UNITED NATIONS T7AR CRIMES COMMISSION. (Research Office) F A R CRIMES NEWS DIGEST. »: The above title replaces that of Press News Sunnary used in the early nuribers o f this series. For internal circulation CONTENTS. SUMMARY OF EVENTS. PAGE. EUROPE* ... ... *.. •*. ... ... ... 1. THE FAR EAST... ... ••« ... ... ... ... 8. APPENDIX: Mr. Elwyn Jones* article on Kessolring. 9. PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/5adfc2/ Richer Recaptured, (see No. XXViil, p.1 of this Digest) The Times reported (2.6,47) from Vienna that S.S. General Franz RICHTER, former Nazi Mayor of Vienna, had been reoaptured by tho Austrian police. Ho escaped from tho Vienna municipal prison six woeks ago. Trial of Dr. Hanoi, An Agency moseagc reported (27.5-47) that at tho tidal before the Vlennosc People's Ccurt of Dr. Rudolf HANEL, charged with membership of the Nazi Party before the anschluss, evidenca was given that, dospitu3 himembership, he had given groat help to tho Austrian underground. It was testified that, thanks to infonnation given by Dr. HANEL, it had boon possible to sabotage preparations boing made for tho manufacture of flying bombs, thus dolaying tho beginning of thoir manufacture by as much as nine months. Former Nazi Leador sentenced. The Timos reported (25.5*47) that Johann BRAUN, a former Nazi loador, who set up his own court during tho last days of tho war and hanged five of his enemies, mostly anti-Nazis, was sentenced,on the previous day,to death by tho Vienna People!s Court. Two of his accomplices, Josof V/ENING2R and Johann \7ALIHER, were also sen-) tenood to death. FRANCE. French Collaborati on Trials. Tho Fronch Ministry of Justice has published tho following figures of trials on charges of collaboration with the onany hoard by the special oourts be­ tween tho liberation and April 1, 1947 "Cases* brought before uxaiaijiitig magistrates, 127,2.33; dismissed, 48,155; brought to trial, 50,066 (sentences of death, 5..566; penal servitude for lifo, 2026; other terms,10 , 622; solitary confincmont,2 , 025; imprisonment, 21,289; acquittals, 7,400); caoos brought beforo civic courts,64,898 (loss of rights, 45,988; acquittals,1 2 , 658 ). The number of executions betvoen September 1, 1944, and April 20. 1947, was*637; throb of these sentonces (on DARN AND, LAVAL and DE ERINON ) woro pronouncod by th> High Court« There remain 3,083 cases to be hoard by the special courts and 60,000 appeals are ponding,.’ Trial of Bonoist-Meehin, Tho Times cori-oiipondent in a report from Paris dated 29.5.47 statod: "Tho trial of BINOIST-riSEIftN, a foraor member o f the Vichy Govomment, bogan before tho High Court at Versailles to-uayt His case is arousing groat interest here, for tho charges of collaboration concern the part ho played in the negotiations botvoen Vichy and the Germans in 1941, and his alleged complicity in a move to bring France into the \rar against Great Britain and America oarly in 1942. liarshal FZTAJN, questioned in his island fortress, had doniod that there was ovor any possibility of Vichy going to war against tho Allios. ABETZ, tho /former. PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/5adfc2/ j > c - y : - 2 - * FRANCE fCont) Trial of Bcnoiat-.icclun. (cont) former Gorman Ambassador in Viohy, has confirmed the authenticity of a tologram, which will be the prosccution:3 principal ovidonoo, giving ABETS13 account of an interview with BENOIST-HSCIIBi, vhen the latter is said to havo reported that tho Council of iiinistors, in January1 9 4 2took , tho decision to deolaro war. BEJIOIST- MECHIN has denied this, but has admitted that negotiations woro going on botwoen Vichy and Berlin in the winter of1941 - 1942. The same source reported that B5N0IST-MBCRIN was sentenced to death on June 6th. G B ti li A N Y. TRL'XS BY G^RI'1/JJ COURTS. ;*iass gravesfound near Berlin, Berlin radio reports (20., 5.» 4?) that it had be*n announcod that 21 graves, containing tho bodies of 50 vonen, had been found in tho neighbourhood of Jialchow near Berlin, The bodies probably csmo from tho camp at Halahow, which was subsidiary to tho Ausotrvits camp, and containod about 6,000 Jewish end foreign women prisonor3. Nazi Chiefs* ^idous arrested, The Times correspondent in a report dated 30.5.47 stated: Hermann GORING’s widow has been arrested and is to be tried as a member of tho Nazi Party. Dr. LGMTZ, tho Bavarian Denazification Hinistor, who annoucned this at Hunich, said he would demand that she be sent to prison for ton years. Frau Margarotto FRICK, widow of T.'illiolm FRICK, who \rxs hanged at Nuremberg, has beon arrested in Frankfurt; and Frau Brigztte FRANZ, widcr.7 of Hans FRANK, the executed Nazi govor- nor of Poland, has been arrested at Schliorsee, Uppor Bavaria. Case of Holeno Schwaerzel to bo reopened.( see Nos. XVIII, p.1 & XXI, p.2 of this Digest) The Times reported from Berlin (20.5.47) that the case of Helene SCHrTASRZEL, the woman who was sentenced in December for having denounced to the Gestapo, Dr. GOZHDLER, formerly chief burgomaster of Leipzig, is to bo reopened, SCH7ASREEL was tried for “murder carriod out in a malioious way because of avarice’* and was sentenced to 15 years penal servitude and forfeiture of her property. From the outsot itwa3 open to doubt whothor she had actod from po litical motives and this aspect of thecaso is to be revicwod. Her counsel will be a former friend of the dead burgomaster* Denazification trials,, The Daily Telegraph reported (16,5.47) that Richard STRAUSS, the oomposor, would be tried by a denazification court according to an annoucancnt by tho Mili­ tary Government o f Bavaria. Also to appoor would be Dorothea KEITEL, widow of HITLSR's one-time chief cf the O.K.W . The wives of HESS, SAUKEL # von SCHIRACH, STRSICHSR and JQDL have al&o been arrested. /AHERICAN ZCNE PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/5adfc2/ - 3 - ;j-ZERICAN' ZONE. THE ÜECOfTD NUREMBERG TRIALS. V isit o f the Chrim nn and members of tho Comuission to American Zone. Lord ‘.BRIGHT, chairman of tho United Nations¥nr Crimea Cccnission, acccop^niod by. -General do BAER, Bolgion representative, Colonol R.H.SPRINGES, UnitcA Statea representative and Colonel G.A, LSDINGHaM, SecretaryGeneral of tho Canmiaaion, arrived at Nuremborg on8. 5, 47. They were preBcnt atthe trials of tho Go naan Induatriciliata, the 23 doctors and scientiata and thoNasi 15 Ministry ofJuatico officials. The party returned to Londonon 13.5.4-7* Forthcoming trials in the American Zonec The Times correspondent in a report dated 15*5.47 stated:''Brigadier General Telford TAYLOR, tho chief American prosecuLoannounced at Nuremberg yostorday that the United States intended to hold nino more trials thisyear for war crimes. The aefen,.ents would be senior Nazi officialsand soldiers, about 220 in all. He oxpectel thoso trials to be completed by March 1 nextyear* After that tho United States v/ould probably turn over to tho German courts the evidencoin the remaining trials. Gone^al TAYLOR has asked for tho indictments for the nine casesby July 1. Tho caaoa w ill involve loading members o f tho Foreign Office who helpodRIBBEfc- TROP; 12 mombors o f tho Reich Chancery, including Hans LAMMERS, a socrotary o f tho Nazi Party; loaders in the economic field, including officiala of tho Honaan Goring Worko and Goring* s doputy Paul KOEHNER; Alfred KliUFP and other o fficials o f the Krupp works; mombors of tho staff of the Dresdener Bank and tho RacialResettle­ and ment Office o f tho S S .; Gestapo mem who woro responsible for tho reign o f terror in tho east; military mon who ill-treated prisoners of war, including General Honnann REINICK3 and SS Obergruppenführer BURGER; and fiold-marshals and generals suspected of having joined in a deliberate plan to wage aggressive war." The "Í7VHA" Trial, (seo No. XXVIII, p.3 of this Digoat) : An Agonoy mcssago from Nurcmborg (25*5.4-7) reported that SS. General Oawald POHL had admitted responsibility for the destruction of the Warsaw ghotto (tho 29-day maasacre of 40,000 Jews four years ago.) Tho "Hostagoa" Case, (see No, XXVIH, p.3 of this Digest) A U.S. Press roleaso No, 129 of May 10th 194-7 stated that the indictment of the 12 Gorman gonerols , which was presented to the Secretary General of the . CMGUS Military Tribunal in Nuremberg, contains four counts, all basod on charges of War Crimes and Crimea against Humanity. All 12 defcndcnts are named on each count. Those oounta include the alleged murder of thousands of peraons taken fran the oivilian populations of Grccco, Yugoslavia and Albania; the plundering and looting of publio and privato proporty, tho destruction of citios, towns and villages and tho cowaission of other militarily unjustified acts of devastation in tho throo southeastern countries and Norway; the initiation, issuance and execution of illegal orders directing, nmong others things, tho refusal of quarter and tho donial o f prisoner o f war status and rights to enemy troops, and the suaa- ary oxooution of surrendering members of Allied Military forces; and finally, tho torture and terrorization, imprisonment in concentration camps, impressment in­ to forced labour on fortifications and the deportations to slave labour of tho civilian populations of Greece, Yugoslavia and Albania, Reuter reported (30,5.4-7) that Lieutenant Goncml Franz BOEHME, one of tho dofondent3 in the "Hostagos" case, had died during that night after thresh­ ing himsolf froa a third floor window of Nuremberg gaol. He was Cccsaander XVIII /Mountain PURL: https://www.legal-tools.org/doc/5adfc2/ K - y “ 4 " * SSnilAK Y .