Monday, January 02, 2006

Churchill wanted to execute Nazis: "Official documents declassified at the turn of the year reveal that Churchill opposed Allied plans for war crimes trials and wanted summarily to execute leading Nazi figures, including Hitler, whom he regarded as 'the mainspring of evil' and a 'gangster'.... On July 6th 1942 ... the prime minister said: 'If Hitler falls into our hands we shall certainly put him to death. Not a sovereign who [could] be said to be in hands of ministers, like kaiser. This man is the
mainspring of evil. Instrument - electric chair, for gangsters no doubt available on lend-lease.'

"On July 7, 1943, Churchill argued passionately that leading Nazis who fell into British hands should be treated as 'outlaws' and shot rather than put on trial. I suggested that UN to draw up a list of 50 or so [would] be declared as outlaws by the 33 nations. (Those not on the list might be induced to rat!) If any of these found by advancing troops, nearest [officer] of brigade rank [should] call a military court to establish identity and [should] then execute [without] higher authority.""

"Equally controversial will be the revelation in the notebooks that Churchill wanted the Royal Air Force to wipe out German villages in retaliation for the massacre of civilians in Lidice, a Czech village razed by the SS. Churchill abandoned his plan only in the face of opposition from cabinet colleagues."

The 'argument' for the death penalty, as is so often the case, works against itself. No one should be executed, not even Hitler. And Churchill's plan to 'wipe out German villages' as revenge and collective punishment is a warcrime and atrocity, not a bit above the Nazis themselves when they liquidated Lidice following the assasination of Heydrich.

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