The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-04-12

2 largely on farms and in factories, relieving U. s. manpower shortage. The remainder, less than 50,000 will be officers and non-commissioned officers who by the terms of the Geneva Convention cannot be given work unless they ask for it. plus the service prisoners who keep camp for the other prisoners, and the disci- plinary cases and irreconcilable trouble makers kept behind barbed wire.
 The Geneva Convention, govern ing the treatment of prisoners of war by the captor country and ac- cepted by the U. s. in 1882, provides that all captives shall be returned to their countries after the con- clusion of peace That doesn't mean as soon as the fighting stops, but when the peace treaty is sign ed, which might be year or more later.
 U. S. ARMY TRANSPORT
 COMES FIRST
 The 60000 to 65, 900 U. s. soldiers held prisoner in Germany will be brought back home immediately, but shipping to take German pris- oners back to Europe may not be available. The U. s. Army in Eu- rope 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 German prisoner of war labor would be used in competition with U. s. labor temporarily unemployed by produc- tion cutbacks after VIE day. Before any prisoner of war labor can be used in this country, Manpower Commission officials must certify there is no civilian labor 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 ir- responsible quarters to have the United States treat all prisoners of war rough and tough, and the War Department has been criticized for ''mollycoddling" it's prisoners, feed- ing them too well and not stamping out Nazism as the Nazis themselves stamped out their opposition.
 WE FOLLOW THE RULES
 But from a standpoint of.lnilitary strategy, 1t can be proved that abiding by the Geneva Convention has been good tactics. First, it is evidence that when this country makes an agreement. it will live up to it. If there is to be peace in the world, there must be sanctity of in- ternational obligations.
 Second, following the doctrine of Stonewall Jackson, that Tt is cheaper to feed them than to fight them" the U. s. Army Psychological Warfare division has done every thing it could to encourage the Ger mans to surrender 'Hogcaller" loud speakers in the front lines have in- vited the Nazis to come on over for breakfast, and given them the menu. It 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 safeguard against reprisals on U. s. soldiers captured by the Germans. They number less than 65,OO0 - one for every IS Germans captured by U s. troops. The Germans appeared to be living up to the Geneva Con- vention and treating them well sometimes giving them more food than German civilians got. There have been eXceptions-th massacre of 150 U. s. soldiers captured in the bulge, near-starvation in Bad Orb camp, mistreatment of the wounded in Heppenheim hospital, appropria- tion of Red Cross supplies It is na- tural to want to get even for such atrocities, but think this one through and ponder on what might have happened to the American prisoners if this country had tried to out-reprisal the Nazis.