Evening star., 1945-10-03
Letters to The Star

summation In Sundays Star Of Mr..
Harrison's report to the President con-
cerning the treatment In United States
British controlled areas OF Germany
Of nonrepatriables. and especially OF
Jewish refugees. and the editorial In
Mondays Star on the same subject.
Al Assistant Chief Of stan for Mill
tary Government Of the 18th Corps
Goth U. 3. Army and, rs such, re-
.sponsible TO the corps commanding
general fMaj. Gen. John b. Ander-
SOM for the care and control Of over
100000 displaced persons, feel that
my experience and comments may be
helpful to proper public understanding
Of the Army's treatment Of displaced
persons. The 10th Corps occupied the
province OF Westphalia In Germany.
which includes the densely populated
and extensively devastated Ruhr area.
My experience was limited to that area
and ended on June 8, 1s45. when West
phalia was turned over to the British.
/ feel confident, however, that the 18th
Corps methods in handling displaced
persons were no different from those
employed by other corps or armies.
Housing Displaced Psrsons.
First, the matter Of housing. Save
In isolated cases, our displaced persons
|. were housed in the camps in which the
Germans had kept them as slaves. In
several cases we used Wehrmacht train
ing camps, and in several others small
villages. preempted Of Germans. These
slave" camps, when cleaned up and
equipped with running water, bath
houses, mess halls and dispensaries,
were the most efficient and comfortable
method of housing displaced persons
Such camps excelled the conditions un-
der which displaced persons would have
been billeted In many large, devastated
German cities. To billet hundreds Of
thousands Of displaced persons in wide
ly scattered, undamaged German viz
lagos would be impossible from trans
portation and administrative considera-
tions. Admittedly certain of these camps
were not up to the required standards,
but as fast as displaced persons were
repatriated Tin three months-in two
Of which we were fightins-we trans
ported 72,00o French. Belgian and Dutch
displaced persons to the west and 27,ooo
Russian to the east) the inferior camps
were closed. Unceasing efforts were
made to improve the lot Of these un-
fortunates.
Second. the matter Of food. Displaced
persons were fed 2,o00 calories q day
in the 18th Corps Area. Their food was
entirely supplied from captured Ger
man military stocks and by levying on
German civilians. through the Reich
Food Estate. This 1000 calories q day
was twice that prescribed for Germans.
Third. the matter Of clothing. The
Army was furnished no clothins-savs
small stocks of children's and womsn's
clothing distributed by the Red Gross
to issue to displaced persons. Every
effort was made to locate clothing for
the displaced persons. All captured
Wermacht clothing-though there was
little OF twas earmarked for dis
placed persons The fact Is there Is
little clothing on the, continent. ANY
deficiencies In the clothing needs OF
the 100000 displaced persons that Mr..
Harrison estimates win remain In Ger
many and Austria this winter cannot
fairly be charged to the Army.
| Necessity fer Guards.
Fourth, the guarding Of displaced
| persons. This was an unfortunate but
absolutely necessary requirement. In
general. displaced persons, II permitted
to. would attempt to walk to Russia,
France, Poland and other countries
Unco-ordinated movement Of these
persons would be likely to spread dis
ease Germany was ofacially . Ety.
phus" country and result In wide-
spread looting and killing. The "phe-
nomenal performance" that Mr.. Har-
rison mentions. Of the Army In rspatri-
atins 100000 displaced persons In less
than three months speaks for the
soundness Of the Army policy. More.
over, the Russian, Polish, French ant
Netherlands governments all had rep
rssentatives In the 18th Corps Area, whs
recognized the necessity Of this policy
Contrary to Mr.. Harrison's suggestion
feel sure that the German people
do not suppose our guarding displaced
| persons Is an act Of condonation oi
Naz policy. In the 18th Corps Area
they were very much aware OF the
fact that withdrawal Of Army guards
would nightly result in Germans be.
Ing killed In their houses. More i'm
portant, our failure to check maraud-
ing displaced persons would violate ouI
pledge that We come As conquerer,
and not oppressors.
Fifth, 'the absence Of a program Of
activity or organized rehabilitation. >
/ am not sure that know what Mr.
| Harrison means. do know that the
Thousands Of idle, displaced persons in
/ 18th camps were q source Of concerr
and perplexity. We succeeded in find-
Ing employment for 24,oo0 Polish dis
placed persons Ia guarding German
| prisoners Of war, constructing assembly
camps In France for redeployins ou1
Army. We were working on 4 program
to induce, under our direction. italian
and Polish displaced persons neither
Of which group could be then repatri-
ated-to work on German farms and
In coal mines. Before this program
could be developed the corps withdrew
from Germany.
There are many things we did fol
displaced persons that space does mol
permit listing: For example, the med.
tcal service Of the Arrny--and ther,
is no better; showing Of motion pic.