RUSSIAN PRISONERS

Grey River Argus, 4 May 1945, Page 6

RUSSIAN PRISONERS

ALLIES' TREATMENT EXPLAINED LONDON, April 30. “The Times” military correspondent says: It may be not apparent from General Golikov’s broadcast on the Moscow radio regarding alleged illtreatment of Russian prisoners in Allied hands, that the men mentioned were captured in arms, serving in the German armies, except a proportion enrolled by Todt organisation. It is estimated that 95 per cent, of those in Great Britain were captured in German uniforms. It is probable that the bulk of them were forcibly enrolled, or accepted service to avoid starvation, but it was not easy for the British and Americans to make distinction. They were to the time of the Crimea Conference, treated as prisoners of war, and received the same treatment as other prisoners. It was agreed at Yalta they should be repatriated, and many thousands have already gone home in British ships, which would otherwise have been engaged in taking food to Europe. Moreover, all British prisoners liberated by the Russians have been brought home in British ships. It is wrong to say the Russians “discovered” throe camps here, because the Russians were already notilied of their existence. REPLY TO SOVIET CRITIC LONDON, May 1. Reuter’s military correspondent commenting on General Golikov's statement jiegarding the treatment of Russian prisoners of war, says: The Russian Government was constantly informed about Russian citizens captured in German uniform but replied that it had no further interest in renegade citizens. He adds that a new turn has been taken since the Normandy landing, when it was learned that many Russians thus captured and forced to join the Germans had acquitted themselves well with the French Maquis. The Soviet Government last Autumn announced its desire that al) citizens taken prisoner or liberated by the Allies should be repatriated. Meanwhile, a large number of citizens liberated in France had been assembled in a series of transit camps where antiRussian circles,- largely. White Russian emigres, attempted to exploit the situation by circulating anti-Soviet propaganda to the prisoners. The camp commanders, in the chaotic conditions prevailing, did not know this was going on. The correspondent says that the problem of handling millions of prisoners liberated by the Russians and by the British and Americans is one of the most difficult which has faced the Allies during the war. Probably there were shortcomings on both sides.