POST-WAR GERMANY

Evening Star, Issue 25169, 8 May 1944, Page 4

POST-WAR GERMANY

NO CONCERN OF 1.L.0.

HANDS-OFF POLICY ADOPTED (Rec. 8 a.m.) I'niLADJDLPHIA. May 7. A special suu-committee or tne i.L.O. by y votes to 2 auopcea a " hanus-ori " attitude towards tne adminiSaauons mat snould be established in uermany and otner Axis countries as they are reoccupied. Russia s aosence acted as a factor in the decision or tne committee Xhe British Government delegate, Sir Frederick Leggett, denounced tiia United States employees' delegate, Mr Robert Watt, for suggesting mat any of the United Nations under any given circumstances miaut have acted as Uermany had. Sir Frederick said: " Lnsrland does not envisage a cruel peace. All we want is to apply a single Christian belief that repentance comes before forgiveness. The United Nations will wish to decide wtiat is going to be carried out in the Axis countries. My Government is unwilling- to make it appear that we are taking up matters ot high policy without the presence of such an important ally as Russia."

Loud applause greeted Sir Walter Citrine when he said that there must be some punishment for millions of German workers who at least by tacit approval made Germany's conduct of the war possible. The bulk of the German workers must have supported the Nazi atrocities.

" You can make excuses until you are black in the face," he said, "but the majority of the Germans voted and put Hitler into power. We are heading for a third world war unless we can •find the mechanism to make the German workers understand. Russia will take the strongest position against ex parte decisions, Furthermore, how can we talk of these things even before peace-making machinery is roughed out ? '' . Sir Walter challenged the right of the neutral countries to be represented at any conference to participate in the making of peace. He said he wanted to reserve all the British trade unions' power for application at a time when it would be most effective. Mr W. Carey, Australia, urged that the matter be dealt with straight away, and warned that to take a too stern attitude towards Germany would merely give the Nazis more material for fear propaganda.