The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-02-01
Y War Prisoners Aid
 Goes To Philippines
Islands Opened to Red Triangle Representatives; Red
 Cross Paid Tribute for Material Assistance

Extension into the Philippine Islands of the work of War Prison CTS Aid of the Y. M. c. A., 8 partici- pating service of the National War Fund, was announced today by Her. bert S. Smith, general secretary of the Waterbury Y. M. c. A., upon receipt of report from tine organi- zation's national headquarters in New York.
 Definite information the Philip pine Islands have been opened to Y. M. c. A. representatives in the Far East was brought to the United States by Hugo Cedergren, of Swe- den, associate director of the War Prisoners Aid, who arrived from Eu- rope last week. The neutral War Prisoners Aid delegates in Japanese occupied territory are all Swedish, and it is through Sweden that news of their activities reaches this coun- try.
 No time will be lost in sending Y.M.C.A. delegates into the Philip pines to help meet the recreational educational and religious needs of the prisoners of war there, Secretary Smith was advised.
 MT. Cedergren also brought first hand information about American prisoners of war in Germany. He visited prison camps there and talk ed with Americans as recently as last November.
 T can honestly say from my own experience that the spirit of the American prisoners is excellent" the Swedish delegate said. "They are being treated correctly. Any short comings are due to the scarcity of certain items in Germany, and not through lack of desire of the mili- tary authorities theret live up to the terms of the Geneva conven- tion of 1929"
 MT. Cedergren described two camps which he visited before com ing to America. Stalag Luft III where air force officers from the United States, Britain and Canada are interned, is Divided into six compounds, which, when full, will each contain 1,4oO men. They are housed in one-stary wooden bar racks, and sleep in double-deck hunks of a somewhat primitive type. The camp, like all others, is surrounded by barbed wire.''
 The two American officers at this camp, Col. Delmar T. Spivey and Col. c. G. Goodrich, were highly praised by MT. Cedergren. They are respected by the German authorities for their fortnight stand for the welfare of prisoners in their camp, he said.
 The other camp, Stalagg 1II-B, holds about 5000 American enlisted men, most of whom were taken prisoner in North Africa. Of these, about 1900 are confined to the camp, and 1,400 are in working de- l tachmentS.
 'The whole atmosphere of this camp is good and the morale of the men excellent" MT. Cedergren said. He commended Sergeant Clyde M. Bennett, spokesman for the Ameri- can sa,s being exceptionally able and well-liked. This camp, he said, has the best library of any camp he has visited, and a camp chapel which the men has decorat- ed beautifully and in which they take much pride.
 Educational classes, music and the drama, and indoor and outdoor sports are flourishing in both camps. Of the officers at Staleg Luft III, the majority are attend ing classes, studying languages, en- <neecing, agriculture, accounting, and many other subjects.
 T can say for the representa- tives of the War Prisoners Aid of the YMCA in Europe that we will leave nothing undone to continue providing the men in these camps with supplies needed for those &C., ttvit1es that make their life in the prison camps bearable and even in some respects profitable" MT. Ce- dergren said.
 Tribute was also paid by MT. Ce- dergren to the work of the Inter- national Red Cross, which, with the aid of the American Red Gross and other national movements, pro- vides material relief for prisoners of war. With prison camp fare SUD-