HOMMA TO BE SHOT

Chronicle (Levin), 22 March 1946, Page 5

HOMMA TO BE SHOT

SAVAGERIES IN PHILIPFINES KECALLED Received Thursday 9.10 p.m. TOHIO. March 21. Generai MacArthur ordered .the execution of Gtair .l Homma aiter review- | 1 ing the decision of the mintary court at Llanlla. Directing cxecution by a j ■ firing squad, Generai MacArthur said: I ; * * If defendauc does no'c d.serye his i f'ate, no one iii jurisdictional his.tory j ; ever did. There can be 110 greater, more j ' heinous crime than the mass destruc- 1

i tion, under the guise of militaTy ar.thor I ; ity pr military necessity, of he.plass j luen mcapahie of furcher contrfb.ucion | to the war e„ort. " I Generai MacArthur said no accused 1 had ever been given a f'airer trial. The 1 1 proceedings showed that Homma lacked . the hasic flrmness of charac.ter and 1 ! moral f'ortitude esse^tial to offfcers ! | charged with high cpnimand. ( "The savageiies which resulted j I shocked the world, have hecome syn i | onyms of horror and mark the lowest ebb of depravity of modarn times." I The Associated Press points out that j ' Generai MacArthur did no.t order j | Homma to be slr.pp 1 of his uniform, 1 ! as in the case of Yamashita. He will J | theref'ore dfe a soldii.r's death. The j 1 verdict will be final unless President j Truman intervenes.