Editing Martin Bormann (section)

===Tried at Nuremberg ''in absentia''===
During the chaotic days after the war, contradictory reports arose as to Bormann's whereabouts. Sightings were reported in Argentina, Spain, and elsewhere.{{sfn|McGovern|1968|pp=172, 174}} Bormann's wife was placed under surveillance in case he tried to contact her.{{sfn|McGovern|1968|p=173}} Jakob Glas, Bormann's long-time chauffeur, insisted that he saw Bormann in Munich in July 1946.{{sfn|McGovern|1968|p=177}} In case Bormann was still alive, multiple public notices about the upcoming [[Nuremberg trials]] were placed in newspapers and on the radio in October and November 1945 to notify him of the proceedings against him.{{sfn|McGovern|1968|pp=167–168}}

The trial got under way on 20 November 1945. Lacking evidence confirming Bormann's death, the International Military Tribunal tried him ''[[trial in absentia|in absentia]]'', as permitted under article 12 of their charter.{{sfn|McGovern|1968|p=169}} He was charged with three counts: conspiracy to wage a war of aggression, [[war crime]]s, and [[crimes against humanity]].{{sfn|McGovern|1968|p=178}} His prosecution was assigned to Lieutenant Thomas F. Lambert Jr. and his defence to Friedrich Bergold.{{sfn|McGovern|1968|pp=169, 171}} The prosecution stated that Bormann participated in planning and co-signed virtually all of the [[antisemitic]] legislation put forward by the regime.{{sfn|Lang|1979|p=229}} Bergold unsuccessfully proposed that the court could not convict Bormann because he was already dead. Due to the shadowy nature of Bormann's activities, Bergold was unable to refute the prosecution's assertions as to the extent of his involvement in decision making.{{sfn|McGovern|1968|p=177}} Bormann was convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity and acquitted of conspiracy to wage a war of aggression. On 1 October 1946, he was sentenced to death by hanging, with the provision that if he were later found alive, any new facts brought to light by that time could be taken into consideration to reduce or overturn the sentence.{{sfn|McGovern|1968|p=178}}