ENEMY ALIENS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24406, 18 September 1940, Page 13

ENEMY ALIENS

AN UNHAPPY CHAPTER INTERNMENT HARDSHIPS REMEDY NOW 'APPLIED (From Oub Own Correspondent) LONDON, Aug. 15. A tragic and unhappy chapter of the war has occurred in Britain since the fall of trance. It concerns the. "enemy aliens," „ men.; -ando'wonienw <jf vGerman and Austrian nationality or 1 association, the majority of whom fled, to. England from the Nazi regime. Many of these people, and Czechotoo, have been interned in camps under conditions admitted by the Home Secretary to have „been "most unsatisfactory." Friendly to Britain . .and passionately . antirNazi,. they have nevertheless -been< rounded up, together with known spies and Fifth Columnists and have suffered miserably. -• .. , .. SO many injustices occurred that the Government issued'Sn "Aliens' White Paper," under 'which .18' categories of interned people ax.e now " eligible; for release from internment." Appeals' are to be expedited, and the Home Secretary hopes to bring about steady and progressive .improvement in camp conditions,. 'an& to';.secure the release of innocents persons and those whose release, would involve no danger to the country. .-.:.»^..-X;..•':',■"••' Fifth Columnist Fear The unfortunate situation rapidly shortly after, tft.e French capi- : tulation, when it! was 'feared that Britain Was faced with imminent invasion.- A public cry to "intern the lot" was giveni.edge by the reports of Fifth Columnist activities in countries over-rim by. .the Nazis. It was known that Nazi!Spies had come to England as refugees; and that Gestapo agents were fijteringyinto the country. The* v ri)Mitary authorities and the Home J Office "agreed, that, a tightening up of "the'-regulations was necessary, and no fewer than 25,000 to 30,000 aliens were interned. Of those, some 7500. have since been sent abroad. The Home'Office conducted the "round-up '' and -the army took charge of the camps. ' ■'.<.';"■: ■;.',•."- In. the resulting,confusion.,track was lost :bf -thousands of aliens, .'lt was found'that aliens, supposed, to. be in British camps- had ■'■'■been':'. shipped abroad ; : J while dangerous . aliens scheduled for emigration were-still ihr terned here. In many instances, identities had been changed. Wealthy aliens had paid others., to. take their ! places.. Others had-been transported by mistake and it was difficult to trace what had happened to them. Shipment had obviously been haphazard. A census of aliens is now to be taken by the Home Office to check the position. •. "•-:» ■■■■■■•''' ■'■'■- TJTnddubtedly the policy of internmenlowas..:hecessary to check Gestapo it s»o«eß«c{r'.<"»ut-man-y people, jv.nocent£3& an^*jjesirefor plot agajHs't Britain, suffered. , . Relatives of internees heard nothing of them for. long intervals, and then. found that they had been sent abroad. Brilliant men were sent to. the camos while their dossiers at the Home Office, would be considered by Hitler to :be justification for their immediate exedutiorif ; '.; '. , ' . Many Of these men wandered aim-lessiy.'behihd-barbed wire.. They included Bren-gun and tank experts, the author of a text book used by the Royal Air Force, and doctors, professors,, scientists, inventors, chemists. and industrialists. The majority, of them were strongly pro-British. One was a former member of the Czechoslovak Parliament.

Harrowing Account

A harrowing account of conditions m one of the camps was published by The New Statesman and Nation. It stated 'that really sick men were thrown' into the unfurnished houses at Huytoh and forced to sleep on straw, forbidden to take a bath and deprived Of proper medical attention, or even adequate, supplies of medicine. The diary of an Austrian at the same camp recorded that many people were near to suicide and seme suicides did actually occur. This man was hungry all the time, and had never been so hungry in all his life. One day 400 new men a.rrived, among them 65-year-old invalids and cripples who had to be accommodated in tents on the ground still wet. from the last rain. Many .families were left destitute by the internment of their earning menfolk.

Nazi Flavour

When a number of sick internees were released, the Manchester Guardian reported that it had received this letter from ene. - It stated:. ■ "I,'want to let you know that on being dismissed one has to sign a form' stating that, when; at liberty not to tell anybody about the camp and the conditions there, and not to visit any relatives ;6f co-in f ernees to bring them greetings. Punishment and subsequent internment -i$ threatened-, for violating:this rule. I have'exper'ienced exactly the same procedure ence bo-

fore. It was employed when I left the Buchenwald concentration camp by the Hitler Storm Troopers there." Another letter which reached the Manchester Guardian from a refugee organisation told exactly the same story. Internees released frpm the Isle of Man, from Kenipton, and from Wharf Mills, all had to sign such a form. The secretary of the body confirmed that the procedure was in force at Dachau and Buchenwald. Camps to.be Humanised

The Manchester Guardian 'referred to this form as a "strange, mistake," and • said, !' but happily, the mischief can be undone at once. . . . Let us admit the truth, apply the necessary ■ remedies, and give no more ground 'for : reproach. The Home Office has taken over the camps, and will no doubt abolish an order which, if accurately described, is thoroughly misguided." - Immediate reforms of the- camps are to-be undertaken. They are to be humanised.. Work and diversion are to be provided for the internees. Vastly improved acoemmodation, feeding and welfare supervision are to be provided.