Browning chief. [volume] (Browning, Mont.) 1941-1953, 1943-10-15
How America Treats Axis Prisoners of War
In Concentration Camps Throughout U. S.
Good Treatment
Pays Dividends
To Captor Nations

WHAT 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 matter of fact, the pris-
oner problem has become real
one since the mass surrender of
Italians in Tunisia. After Sicily
capitulated, Gen. Eisenhower
had on his hands the staggering
total of $4,000 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 treaty made at
Geneva on July 27, 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
are not. The amount of time a pris-
oner must work is based on the
number of hours put in by free labor
in the adjoining territory, and one
day week is to be a day of rest
Food and clothing must be provided
by the OBTAINING army.
Occupational classification is de.
termined by the prisoners physica
makeup. For instance, the prisoner
who was formerly engaged as {
clerk or teacher should not be pu
at hard labor. This provision, how
ever, has been largely ignored ii
Axis countries, where many schol
arly soldier grindS out day tina
taxes his strength sorely.
In every concentration CAM
many different crafts and trades are
piled by the prisoners, but in nj
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 rat,
of 80 cents a day for the ordinar,
soldier, here in the United States
where we have some 10000 Axi
prisoners scattered throughout tn
country in % camps. The rate o
pay for officers ranges from $40
month to $40 a month. Officers VIII
have been assigned no work get pail
anyway, at the regular scale.
At some of the camps prisoner
are kept within by double barbe
wire enclosures. Armed guards pac
back and forth outside to make sur
that all is well.
Fed Army RatiOns.
Prisoners in the U. S. arm
camps are fed the regular army fiel
rations. In this respect they far
much better than General WAR
wright and his gallant band of dc
tenders who laid down their arm
on Corregidor only after food an
water supplies had been cut off. TIL
japanese diet consists mainly {
rice, and there is reason to believ
that the heroes of Bataan and Coz
regidor have suffered considerabl
from malnutrition since they fell int
enemy hands. The Japs evidentl
have nothing much better to offcl
for even the warriors of Guada
forced to rely upon rice as thei
mainstay. Kiska and Attu furnishe
mute evidence of the Japs' utter de
pendence upon rice as a fghtin
staple.
While the Japanese governmer
tentatively agreed to certain propo!
ais from this country with regard
the treatment of prisoners, their a