MISREPRESENTED.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 263, 7 November 1939, Page 8

MISREPRESENTED.

Case Of Nazis Arrested Before War. ALL NOW IN GERMANY. Br'tlsli Official Wireless. tKeceivetl 2 p.m.) RUGBY, November 6. Currency hits +>een given in (Jermany to reports of indignities and ill-treat-ment liv the British authorities of certain iiivnilici'n of the German Consulate in Glasgow, which* entirely misrepresent the facts of the case.

These report* state that two of the persons concerned, ilerreu L/iebake and Appelstaedt, were tukoJi to prison and ordered to do cniniet's work, and that a woman secretary, Fratileiit Wagner, wan coni|>elled to do convict's work and undertake most menial tasks.

The facts are that the three persons concerned, who xvcre notoriously active members of the Nazi party, were arrested in Cbisgoxv when war seemed imminent under the Aliens Act in order to inveatiKate whethov a deportation order should not be issued against them.

They were taken to a remand prison and, as are all persons detained awaiting trial, were given every consideration. There was no question of treating them as convicts. They did not wear prison clothes and were subjected to no indignities.

Up to thi? etag» tho Foreign Office had never been informed that any of these persons wa* a member of the Consular Service. While in the remand pri son a protest whs received from Cermany that they were, in fact. Consular officials, although none of them was a career Consul.

On receipt of the German f »r< ►!«»?* t # they were released and all are now in (Jennany.