Evening star., 1948-02-26
By CordeII Hull
Assisted BY Andrew Berdine)
CHAPTER XVIII.

CHAPTER XVIII.
The three Foreign Ministers met
in the Kremlin on the evening Of
October 10 with every appearance OF
cordiality and cooperation and a
strict attendance to business. We
quickly agreed on no speech making,
on the advisers who would sit In
with us, on the meeting place and
on the first communiQue to be
| issued.
/ When / returned to the Embassy
found telegram from the State
Department referring to q message
Mr.. Churchill had sent the Presi-
dent on october IL proposing joint
statement by the chiefs Of the three
governments on the punishment OF
Germans guilty OF atrocities.
The cable said the President
| would like me to consider the text
of some such statement to be issued
at the close of the Moscow Con-
ference. It suggested that, without
prejudice to any action we might
take against past offenders, the
warning should refer specifically to
present and future atrocities: this
was to avoid driving German Of
tenders to desperation and inducing
them to take the same action as
cornered rats in past history who
had murdered their helpless victims.
Prior to the first formal meeting
scheduled for the afternoon OF the
18th I received separate visits at
Spasso House the American En-
bassy) from Eden and Molotov.
Reds Sought Military Talks.
British Ambassador Sir Archi-
bald Clark-Kerr, who accompanied
Eden Che later became British Am
bassador to Washington), brought
up the desire of the Russians to
have military discussions, particu-
larly with reference to the second
front. 7 indicated would state
the United States determination to
prosecute the war to its conclusion
and to give full assistance to her
Allies We agreed that we should
give the Soviet government full In
formation on our plans, the reasons
for our decisions and the results
obtained, and receive any sugges-
tions they might wish to make, but
that it should be made clear that
no military negotiations could be
carried on at the conference.
With Molotov I first brought up
the question of the Russian censor
ship. American correspondents had
not been permitted to send human
interest stories concerning the ar
rival of the American delegation.
asked whether such stories con-
cerning the conference generally,
which did not touch upon the Of
fetal business Of the meetings,
could not be permitted. Molotov
exclaimed over the stupidity" OF
the censor, and said he would see to
1t.
Just before we went to the con.
ference meeting (of October 23|,I
Molotov said he had discussed with
Marshall Stain the proposed dec
laration sent me by the President
regarding German atrocities. With
q few minor changes, Stain agreed
to 1t. ~, |
Soviet Sought Strong Measures.
In the conference discussions we
were having on atrocities, the Rus
slams took a strong stand. They
had suffered severely at the hands
of the Germans, and they wanted
to administer stern, swift justice to
the German officials responsible for
the wholesale murder of Soviet
Eden argued that all the legal
forms should be observed.
When 1t came around to me toI
state my opinion, I said:
,"If I had my way, I would take
Hitler and Mussolini and TOTO and
their arch-accomplices and bring
them before a drumhead court
martial. And at sunrise on the fol-
lowing day there would occur an
historic incident" i
AS this was translated, Molotov
and his entire delegation broke into
loud exclamations OF approval, ana
for a minute the calm of the con-
ference was shattered.
The main point I had in mind at
Moscow in this connection was to
emphasize further that the world
had to deal in drastic fashion with
a state of affairs wherein powerful
dictators had arisen with plans OF
conquest, enslavement
and vicious methods OF barbarism
and savagery. I felt that this class
of world desperadoes should be
sunmarily dealt with just as they
were summarily dealing with the
innocent peoples Of the world.
I assumed that when we captured
the chiefs OF the three Axis powers
and their ringleaders, we would also
secure their secret papers and ham
die this evidence somewhat as we
would If we were carrying out the
forms of an international law trial.
But did not want this process to
disturb the prompt disposition OF
those bandit chieftains.
had submitted this view to Presl-
dent Roosevelt and Prime Minister
Churchill and Eden during their VS.
its to the United States. I had also
need
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