Evening star., 1945-05-17

n e n a t1Ondl &d'sSs - ssds1M41N
military tribunal Lowell Meilett.
now being rapidly organized. For
Goering is to be stripped of any SEM
blance Of military dignity, to say
nothing OF his medals, and put on
trial for his life--as common GRIM
lnal.
Goering and all others Of the Ger
man ruling group, including mem
bers of the general staff, who can
fairly be charged with formulating
policies or issuing orders that led to
the obscene atrocities, wholesale and
single, which have marked the war
just ended, will be tried. Those
found guilty unquestionably will die
President Truman in announcing
two weeks ago the appointment OF
Justice Jackson to serve as America s
chief counsel in the trials of war
criminals said the international tri-
bunal had not yet been organized,
Since that time, however, the nature
Of the tribunal has been pretty well
set by the American, British, Rus
sian and French delegations at San
Francisco. They are known to have
reached complete agreement and it
remains only for the heads of their
respective governments to ratify this
agreement and to name the members
Of the court.
Three-Man Court Probable.
The court probably will consist OF
three men, one each from Russia
Great Britain and the United States.
They may or may not be military
men.
The proceedings of the court will
BE public, and are certain to be SEN
sational. Not only will the accused
men be charged in general terms and
specific detail for their alleged
crimes, but they will be permitted to
speak for themselves or through
counsel in their own defense. They
will be allowed to plead not guilty,
to attempt to justify their actions or
to plead a lack of personal RESPONSE
bility. Some, at least, can be ex-
pected to defend themselves by at
tacking the Allies or some one of
the Allies. Denunciation of bolshe-
visn and proclamation of a high
purpose to defend the Western World
against it, is likely to be heard from
more than one sweating defendant.
In other words, the history of the
war as the Germans themselves
would have written 1t If their plan for
world conquest had succeeded, will
be heard in this courtroom. But,
also, the history of the war as the
Allies would write it-plus the YER
dict.
Future historians will look to the
record made in these proceedings as
a principal source of the truth con-
corning the Second World War.
Down through the centuries men
doubtless will argue over the evi-
dence and over the courts findings.
And yet, by strict application of mill
tary tribunal procedure, 1t now is be-
1eved the court can complete its
work before the present year is out.
Method Not Known.
What method the court will take
In trying members of organizations,
such as the Gestapo, which is said to
have made torture a routine part of
its operations, is not known. The
disposition of the average citizen has
been to consider membership in such
an organization as prima facie proof
of guilt and that probably will be the
courts disposition. How to punish
individual members, save in in
stances of proved personal guilt, like
wise poses problem. Imprisonment
"at hard labor" to borrow a term
used in some American States, has
been proposed, the hard labor to be
expended in repairing damage done
by the German Army in various
countries.
More important, of course, than
the punishment given rank and file
criminals, will be the decisions of the
court concerning high government
officials, civil as well as military, who
set the pattern of Germany's war
making or gave their consent to 1t.
The supreme atrocity of all, in some
minds, was committed when Hitler,
his political advisers and the army
general staff, sat down and planned