WAR TRIALS

Grey River Argus, 17 May 1946, Page 5

WAR TRIALS

NUREMBERG, May 14.

The former Chief of Operations in the German Submarine Command, Rear-Admiral Eberhardt Godt, giving evidence on behalf of Grand Admiral Doneitz told the tribunal that the naval staff ruled there should be absolute secrecy about the Athenia's sinking without warning in the first few hours of the war. The U-boat’s captain first believed the Athenia was auxiliary cruiser. As Donietz’s deputy he (Godt) ordered that any reference to its torpedoing be removed from the U-boat’s logbook.

■ Disciplinary action was ■ taken against the U-boat commander, he said, but no other punishment was given, as it was held that so soon after the outbreak he would be excited and unlikely to test the vessel’s identity as carefully as might have been expected. PRAGUE, May 14.

The assassination of Heydrich in Prague in 1942, so enraged Hitler that he threatend to deport to entire Czech population of 10,000,000 to Ger-man-occupied Russia. The story of the deportation threat was told by Jaroslav Krejci, former Prime Minister of the puppet Czech protectorate, before the tribunal which is trying him and four members of his Government for collaboration. Krejci said Hitler made the thieai to members of the Government at a stormy meeting at which some were reduced to tears. Krejci and othei members of the Government entered the defence that they remained in office to ease the sufferings of tho Czech people.