Omaha daily bee., 1920-02-17
Berlin's Proposal to Bring
Those Accused of War
y Crimes Before Leipsic Tri-
bunaI Accepted by Entente.
PENAL PROCEEDINGS
WILL BEGIN AT ONCE
Text of Note to Holland Ask
ing Internment of Ex-Kaiser
Is Presented and Made Pub
lie to the World.

London, Feb. l6-The allied reply
to the German note of January Is,
proposing as an alternative to extra
dition that persons accused by the
allies be tried at Leipsic, states that
Germany's proposal for such trial at
Leipsic is compatible with article 22S
of the peace treaty. The allies, the
note says, will abstain from interven-
ton in the procedure of that court.
After stating that the allies have
carefully considered the German
note of January Is, the reply says:
"The powers observe, i'll the first
place, that Germany declares IL
self unable to carry out the obliga-
tions imposed on it by article 22S
to 230, which she signed. They re-
serve to themselves the power to
employ in such measure and form as
they may judge suitable. the rights
accorded to them in this event by
the treaty"
"The allies note, however, the Ger
man governments declaration that
they are prepared to open before
the court of Leipsic penal proceed
ings without delay, surrounded by
the most complete guarantees and
not affected by the application of all
judgments, procedure or previous
decisions of German civil or military
tribunals before the supreme court
at Leipsic, against all Germans
whose extradition the allies and as
sociated powers have the intention
to demand.
Compatible to Treaty.
The prosecution which the Ger
man government itself proposes inn
mediately to institute in this manner
is compatible with article 228 of the
peace treaty and is expressly pro-
vided for at the end of its first para.
graph.
Faithful to the letter and spirit
of the treaty, the allies will abstain
from intervention in any way in the
procedure of the prosecution and
verdict in order to leave the Ger
man government complete and en-
tire responsibility. They reserve to
themselves the right to decide by
the results as to the good faith of
Germany, the recognition by it of
the crimes it has committed and
its sincere desire to associate it
self with their punishment.
"They will see whether the Ger
man government, which has de-
clared itself unable to arrest the
accused named on the list
to deliver them for trial to the al
lies, is actually determined to judge
them itself.
Provide Details of Charges.
AT the same time the allies, in
pursuance of truth and justice, have
decided to entrust to a mixed in
terallied commission the task of col
lecting, publishing and communi-
eating to Germany details of the
charges brought against each OF
these whose guilt shall have been
established by their Investigations:
Finally, the allies would formally
emphasize that procedure before a
iuridiction such as is proposed can,
in no way annul the provisions OF
articles 22S to 250 of the treaty.
\ "The powers. reserve to them
selves the right to decide whether
the proposed procedure by Ger
many which, according to it,
would assure to the accused all
guarantees of justice. does not, in
effect, bring about their escape from
the Just punishment of their crimes.
In this event the allies would exer-
else their rights to their full extent
by submitting the cases to their own
tribunal.