BRITISH ZONE

Press, Volume LXXXII, Issue 24903, 17 June 1946, Page 5

BRITISH ZONE

NO RECRUITING OF GERMANS

MILITARY GOVERNMENT STATEMENT , LONDON, June 14. None of the 3,000.000 members of the German armed forces demobilised in the British zone has been recruitea into'the British armed forces, according to a report on the progress of demilitarisation in the British zone of Germany, issued by the Deputy-Mili-tary Governor (Major-General Brian Robertson).

“The German armed forces and related military organisations in the British zone have been completely disarmed and all former headquarters staffs and units of such forces have been broken up and disbanded.” says the report. “Apart from the police, who are authorised to carry personal weapons, no armed organised body at present exists in the British zone, nor is there any organisation which could be regarded as being of potential military value.”

Major-General Robertson gives the number of German police as 52,690. “Since a permanently armed police force is against British practice, the weapons are kept at ths police stations and issued only when required,” says his report. “There are 147,672 former members of the German armed forces who have not yet been discharged, and who are being retained for working groups or minesweeping.” Major-General Robertson announces that Britain has decided to take over control immediately of all agricultural estates in private hands in the British zone. “Elsewhere in Germany” In releasing the report, Major-Gen-eral Robertson said that there was a tendency to focus attention on the British zone. “We have no objection at all, provided the light that is focused is honest and correctly focused,” he said. “Our interest is by no means confined to clearing ourselves of charges made against us. We have the greatest interest in what is happening elsewhere in Germany. “We do not suspect our Allies of maintaining armed forces of Germans in their zones. This is not the crucial point. Far more important is it to know that the Germans’ ability to make instruments of war is being ruthlessly destroyed, in accordance with the capitulation terms z and the Potsdam declaration.” He said that the British delegation regretted the difficulties preventing a four-Power commission from investigating disarmament. Clearing up the “misunderstanding” which had arisen over the British deNazification policy, Major-General Robertson said: “There is no question of the British stopping the process of de-Nazification until we are satisfied that it is completed in accordance with the three-Power and the Berlin Protocol.” The sooner the process was completed the sooner would Germany be able to settle down to reconstruction. Two Questions Asked Earlier, dealing with Britain’s interest in ensuring that Germany’s war potential was being destroyed throughout Germany, Major-General Robertson emphasised that “we are not accusing any of our Allies.” Nevertheless, the British authorities wanted answers to two questions: (1) Has the manufacture of war materials been stopped in all zones? (2) Have German scientists been stopped making researches of a military nature? .. ... Major-General Robertson said that the removal of industrial assets on account of repatriations was continuing ‘Four plants would be removed to Russia. The first shipments would be made in less than a fortnight. This action by Britain was similar to that taken bv America, which also was dismantling and delivering plants from the first reparations list.