Evening star., 1947-03-15
S90,532 Nazis Held
In Russia, 1,0O3,974
Released, Reds Say
Soviet Figures Supplied
After Other Allies List
Prisoners They Have
By NewboId Noyes, Jr.
Stor Stoff CORRESPONDENT

MOSCOW, Mar. 15.-Russia
has supplied long-sought figures
on the number of German pris-
oners she is holding. The Soviet
delegation told the Council of
Foreign Ministers yesterday
there are 890,532 captive Ger
mans in Russia and that 1,003, 1927
have been sent home.
Speculation about the figures has
been Spiced by rumors some Ger
man prisoners of war in Russia had
been incorporated into the Red
Army.
Foreign Minister Molotov told the
Council Wednesday Russia would
reveal how many German prisoners
were in her control If the west
ern powers produced like informa-
ton. At yesterdays Council ses-
sion, the United States, Britain and
France gave the latest figures on
prisoners they were holding. Late
last night, notes arrived from Mr.
Molotov, giving the Russian figures.
U. S. Has s0,976 Prisoners.
Secretary of State Marshall said
the United States, as of yesterday,
had a total of 3G,976 German pris-
oners in America and Europe. The
goal, he said, was to finish dis
charging all of these in June. Only
103 German prisoners were left III
America. he said
Foreign Secretary Bevin an
nounced the British controlled 435,-
295 German prisoners. The French
figures, as announced by Foreign
Minister Bidault, was 631 ,483.
Release of the Russian figures is
by no means likely to end specula-
ton about them. Two questions ap-
pear to remain unanswered. The
full text of the Russian note, not
yet available here, may give the
answers. Meanwhile, the questions
are:
/. Were the million odd, listed as
repatriated. prisoners who had been
actually held in Russia, or were they
prisoners taken in Germany in last
minute shambles of the war and
released almost Immediately?
If the latter is the case, the Rus
sian figures are about 100000 short
of our intelligence estimates of the
number of Germans Russia should
be holding.
2. If on the other hand they are
prisoners actually held in Russia
and repatriated, where are they?
Discrepancies Mentioned.
Certainly, our experts say, the
western zones have not received
their proportionate share of these
million homebound prisoners. They
compute roughly that if the Russian
figure is correct, perhaps 80 per
cent of Russian-held Germans must
| have lived in the Russian zone of
Germany. This would be an extraor-
binary coincidence.
The Russian figures, like the
British, don't show the number of
German prisoners of war held in
their occupation zone of Germany
or elsewhere outside the homeland.
This could be the explanation for
the discrepancy between estimates
and the figures announced.
Meanwhile, President Truman's
foreign policy declaration of last
Wednesday still has not once been
mentioned in the Council meetings.
The ministers agreed at yesterdays
meeting to start talking today, in
German discussions. about displaced
persons and territorial reorganiza-
tion,
Originally they had planned to
take up economic principles and
reparations. The Russians, how
ever, wanted more time to check
over their reparations figures.
The Council tried to save time