigier: Described the use of fragmentation bombs specifically designed to maximize civilian casualties.
• Vietnamese Witnesses: Do Van Ngoc, Ngo Thi Nga, and others provided firsthand accounts of bombing raids and destruction of dikes.

IV. Roskilde Session (November – December 1967)

The second session focused on the conduct of the war, prisoner treatment, and complicity of other nations. This section contains the most disturbing testimonies from American veterans who admitted to violations.

Testimony of American Veterans

"They encouraged us to use our imagination, only insisted that whatever we did should not leave traces."

— Donald Duncan

"I am an average American, I am like any other student, and here I am a war criminal... Anyone in my place would have acted as I did."

— Peter Martinsen

Complicity of Other Nations

The tribunal found that several nations facilitated U.S. aggression through bases, troops, or economic support.

• Thailand: Hosted bomber bases launching 80% of raids on North Vietnam; sent expeditionary corps.
• Philippines: Provided naval/air bases (Subic, Clark) and 2,000+ troops.
• Japan: Used its shipyards to repair U.S. warships; exported napalm components and logistics support.

V. Findings & Verdict

Following deliberations in Roskilde, the Tribunal rendered the following unanimous verdicts:

• Aggression: Yes. The U.S. committed aggression against the people of Laos and Vietnam.
• Prohibited Weapons: Yes. Napalm, phosphorus, fragmentation bombs, and toxic gases were used illegally.
• Treatment of Prisoners: Yes. Torture, execution of wounded, and inhumane detention occurred systematically.
• Treatment of Civilians: Yes. Massacres, forced displacement into concentration camps ("strategic hamlets"), and destruction of crops/dams.
• Genocide: Yes (Unanimous). The Tribunal concluded the war was an attempt to destroy the national group of the Vietnamese people.

"In the North, as in the South, there is a choice between two types of destruction: collective death or disintegration."

— Jean-Paul Sartre, On Genocide

VI. The Aftermath: My Lai (Pinkville)

Two years after the tribunal, the My Lai massacre was revealed. Bertrand Russell responded immediately, noting that the event was not an anomaly but a confirmation of the tribunal's findings.

Russell's Response (Nov 1969)

• The atrocities were not isolated acts but represented the general pattern of the war.
• Prosecuting only junior officers was inadequate; the architects of policy in the White House and Pentagon were the true culprits.
• He called for a UN-led inquiry rather than a self-serving Pentagon investigation.

"The entire American people are now on trial. If there is not a massive moral revulsion at what is being done in their names to the people of Vietnam, there may be little hope for the future of America."

— Bertrand Russell