The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-10-08
How America Treats Axis Prisoners of War
In Concentration Camps Throughout U. S.
Good Treatment
PAYS Dividends
To Captor Nations

VX/HAT is our treatment of
w prisoners of war? Are off,
GERS overpaid? Do they have to
work? These and many other
questions are being asked as the
total of Axis prisoners mounts.
AS a matter of fact, the pris-
oner problem has become a real
one since the mass surrender of
Italians in Tunisia. After Sicily
capitulated, Gen. Eisenhower
had on his hands the staggering
total of 1850 Axis prisoners.
Quite a job for any mans army.
While it is true that prisoners
are enemies of this country, and
many have been directly re-
sponsible for the loss of Ameri-
can lives, they cannot be treated
entirely as enemies, but must be
treated as soldiers rather than
as criminals, always with this
thought in the background-the
treatment we accord enemy
captives will, in some measure
at least, determine the kind of
treatment given American sol
diers who have been unfortunate
enough to fall into enemy hands.
There are at least two other
reasons for the good treatment
of prisoners, aside from human
itarian considerations, one
based upon a treaty made at
Geneva on July q, 1929, and the
other a purely psychological
one, namely, that war-weary
and underfed troops may be
tempted to lay down their arms
to an enemy who feeds them
generously and gives them safe
haven.
Geneva Conference.
At the Geneva Convention, which
was ratified by 81 countries (which,
by the way, did not include either
Japan or Russia) certain rules on
treatment and behavior were formu-
lated. Under the provisions Of the
Geneva Conference soldier prisoners
are required to work, but officers
rro 800 The ,1,,,,% ~ %;y,aa a y>ric.
oner must work is based on the
number of hours put in by free labor
in the adjoining territory, and one
day a week is to be day of rest.
Food and clothing must be provided
by the OBTAINING army.
Occupational classification is de-
termined by the prisoners physical
makeup. For instance, the prisoner
who was formerly engaged as a
clerk or teacher should not be put
at hard labor. This provision, how
ever, has been largely ignored in
Axis countries, where many a schol-
arly soldier grinds out a day that
taxes his strength sorely.
In every concentration camp
many different crafts and trades are
piled by the prisoners, but in no
case do they work on projects di-
rectly connected with the war eff
fort, as a precaution against sabo-
tage.
Payment for labor is at the rate
of 80 cents day for the ordinary
soldier, here in the United States,
where we have some 10000 Axis
prisoners scattered throughout the
country in % camps. The rate of
pay for officers ranges from $40 a
month to $40 month. Officers who
have been assigned no work get paid
anyway, at the regular scale.
At some of the camps prisoners
are kept within by double barbed
wire enclosures. Armed guards pace
back and forth outside to make sure
that all is well.
Fed Army Rations.
Prisoners in the u. S. army
camps are fed the regular army field
rations. In this respect they fare
much better than General VAIN
wright and his gallant band of de-
tenders who laid down their arms
on Corregidor only after food and
water supplies had been cut off. The
Japanese diet consists mainly of
rice, and there is reason to believe
that the heroes of Bataan and Cor
regidor have suffered considerably
from malnutrition since they fell into
enemy hands. The Japs evidently
have nothing much better to offer,
for even the warriors of Guada1-
canal and New Guinea have been
forced to rely upon rice as their
mainstay. Kiska and Attu furnished
mute evidence of the Japs' utter de-
pendence upon rice as fighting
staple.
While the japanese government
tentatively agreed to certain propos-
ais from this country with regard to
the treatment of prisoners, their at