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Show PRISONERS WERE BADLY TREATED BY BULGARIANS American airmen, shot down over Bulgaria, were treated rather rath-er badly in their, captivity by the Bulgarians, according to reports now being received. In a broadcast from Rome, after af-ter his release and return from a Bulugarian prison camp, a young American major, not yet identified, told a story of vicious brutality, saying he had seen one airman killed by two guards and had witnessed the beating- of two others. The Major said the Bulgarians refused medical attention to the wounded airmen until other mem-ers mem-ers of the crews answered their questions. Some of the wounded were left without medical attention atten-tion for hours, evendays. He concludes that "the Germans and Japs can't have anything on the Bulgars for lack of proper medical medi-cal care." The Major indicated that beating beat-ing the prisoners was a common practice. Men were beaten with rifle butts, sticks, rubber hose and sometimes pistols. Thus brutality was not the work of individuals but common practice. The American people should remember re-member this in connection with the settlement of war issues in Bulgaria. The declaration of war against this country by the little Balkan power was uncalled for except as Bulgaria followed the dictation of Germany. American prisoners say that their condition steadily improved as the Red armies advanced and the Bulgars were in great hurry to release the prisoners "before the Russians could arrive and see how badly they were treated." |