Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-05-05


number of desired results:
l. This time those accused of wal
crimes actually will be tried and
without delay; 2. They will be tried
fairly: 3. A pattern of punishment
will be fixed for future aggressive
warmakers; 4. International law
will be given an authority it never
yet has had.
For the purpose is to put the mer
responsible for this wars crimes anc
atrocities truly on trial; to accoro
them justice, not to wreak ven.
geance. Further, it is to make a
record for all time to come of what
this generation considers criminal
warfare. And finally, it is to estab-
lish as part of the worlds under
standing, that guilt is personal even
when crime is committed in the
name of nation.
Different This Time.
Heretofore in history any man
who made war on big scale &C
quired glory even in defeat Glamour
chung to Hindenburg and Luden-
dorf in the years following the last
war. They were allowed to live to
help plan the CHASTITY holocaust now
being ended. Not glory, because he
proved weak, but tolerance at least
was granted Kaiser Wilhelm.
1t will not be so this time if the
purpose indicated by President Tru-
mans timely and decisive action is
carried out
Whom will we see in the prisoners
dock? That is not yet known. The
War Crimes Commission of the
United Nations has not published
the list on which it has been work.
: ing. Hitler will not be there, nor
Mussolini, the one having escaped
by suicide and the other having
been kicked to pieces by mob of his
own people. How many of the arch
criminals will escape through death
there is no way of knowing, but that
there will remain number properly
subject to trial seems certain.
One class of criminals will not be
brought before the international
tribunal. Those against whom there
is sufficient proof of personal par
ticipation in specific atrocities are
to be returned to the countries in
which their crimes were committed,
to be judged and punished by those
countries. This is in keeping with
an Allied declaration issued from
Moscow on November /, 1943. The
international tribunal will take the
cases Of those on higher or policy
level, those whose crimes were not
of local character.
Trials to Be Public.
Precise procedures have not been
determined. but there is every rea-
son to expect that the trials will be
public-the public, because Of space
limitations, being chiefly the press.
The accused, it is assumed, will have
knowledge of the exact charges
against them and will be represented
by counsel, but many Of the familiar
aspects of an American murder trial
are likely to be absent No battle
OF wits. no Juggling of technicaities,
no emotional theatricals, no playing
on the prejudices of jurors, no vast
ing .!of time. This last prediction
grows out of Justice Jackson's in
dicated confidence that he will be
back in Washington for the opening
of court in October.
There may be acquittals Justice
Jackson revealed clearly his own
thinking in this connection in a
speech early in April before the
American Society of International
Law. Having said, You must put
no man on trial before anything
that calls itself a court if you are
not prepared to establish his per-
sonal guilt" he also said, You must
put no man on trial under the forms
of judicial proceedings if you are
not willing to see him freed If not