Conscience

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31168, 19 September 1966, Page 16

Conscience

'Sir,—The court-martial of the American soldier who refused to serve in Vietnam brings up the whole business of whether or not a soldier must obey without question all orders from his superiors. At Nuremberg this problem was settled by the international military tribunal by maintaining that “members of the armed forces are bound to obey lawful orders only, and that they cannot escape liability if, in obedience to a command, they commit acts which both violate the unchallenged rules of warfare and outrage the general sentiment of humanity.” On bypassing the court-martial in question and applying this principle to one particular aspect of the Vietnam war, an illuminating conclusion is forthcoming. Assuming that the use of napalm does indeed ’’outrage the general sentiment of humanity,” one must conclude that any orders pertaining to its use are illegal, and should thus be disobeyed. Failing disobedience one becomes a war criminal. —; Yours, etc.. C. R. CRESSON. September 14, 1966.