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-18-
or they will go down in history, even among a reconstructed
German generation, as heroes, which they were not.
So far as those Generals are concerned, who permitted
officials of the German Government to treat persons, military
or civilian, in an inhumane way, or who deliberately permitted
the mass executions of persons military or civilian, as was
the case in Poland and Russia and perhaps elsewhere, or who
permitted in civilian camps in sections under their military
jurisdiction atrocities and murders, these men are responsible
no matter how high their military grade and should not only
have the sentence of death passed on them, but iteshould be
carried through for they failed not only their country but
TRUMAN
Annun
"NATIONAL
ARCHIVES AND
their military duty. I venture that as military officers
RECORDS
LIBRARY
U.S.
SERVICE"
GOVERNMENT
having the means at their disposal to prevent such crimes,
they nevertheless permitted them to be carried through under
their eyes and jurisdiction and they are therefore just as
responsible as though they had been carried through by their
orders.
The foregoing memorandum is very inadequate and incomplete.
I present it in all humility as the views of one who had,
in his line of duty, such intimate contact with so many of
these men responsible for these war crimes and many of whom
were committing crimes when I was under the necessity of
having such official contact with them. Out of the experience
which I have had in the service of my Government, and out of
such
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"ocrText": "-18-\nor they will go down in history, even among a reconstructed\nGerman generation, as heroes, which they were not.\nSo far as those Generals are concerned, who permitted\nofficials of the German Government to treat persons, military\nor civilian, in an inhumane way, or who deliberately permitted\nthe mass executions of persons military or civilian, as was\nthe case in Poland and Russia and perhaps elsewhere, or who\npermitted in civilian camps in sections under their military\njurisdiction atrocities and murders, these men are responsible\nno matter how high their military grade and should not only\nhave the sentence of death passed on them, but iteshould be\ncarried through for they failed not only their country but\nTRUMAN\nAnnun\n\"NATIONAL\nARCHIVES AND\ntheir military duty. I venture that as military officers\nRECORDS\nLIBRARY\nU.S.\nSERVICE\"\nGOVERNMENT\nhaving the means at their disposal to prevent such crimes,\nthey nevertheless permitted them to be carried through under\ntheir eyes and jurisdiction and they are therefore just as\nresponsible as though they had been carried through by their\norders.\nThe foregoing memorandum is very inadequate and incomplete.\nI present it in all humility as the views of one who had,\nin his line of duty, such intimate contact with so many of\nthese men responsible for these war crimes and many of whom\nwere committing crimes when I was under the necessity of\nhaving such official contact with them. Out of the experience\nwhich I have had in the service of my Government, and out of\nsuch"
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