Evening star., 1946-10-17
Writer'S Visit Gave
Goering Suicide Cue,
Reporter Indicates
By Kinosbury Smith


Goering to take the poison which
enabled him to cheat the gal
lows OF Allied justice.
AS one of those eight correspond
ents, I believe that the commotio1
caused by our visit may have servee
to tip off Goering and the othel
condemned men that the hour O
their doom was about to strike.
AS the correspondents, escorted
by several security officers, shuff1ee
through the narrow corridor, peek
ing into the small iron-barred port.
holes of each of the condemned
mems cells. it naturally caused /
stir.
At the front of each cell dool
stood a CT guard whose duty it wa.
to keep constant watch on the mar
inside the cell. I noticed at the
time that some of the guards turned
around to see what the commotior
was about as we entered and started
to move along the corridor.
With most of the correspondents
including the writer, stopping te
glance over the shoulder of the
guards into the condemned cells, IL
was only human for some of the GIs
to turn their heads momentarily tc
see what was going on.
1t is possible that in the moment
or moments, the CT guarding Goer.
ing's cell turned his head and the
crown prince of Nazidom managed
to slip into his mouth the vial con-
tanning the cyanide of potassium
1t was just a few moments be.
fore when I had peeked over the
guards shoulder into Goering's cell
Lying stretched out full length or
a small iron cot was the bulky fig.
ure of the man the Allied govern.
ments were most eager to have leao
the parade of death to the gallows
He was the cnly one of the old
guard, top-level Nazi chieftains they
had managed to have convicted and
condemned to death by the Inter-
national Military Tribunal.
Goering had gone to bed, although
the lights of his cell and in the
prison block were not yet dilnmed
His body was covered by an ordi-
nary United States Army khaki
blanket. One blush pajama- clad
arm was outstretched, the other
was folded over his chest with the
fist closed.
Appeared to Be Asleep.
He was lying absolutely motion
less, with his head resting on one
side and his eyes closed, as if il,
sleep.
Goering was the only one of the
condemned II who was in bed. Most
Of the others were pacing their cells
Some were sitting on their beds
others at the frail little wooden table
in each cell.
Goering's cell was the last one
the correspondents reached on their
initial walk down the corridor.
had seen the inmates of other cells
moving around and it struck me as
rather strange that Goering should
have gone to bed so early and ap-
parently was already asleep.
I turned to the duty officer of the
guard, young lieutenant standing
by, and said. rs he asleep"
The lieutenant shrugged his shoul-
ders and said he did not know.
A few minutes later, Col. Selby
Little, the deputy security comman-
dant, said to me: isn't that just like
Goering-going to sleep on his last
night?"
still thought it was strange and
so remarked to one of my colleagues.
We were taken into a little room
few cells away from Goering where
the possessions of the leading Nazi
prisoners were kept.
We were taken next into the little
library of the condemned block, on
the other side of the corridor, al
most directly opposite Goering's cell
Here we were shown and told about
the books the prisoners had been
reading. After that, We were led
back across the corridor to the
prison Office.
Coming out of this Office, we
moved across the corridor again. al
ways within few feet of Goering s
cell. to narrow stairs leading up to
the first tier of the block. About
10 people mounted those stairs. We
filed along catWalk directly above
Goering's cell and were shown the
kitchen, first-aid and dental rooms
We came down the stairs and
walked along death row, again peek
ing into the cells of Goering and
the other condemned on our way
out.
We had been told by Col. Burton
c. Andrus, the security command
ant, that after our visit was over
he would return and read to each
condemned man the tribunals SEN
tence of death. That was to be the
first official indication to them that
they were soon to start the parade
OF death to the gallows.
So far as the security guard knew
none OF the men had any knowl-
edge that the executions were
scheduled to start shortly after mid
night.
Council o. KID Visit.
was walking beside Col. Andru.
and said to him:
If they don't already know Il
they certainly will after this visit Of
ours and after you have read the
sentence to them"
Putting an arm around nv shoul.
ders, the colonel replied: II know it
That's why I want to get this ovel
with quickly"
do not believe that Col. Andru.
was keen about the visit of the cor.
respondents to the condemned block
but they had made formal request
to do so some days ago and he hat
been authorized by the Allied Con.
troll Councils special commission O.
four generals to take them through
on that last night.
The mistake, in my opinion, wa.
that we were taken through in &
body. We should have been taker
through one by one, or not NOR,
than two at time.
That is how I had visited tn.
l. s.. L. - c-l