The Jewish community of Canada told members of the Federal Cabinet that any advantages which might accrue to the Allied military through the services of the Nazi General Kurt Meyer would be more than offset by the moral obloquy which would attach to his release from imprisonment for atrocities against Canadian soldiers.
In its communication to L.B. Pearson and Brooke Claxton, cabinet members responsible for external affairs and national defense, respectively, the Canadian Jewish Congress said that the release of General Meyers would be an “insult to the hundreds of thousands of Canadian citizens who brought great sacrifices to destroy Nazism and to the memory of the millions who suffered from its infamy.
“To release this man who was convicted after due process of Canadian law and with the moral approval of the entire civilized world would be to aid, to comfort and to encourage the forces who are responsible for the agonies which all human society has suffered in connection with the last war, “the Jewish Congress pointed out. “It would serve to undermine the moral position of those who work to prevent a recurrence of world war by the establishment of a stable international order based upon justice and law. A real fear exists among the citizens of this country that the convicted German general may soon be released.”
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
