ANOTHER CANARD

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20088, 7 November 1939, Page 5

ANOTHER CANARD

TALES FROM BERLIN ALLEGED ILL-TREATMENT NAZIS IN SCOTLAND CONSULAR OFFICIALS (BritUh Official Wireless.) Reed. noon. RUGBY, Nov. 6. Currency has been given in Germany to reports of indignities and ill-treatment by the British authorities o-f certain members of the German Consulate in Glasgow which entirely misrepresent the facts of the case.

These reports state that two of the persons concerned, Liebske and Appelstaedt, were taken to prison and ordered to do the work of convicts and that a woman secretary, Fraulein Wagner, was also compelled to do convicts’ work and undertake the most menial tasks. Notorious Nazis The facts are as' follows: The three persons concerned, who were notoriously active members of the Nazi Party, were arrested in Glasgow when war seemed imminent under an aliens’ order to investigate whether a deportation order should not be issued against them. They were taken to a remand prison and treated as are all persons detained awaiting trial, and were given every consideration. There was no question of treating them as convicts. They did not wear prison clothes and were subjected to no indignities. Up to this stage the Foreign Office has never been informed that any of these persons were members of the consular service.

While in the remand prison a protest was received from Germany that they were, in • fact, consular officials although none of them was a recognised consul. On receipt of the German protest, they were released and all are now in Germany.