NAZI BRUTALITY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 60, Issue 82, 17 January 1940, Page 3

NAZI BRUTALITY

TREATMENT OF OWN NATIONALS OUTRAGES AGAINST THE JEWS. SUFFERINGS IN THE CAMPS. The British Government recently issued a White Paper dealing -with the treatment of German nationals in Germany in 1938 and 1939. The document is being published by the “Guardian” in instalments, the fifth of which is as follows: No. 8. Sir G. Ogilvie-Forb€s to Viscount Halifax. His Majesty’s Charge d’Affairs at Berlin presents his compliments to His Majesty’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and has the honour to transmit to him a copy of a despatch from His 'Majesty’s Consul-General, Frankfort-on-Main, dated the 14th December, respecting anti-Jewish persecution. Berlin, December 15, 1938. Enclosure in No. 8. Consul-General Smallbones to Sir G. Qgilvie-Forbes. ’ FRANKFORT-ON-MAIN, December 14, 1938. Sir, —While the German Government has somewhat half-heartedly put it about that the action against the Jews, the burning of the synagogues, the smashing of shops and private residences, the assaults and looting were the work of the populace, incensed by the death of Herr von Rath, it will be difficult to disclaim responsibility for the systematic treatment on a large scale by iS.S. and regular police of the persons arrested. I therefore venture to report on the treatment of some of those who were arrested. I am afraid this despatch will make unpleasant reading, but I consider it my duty to call a spade a spade. Those who have been released from the camps have been threatened with consequences if they divulge what happened there. The facts which I am reporting have been related by a great number of people independently of each other and they could not all invent the same lies, at the same time, about the same events.

2. t have served in Germany for some eight years. I have known the Germans, when I was stationed at Munich, in the hour of their humiliation after the war, and I have been at this post since 1932. I flattered myself that I understood the German character, and I have worked for an AngloGerman understanding to the best of my ability. Recent events have revealed to me a facet of the German character which J.had not suspected. They seemed to me to have no cruelty in their makeup. They aye habitually kind to animals, to children, to the aged and infirm. The explanation of this outbreak of sadistic cruelty may be that sexual perversion, and in particular homo-sexuality, are very prevalent in Germany. It seems to me that mass sexual perversity may offer an explanation for this otherwise inexplicable outbreak. I am persuaded that, if the Government of Germany depended on the suffrage of the people, those in power and responsible for these outrages would be swept away by a storm of indignation if not put up against a wall and shot. 3. The following is a recital of, what happened to a Jew, who was in the trenches during the war, who had a good business here, and who is a welleducated man. His statements correspond in detail with what has been told to us by other persons who went through the same experience: He was rung .up by the secret police on the 11th ultimo and ordered to stay at home. He was fetched at 3 p.m. He asked for permission to take a change of linen and some warm underwear with him. This was refused, but he was told to bring some money. He was taken to the nearest police station and was kept there until a sufficient number had collected to fill a motor lorry. He was then driven to the Exhibition Hall, a large building used for fairs and also for political meetings. It holds on such occasions well over 20,000 people. Outside the building a large crowd had gathered, which hurled, abuse and invective at each convoy as it arrived. (Mr Dowden passed there twice on the day in question and observed that the crowd consisted chiefly of youths and women. He was under the impression that the women did not have their heart in the demonstration, and that they had been ordered to attend, in the same way as their menfolk had been ordered to bait the Jews and to work destruction.) Once inside the hall my informant was made to turn out his pockets, and their contents, *including his handkerchief, were put into an envelope, and he was told that he would get bis property back on his release. He was then made to line up with the others, some of whom had been there since the night before without sleep, food or water to drink.

The IS.S. and police now had • sport with their charges. They made them kneel down, cross their hands behind their backs and lean forward until they touched the ground wdth their foreheads. Those who could not perform this feat were assisted by the guards, who kicked them in the back of the neck.. Others were made to run round the building. Some were sick. The guards removed the vomit by taking the culprit by the Scruff of the neck and wiping it away with his face and hair. 5. About 5 p.m. motor lorries manned by IS.S. men drove up and the prisoners were driven into them with blows and kicks. They w'ere taken across the town to a suburban railway station. When unloaded tllly had to go down some steps leading into a dark Viaduct giving access to the platform. The guards rained blows and kicks on

all they could reach. When in the viaduct they were halted and ordered to face the walls. They thought they were about to be shot and some became hysterical. The guards passed up and down behind them kicking and beating them. Some men in mufti joined in this sport. They were then entrained for Buehenwald, near Weimar. During the journey, which took several hours, the guards passed up and down knocking out teeth, bashing in heacTs and doling out black eyes. At Weimar they were detrained and forced with blows and kicks into over-crowded lorries. During the lorry journey they were told to keep their heads between their knees and in that position they were belaboured with sticks. 6. On arrival at the camp they were driven with kicks and blows into a wire enclosure. (This was charged with an electric current and many were badly burnt who tried to escape. This comes from other sources.) They were then addressed by the commander of the camp, who told them what he thought about the Jews. Then every man had his hair cropped and his moustache clipped off. They hjid great sport with the rabbis whose religious tenets do not allow them to have their beards touched with the scissors. My informant, who was one of a party of about 500, was assigned to shed No. 1, the one nearest the gate. It was about 200 feet by 80 and about 2500 people were forced into it. This on the face of it appears impossible. The explanation is that there were tiers of bunks in the shed reaching to the ceiling, in each of which three men had to lie. (A friend of mine had to sleep for sixteen nights in one of'these bunks between two cattle-drov-ers. They had to lie sideways and when they wished to turn over in order to relax, they had to do so in unison.) • 7. The camp at Buchenwald was at that time under construction and this added to the discomforts. No water was laid on and there were no latrines. The prisoners were given no water to drink the first day and never any water for washing. (My friend above referred to went for sixteen days withof.it washing except when he collected some rain water.) On the second day my informant was given a drink of hot water, flavoured to represent coffee, and some bread. The prisoners by then were half crazy with thirst and hunger. 8.-, During the first night guards came in and picked out men at random and took them outside to be flogged. Fixed on the ground were two footplates to which the man’s feet were strapped. He was then bent over a pole and his head was secured between two horizontal bars. Men were given up to fifty strokes, except in the case of promiscuous flogging inflicted for sport, and each guard was only allowed to inflict ten lashes lest his strength gave out. (Flogging was ordered for trifling offences such as not jumping to attention quickly or not obeying an order. A rabbi was flogged because he refused to sign his name on the Sabbath. He was then threatened with a second flogging. His spirit was too weak and he signed.) Some died stretched between the poles. Those who survived were kicked back into- the shed. In the daytime the floggings took place in public as a warning to the others. Some went mad. They were then chained up and a sack tied round their heads to stifle their shouts.

9. During the first night men were not allowed to leave the shed to relieve nature. They used their hats.* 10. My informant has false teeth and suffers from pyorrhoea. He applied for an extra glass of water a day to clean his teeth and rinse his mouth. The lack of water and his thirst were so great that he drank this water after using it. 11. One other case has to be related: a former Prussian officer was ordered to kneel down and shy: “I am a dirty Jew and a traitor to my country.” He refused and he was beaten until he did as he was told.

12. Among the prisoners were famous surgeons and doctors and they worked miracles of skill and devotion. They even performed operations in urgent cases. The rabbis also proved themselves worthy of their calling. One rabbi when offered his release declined to leave the camp before the last of his flock! I have heard of no instances that any of the guards showed any signs of Christian charity or common humanity.

13. "When the prisoners were released they were first examined by the camp doctor and none with open wounds were allowed to depart. The others were shaved and then reported to the political officers, who warned them that if they divulged anything they had seen in the camp, they would do so at their peril. He added that the party would be able to strike them down even after they left Germany and wherever they might be. They were then handed hack what was left of their belongings. Most articles of value luul, however, disappeared and the money they had had on them was sadly reduced in amount. They were told that to complain meant accusing the S.S. of theft and that such an accusation would he punished witli a flogging. As a final insult they had to contribute to the Winter Hilfs Werk (“Collection for the Winter Help”) of the party. Nearly every person released has had to sign an undertaking to leave Germany within a specified time, usually from four to six weeks, under pain of being again interned. In most cases they have signed an impossible undertaking.

14. When the recent action started few knew what imprisonment meant. A number, however, committed suicide, others hid in. the woods, some went to a friendly doctor and had their stomachs opened so as to be in hospital. One man in Stuttgart whom I know considers that he has had a lucky escape. He was roused at 4.110 on the fateful day and his wife answered the bell. When she saw the S.S. guards she became hysterical. He went to her assistance. He was knocked down and kicked in the mouth. He lost some ten teeth and had his jaw broken. He bravely demanded to see the order for his arrest. The guards went to fetch this, and in the meantime he was able to gain admittance to a hospital with his broken jaw.

15. I hear from many sides that another drive against the .Tqws is immin-

ent in January, and the 16th of that month is given as the date of the proposed fresh action. It is anticipated that on this occasion also Jewish women will be placed in the concentration camps. Jews have been warned by their friends, who claim to have inside information, to get out of Germany before that date. At Gbenrode, near Dieburg, in the Darmstadt district, v a concentration camp, I learn, is being built by the “Arbeitsdienst” to h'ouse some of the victims of the contemplated drive.

16. As far as it is possible to mitigate the plight of the Jews in Germany, I venture to think that the policy indicated at present is not “women and children first,” but men first; they are in the concentration camps and in imminent danger of death, and they are the potential bread-winners. If they die the problems of dealing witli their families will be all the more formidable.

17. I gather that some of the Quakers wish to put up an organisation in Germany to feed and clothe non-Ary-ans, and that they contemplate gradual evacuation spread over a number ol years. Unless the German Government agrees to such a scheme it is difficult to calculate what percentage of these people will survive their enforced stay in Germany. Lord Forrester, who has been here also on behalf of the Quakers, seems to contemplate the creation of camps outside of Germany, where the emigrants would be trained before being transplanted to their future homes. This would probably reduce the wastage of life. 18. 1 regret that 1 have to submit that the' information contained in this despatch may be treated as confidential. The facts if broadcast and if not already known would probably rouse world opinion to a higher pitch of indignation. But tin* rulers of Germany appear at present to be contemptuous of world opinion. The only likely reaction would lie to try and ferret out my informants for individual punishment or to inflict collective punishment if they cannot be found. Also if my name were mentioned it might lead to an incident. It might, however, be useful to bring the facts reported to the confidential notice of those Governments which contemplate doing something towards the solution of this problem. I have, etc., K. T. SMALL BOXES. * Six linos have here been omitted owing to the unprintable character of the further details given.