Evening star., 1946-01-14
Doenitz0rderForbade
U-Boats 10 Rescue
Victims, Court Told
By the Associated Press.


explicit directive of the German
Navy forbidding any attempts
TO rescue or aid survivors of tor.
pedoed ships was read into the
record of the international Wal
Crimes Tribunal today in the
prosecution of Grand AdmiraI
Karl Doenitz.
mo attempt of any kind must be
made at rescuing members of ships
sunk, and this includes picking up
persons in the water and putting
them in lifeboats, righting capsized
lifeboats, and handing over food and
water" read the order issued to all
subm arine commanders under
Doenitz' command on September
II, 1912
Rescue runs counter to the rudi-
mentary demands of warfare for the
destruction of enemy ships and
crews"
Doenitz is first on the list of 10
defendants whose individual cases
Britain and the United States hope
to conclude this week, clearing the
way for French and Russian prose-
cutors to start their cases next week.
The case against Doenitz was
closely linked with that against his
predecessor as commander in chief
Of the German Navy-Erich Raeder
which is to follow.
Hitler Order Disclosed.
Earlier evidence was introduced
which disclosed that Adolf Hitler
in an effort to render American
shipping construction useless by
creating shortage of seamen, di-
rected German U-boats early IN
1912 to kill or capture crews of tor
pedoed vessels.
British prosecutors produced also
secret wireless message to one
U-boat commander who reported
giving aid to women and children
who survived a sinking. The mes
sage informed him that this action
was wrong" and bluntly reminded
him his vessel was not sent to
rescue English and Poles"
The Fuehrer's orders were dis
closed in notes on a conversation
between Hitler and japanese Am
bassador Hiroshi Oshima in the
presence of Foreign Minister
Joachim Won Ribbentrop January
3, 1892. The notes we're submitted
to the international tribunal.
U-Boats Recalled.
The memorandum said Hitler told
the Japanese Ambassador he had
recalled the entire Atlantic subma-
rine fleet for reorganization, after
which it would be posted outside
United States ports. Later, he con-
tinued, they would congregate off
FreetoWn, on the Western bulge of
America, and Capetown, South At
rica.
"The Fuehrer pointed out that
however many ships the United
States built, one of their main
problems would be the lack of per-
sonnet" the memorandum con-
tinued. For that reason even
merchant ships would be sunk
without warning. with the inten-
ton of killing as many of the crew
as possible. e--s>~ :
"Once it gets around that most OF
the seamen are lost in the sinkings,
the Americans would soon have diff
flculties in enlisting new people"
Lifeboats to Be Sunk.
Hitler told Oshima the German
attitude could not be governed by
"any humane feelings" and he
therefore gave his order that "in
case foreign seamen could not be
taken prisoner, which is not always
possible in the open sea, U-boats
we're to surface after torpedoing and
shoot up the lifeboats.
"Oshima heartily agreed with the
Fuehrer's comments and said the
japanese, too, are forced to follow
these methods" the notes con-
cluded.
Prosecution Plans Sought.
The International Military Trib-
unal, pondering requests by thou
sands of Germans desiring to testify,
called on Allied prosecutors today to
define specifically their plans and
objectives against six Nazi groups
accused as criminal organizations.
The tribunal suggested it might
defer the trial of the six groups,
which include the German high
command and general staff as well
as the SA and SIS, whose member
ship runs into hundreds of thou
sands Of persons, until present hear
ings against % top-ranking Nazi
leaders are completed.
Lord Justice Godfrey Lawrence,
president of the tribunal, announced
that many thousands of applica-
tons" have been received from
members of the indicated organiza-
tions expressing desire to present
defense testimony.
Points Listed.
The tribunal, he said, "is having
difficulty in determining the man.
1er in which representatives of the
named organizations will be given
an opportunity to appear"
He said the court desired to hear
arguments from the prosecution and
the defense on the following points
l. The exact tests of criminality
which must be applied" and the ma
ture of the evidence to be admitted
since the charter creating the tri-
bunal docs not define criminal
organization" and the question "of
whether such evidence might bet
ter be received at subsequent trials.
Many assert they were conscripted
into these organizations or were un-
aware of their criminal nature or
are innocent of unlawful acts" the
presiding judge explained.
q. THE question of the exact time
each organization was criminal is
vital to the decision of the tribunal
The tribunal desires to know of the
prosecution whether it intends to
adhere to the limits of time in the
indictment"
d u. S. Case Recalled.
8. The question "of whether any
class of persons should be excluded