Evening star., 1944-04-02

refugee would be agreeable to the
great powers.
The new German republican gov
ernment promised the victorious
Allies trial of the guilty generals
in the form of a parliamentary in
quiry. I was present at this tria
in the Reichstag in December, 1919
and have described it in my work or
Hindenburg. 1t should be compared
to comedy scene by Bernard Shaw
Triumph Of Hindenburg.
The field marshal should have
been accused: Firstly, for suddenly
breaking off the war and demanding
an armistice without trying to de.
fend the country; secondly, for the
CRIMES committed in Belgium and
Holland in his name.
But what happened? The SUBJ
missive German democrats received
him at his trial" with a great
bunch Of flowers and admiringly
listened to his speech, in which he
invented the lie of the dagger ir
the back" which, he said, the So
cialists had thrust into the victorious
fighting German Army, thus forcing
it to give up. Twice the President
dared to ring his bell and warn the
defendant, but Hindenburg's loud
sergeant's basso ignored it and con-
tinued his abuses of the governing
party.
Then, after this victorious defense
the field marshal was accompanied
home in veritable triumph by some
hundred young patriots on horse.
back.
The whole German people de-
Tended the war criminals. Socialists
and Democrats, then in power
backed the government when il
refused to deliver any war criminal
to the Allies. The victors, sick oil
war and partly motivated by hui.
manitarian ideas, stuck to their pol
icy Of fair plal, although they saw
the other side was cheating. AS they
still believed that justice existed In
Germany they accepted the proposal
Of the Superior Court at Leipzig to
have the war criminals tried at
home.
Only Seven to Be Tried.
Half of the list was cut down.
Only list of 896 names was sent
to Leipzig. The Superior Court soon
declared that Of these 896 only
were to be prosecuted.
!, Two of them were not available
as their addresses were mot known u
Two were condemned for having
torpedoed a hospital ship and hav-
ing shot 234 men in the lifeboats
OF that ship. These criminals were
allowed to escape from their prison
after some days. In the end the
only man punished was captain,
who got six months in Jail.
After these experiences no Ger
man court-not even an anti-Nazl
one-can be trusted to prosecute
the war criminals Of today.
Not only officers, soldiers and Nazi
leaders must be brought to trial;
also the leading industrials of the
great trusts and syndicates, as
their greed and lust for power made
If possible for Hitler to embark on
this war. Also those authors o1
classical Nazi works who have given
the philosophical and ethical basis
to the NaZi religion of brutality
and force should be brought to trial
These trials must be given a pub
licity greater than any trial in his
tory, and this for three reasons:
/. To protect the judges and the
accused.
For instance, what would a Polish
girl say If she heard that, in q
secret court-martial, one of 10 men
accused of ravaging her village was
acquitted? She might protest
That is surely the one who killed
my mother!" But If she could fol-
low the proceedings she would be
able to understand a just acquittal
Have Right to Know.
AS every acquittal will cause dis
content among the victims, every
judge and every accused must be
able to present his case to public
opinion.
2. Mankind as a whole has o
right to know how justice is ad-
ministered to those who made man.
kind suffer.
If these trials are broadcast all
over the world Chinese woman
STOPPING in the rice fields, a Dutch
workman in his factory, Russian
peasants in the ruins of their viii
lagos can stop their work and tell
their children what is happening to
their tormentors. The last remain
ing Jews will have the chance to
listen to the judgment passed on
those who were out to destroy their
race.
3. The third reason why I plead
for public trials is the education OF
the German people.
If the trials are secret the Ger
mans in their arrogance and fear
OF responsibility would call every
condemnation an injustice. But If
they are able to hear the wretched
pleadings of their Dragging leaders
If they are able to study these lead
ers true characters in the accounts
OF the trials, the Germans may
wake up to recognize what sort OF
men they made their leaders. These
trials would be unique chance to
make them mediate on the neces-
sity Of having conscience above
the blind will to obey.
AS in the classical Greek tragedies
in which the public is called upon
to unite in religious ceremony
these trials may have moral and
religious influence on the peoples OF
the world-but only if we make
them public.
Guilt and atonement are deep ir
the breast of man. For 10 years
the world has been suffering from
the presumption of people who
wanted to conquer the world but
could do nothing but destroy what
they laid hand on. Mankind as a
whole has the right to demand
|etonement.
(Copyright, 1914, by united FeAtu eyn.