Zoom inThe execution of the last seven death sentences on June 8, 1951 at the Landsberg prison marked a turning point in the political controversy over the Nazi culprits. Though the West Germans responded with disapproval, as expected, they were also relieved. The common notion was that now that the "true culprits" were dead, the other convicts could soon be released and the entire war criminal issue could quickly come to a finish.
The favourable conditions since the spring of 1951 made it appear possible that an extensive amnesty policy for all Nazi convicts could soon be enforced politically - after all, the Americans had already made major concessions, and others were to come. The imminent negotiations with the Allies about the end of the occupation provided the German side with a formidable lever. Among the West German public, there were strong sentiments against the war crime trials - so strong that the two mainstream parties and especially the SPD did not want to abandon these sentiments and this topic to the small German national parties.