Arkansas State press. [volume] (Little Rock, Ark.) 1941-1959, 1945-06-22
Plan Just and Speedy
Trials for Nazi BiQwiqs
Allied Commission to Handle Cases Of High
Leaders; Local Officials to Prosecute
Minor Offenders.
BY BAUKHAGE
NeWs Analysi and Conn, entatoy.

MNU Service. Union Trust Building.
Warrington. d. G.
The legal profession Is about to
meet the greatest challenge II has
ever faced.
The Moscow declaration. pub.
Nshed November /. l943. and signed
BY President Roosevelt. Prime Min
lister Churchill and Premier Stain.
declares that "those German officers
and men and members Of the Nazi
party" who are responsible for or
who have taken . conserving part In
atrocities. evidence Of which has
been received from authoritative
quarters In many countries" will be
'tried. Judged and punished" accord.
ing to the laws Of those countries.
This same declaration also de-
clafes In its anal paragraph that
'ma1or criminals whose ofienses
have no particular geographical 10.
calization" will be tried and dealt
with by 'joint decision Of the Gov.
srnments Of the Allies"
That IL where the United States
and the challenge Of its legal profes-
sion comes In.
The body which viii try these "big
shots" 10 an international military
tribunal, TO be designated by an Of
dcial title, probably by the time
these lines are printed. and II 10 be-
fors this court that q member Of the
Supreme court Of the United States.
Associate Justice Robert H. Jack
son, chosen a. American chief Of
counsel win appear ~ prosecutor.
He win act jointly. 1t Is presumed.
with the counsels Of the United King.
dom and the Union Of Soviet Social
lst Republics.
Legal Body
Without Precedent
Never In history has such a legal
body been convened. Never has such
Z task ~ the one It has before II
been Of such potential significance to
the social and political well-beins Of
The peoples Of the earth-never. At
least. since the day Of 4 certain Ro-
man procurator Of Judea In Pales-
tine. rontius PLATE was unable to
face bis responsibility. and finding
sthat b. could prevail nothing. but
tathsr that . tumult was made. he
took watsr. and washed his
hands. ]"
The United States does not intend
- wash it, hands Of tho responsible.
IT. before It. a. sss....@...
} There seems to b. = weller Of con-
fusion a. to Just what the function
Of this military tribunal" Is; as to
Just what. Il any. policy has been
established by the ''Ofiice Of the
Chief Counsel for the Prosecution Of
Axis Criminality." which Is the title
on the letterhead before me. The
permanent address Of this office Is.
at this writing. 4 little uncertain. but
II can be reached care Of the Penta.
gon In Warrington. Soon Il win e.
eablish foreign headquarters.
Despite the confusion. this institu-
ton has Z definite policy and I shall
interpret It informally hereunder:
~ We shall avoid "the laws de-
lay which so annoyed Hamlet.
My reason for this assumption Is
the fact that Justice Jackson did
not retire from the Supreme court.
The fall term Of the court begins in
October. Already he has made one
trip to Europe for the purpose Of
rounding up key witnesses and doc.
uments and 10 now beginning final
preparation for the prosecution. His
stan has been assembled for several
weeks and he has coordinated the
other government agencies interest
ed In war crimes (war department,
navy department, Office Of Strate-
gic Services. and others). Authority
for this action Is vested In Execu-
tive Order 9547 Of May 2. 1915. which
named Justice jackson as Amer.
lean prosecutor.
Jackson himself said when he was
appointed: There will be no delay
on the part Of the United States, and
we think undue delay is itself q fail
ure."
{2) There Is no confusion as to
United States policy with respect to
the type Of offender to be tried. Many
individual cases have already been
prepared, though not yet announced.
AS ! mentioned earlier, what the
United States is concerned with Is
the big shots, that is Jackson's job
to try the men whose offenses are
broader than those committed in and
against members Of any single
community. To put 1t broadly, those
charged with crimes against human
ity as a whole.