BR TO THE TIMES, 19 OCT. 1945
BRACERS 68553. TL(CAR). McMaster. B&R C45.20
Proofread by K. Blackwell

Trinity College,
Cambridge.
19 Oct. 1945.

To the Editor of The Times1

Sir,

In your editorial of October 19th you refer to the third count of the indictment of German war criminals, which deals with an “immense array of charges of murder and rapine, including mass deportations and the murder of Hostages” and the fourth count, which includes crimes against humanity such as “the attempt to exterminate the Jews”.

In Eastern Europe now mass deportations are being carried out by our Allies on an unprecedented scale, and an apparently deliberate attempt is being made to exterminate many millions of Germans, not by gas but by depriving them of their homes and of food, leaving them to die by slow and agonized starvation. This is not done as an act of war, but as part of a deliberate policy of “peace”.

Is it possible for the British nation, with its tradition of humanity, to watch these trials without shame while, in the words of a British officer now in Berlin, “we acquiesce in the perpetration (by our allies) of these very injustices against which we have so recently fought”?

Are mass deportations crimes when committed by our enemies during war and justifiable measures of social adjustment when carried out by our Allies in time of peace?

Is it more humane to turn out old women and children to die at a distance than to asphyxiate Jews in gas chambers? Can those responsible for the deaths of those who die after expulsion be regarded as less guilty because they do not see or hear the agonies of their victims? Are the future laws of war to justify the killing of enemy nationals after enemy resistance has ceased?

These are questions discussed far more in England now than the past sins of the Nazis. It was decreed by the Potsdam agreement that expulsions of Germans should be carried out “in a humane and orderly manner”. And it is well known, both through published accounts and through letters received in the numerous British families which have relatives or friends in the armies of occupation, that this proviso has not been observed by our Russian and Polish allies. It is right that expression should be given to the immense public indignation that has resulted, and that our allies should know that British friendship may well be completely alienated by the continuation of this policy.

I am, sir, yours faithfully,
Russell.

• 1

  The Times Published as “Mass Deportations”, 23 Oct. (B&R C45.20; 50 in Collected Papers 24. On 31 Oct. Russell replied to a letter critical of his letter; see C45.21 (51 in Collected Papers 24).