TRIAL OF HESS

Greymouth Evening Star, 22 October 1942, Page 5

TRIAL OF HESS

RUSSIAN DEMAND LONDON PRESS REPLY LONDON. October .21. The Moscow paper “Pravda,” in a leading article, made a demand that Hess should immediately be placed on trial in England. „ The London “Daily Telegraph s Moscow correspondent says: ‘ The sooner that a British statesman makes a statement on the Hess case tne better. Unless “Pravda’s” editorial demand for an immediate trial of Hess meets with a healthy British reaction, the Moscow campaign for an immediate punishment of German war criminals will be continued. Pravda’s” article probably has merely caused irritation in London, but rlussian Party political opinion must be taken into account. A possible explanation of this Moscow campaign is that it is intended to keep up an anti-German feeling in Britain. Nothing has thus far calmed an uneasiness which the Hess affair caused in Russia. Russian public opinion will not be eased until the Hess incident is liquidated or removed from British jurisdiction. It is useless to tell the Russians that Herr Hess is being held in one of Britain’s nastiest gaols. “The Times” in a leading article, says: “No reason appears to have been advanced why action against Herr Hess, who was a prisoner in Britain before Russia became a belligerent—should be pressed at the present time. Such a step would be contrary to the British viewpoint, that proceedings against war criminals should be based on the examination of* the evidence, which hardly could become available during the war; anl such a step could only serve as a pretext for an enemy campaign of frightfulness against the British'" war prisoners in the Axis hands. These reasons make it impossible to accede to the Russian proposals. It is safe to say that nothing would at the present time be heard of Herr Hess if British and American armies were fighting in Europe. “The Times” continues: “The present controversy has few. merits, but it is important because it raises the broad issue of confidence between the Allies. If there were full confidence between Britain and Russia, it would be impossible for a responsible Russian newspajier to ask whether Hess is regarded as a German envoy in England, enjoying immunity; or to imagine that whatever might be done or not done to Hess now, or hereafter, can have the slightest bearing on the British determination to uproot Hitlerism. None of the United Nations can justly reproach its partners with any weakness of spirit or any slackening in resolution. Confidence will have been well established only when a conviction exists on both sides that the war against Hitler is one war, and not two, and that it can be planned as one war only through the unified machinery of grand strategy. The difference in opinion on strategy as between Russia and the Allies would not have assumed its present dimen-

, ■ , '-■"'epf Uu..sian suspicions R-ai, “there are forces in Britain which are not wholly behind the An-glo-Russian alliance.” Such forces can constitute only a tiny minority, without any influence on official thought or policy; and it should not be difficult for Britain, by word or c/eed, to demonstrate their insignificance.”

The Berlin radio commented on the Russian demand for the immediate trial of Hess. It said: “If this criminal plan were to be carried out, Germany would take the most drastic reprisals. The Berlin radio, quoting German officials on the chainings of prisoners, said the British thus far have given no reason why the German measures should be withdrawn.