General Dwight D. Eisenhower, supreme Allied commander in western Europe, today warned the German people not to harm persons confined in concentration camps or forced Labor battalions “no matter what their religion or nationality may be.”
The warning, which threatened heavy punishment, was broadcast to Germany over the British radio and the American Broadcasting Station in Europe, It reads.
“Germans. You have in your midst a great many men in concentration camps and forced labor battalions. Germans: do not obey any orders, regardless of their source, urging you to molest, harm or persecute them, no matter what their religion or nationality may be. The Allies, whose armies have already established a firm foothold in Germany, expect, on their advance, to find these people alive and unharmed. Heavy punishment awaits those who, directly or indirectly, and to whatever extent, bear any responsibility for the mistreatment of these people. May this serve as a warning to whomever at present has the power to issue orders.”
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.
