Many if not all of the estimated 150 Nazi war criminals still in American custody may be released ahead of the expiration of their sentences as a result of the agreements just concluded by Secretary of State John Foster Dulles for a sovereign and armed West Germany.
This was learned today from government sources who revealed also that the United States will no longer be permitted to arrest German subjects in Germany even if the subjects are dangerous Nazis who participated in crimes against humanity.
The West German Government has sought for some time to effect the release of Nazi war criminals held in U.S. custody at Landsberg. Chancellor Konrad Adenauer stressed this to Secretary of State Dulles on a number of occasions. On April 9, 1953, the State Department issued a communique reporting on Dr. Adenauer’s talks with Mr. Dulles and President Eisenhower. This communique said “the Chancellor raised the problem of war criminals” and the United States agreed to “re-examine the status of these prisoners” and “look forward to the possible adoption of new review procedures with German participation.”
Following the end of World War II, U.S. military tribunals convicted 1,417 Nazis. In response to West German public opinion, a liberal clemency policy was adopted. By 1953 only 293 of those sentenced were still in prison. In some instances death sentences were commuted with the understanding that long prison terms would be substituted.
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