Wairarapa Times-Age FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1943. AN ACT OF BETRAYAL.

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 August 1943, Page 2

Wairarapa Times-Age FRIDAY, AUGUST 20, 1943. AN ACT OF BETRAYAL.

ALTHOUGH Mussolini has been overthrown, it has been made evident in various ways that the change of government in Italy is as .vet rather nominal. "With the people of the country over which it exercises an insecure authority more and more insistently demanding peace, the Badoglio Ministry, either voluntarily or under duress, continues to obey the dictates of Nazi Germany. This appears plainly, not only in its temporising over the peace issue, bid in its reported act of bad faith in permitting the transfer to German prison camps of British Avar prisoners held in Ttalv.

It Avas reported a fev; days ago that the SAviss Government, at Britain’s request,

is investigating reports that large numbers of British war prisoners have already been transferred from Italy to Germany. These reports (it Avas added) indicate that transfers from Italy to German prison camps have been going on for some time and have been accelerated since the fall of Mussolini.

Should these reports be substantiated, the leader and members of the Badoglio Government xvill hardly escape being added to the list of Avar criminals. They had already been Avarned by Britain that they Avould be held responsible for any transfer of British Avar prisoners to Germany.

If the transfers have taken place, it Avill make little difference Avhether Marshal Badoglio and his colleagues are merely puppets installed by the Nazi dictatorship, or have elected deliberately, in this matter and in others, to co-operate Avith the Germans. In either event they Avould stand convicted of a betrayal of their oavu countrymen, as Avell as of the British prisoners they are alleged to be handing over to Germany.

This double betrayal becomes manifest Avhen it is considered that nothing is more essential to a satisfactory peace settlement betAveen the United Nations and Italy than the prompt delivery of all Allied prisoners in Italian hands. The Allies demand the unconditional surrender of Italy, but one explicit assurance Avas offered by the Allied Commander-in-Chief in North Africa, General EisenhoAver, in a proclamation to the Italian people at the end of last month. The assurance Avas that if the Allied prisoners in Italian hands “are delivered safely to us and not carried aAvay to Germany, the hundreds of thousands of Italian prisoners captured in Africa Avill be returned to their homes.”

No complete and final information is available at the moment as to lioav many British prisoners have been transferred from Italy to Germany, nor has it been stated Avhether those said to have been transferred include Ngav Zealanders, of Avhom there are or Avere a considerable number in Italian prison camps. The matter is serious for the prisoners and Avill be of great concern also to their relatives. If some of our men have been transferred to Germany, for instance, one result Avill be to Avreck for the time being Avhatever arrangements have been made for sending them comforts in the parcels Avhich next of kin are permitted Io dispatch to them four times a. year.

Action no doubt will be taken by the British Government and Dominion governments to ensure that the needs of men who may have been transferred from Italy to Germany are supplied as far as possible. Our own Government should] interest itself in ascertaining without avoidable delay whether New Zealanders have been sent from Italy to German prison; camps, 'if only in order that, if transfers have occurred, next of kin may be enabled to dispatch parcels with some hope of these reaching the prisoner relatives for whom they are intended.