Evening star., 1945-06-03

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and try a large group of civilian and
military leaders of the vanquished-not
because they fought a war but because
they committed dastardly and inhuman
crimes in violation of all the rules la
boriously built up by civilized men over
many centuries.
From the current meeting of the
United Nations War Crimes Commission
in London is expected to emerge the
methods and procedures by which Ger
man and other criminals will be tried. 1t
has been announced already that 2,657
persons-of whom 1924 are Germans
are on the commissions list of those who
will be accused.
This list has been built up slowly and
painstakingly from well-documented
evidence Some of 1t was supplied from
public statements and orders issued by
the war criminals themselves. A much
larger part has been accumulated from
eyewitness accounts supplied by the
underground movements in Axis-occu-
pied nations or from witnesses to acts
of wanton brutality on the battlefield.
Type of Court Unsettled.
For some time a heated debate has
gone on among members of the COM
mission in London as to whether the
European war criminals should be tried
before military court or an interna-
tional civilian tribunal. AS this is writ
ten, no announcement on this subject
hoc fsN r hut ,RH 81
circles here understand that the tribunal
will be composed of military men, as
has been advocated by the United States
1t is likely that the trials will get
under way very shortly after the con-
clusion Of the London meeting, as speed
is being urged from all sides.
Represented on the commission which
has brought the indictments are 16
members of the United Nations They
are Australia, Belgium, Canada, China,
Czechoslovakia, France. Greece, India,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New
Zealand, Norway, Poland, the United
Kingdom. the United States and Yugo-
only Soviet Russia is missing. For some
months the United States and Great
Britain have been attempting to per-
suade Moscow to join in the work Of
the commission, and negotiations on
this point are still continuing. So far,
however, the Soviets have preferred to
work through their own Russian Ex-
traordinary State Commission set up to
punish war criminals.
Warn Against Hollywood Flavor.
When the trials start. the world is
likely to see one of the most somber
and spectacular exhibitions of the CEN
tury, although there is a general opin-
ion that they should avoid a circus"
atmosphere. The London Economist
recently 'urged speed and warned
against Hollywood effects"
A series of trials like the forthcoming
ones was planned for German war
criminals after the World War, and
articles 228-30 of the Versailles treaty
provided that Germany recognized the
right OF the Allies to accuse and try
persons held to have violated 1.-THE laws
and customs of war" There was much
haggling and delay. At first the Allies
presented the Germans with a demand
for the surrender of some 1900 persons.
BY 1920 this had been cut down to about
300. but 1t contained the names of
many very high-ranking persons
Field Marshal Paul Won Hindenberg,
for example.
The Germans pleaded that If these
national leaders were turned over to the
Allies. widespread public disorders
would result. AS an alternative the
Germans promised to try them In their
own national courts where Allied OBJ
servers would be present to see that
justice was done. BY 1920 the war fever
had cooled down considerably, and the
Allies reluctantly gave their consent to
the German plan.
The result was the so-called Leipzig
trials, running from May to July, 1921,
which turned out to be farce.
Only IL men of the list of 800 were
ever tried, and none of them received
capital sentence OF the IL, only were