WAR CRIMES

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22657, 7 June 1948, Page 7

WAR CRIMES

JAPANESE GHOULS JUSTICE TO EE METED OUT (N.Z. Public Relations Service) TOKYO, May 27• “Although the major war crimes trials are almost completed now, the number of so-called minor war criminals who have still not been tried, and in some cases not discovered, is enormous,” said Lieutenant-Colonel D. L. B- Goslett, officer commanding the No. 2 Australian War Crimes Section in Tokyo, in an interview. War criminals who come under the heading of minor are those Japanese who, directly or indirectly, were responsible for atrocities during the war but had no part in the overall strategy or general direction of the war effort. They include all ranks from general to private. No. 2 Australian War Crimes Section recently uncovered conclusive proof of a conspiracy among senior Japanese officers of all ranks to conceal evidence of the atrocities committed by either themselves or by the men under their command. “A murderer in Australia or New Zealand is hunted for years if necessary until he is caught,” said Lieuten-ant-Colonel Goslett. “We are determined that those Japanese who are guilty not only of murder but also vivisecting, and of cannibalism in many cases, will not get away with it.” Atrocities in New Guinea An investigation launched about six months ago by the section to establish the fate of one R.A.A.F. sergeant uncovered numerous atrocities involving more than 146 victims. Suspects now being investigated number 205. That was in New Guinea and a number of victims who are at present unidentified may have been New Zealanders. Another investigation into the fate of two R.A.A.F. men in Timor brought to light the cold-blooded murder of 50 servicemen there. Of the 205 suspects in New Guinea area, nine are generals. In neither of the cases were any more atrocities suspected than the three being investigated originally. Referring to the work of his team of five investigators, Lieutenant-Col-onel Goslett had high praise for one New Zealander on his staff, Captain J. G. Goodwin, of Blenheim. ‘'He has been a great asset as an investigator,” he said, “and proved a splendid witness in the cases concerning Ofuna prison camp.”