The Observer from London, Greater London, England • 1

TH Established 1791 No. 8,033 154th YEAR LONDON, SUNDAY, MAY 13, 1945 postage: inland abroad Id. PRICE 2D OB WTO Big Three To Thrash Out Polish Question Mr. Eden May Arrange Meeting This Week Vital Problems Are Awaiting Solution Civilians Led Plot To Kill Hitler Rebel Generals Lost Their Nerve The full story of the plot to assassinate Hitler on July 20 Lost year is told below for the first time. From DR.

ROBERT BAUM-JUNGK Observer Correspondent BERNE, May 12 General Dietmar, former German High Command radio commentator, after surrendering himself to the Allied Armies, said: July 20 1944 was the German generals' protest against such Nazi horrors as the Buchen-f wald.co.iicentration camp. Alas, it failed. His assertion was eompletelyr false. The July 20 putsch, which, if successful, might have ended the war yearly ten months earlier and saved many towns and millions of lives, had been prepared mostly by civilians. It failed, as many others prepared by the same circles had failed, hecause the 'generals once more weakened when really vigorous action was most needed.

By OUR DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENT Mr. Eden, who is leaving San Francisco to- day, will visit Washington on his way home, and is certain to discuss a date for the next Big Three meeting. Nowhere below 'that level can the Polish issue be settled. It will be the first item on the agenda. Next in complexity conies the question of the identification and punishment of major war criminals.

If friction is to be avoided, the three major Allies need, as soon as possible, to work out at a high level the means whereby their researches into German dossiers for evidence of war crimes can be dovetailed. People of The Hague, celebrating their liberation from five years of German rule, welcome a Canadian Army convoy bringing food to their hungry townsfolk. Allies Speeding Relief To Save The French position is somewhat anomalous, because the area now occupied by French troops (Baden and Wurtemburg) is not the area France desires to occupy. The zone she wants is the west bank 'of the Holland's Health These other tacts which throw an entirely new light on the history of Germany, ere told to me by Dr. Hans Bernhard Gisevius, for long one of the leaders of the anti-Hitler conspiracy.

Gisevius, who is now in Switzerland, and his friend, Arthur Nebe, who escaped to Sweden, are probably the only active conspirators who survived the July putsch. When I met Gisevius last January, he had just crossed into Switzerland, after hiding for months in Berlin. He then me not to publish his story, as many ot his friends, such as Pastor Niemoller, might be endangered by the revelations of his clandestine activity against the Nazis between 1934 and 1944. During "these years, a centre of conspiracy was formed which, sooner or later, drew towards it all dissatisfied members of the Wehrmacht and the Administration. Later on, prominent leaders of illegal Socialist groups, such as Leuschner, former Hessian Minister, and Leuthaeuser, Christian Socialist trade unionist, joined it.

Army Disaffection The inner circle of the conspiracy, to which the technical details of Ihe revolt were entrusted, was headed by the chief of the Personalstab ana toe urgamsationsabteilung of the Intelligence Service Qf the Wehrmacht, usually called the Obwehr. This man was Hans Oster. He was removed from office only in .1943. During 1942 Oster won over to the conspirators a man in a decisive key position General Olbricht, commander of the Ersatzheer. The plan was then as follows: Several army groups on the Eastern Front were to announce that, because of the.

difficult situation, they Would diicoa-tinue obeying Hitler mllitrfryTiB-. mands. Witzleben, then commanding in the west, would no longer recognise Hitler as Commander-in-Chief. At the same time General Beck, former Chief of Staff, retired after the Blomberg crisis, and the real head of the conspiracy since the beginning of the war was to take over the Ersatzheer, for which troops had been held back, and occupy all important buildings in Berlin. Gestapo officials and party leaders would be arrested.

All that happened while the German Sixth Army fought its desperate fight at Stalingrad. If Paulus, in command of the Stalingrad garrison, had declared that he would accept no more orders from Hitler, the putsch would have started and spread, as planned. But Paulus let himself be persuaded by Hitler to continue the hopeless battle. These experiences brought change in tactics by the conspirators. Vainly, they had' planned to overthrow Hitler by revolt of his generals alone.

Now, they decided to take up the long-rejected idea of an attempt to kill Hitler. Some months later Count Stauffen-berg, regarded as one of the most promising younger Wehrmacht officers, was made Chief of Staff to Olbricht and consequently came into closest contact with the conspirators. This happened just at the time when Oster and Gisevius had become suspects to Himmler and were no longer able to function as the technical centre of the conspiracy. So Stauffenberg and his circle, including von Schulenburg, von Wartenberg, Trott zu Solz, of the Foreign Office, and two nephew of Braucrfitsch, the brothers Haeften, became the most active figures in the conspiracy. Stauffenberg wanted to be the killer." His first serious attempt failed when, after waiting for weeks, during which all the, con-( Continual! on page s.

column 4) A decision must also be taken on the method of deal ing with major criminals who are caught alive, particularly world-famous figures such as Himmler, if captured, and Goer-mg. Once they are in custody, only the heads of State can decide whether they shall be shot at once, like Mussolini, or whether they are to be allowed the luxury of an elaborate trial. Final questions about the occupation zonas in Greater Germany are expected to be decided below Big Three level. Only in Czechoslovakia and Austria does there seem to be much doubt about the final demarcation line between the troops from East and West Farther north, the line between them though never yet officially defined is known to rftpi from Wismar, on the Baltic, past Lake Schwerin to Domitz, from there down the Elbe to Dessau, and from Dessau down the Mulde to the Czech frontier. Over zoning, the main point outstanding is the extent of the French zone, but this is a matter chiefly for Britain and America, since France's portion will be carved out of their areas.

Danger Over Zone Muddle In Austria By Libera lor rpHIS has been a week of extraordinary confusion in Austria. All previous arrangements and agreements between the Allies appear to have been cancelled or ignored. The earlier agreed zones of occupa- imn ootn ior Vienna and the country as a whole are again under discussion. The course of event4? during the past seven days emphasises the conflicting policies pursued by the Allies. First, the deadlock over the acceptance of the Renner Government continued, though there was general agreement that this was as good a Government as could be put into office at this stage.

i But since the complete blockade of news from icnna continues, nothing is really known about the relation of the Government" to the occupying Pnu r. Radio Austria," which it broad-rating on the Vienna wavelength. unlv a restricted news service i-od entirely, it seems, on the S'-viet-controlled Tass Agencv. Then last Monday a "Station began broadcasting evidently from Klagenfurt, the provincial capital. It announced the formation of a Provincial Government." and gave the names of the members, which included a Social-Democratic leader ho had been active'both against the Nazis and the Schuschnigg dictatorship.

Communists ot There All other parties represented in the Vienna "Government" with the exception of the Communists, were ntso represented in the Carinthian Provincial Government- The following day Marshal Tito announced that Yugoslav troops were fi ghting in Klagenfurt an Vienna Radio denounced the Carinthian Provincial Government as Nazi and Fascist. Carinthia continued to broadcast until last Wednesday, when British units of the i gh tn Arm entered Kl a ge urt Since then nothing more has been heard either of Tito's troops or of the Provincial Government." Even more extraordinary were the developments in Graz, capital of Styria and second town in Austria. On Tuesday last, while Graz was still unoccupied by any Allied army, though scheduled to be taken over by the British, Radio Graz announced the formation of a "Pro-visional Provincial Government headed by Reinhard Machold, a well-known Socialist, and bv reore- sentatives of the Christian Socialists tcatnolics) and the Free Unions. The- Trm4sKwaT character oTSi administration was stressed. A series of orders similar to those issued by Allied Military- Government were issued.

They were told that these applied only until the Allies took over. Radio Austria." from Vienna, gave its blessing to the Graz administration. And now something else happened. The Red Armies had stood nutside Graz for some time; it had rigidly abided by the zoning agreement; it had not overstepped into the British zone of occupation. But as a result of French claims for a zone of occupation the situation had become fluid, and earlier agreements were once more under discussion.

What happened then is not yet very clear. Anyhow, last Thursday the Russians moved into Graz. They may have feared disorder or they may have had trouble Vienna from underground Nazis, or they may have had political motives: we cannot tell. But they moved in and issued a series of extraordinary ordinances to the population. A Soviet Town Major took over.

He appointed a mayor and municipal authority. Nothing more was heard ff the Machold administration, though Machold was probably the niot popular labour leader in Styria, with a great record of resistance to Httler and Schuschnigg. Policy Not Clear The population was ordered to give up all wrreless, receiving as we'll as -ansmitting, sets. They were told they must give no information about tie Red Army "to anyone whosoever." They were instructed toput the inwn in a state of preparedness e-'nnst atr raids, to build slit enche, and prepare bunkers and raid shelters. This is surely odd at this stage of tie war, even though it is believed innt some dispersed German units hive still not surrendered and were the neighbourhood of Graz There nn enemy stations broadcasting Tn.it might be picked up by listeners Graz; only Allied stations I'nfortunately, British and Amen-c -n pnlicy is not clear.

Their ia. it seems, was to govern the mtrv bv means of military crnment for some time before rfl administrations were to be enped- They have been over-' bv the speed of events. Ve danger is that in reacting the present situation Allied wlU look towards elements of Right --and Schuschnigg's release i this for the creation of i administration as the Renner i crnment" in Vienna There h1 prtdy been references to the i i i ficv of Schuschnigg's re-: i Austrian Chancellorship nu would be a short cut to ci tl Au-tna nnd i-i a certain con- i'h ne Ruvian with popular -i Lho- ur np.nion in cnuntrv 1 i back democratic -e r- Gnvernment a.2.ri the I JUlSph Sas Allies Approved His New Appointment 'J'HE following important announcement by Field-Marshal Busch was broadcast by Flensburg Radio on Friday night: 7E Crowds Cheer Rescue Convoy At Guernsey Front Combined Press Reporter ST. PETER PORT, Guernsey, May 12 LOUDEST cheer at St. Peter Port to-day, when the main feritish liberating force arrived, was not for the thousands of soldiers, armed to the teeth, who got their share, but for the austere London Civil Servant who walked up from the first assault craft firmly holding his bowler on his head with his left hand, clutching his tightly-rolled umbrella with his right hand and at the same tirhe obviously concerned about the dispatch-case tucked under his right arm.

The dispatch-case carried by the Civil Servant. Mr. C. D- Bickmore, was important because in it were some of" the plans for the complete rehabilitation of this half-starved community, but it was the bowler hat and the umbrella that brought tears to these island eyes and a cry af There'll always be an England." This "was followed by a roar of cheers mixed with the laughter of semi-hysterical happiness The crowd rushed on everyone in British uniform with cries of It's good to see you and almost inarticulate greetings. This was no formal victory parade, with regimental cheers, but ceaseless cheering, breaking out sporadically every time khaki was seen in the town.

There was one perd of silence when the ardent Nazi Admiral Hoffmeyer was marched under escort through crowds to the quay. That gallant the- Dame of Sark, told me Hoffmeyer intended to fight to the end, which would have meant death and misery for the islanders, but his officers refused to stand by him. The King's Gifts The British liberation force arrived in a great convoy, consisting uf some 60 ships and troop transports, with naval escort, which sailed from Plymouth on Thursday. It was loaded with everything the islanders need, including coal. Many soldiers who had trained to storm the islands did not embark, and in their place and in the space originally allotted for munitions and armaments were vast quantites of supplies, even down to bulldozers, babies' layettes, sterling to replace the and seeds.

Cigarettes and tobacco for the men. chocolates and sweets for the children and toilet soap for the womep are special gifts of the King to his subjects in what is left of the Dukedom of Normandy. As if in token of the lien which binds the islands to the Crown, the troops wore on their shoulders the arms, of William the Conqueror a. red shield. with three golden leopards on it.

The expedition is a great test for civil affairs. They have hrought postar officials, ration books, agricultural implements, and seeds. We shall land- food for 14 days. In another week a further fortnight's moviita aCnur ft an endless chain reflects tiie moocS and? fteltngs op tfie moment Our DESIGNERS have createcf many gowns or Cetetrrafclcrn Occasions MARSHALL SNELGROYE LOKDCXM ht TrunousJiume forQuafe Polish Leaders May Be Tried In Secret By A Special Correspondent PREPARATIONS for the trial of the 16 Polish leaders in. Moscow are in full swing.

The indications are that, on the ground of military security, the Soviet authorities intend the trial to be secret. The defendants may possibly be classed in two or three categories Some of them will be charged with direct responsibility for diversionary activities against the Red Army and in this group General Okulicki is certain to be the chief defendant. Others may be charged with complicity rather than with, direct participation in sabotage. Most of the leaders of the political parties will probably come into this category It is not impossible that a few of the arrested Poles will be released for lack of evidence against them The political purpose of the trial will be to demonstrate that the anti-Lublin parties cannot be relied upon as partners in a Government coalition in Poland; and that they cannot be trusted to establish loyal cooperation between Russia and Pola nd Th Arrests In Poland itself the arrest of the Pobsh leaders seems to have become the signal (or a ruthless drive against their friends and followers. Mass arrests and the 'persecution of Poles opposed to the Lublin Government have been reported.

The most prominent political personality among those arrested quite recently is Dr. Kiernik, one of the leaders of the Peasant Party, many times minister and ex-prisoner and exile under the Pilsudski regime. Dr. Kiernik has been the leader of the riht wing of the Peasant Party: but like the leader of its left wing, M. Baginski: who has also been arrested.

Dr. Kiernik is known to have stood for conciliation with Russia and to have strongly disapproved of the London Government's policy. Nevertheless, the Russian prosecutor is likely to cite that Government's propaganda and activities as evidence against the defendants. Public Hearing Vital It is, in my view, absolutely essential that the trial of the 16 Polish leaders should not be held in camera. motive of military security can hardly be a convincing argument for a secret trial now that hostilities in Europe are over.

The defendants must be given a public hearing if opinion in Allied countries is to be enabled to form its views on the whole affair. Moreover, the 16 Poles ought to be given proper facilities for organising their defence. The admission of impartial md politically unbiased lawyers from the Allied countries to defend the Poles in Moscow would seem to be a minimum guarantee 3f a fair trial. There does exit san interesting precedent for this. In the early years of the Soviet regime a group of foreign lawvers.

headed bv the outstanding Belgian Socialist. Vandervelde, was admitted to act as defence for Dora Kaplan and her associates, who had made a partlv successful attempt at Lenin and at a number of other Soviet leaders. General Bor in London (fiNERAL BOR KOMOROWSK1 (General Bor), Commander-in-Chiel of the Polish Forces, arrived bv air Bovmgdon. HerU c.terdd Gcneial Bor Komnnjwski was the Commander-in-Chief Ihe Forces bv the London Government after General Sosn-kowski's dismissal last year, writes a Special Correspondent. He held this office nominally even while he was a prisoner in Germanv: General Anders was then the acting Commander-in-Chief He will now retire in faur of General Bor.

In Polish military circles the idea nf a Generals' Government is now beins camassed, in which the civilian politicians would pkry only a subordinate rote. In those circles General Anders, known for his stronglv anti-Russian and Right Wing views, is being looked upon as the future Polish Prime Minister in London. Sosnkowski, the former -in-C and head of the Pil-sudskist taction, who had left this country for Canada, is now reported to be on his way back to London A reshuffle of the Polish Government here is probably not imminent But there have been many moves behind the scenes, the purpose of which is to Ftage a final come-back of the authoritarian and anti-Rusian Eroupines among polish politicians in exile Rhine, plus bridgeheads on the east oanK extending in the north, to cover the whole Ruhr, and some say also part of Westphalia. Allied critics of the extent of these French ambitions point out that this is tne most devastated part of Ger many, and that France herself partly devastated is in no position industrially, or even militarily, to talu on so large and difficult an' administrative area. Many Frenchmen also hold this view.

The Americans have announced in detail the structure of government uiey propose to nave in tneir zone A similar British announcement is expected, but, at least on the military side, can hardly materialise until it has the 'endorsement of the key figure the general who is to be the Britisn representative on the Control Council of Four. This appointment still hangs in the balance as between Field-Marshal Montgomery and Field-Marshal Alexander. order ox the Grand Admiral and in agreement with the British Occupation Authorities, I have taken over command of Schleswig-Holstein and the areas occupied by the troops of Field-Marshal Montgomery. "It is my task to safeguard order and discipline as well as the supplies for troops and the civilian population in all spheres of public life. To carry out this task all military and civilian authorities in my sector have been subordinated to me.

They will receive directives from me, and respectively from the military and civil organs subordinated to the Chief of Supply and Administrative Services, Sector North. Executory regulations to this order will be issued separately. I expect unquestioned devotion to and obedience to this order, as well as the ready co-operation of everyone in the carrying out of the tasks given me." The announcement has not been denied from any Allied source and therefore appears to be authentic A Student of Europe writes: The consent to the appointment of Busch to a position of great power over Germans in the British-occupied zone of Germany seems to emanate from Shaef. Neither the Foreign Office nor the War Office had any comment to offer. Military Power The implications of this appointment are far-reaching.

Busch functions go far beyond those neces-ary for the technical implementation of unconditional surrender. If the announcement receives Allied confirmation, he will take over complete military and civil power, though, of course, under Allied control. This power, according to the announcement, derives from Grand Admiral Donitz, who is thereby implicitly recognised as head of the German Retch Germans may now be liable to assume 1. That the German Reich continues to exist, 2. That Grand Admiral Donitz is the recognised Head of State; 3.

That there is Allied agreement to the establishment of German Governments under A M.G.: 4. That these regional Governments are to derive their authority frnm Grand Admiral Donitz. 5. That there no objection to hjfih-rankmg German ofneecs filling them Controversial er one of poinK mav prove highlv controversial Ruch is pr fe-tonal officer His nnme w.js first publicly mentioned tne winter of 134 1-42, when he comma nded the Kith German Army Ruia Lrtter he commanded an armv group there Last month, when Germanv wa split in two. Hitler appointed him -in-C North Nothing is known about hLs politic Mnt of the German army commander Ln the are regarded as war criminal? bv Russians, and it is not known whether Busch forms an exception Himmler Reported Captured Himmler is now reported to be in our hands according to a broadcast from Paris to New "York bv Charles ColMngwood.

CBS. reporter. It is understood, added Colling-wiiod. that Himmler was held Nby Admiral Doenitz in the Flensburg irea under house arrest and that Doenit? turned him over to British forces in that area. A mtll parlv of high Nazi war rnminaN escaped a -peed -boat frnm Jutland one night lri-f A'eek.

arcTdsnz 1o reports in Mnlmne quoted by P. From Eric Wigha'm, Observer Correspondent ROTTERDAM, May 42 DESPITE the almost hysterical delight qf the welcome given to the British and Canadian soldiers, a tour of Utrecht, Amsterdam, The Hague, and Rotterdam has convinced me that the accounts of death and disease due to underfeeding which we received before the Allies went in were- little exaggerated. Fortunately, the German surrender has made it possible to devote more resources to relief than would otherwise have been the case, and help is now coming fast Of course, all the increase in the of deaths has not been due directly to starvation, but also to weakness, which has made the people more subjectto infection and less capable of resisting illnesses, sjtiba premature births, infant mortality, deaths in childbirth, and the incidence ot tuberculosis and-anaemia have all greatly increased. Without soap or hot water, without sugar, warming foods, and fats, without any means of heating in the cold winter months, the people have suffered to an increasing extent from dirt diseases. In Rotterdam one afth of the population is suffering from scabies.

One third 'of the patients admitted to the Wilhelmina Hospital in Amsterdam have been found to have head lice and a slightly smaller proportion body lice. There has beeh no typhus, but if it were to be introduced, say, by people returning irom concentration camps, it would be hard to prevent it spreading. Shortage of Serums Moreover, the lack of people has upset the normal procedure for dealing with sewage and refuse. In Amsterdam, uncollected refuse is piled up at street corners and even in gutters. Fortunately, since potato peelings and such things are precious, there is practically no vegetable matter in the refuse, but at the.

same time, with the coming of the hot weather, there are obvious dangers, and it is vital that the power stations should be got to work quickly. In Rotterdam it is estimated that from 5,000 to 6,000 people are so undernourished as to require special hospital treatment, including, in some cases, intravenous feeding. A large number are suffering' from hunger. There is a serious shortage of all vaccines and serums, but there have been no serious epidemics in Amsterdam. The Dutch formed their own relief organisation during the occupation and this is now inr valuable.

But Dutch people here' need special feeding "before they can help actively with the work. Food ship cargoes- had" to be broken into to 'feed 'the dockers before they could unload the vessels, ind one of the first ships in harbour-was used to give an extra ration to nursing staffs. six Red Gross teams arrived in the town on Wednesday, the dropping of supplies from the air has been invaluable, and two shiploads of food arrived in" the port on Sunday, -with foui' more on Wednesday. Two thousand tons of food were dropped from the air. but.

unfortunately except for flour, they were assorted: rations instead of -in bulk supplies, and- had be assembled and divided up in order to ensure fair distribution. Milk Supply Better The ships brought biscuits, meat, milk and margarine, and some other foods. The biscuits were a mistake, for many of the people were too ill to eat them. One of the first steps was' to improve the service to the soup kitchens, which have1 been burning tar, the only fuel available, and sending containers by horse and cart to various parts for distribution, though by the time it is received it is rather like cold dish-water. Nevertheless they have provided half a litre of soup per day to 125.000 people.

The one bright spot in the food situation has been that in the last two or three weeks the supplies of milk have so improved that there has been an adequacy for people aged up to 18. But it will be seen even from this superficial survey that the problem is an enormous one, and it will be only slowly that conditions will be brought back to normal. Even then the health of manv people will have been permanently affected However, it is pleasing to find Allied resources being concentrated on restoration rather than destruction, a nd the courage of the Dutch people is inspiring. 700,000 Surrender More than 700,000 Germans surrendered to the Russians between Wednesday and yesterday, said last night's Soviet communique. London -Crowds Stranded THE hottest day of the year the temperature reached 85 deg.

yesterday brought great crowds to London to celebrate the first weekend of peace. Transport resources last nighl were unable to cope with the crowds who stayed late looking at the London illuminations, and thousands of people from the suburbs were stranded or had to walk home Charing Cross Station, besieged by larger crowds than could be carried, was" forced to close its gates The last suburban trains on some lines went out packed to the doors Even the guards' vans were jammed with standing travellers, but numbers of people were left on the platform. Queen Mary, who arrived at Windsor Castle yesterday from her home in the West Country, will attend the Thanksgiving Service at St Paul's to-day. The King and Queen, in their drive to St Paul's will leave Buckingham Palace at 2.33 p.m. Their route will be: The Mall." Admiralty Arch, south side Trafalgar-square.

Strand, Temple Bar (where the Lord Mayor will offer the City Sword to His Fleet-street and Ludgate-hill. Weather permitting, about 1.500 U.S. fighters and heavy bombers wil make a viclorv flight between 7 and 8 D.m to-night. Thev will flv about "20 miles west, south, and east of London. The weather forecast for to-day for London, the south-east and cast England is.

Fine and warm, apart from locdl thunderstorms in the ening French. He re Will Celebrate To-day is the French Jimh of Arc cLjv. and cnlnnv tn London is seizing the opp1 ictorv us well u-tumty to celebrate as Us national holi day. The French Ambassador has invited all Frenchmen now London tn a'lend High Mass at 12 norm at Westminster Cathedral Thi 5cr ice. which ha been held CMch since Gene: al de Om uKe set Lip hi-- headquarters in London, thi ear take a special sign incance troop? which includes the greater part Germanv farm land The statement gs1 es these further details Meat Only a comparatively small quantity of meat most of it canned will be sent, because of the present shoitrifie in the and the scarciU of refrigerating equipment m-Furope Official s.i ther i little chance of anv meat goiriJ tn Europe before thf1 List rrontns oj thi year Sugar: Tnis is gradually loom tne as a-nother major wrld shnrtrtge In addition id the 2t pet cent decrease rn the S' domestic ration last month, sharp reductions in irv dusrtnal allotments will sorn take place and British and Can.jotan rations mav also be cut again soon Fats Little or no buMer will oe shipped from the but considerable uinti tie: of lnrd and vegetable nil w.rE be sent The bu Ik oj the I 2 on i.

fond will oe made up i v-bea1 dried eggs, milk, beans and peas --Hester Allies Must Send Food To supply will be put ashore, and it is nopecf tn a' couple of months to build up a reserve for 90 days. The 2AO0O to 30.000 islanders who have heen" evacuated will be allowed to return only when there is no danger' of "their adding to the exist ing pcoDiems, ana tne isles win noi be a holiday centre for another year. the liberation of the Channel Islands the King has issued a proclamation to the people there welcoming their restoration to freedom, and promising all help from the Government in their rehabilitation. Nazi Suicides in Czecho-Slovakia A suicide wave is sweeping through both the German Army and German civilian inhabitants of Czecho-Slovakia. following the example Bet by Conrad Henlein.

the Nazi Gauleiter of the Sudetenland. A number of German officers who have led the remnants of their troops into the American lines east of Pilsen have shot themselves. There have also been many cases of German women killing themselves and their children in the towns and villages between Pilsen and Prague. When Karl Hermann Frank, Nazi Minister of State and police chief in the Protectorate, was captured by American troops they took no chances of his suicide and even removed his bootlaces and watch-glass Frank, when safe from the fury of the mob, waved insolently to the Czechs. Reuter Mrs.

Churchill Home Mrs Churchill returned to Britain from Russia by air yesterday. She I was met by the Prime Minister. erinan authoritative statement rn rr.e food Europe ma expect democracy's larder in '-ecir of victory disclosed yester-thnt the German people in the and American zones of upied Germany will receive portion of ihe 12.iHH).dwJ i.f food which the US. is jlan- io ship to Europe 't'lcicils describe this as an un- necessity' but' emphasise ihe German" diet will still be ner.ibty lower than that of the Europe amount uhtch the Allies will Ted to Fupply stem famine serise ricoends Inigely on the t-ip rnrvest which the Ger- thenisehe? glean, ani f-- Russia v-'Wi permit exports ztic assigned to Red Army.