The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1943-09-17
ALLIED MILITARY GOVERNMENT

The many readers and picture
viewers of Gone With The Wind
will recall the touching scenes. fol-
lowing the passage OF the conquering
army and its foragers, In which the
heroine, Scarlet O'lIara, made a
pitiful search among the weeds Of
a neighbours abandoned garden to
ind something to eat: and In which
she bravely shot an unprinciDled
looter who was insolently robbing
her home before her eyes, and threat
Mig all inmates as we'll.
fnsi was the cid way People of
he c, nquered countries and sections
ere 80 treated, or neglected, In the
evolution, the War Of 1912, and In
all the wars OF Europe In the last few
hundred years, including the first
World War. Victorious armies were
tenlar,y followed by military occu-
pation TO keep the people of the oc-
pieJ places submissive; by forag-
to collect available food and sup
- for the soldiers, and by maraud-
alr1 camp followers bent on loot
g. Still further back in history the
II populations were generally put
the sword" to get rid Of them.
But now some changes have been
.iade. The civilian victims of bombed
ma battered cities, towns and ham
cts are being taken care OF by the
ictorious Allied invaders the m
elves. Closely following the forces
Il destruction come the forces of hui
mainly as the bombers, tanks, long
tens asd seige guns move on to
new obJectives they are promptly
succeeded by new forces bringing
soCd, medicine, supplies and friendly
help Of every kind. To chaos and des-
pair they quickly bring order and
relief.
Following the famous Casablanca
conference, Gen. Eisenhower initia-
ed steps for carefully plansed gov
eminent Of the territory to be occu-
pied. 1t was promptly put into effect
in TInisia. And in the middle of July
when Sicily was less than half-con-
quered. combined British-Ameri-
can military government had been
set up on the island with Gen. Sir
Harold Alexander at it's head, and
as the Allied armies advanced north
and east this organization promptly
established headquarters in town at
er town in their wake.
The first thing they did was to get
n touch with the remaining official
If the local governments (since Axis
iunctionaries had usually fed and
he police; arrange to bury the dead,
eopen hospitals; establish water and
electric services; restore facilities
lor transportation and communica-
ions, and set up system of distri
button OF food supplies The stunned
and helpless people among the ruins
of their homes were first helped, then
5nabled to help themselves, and
soon the town or village was func-
tioning again, with the danger of
wholesale starvation and epidemics
averted. A
The general policy was set forth
by President Roosevelt as follows:
1--WE shall bring food to the starv-
ing and medicine for the sick in the
areas liberated by the United Ma
ton . We shall do SO +. to pre-
vent economic breakdown and to
aid the liberated people to produce
and to help themselves. We shall
provide these necessary civilian sup
plies in support of our military OPP
erations and as matter of simple
humanity :. The goal of the United
Nations is to permit liberated peoples
to create free political life of their
own choosing and to attain economic
security. These are two of the great
detectives of the Atlantic Charter.
This army of liberation which SO
NEARLY followed our army of destruc-
ton in Sicily was officially named
the Allied Military Government Of
Occupied Territories, popu l ly
shortened to AMGOT, which was la
ter changed to the more abbreviated
AMG, allied Military Government"
Both British and Americans compose
it, and the two flags fly side by side
in every Sicilian town. Officers of the
AMG staff include able specialists in
such fields as public works, utilities,
financial affairs, health and santa
ton, transportation, communications
and the like. Scores of the American
officers were trained in the Army's
School of Military Government at
the University of Virginia, while
many of the British officers were
trained in the civil affairs service of
the British army.
This new-style, humane form of
military government had for it's
place of birth the sector of the
Rhineland where 200 American of1c-
ers were in charge of an army of
occupation. following Word War l.
They had had no experience, no
training, and had really had no time
to give any thought to the job be-
fore it was thrust upon them. Short
comings we're naturally noticed
The War Department deserves
credit for directing attention to the