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Show Washington, D. C. GERMAN PRISON LABOR Officials are keeping very murr about It, but the entire question o: using German prison labor to re build Russia and France has beer thrown Into a new controversy by i secret opinion rendered by Supremt Court Justice Robert Jackson, whe has taken over U. S. prosecution ol war criminals. Justice Jackson wrote his opinion to U. S. Reparations Chief Ed Pauley, stating that In his opinion compulsory German labor should not be used to rebuild France and Russia unless they have been con-victed con-victed of war crimes. "It Is not my business what is to be done with reparations," Jackson wrote, "but this would largely destroy de-stroy the moral position of America Ameri-ca In this war. . . . Compulsory labor," he continued, "should be required only for convicted war criminals." Jackson went on to point out that German labor "drifting out of Rus sian concentration camps in the future fu-ture would tell tales of horror" which, even if exaggerated, would "arouse sharp condemnation In the United States." He urged, therefore, there-fore, that German labor not be used for reparations until they had been convicted of war crimes. He Indicated that members of the Gestapo Ges-tapo and the SS Elite guard undoubtedly undoubt-edly were war criminals as a class, but the very member of the Nazi party might not be classified as war criminal. Following Justice Jackson's bombshell, a hurried meeting was called In Secretary Morgen-thau's Morgen-thau's office, attended by Ed Pauley, Assistant Secretary of State Will Clayton, the army, navy, FEA, and other Interested Inter-ested government agencies. Secretary Sec-retary Morgenthan vigorously protested this new development. It was pointed out by some that the use of German prison labor had been agreed to at Yalta by President Roosevelt himself and, therefore, could not be changed. "If we have to wait for the conviction con-viction of all these war criminals before we can get German Jabor," suggested Reparations Chief Pauley, "we may have to wait a year. Meanwhile, Mean-while, there may not be enough Germans to repair the damage in France and Russia." Pauley also made the point that he had been charged by the President Presi-dent with the handling of reparations repara-tions and, therefore, would have to make the final decision himself after his arrival in Europe. After further discussion, however, Pauley agreed to accept Justice Jacftson's opinion in principle, namely, that only convicted war criminals could be used as prisoner labor. This leaves the whole question pretty much up in the air. However, it has been hinted that Justice Jackson will endeavor to Indict In-dict groups of Germans as a class. In other words, he may try the Gestapo Ges-tapo as a group, not individually, and decide that every member of the Gestapo automatically Is a war crlmlnnl. This probably will be done with Hitler's SS Elite corps. Whether Wheth-er a blanket indictment will also be lodged against the Nazi party remains re-mains to be seen. TRAINING FILMS DESTROYED. The army doesn't want It known, but It has a new way of handling one type of surplus property. In the case of training and orientation film, It burns old prints. According to a survey made by movie experts, ex-perts, old films last summer were being burned at the rate of 225 tons weekly at Astoria, N. Y. Meanwhile other government agencies, schools and universities are anxious to buy these outmoded prints from the army. In fact, the U. S. ofTlce of transportation had to spend $00,000 of the taxpayers' I money to make 10 new reels of Its ! own when the army refused to sell It the army's excellent series of 20 reels for the training of outo mechanics. Sen. Francis Myers of Pennsylvania, Pennsyl-vania, Democrat, has Just written MaJ. Gen. Harry Ingles, chief of the signal corps, demanding jn explanation. explana-tion. The milking of training films and orientation films by the army has been a major operation. Thousands of subjects have been turned out at a tremendous outlny, and production produc-tion schedules have been more crowded than those of any Hollywood Holly-wood studio. The films have prrwerl remarkable training aids, with ofiircri claim-! claim-! Ing Hint they cut hi least in half the length of time needed to teach men such things as first aid, etc. I CAPITOL CHAFF C. Aviation enthusiast Rep. Jennings Jen-nings Randolph has Introduced a bill authorizing the government to repay employees for the use of their private airplanes on government business Just as is now done with automobiles and motorcycles. C Wyoming's capable Senator Joe O'Mahoney has quietly started a study nf the disposal of surplus war plants. Ho wants to Insure maximum use of our national productive capacity after the war and the stimulation rf small business |
