Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1917-04-25
Brand Whitock Depicts Belgians'
Misery; Deportations Called Zone.
OF Foulest Deeds History" Shows

Washington. April 25.-The State
Department has made public q report
from Brand Whitlock, written at
Brussels in January. when he was
the American Minister to Belgium. in
which he describes the terrible effects
OF the German policy of deporting
Belgians to Germany to compel them
of h war in Europe, this is the first
report from Mr.. Whitlock that the
State Department has permitted to
reach the American people,. Allow
ing for all exaggeration. MI. Whit
lock says there remains enough ito
stamp this deed as one of the foulest
that history records"
Statements made by Minister Whit
lock suggest that Field Marshal o
Hindenburg was responsible for the
deportation policy. He was said to
General Won Kissing. the Military
Governor Of Belgium, and as a result
there was a quarrel which sent von
Kissing to Berlin with the intention of
resigning. When Won Kissing return
ed the reign of terror in Belgium be-
gan.
The report from Mr.. Whltlock reads
as follows:-
I'm order to fully understand the
= - HOSSood1 ~ ~ UoSn ~
the autumn of 1914. At the time we
were organizing the relief work. the
Comite National-the Belgian relief
organization hat c~ollaborates with
the Commission for Relief in Belgium
proposed an arrangement by which
the BELGIAN government should pay
to its own employees left in Belgium.
and other unemployed men besides.
the ages they had beer accustomed
to receive.
The Belgians wished to do this for
humanitarian and patriotic purposes;
they wished to provide the unemploy-
ed with the of livelihood, and.
at the same time. to prevent their
working for the Germans.
The policy was adopted and has
been continued in practice and on the
rolls Of the Comite National have
been borne the names of hundreds of
of idle men receiving this dole, dis
tributed through the communes.
The presence of these unemploy-
ed, however. was a constant tempta-
ton to German cupidity. Many times
they sought to obtain the lists of the
chomeurs (unemployed) but were al
ways foiled by the claim that under
the guarantees covering the relief
work the records of the Comite Ma
INC liz 10 1Ouo IlLde
tons were immune. Rather than risk
any Interruptions of the r%avitaille-
ment. for which. while loath to own
n obligation to America, the Ger
mans have always been grateful, since
it has had the effect of keeping the
population calm, the authorities never
pressed the point other than with the
hurgomasters of the communes. FL
nally. however, the military party, al
yu0N,S hr11fn0 ar1 1,y{th ~ -A-,,-1S~-
Ignorance of public opinion Inc of
moral sentiment, determined to put
these idle men to work.
I'm August o Hindenburg was
appointed to the supreme command.
He is said to have criticised Won Bis
sings policy as too mild; there was q
quarrel; Won Kissing went to Berlin
to protest, threatened to resign, but
did not. He returned, and a German
official here said that Belgium would
now be subjected to a more terrible
regime, would learn what war was.
The prophecy has been indicated.
The deportations began in October
in the etape. at Client and at Bruges.
The policy spread; the rich industrial
districts of Hainaut. the mines and
steel works, abou Charleroi were next
attacked: now they are Selling men
in Brabant. ever in Brussels, despite
1870 III even pTSulCtlOnS
of the civil authorities. that the poll
cy was about to be abandoned.
During the last fortnight men
nave been impressed here in Brussels,
but their seizures here are made evil
GENTLY with much greater care than in
the provinces, with more regard for
the appearances. There was no pub
lie announcement of the intention to
deport. but suddenly. about ten days
a pn contain WAN Ia. -,..-- ~---
names are on the list Of ch6meurs re-
celved summonses notifying them to
report at one of the railway stations
on a given day and penalties were fix
ed for failure to respond to the sum-
mons, and there vas printed on the
card an offer of employment by the
German government, either in Ger
many or Belgium.
On the first day. out of about 1900
men ordered to present themselves at
the Care du Midi, about $50 respond
ed. These were examined by German
physicians n 800 were taken. There
was no disorder, a large force of
mounted Uhlans keeping back the
crowds and barring access to the sta
ton to all but those who had been
summoned to appear. The commits
sion for relief In Belgium had secured
permission to give to each deported
ma a loaf of bread n some of the
communes provided warm clothing
for those who had none and in addi-
ton a small financial allowance.
AS by one of the ironies of life the
winter has been more excessively cold
than Belgium has ever known 1t, and
while many Of those who presented
themselves were adequately protected
against the cold. many of them were
without o~vercoats. The men shiver-
ing from cold and fear, the parting
from weeping wives and children, the
barriers of brutal Uhlans. all this
made the scene a pitiable and dis
tressing one.
1T was understood that the seizures
would continue here in Brussels, but
on Thursday last, a bitter cold day,
those that had been convoked were
sent hOnne a oon,;.-.- - y