AUGUST 8
1940
Romanian government passed legislation that Jews who converted to Christianity would be regarded as Jews for legal purposes, and barred from marriage with ethnic Christians; by defining Jews not based on religion this was "the first step, and a large one at that, to further racial legislation"
1944
Polish troops fought in Normandy in Operation Totalize: It was an offensive launched by Allied troops of the First Canadian Army during the later stages of Operation Overlord, from August 8 to 9, 1944. The mission was to break through German front lines south of Caen on the eastern flank of the allied positions in Normandy and exploit success by driving south to capture the high ground north of the city of Falaise. The II Canadian Corps, consisted of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division, 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, 49th (West Riding) Infantry Division, 51st (Highland) Infantry Division, 4th Canadian (Armoured) Division, 2nd Canadian Armoured Brigade and the British 33rd Armoured Brigade as well as the 1st Polish Armoured Division.
SECRET AND PERSONAL FROM PREMIER J. V. STALIN TO THE PRIME MINISTER, Mr W. CHURCHILL (no, 315) "I should like to inform you of my meeting with Mikolajczyk, Grabski and Romer. My talk with Mikolajczyk convinced me that he has inadequate information about the situation in Poland. At the same time I had the impression that Mikolajczyk is not against ways being found to unite the Poles. As I do not think it proper to impose any decision on the Poles, I suggested to Mikolajczyk that he and his colleagues should meet and discuss their problems with representatives of the Polish Committee of National Liberation, first and foremost the matter of early unification of all democratic forces on liberated Polish soil. Meetings have already taken place. I have been informed of them by both parties. The National Committee delegation suggested the 1921 Constitution as a basis for the Polish Government and expressed readiness if the Mikolajczyk group acceded to the proposal, to give it four portfolios, including that of Prime Minister for Mikolajczyk. Mikolajczyk, however, could not see his way to accept. I regret to say the meetings have not yet yielded the desired results. Still, they were useful because they provided Mikolajczyk and Morawski, as well as Bierut who had just arrived from Warsaw, with the opportunity for an exchange of views and particularly for informing each other that both the Polish National Committee and Mikolajczyk are anxious to co-operate and to seek practical opportunities in that direction. That can be considered as the first stage in the relations between the Polish Committee and Mikolajczyk and his colleagues. Let us hope that things will improve." (August 8, 1944)
1945
The Nuremberg Charter was issued, setting down the laws and procedures by which the Nuremberg Trials were to be conducted. The charter stipulated that crimes of the European Axis Powers could be tried. Three categories of crimes were defined: crimes against peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. Article 8 of the charter also stated that holding an official position was not considered a defense to war crimes. Obedience to orders could only be considered in mitigation of punishment if the Tribunal determined that justice so required. The Charter was created by the European Advisory Commission under the authority of the Moscow Declaration: Statement on Atrocities, agreed upon at the Moscow Conference of 1943. The charter was drafted by Robert H. Jackson, Robert Falco and Iona Nikitchenko of the European Advisory Commission and issued on August 8, 1945.
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