The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1945-05-04
. BEHIND THE SCENES
IN WASHINGTON .

for it, plus the service prisoners
who keep camp for the other
prisoners. and the disciplinary
cases and irreconcilable trouble
makers kept behind barbed wire.
The Geneva Convention, gov
erning the treatment of prisoners
of war by the captor country
and accepted by the u S. in 1892,
provides that all captives shall
be returned to their countries
after the conclusion of peace"
That doesn't mean as soon as
the fighting stops, but when the
peace treaty is signed, which
might be a year or more later.
u. S. ARMY TRANSPORT
COMES FIRST
The 10000 to $4,000 U. S. SOL
diers held prisoner in Germany
will be brought back home i'm
mediatey, but shipping to take
German prisoners back to Eur
ope may not be available. The
u. S. Army in Europe has to be
moved to the Pacific first, the
war has to be won there, and
then the Army has to be moved
back home. Those things get top
priority, so the PW's will be
around for some time.
There is no danger that Ger
man prisoner of war Dor
would be used in competition
with ". S. labor temporarily
unemployed by production cut
backs after We day. Before any
prisoner of war labor can be
used in this country, Manpower
Commission officials must certi-
fly there is no civilian | a b or
available to do the job.
There will be no backsliding
by this government on the terms
OF the Geneva Convention, even
after Germany collapses. There
has been considerable pressure
from some irresponsible quart
ers 10 have the United States
treat all prisoners of war rough
and tough, and the War Depart
ment has been criticized for
'mollycoddling' its prisoners,
feeding them too well and not
stamping out Nazism as the Ma
zis themselves stamped out their
opposition.
WE FOLLOW THE RULES
But from a standpoint Of mill
tary strategy, it can be proved
that abiding by the Geneva Con-
vention has been good tactics.
First, it is evidence that when
this country makes an agree
ment, it will live up TO it. If there
is to be peace in the world, there
must be sanctity of international
obligations.
Second, following the doctrine
Of Stonewall Jackson that 1T is
cheaper to feed them than to
fight them the u. S. Army Psy-
Geological Warfare division has
done everything it could to en-
courage the Germans to surren-
der. "Hogcaller' loud-speakers
in the front lines have invited
the Nazis to come over for
breakfast, and given them the
menu. 1t has worked, as proved
by the million prisoners taken
since last June. The promises of
good food and fair treatment
must be kept.
Third, this has been a safe
guard against reprisals on U. S.
soldiers captured by the Ger
mans. They number less than
65,00-one for every IS Ger
mans captured by U. S. troops.
The Germans appeared to be
living up to the Geneva Conven-
ton and treating t h m well,
sometimes giving them m o r e
food than the civilians got. There
have been exceptions-the mas
sacre of $50 U. S. soldiers cap
tured in the bulge, near-starva-
ton in Bad Orb camp, mistreat-
ment of the wounded in Heppen-
helm hospital, appropriation Of
Red Cross supplies. 1t is natural
&c want to get even for such
atrocities, but think this one
through and ponder on what
nj ght have happened to the
American prisoners if this coun-