LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
WAR CRIMINALS
Stn,—May I be allowed to appeal to " Janus " to reconsider the first of his Notes in last week's Spectator. He thinks that to put Hitler and Himmler on trial "would outrage humanity," and urges that they should suffer whatever penalty the Allies decree without trial ; he suggests exile— following, I suppose, the precedent of St. Helena. If the Nazi leaders had been guilty only of the political offences with which Napoleon was accused that might be a tolerable suggestion. But they are charged with having ordered and organised murder, rape and torture utterly unjustifiable by any law on custom of war. To take only one instance, the murder factory at Maidenek was most carefully planned. Himmler is said to have inspected it. A general has admitted that he knew about it. Without question it could not have been carried out without the express sanction of the Nazi Government. If they can be caught the subordinate executioners are to be very properly tried and, if convicted, punished. Is it to be suggested that the men by whose orders these things were done are to get off with political exile?
After all, ,the punishment of these crimes is not advocated as a matter mainly of revenge. The chief purpose is to show that they are reprobated by the conscience of humanity and to demonstrate that they are the consequences of horrible and idolatrous teaching. For that, trial—open "trial—is essential. The facts must be establiihed beyond dispute. To regard political exile as an adequate punishment would be to admit that Hitler was merely a bloodthirsty and unsuccessful warmonger, not essentially worse than Frederick II or Bismarck. If we are ever to re-educate the German nation we must begin by convincing them of the crimes that have been committed in their name.—Your faithfully.
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