4 | ‘HE German aggressor: have left a monstrous heritage - behind them: they have laid waste the fruits of generations of la- bor, the material wealth _ of nations. ~ The day of reckoning has come. The Crimea Conference of the leaders of the three great Allied powers decided to © compel Germany to make com- pensation for the damage she has caused “in kind to the greatest extent possible.” From a legal aspect, the matter is beyond dispute. No advocate tarred with the ap- peaser’s brush could throw even a shadow of a doubt on the right — internationally recog- nized—of the -victors to com- pensation for damage caused by the enemy. When, however, freedom-lov- ing nations which have been the victims of predatory ag- gression are the victors, the right to demand reparations be- comes a duty; for leniency to- ward the aggressor may give rise to new wars. The form of ‘reparations whether they shall be in money or in kind — -is a question of military and ‘economic expediency. BY unleashing war and trans- forming it into a system of militarized banditry, Germany caused enormous damage to the freedom-loving nations which became victims of her aggress- ion. Naturally, Germany must draw upon all her resources for the purpose of compensating to the greatest possible extent for the damage she has done. In the Versailles Treaty it Was stated that the Allied and associated governments recog- nized that the resources. of Germany were not adequate to make complete reparation for all the loss and damage caused by Germany in the war of 1914- 18 (Article 230). Consequently, in addition to considerable money reparations, the Ver- sailles Treaty provided for re- parations in kind. On account of feparations, Germany undertook to transfer to the Allies ships, coal; chemi- eal products and livestock. The damage caused by Hitler Germany in the war of 1939-45 ¢ WEARY YANKS GRAB SOME SHUTEYE AFTER VICTORY ASoviet View OF German Labor Reparations By Prof. A. Trainin Labor reparations are not only an expedient but also an absolutely just form of compensation for damage. Those who destroy must restore what they have destroyed. is immeasurably greater than the damage by Germans caused in 1914-18. Germany must com- pensate for this damage to a considerable extent in-kind. Reparations must also take the form of labor power, which Germany must place at the Al- lies’ disposal for the purpose of restoring property ‘which the Germans have destroyed. In this connection, the following points must be borne in mind. THE German troops commit- ted this damage methodic- ally and systematically. They were not prompted by consider- ations of military necessity. This destruction of property was conducted as methodically and systematically as was the cold-blooded extermination of millions*of civilians and prison- _ ers of war in the Hitlerite death camps. Hence labor reparations are not only an expedient but also an absolutely just form of com- pensation for damage. Those who destroy must restore what they have destroyed. Lastly, it must not be forgot- ten that among the tasks facing the victor peoples, enormous importance attaches to the liquidating of Germany’s mili- tary potential. The employment of Germans on restoration work. in the countries they have de- vastated will naturally facili- tate the effective economic dis- armament of Germany. The decision of the Crimea Conference on reparations in kind evoked favorable comment in the foreign press. The United States Institute of Public Opinion recently con- ducted an inquiry to discover people’s views on the question of employing Germans on res- teration work in the Soviet Un- ion. Their query was formulat- ed as follows: “After the war, should three. or four million German men be required to spend two or three years -to help in rebuilding Russian cities which they destroyed?” Seven- ty-one percent of the Ameri- cans who were questioned said “yes.”” Nine percent refrained from answering, and only 20 percent said “no.” Although public opinion in Allied countries gives wide support to the idea of employ- ing Germans to restore proper- ty they jhave destroyed, there are certain circles which oppose it. The main apprehension of the opponents of labor repara- tions is that such reparations will lead to the economic ex- haustion, the “impoverishment” of Germany, and that this in turn will injure world trade. This argument has been ad- vanced repeatédly by the Lon- don Economist. The same ap- prehension was recently ex- pressed by the New Stateman and Nation, which stated that if Germany’s industrial produe- tivity was not restored within prescribed limits, the ravages of war in Europe would not be made good during the life of this generation. Such apprehensions are not new. Similar arguments were zealously disseminated from certain quarters after the First World War. As is well known, the upshot was that the Ger- mans were generously provided with loans, with the aid of which “exhausted” Germany built up a gigantic war indus- try and prepared for the Sec- ond World War. This lesson must not be forgotten. _ The ‘argument that labor reparations will injure world trade is unsound. The destruc- tion of Germany’s war economy does not in the least imply the liquidation of her world econ- omy and. her dropping out of world trade. It was her enor- mous armament program and her policy of economic autocra- cy, pursued for the purpose of preparing her economy for war, which diminished Germany’s share in world trade. The abandonment of this pol- icy, and of the militarist trend of economic development which is its concomitant, will make Germany far more dependent on the world market than. she was before, notwithstanding the fact that the general level of production in Germany will of course drop as a result of the payment of reparations in kind and in labor. On the other hand, it must not be forgotten that this will be compensated, and more than compensated, by the growth of productive capacities in the . countries which suffered from German aggression and which will receive reparations from Germany. @ NDER these circumstances, the argument ‘that an im- poverished Germany will disap- pear from the world market as a result of making labor re- parations is merely’ a bogey raised by certain parties closely interested in the German mar- ket. P Other opponents of labor rep- arations advance no coherent objections, but confine them- selves to uttering frightful words like “forced labor,” slav- ery,” and so on. These people oppose labor reparations only because these will be imposed on Germany. Karl Von Wiegand, the no- torious Hearst correspondent in Madrid, asserted that the pro- posal to employ German work- ers on restoration work : that “the United Sta ; Great Britain, sanction a} ‘of slavery in Europe.” 1 Cc ( echoed by George N*: © president of -Hunter : New York, who in a spe livered, before an audic. members of the Foreign: Association, said that lak: arations were tantamo- “enslavement.” To stick to metaphor: bels like “slavery” and “ea ment” is of course one } easiest mental exercis® takes neither knowled brains. But mere label nothing. One could as easily ¢ money reparations as: bery,” and the demilitar’ of Germany’s industry “ruination.” It is the se line of argument as that ed by the German-fascis nibals, who believe tha have the right to comm. crime they please, but 13 call them to book for crimes is tyranny and in: It. will be shown that I: | justice, for which the troops fought, are not fl slogans and pious wish¢, political and military x which have the power tol not only the triumph of but also the security of ¢]. ples against a recrudescé | German aggression. The. Herrenvolk will j prived of their general They will have to disband army, disarm their -ind compensate for the 4d they have done, and i) what they have so savag: | stroyed. Not so long ago the De Zeitung in Norwegen, 2 man-fascist newspaper i way, drepped into plaint 5 ricism in discussing. laboi rations. It wrote: “The man soldier has not beer rated from his wife and ci. and kept away from his. for six years in order, as sult of unconditional sur. to receive from the Alli right to be separated frc' wife and children, and 25 work at his trade for a ten years or for the rest_ life.” 0* course, it was not fe ® that the German 1% Ip went to war. On the othe the freedom-loving nation: & not made their incalculabl 3 rifices in order to allow tl precedented crimes of th lerites to go unpunished. Germany, naturally er§ is displeased at the outco g the war, displeased at hav | bear the consequences 0: vandalism. This is under: |§ able. That the defenders «ii German aggressors in ¢@ | foreign quarters should fet | turbed is also understanda But nothing can now. either the one or the othe * ruins of Europe will be reef to the utmost possible exte | Germany’s expense, and @ large’ extent by German i SATURDAY, JULY 14, | : SPRAWLING OVER A GRASSY EMBANKMENT, 2 group of eompletely ex- | Okinawa. A cou i i ; - . ple of the fighters were so tired they didn’t even take hausted Yanks of the 10th Army catch the proverbial forty winks and | the time to remove their heavy battle helmets before stretching out. This is an official U.S. Army photo. (International Soundphoto)