Evening star., 1946-10-02
World Press Halls
Nuremberg Judgment
Against Nazi Chiefs
1y the As.eeiat.d Pr.ss

10
The press Of both Allied and for.
mer enemy countries today &C.
claimed the principle laid down b,
the International Military Tribuna.
that the waging Of aggressive wa,
is criminal and punishable by
death.
But In Rome, II Buonsenso, or.
gan Of Italy's uomo qualunqus
Common man) movement, which
often has been accused OF Fascist
tendencies, declared that Hermann
Goering and 10 other Nazi chief
tains would 60 to the gallows only
because they lost a war.
The press of the Soviet Union
expressed surprise and perplexity
and the newspapers of France and
occupied Germany reflected out
right anger at the acquittals OF
three Of the 81 Nazi leaders in the
dock. But while dissatisfaction was
shown with certain aspects Of the
judgment OF the sentences the
common man paper was alone ir
It's contention that vengeance
rather than justice presided at
Nuremberg.
who among the judges was
without sin?" the Roman news
paper demanded.
1t said the defendants "were
prosecuted for an imposing total OF
crimes from which, however, the
essential crime was missing that
OF having lost"
Better War Preparations Seen.
The gallows of Nuremberg" d
Buonsenso (good sense) said in its
editorial, will serve only to induce
the leaders of every Nation to pre-
pare their wars better, to prosecute
them with greater energy and speed
to initiate them when they are In
possession of still more fearful
weapons which guarantee victory
since 1t has now been proved that
only the failure to win leads to
punishment"
The Soviet government newspaper
Izvestia said that despite the short
comings of the verdict. it would
play its role in the cause of the
moral and political defeat of fas-
cism and in cleansing the earth
OF its poisonous roots"
Diverse protectors of fascism-
from inmates of the Vatican to the
hired pens of the Hearst newspaper
concern-mobilized all their forces
in defense of the accused" the
editorial said, "but justice held the
upper hand over lawlessness and a
just cause was victorious"
1zvestia said the judges showed
surprising softness to four master
criminals" in letting Rudolf Hess off
with q life sentence and acquitting
Hjalmar Schacht, Hans Fritsche
and Franz Won Papen." It expressed
regret at the courts failure to de-
clare the German high command a
criminal organization.
Hist0ry's Verdict.
The Communist Party newspaper
Pravda hailed the convictions as
"history's verdict" despite the ac-
qulttals. An editorial broadcast by
the Moscow radio supported the
dissenting opinion on the acuuittals
by Soviet Justice I. T. Nikitchenko.
but added that even with the ac-
quittals, ut must be stressed that
the sentence passed on these mur-
derers sat Nuremberg will be ap-
praised by all honest people
throughout the world as a positive
achievement" So
The French press commented
sharaly on the acquittals. The Paris
newspaper Combat said the acquit-
tails would shock public opinion in
Germany because Germans were
well aware of "the sins of that par
ticular social class" to which the
three defendants belonged. The
newspaper Franc Tireur said with
out Schacht's counsel the Nazis
never could have attained power.
Figaro indicated general approval
Of the trial.
In Germany, newspapers licensed
by the United States and Britain as
well as the Soviet-controlled press
maintained that the three acouit-
ted men were guilty in the eyes of
the German people All the papers
praised the tribunal for conducting
a fair trial, but they differed with
the judges on the acquittal and
Soviet-licensed papers criticized
some Of the prison sentences as
too lenient.
In defeated Japan, where her war
leaders now are on trial for similar
crimes, both the defense and the
prosecution hailed the Nuremberg
decisions as evidence of the ability
OF such q court to arrive at fair
decisions.
The press In the United States
almost unanimously hailed the re-
suits of the trial as the prime
example of the "kind of Justice we
had hoped would prevail in world
in which free men had triumphed"
and as confirming "a verdict long
since returned by the judgment of
outraged humanity"
Many editors viewed the death
penalties meted out to IL of the Nazi
leaders and the. long Jail sentences
given seven others as establishing
a possible deterrent to future agrees
sors. but others expressed misgiving
regarding the acquittal of three of
the defendants.
The four-nation tribunal, accord
Ing to the New York Times "meted
out what it was supposed to mete
out-stern and exact Justice, but
justice, not vengeance. It has
punished crime, it has refused to
engage in an determination cam
paign."
This, too, was the theme of the
editorial of the Richmond Times
Dispatch which declared: Even the
Nazis should be impressed by the
validity and fairness of the judicial
process, as practiced in the demo-
cratic nations, and as concretely
evidenced in these proceedings"
Precedent for War Guilt Seen.
THE comfort of the Nuremberg
example Is the enactment there of
= IL y~s. =