LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
GERMAN P.O.W.s Sts,—As a prisoner of war in this country, I wish to thank Mrs. Dorothy F. Buxton most heartily for her courageous article, Friends or Enemies? in your 'issue of December 20th. I am regularly studying the English Press as far as the papers are available in our camp, and I must confess that I have not yet seen an article dealing as profoundly with the problem of the prisoners of war as in this case. Contrary to nearly all other publications tending to touch the matter but on the surface, the author has gone to the root of the problem. I should like to underline almost every sentence. It is really too true that the morale of the prisoners continues to decline. The announcement of the repatriation scheme did, of course, something of stimulating. But as soon as the men realised—and a lot of people at first shrank from doing so in a self- deceptive manner—that this scheme covered more than two years, their mood turned back to the reverse and even worse.
Everyone is, and I dare say rightly, convinced that our retention in this country is exclusively due to pure economic considerations, and that any other reasons are feigned, such as the necessity of re-education, screening, lack of transport and, even the worst of all, that it would not be good for us to bring us just now back to our families. How is otherwise the fact to be explained that the bulk of the German prisoners Captured in Germany during the last months of the war have nearly immediately been sent home without any attempt of screening them on the spot, a 'patter that would have been impossible at that time and under those circumstances. For what reason are the 400,000 Germans who happened to come to England looked upon as so dangerous that they need some special treatment? Adding, too, that during the last weeks thousands of German internees of political nature have for social reasons been released from camps in Germany, it is really hard to under- stand all the fuss that is made about the importance of political grouping of prisoners of war. I think it's rather paradoxical.
The facts about the haphazard nature of the screening methods are too well-known to all who have undergone this procedure. And the unlucky one who happened to be welcomed by the screening officer with the question: "What would you say if your sister is telling you that she is going to be married to a negro? " and hesitated with his reply is either the laughing-stock of his fellow-prisoners or the object of fervent discussions. Or take the case of the unlucky German camp leader having probably for that reason been shifted from B to C category because of his being unable to stop the obvious. decline in the attention of democratic lectures, a fact for which really 'not he should be made responsible.
I should like to stress particularly what the author has written of the conditions at home, of the sorrows of the men about their families from which most of us have now been separated for years. This all is true, and can't be exaggerated as it is influencing the prisoners adversely to a very high degree. But you, seldom hear a voice particularly mentioning this very important fact. Would you allow me to speak quite frankly? Compared with the fate of millions of German prisoners of war in Russia, we are certainly not the worst off. But does Britain differ from Russia only with regard to our better treatment in this country? As things are developing at present they will do no good. There is already a great deal of sullen anti-British feeling, and I am afraid it will not have diminished towards the end of 1947 or 1948. Their sorrows will have increased and their interest in anything else will be less. People grow indifferent to all that does not touch them personally. And mere preaching of democracy does not. It is too obvious that the British Government is far more interested in our work, lifting sugar beet, potatoes, etc., than in anything else, and that any human considerations are neglected for that reason.
If it is so, we have to stand it through. But in my opinion the
method of punishing us as individuals surely not the right way. Though, personally, I don't acknowledge a collective guilt, we are fully aware of our future being bound by a collective obligation of all Germans towards the world. And the scene of re-educatiot, should be removed from here to Germany. That is tl-r only place where this process can be handled successfully, but not a prisoner-of-war camp nearly two years after the end of the hostilities.—I am, Sir, yours faithfully, A GERMAN PRISONER. [The writer has supplied his name and address.—En., The Spectator.]
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