Evening star., 1945-10-26
Letters TO The Star
Mr.. Harrison Replies to Criticism
OF His Recent Report

Mr.. Harrison Replies to Criticism
OF His Recent Report
fSee Editorial: StilI Misleadin0J
To the Editor Of The Star:
I have recently read your editorial
entitled "A Misleading Exaggeration,"
having to do with my report on the
conditions and needs OF displaced per-
sons, especially Jews, in Germany and
Austria.
My main purpose in writing to you Is
to point out the glaring error of your
editorial writer in his reference to THE
UNRRA" "The UNRRA, judging from
the Harrison report, is incompetent to
lend much help" is the language of
your editorial. Ny report stated: "As
quickly as possible the actual operation
of such camps lin which are housed
displaced persons whose repatriation or
resettlement is likely to be delayed)
should be turned over to civilian
agency-UNRRA."
scarcely would have recommended
turning over the administration of
camps to that organization at the
earliest possible date had thought, that
the UNRRA was incompetent. I am
led to believe by this statement in your
editorial that the writer not only showed
a complete lack of comprehension of
the whole subject but that he failed to
read the report in its entirety. I did
say that UNRRA was aware of the
weaknesses in its organization and was
undertaking to remedy them, but 1t is
manifest to any one reading the report
without bias that felt the job of ad-
ministering camps in which persons
were likely to remain for some time was
one for UNRRA and not for the military
authorities,
UNRRA, in spite of all that is being
said about 1t, is good organization and
one that is quite competent to do real
and constructive Job in Germany. If
you are as interested as / had always
supposed The Star to be in presenting
the actual situation to your readers, you
will print this letter.
While writing, cannot refrain from
commenting upon the rest of your edi-
torial. You undertake to explain what
I meant when said that, "As matters
stand, we appear to be treating the Jews
as the Nazis treated them except that
we do not exterminate them" Your
writer did not take the trouble to con-
slider the context In which that state
ment was made. I was talking about
the matter of keeping Jews within
camps under military guard.
What would you think if you were A
German living across the road from a
concentration camp in which for years
you had seen Jews and other political
prisoners" kept and then, after conquer
ing armies had come in, you continued
to see the Jews and other such prisoners
maintained in such camps under mill
tary guard?
You say that "It is no answer to say
that German civilians could be turned
out OF their homes to let these people
in." Why not? I made clear in the
report that this very idea has been
carried out to some extent and that 1t
Is declared to be the policy OF our occu-
patton army, but that it simply isn't
carried into execution by subordinate
officers. What do you think of Gen.
Eisenhowers order that 1t be carried
out to even greater extent? And what
do you think Of Gen. Eisenhower's action
in personally ordering requisition of
German houses in the vicinity of Camp
Feldafing, one of the best of the camps,
after he visited it? 1t is clear to me
that the writer of your editorial should
take a short trip to many Of the rural
areas OF Germany in which the camps
are situated. Then he would know
whether my statement was any kind of
exaggeration.
1 shall not engage in any controversy
with you with respect to Palestine for I
recognize that is complicated question.
1 am disappointed, however, that you
should have on your staff an editorial
writer who showed such total lack of
comprehension of simpler issues involved
In the situation.
FINALLY, let me say that. in spite of
the replies that have come from Ger
many concerning improvement of con-
ditions within camps, the issue remains
the same: How long are we to keep
Jews, the worst victims of the Nazis. in
camps' Does the Potsdam policy, that
the German people cannot escape re-
sponsibility for what they have brought
upon themselves" mean nothing in this
situation? EARL G. HARRISON.