Evening star., 1948-10-05
More on Use Koch Case

October 2 defending the reduction Of the SEN
tence OF Use Koch, generally condemning the
war crimes trials and by innuendo attacking
William D. benson, chief prosecutor at the
Buchenwald trial, is . most interesting dis
sertation. Unfortunately, though, it contains
several basic contradictions which raise serious
| question as to the value to be given his entire
effort.
These contradictions are all the more sur
prising because Mr.. Poullada writes at such
length and from such obvious frst-hand know
ledge. and even more because justice, Is he in
dicates, has depended upon his ability to get
things straight.
Without endeavoring to analyze his lengthy
letter point by point. may single out just q
few Of the glaring contradictions in his argu-
ment?
First, he writes that "the record was clear
that Frau Koch was a morally depraved and
callous woman not ht company for decent
people anywhere" Then he says that the
court found her guilty at all of war crimes is
further confirmation that these inexperienced
military judges were swayed more by emotion
than by legal principles" Finally, he writes:
whatever the defects Of the trial processes
might have been, the Army certainly provided
very complete and eminently fair system of
| reviews"
| One must assume from these statements by
Mr.. Poullada that the evidence which made
the record clear that Frau Koch was "a morally
| depraved and callous woman not fit company
| for decent people anywhere" did not involve
| anything which the court was not competent
to consider. Or perhaps the incidents which
made the record clear took place one sunny
Sunday afternoon at Coney Island and had
nothing to do with Buchenwald
10 ko
sumo from Mr.. Poulladas other quoted state
ments. He says the court never should have
| found Frau Koch guilty at ALL But at the
same time he says that the review system was
"eminently fair" Somewhere along the line
Mr.. Poullada has lost the fact that the review
board, 50 ably defended by him, concurred in
the courts finding Of guilty.
Someone should call to Mr.. Poullada's at
| tention the fact that this is the whole point
OF what he calls the "furor in the press" The
| Army, Mr.. Poullada should be reminded, does
not maintain that her conviction was unj,lsti-
| fed The eminently fair review system con-
hrmed that Frau Koch was correctly con-
victed Of encouraging, aiding and participate
ing" in the common design"-which was the
! systematic determination Of $1,000 prisoners
| charged with no ofiense, and the starvation
| and degradation Of another 10000 or more. The
| same review system found also that the evil
| dence established that Frau Koch personally
beat at least one prisoner and had others
severely punished. ALI that the review board
| found.
The only question, since Mr.. Poullada up
| holds the integrity Of the review system is
whether four years is adequate punishment and
deterrent so that such practices never will again
disgrace this civilization. CARL LEVIN.
| To the Editor Of The Star:
have just finished reading the letter of
Leon B. Poullada In the October edition of
your paper, relative to the reduction Of the
war crimes sentences against Use Koch and
other Nazis.
As an attorney, appreciate Mr.. Poulladas s
concern lest our American system of fair
trial for the accused be perverted into some-
thing that is closer to Naziism than democracy.
am sure. moreover, that his account is well
| authenticated by his own experiences.
But I am not 50 sure that Mr. Poullada
could have seen the things that and the
men In my unit, the l2oth Evacuation Hospi-
| tai, saw when we entered Buchenwald con-
centration camp q few days after 1t was lib
| Grated by American troops. You didn't have
to be Judge or an attorney or even q college
graduate to ind enough evidence in that camp
to hang everyone who had anything to do with
the horror and depravity that was spread In
| front Of US.
Perhaps the stories of these atrocities have
become dulled in the minds Of Americans Or
perhaps Americans, never quite willing to &C.
| cept the truth Of such inhuman torture are
now on the verge Of saying "Well, now really,
do we know that these things happened?" I
wrote home from Buchenwald to my friends
and my family that no story invented by Z
newspaperman could be as horribly fantastic
as the things that actually occurred In Ger
many.
| Mr.. Poullada refers to the pictures Of human
skin "allegedly taken by war correspondents"
| in the interior Of the home Of Use Koch. I
can assure Mr.. Poullada and the readers Of
The Star that there is nothing alleged about
these pictures. II they were not taken by war
correspondents. they were taken by men in my
| own OUTFIT. Fortunately, when our unit re-
| turned to the States, we published . unit his
tory. . copy Of which is in my possession.
Several pages are devoted to Buchenwald, in
cluding pictures Of the lamp shade and the
| design in human skin referred to with some
| skepticism by Mr.. Poullada. II the argument
be made that the lamp shade was the product
| Of scandal manufacturer" can only say
that the picture next to/it is one Of human
bodies piled on an open cart in the yard Of
the crematorium in Buchenwald. That know
Of my own knowledge to be product Of Buch-
enwald manufacture. saw those bodies with
my own eyes. have no doubt how those
people died. If that picture is true, then, as
a reasonable man, I can believe, without
stretching my Imagination, that the lamp
shade found in Buchenwald was made Of
| human skin.
It may be true, as Mr.. Poullada asserts, that
the justice meted out to the Nazi defendants
was rough. That is deplorable. But 1t also
is true that there are Thousands Of people, who
have evidence Of and who can testify to the
crimes committed by Ilse Koch and her gang.
Surely, not all of them are, as MIR. Poullada
implies, unreliable. How reliable does one have
| to be before his testimony will be accented