(COPIED:LMV:SD)

(COMPARED____EM)          FILE:    311.6215/226

LEGATION OF SWITZERLAND

WASHINGTON, D.C.

        The Legation of Switzerland in charge of German Interests begs to draw the attention of the Department of State to a complaint brought forth to Mr. W. Weingartner, First Secretary of Legation, during his visit to the Crossville Internment Camp, Crossville, Tennessee, on January 21 and 22 by Kapitaenleutnant and U-bootkommandant Q u a e t - F a s l e m.

        This officer alleged that, upon arrival of the steamer "Brazil" at Newport on December 1, 1942, he was transported in a truck, under heavy guard, to the camp of the 101st Infantry Division at Fort Mayne, together with his officers and men, and that from there they were transferred to "Bellevoir" in a prison car. It is claimed that in eighteen days each officer was taken for fresh air three times daily for periods of five to ten minutes at a time. The place they were brought for this purpose is said to resemble a wire cage situated within the doubly fenced-in camp with watch-towers. "Bellevoir" is described as a regular prison. This officer stated that he complained continuously, basing his claim on Article 56 of the Geneva Convention, which provides that prisoners shall be allowed to exercise or to stay in the open air at least two hours, each day.

        The question of handcuffing was also brought to the attention of Mr. Weingartner, who thereupon advised him that instructions had been issued by the authorities to ensure the discontinuance of such action.

In reply refer to

February 26. 1943

SD 311.6215/226

        The Secretary of State presents his compliments to the Honorable Secretary of War and transmits for the attention of the Provost Marshal General a copy of memorandum No. VIII-1 dated February 5, 1943, from the Legation of Switzerland in charge of German interests in the United States concerning the complaint of Kapitaenleutnant and U-Bootkommandant Quaet-Faslem, a German national presently held at the Crossville Internment Camp, who alleges that following his arrival in the United States he was not permitted during a period of eighteen days to exercise or stay in the open air two hours each day, in accordance with the provisions of Article 56 of the Geneva Prisoners of War Convention of 1929.

        It would be appreciated if the Provost Marshal General would cause an investigation to be made of this complaint and inform the Department of the results of such investigation and of any other pertinent facts which would enable it to reply to the memorandum from the Legation of Switzerland.

Enclosure:

        From the Legation of

        Switzerland, February 5,

        1943.

WKB/vir

SPKLY (X) 31751

February 12, 1943

SUBJECT:        Joint Interrogation Centers

TO           :        Assistant Chief of Staff, G-2

                         War Department

                         Washington, D.C.                                                        Attention:    Colonel Mills

                1.      Reference attached self-explanatory summary of information.

                2.      Attention is invited to the possibility of international incident.

                                             For and in the absence of the Director:

		J. A. STEERE
		Lt. Col., F.A.
		Executive Officer

Incl:

    S. of I. dtd 2/12/43 re

    subject (trip)

SPKLI (I) 31751

February 12, 1943

SUBJECT:    Joint Interrogation Centers

Summary of Information:

    On December 2, 1942, at Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, Newport News, Va.

	Hans-Gerog Von Werner	- Colonel Oberst
	Dr. Willey Herbrand	- Sonderf, Leutnant
	Eugen Vorwitt	- Sonderf, Leutnant
	Herbert Loew	- Oberfeldwebel

members of a German Armistice Commission captured by U.S. Armored Forces upon their arriving at Casa Blanca, were landed. It was stated that a member of the detail of capturing forces had stated that these men were engaged in a drinking party when captured. This cannot be verified.

     When the prisoners came off the USS ANCON, they were all in most excellent physical condition as indicated by their appearance and actions. On the boat Dr. Willey Herbrand, Sonderf Leutnant, stated that he was half English and half German; a physician who had just come to give treatment to Colonel Von Werder when they were captured. He spoke very good English; the Colonel spoke only a little. They did not know where they were and seemed to be reluctant to be sent to Canada as prisoners. They were relieved when told they were in the United States and would remain there. The Colonel had seen service in World War I as a non-commissioned officer and is not believed to be a professional German military officer although he had seen commissioned service in the Polish Campaign in World War II and wore an Iron Cross.

    No attempt was made toward definite interrogation as the instructions were that the whole proceeding was to be kept secret and the prisoners would be taken in custody and examined by representatives of the U. S. State Department in Newport News. No information was given the prisoners as to their locality but they were supplied with a copy of the local newspaper. They were apparently in ignorance of the recent course of events in Africa but the German Colonel stated that the French at Casa Blanca had made no fight and there was only a small amount of fire from one coast artillery battery; subsequently, very considerable air bombing.

Distribution:

Evaluation            

Source

Information

A

1

SPKLI (I)    31751

February 12, 1943

        At Newport News the prisoners, together with

	Klaus Fuells (Fülle)	- Oberschirmeister
	Otto Liesegang	- Oberfuerwerker
	Hermann Corleis	- Feldwebel
	Hans Wulf	- Obergefreiter
	Kurt Ranny	- Obergefreiter

were established in a Pullman car under guard. No handcuffs or other physical restraint whatever was placed upon these prisoners.

        On November 28, 1942 the following named German prisoners of war arrived at Pier 8, Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation, Newport News via USAT BRAZIL:

For Fort George G. Meade. Md.
Officers	Enlisted Men
Faslem, Jurgen-Quaet	Bohg, Willy, Walter
Mirbach, Emmerich	Briesemeister, Herbert, Gunther
Horstig, Horst, Eberhard, Von	Brill, Erich, Johannes
Kaiser, Fredrich	Chamier, Heinz, Hermann, Hans, Wilhelm, Von
	Dressel, Heinz, Kurt, Bernhardt
	Heidlindemann, Erich Herrmann
	Horn, Gerd
	Joss, Friedrich
	Jung, Gerhard
	Madel, Werner Wilhelm
	Nolker, Walter Ewald
	Oehm E. Siegfried, Kurt
	Peters, Theo
	Rast, Werner
	Ratzko, Jacob
	Tietjen, Karl
	Vogt, Hans Josef
	Simmerman, Siegfried Georg
For Fort Bragg, N.C.
Enlisted Men
Abeling, Herbert Karl Friedrich	Jaspers, Karl
Brans, Bernhard Friedrich Heinrich	Karcher, Anton
Bunge, Franz Richard	Kohler, August
Decelmann, Johann Max	Leykauf, Andreas
Dresseler, Gustav Paul	Lorenz, Gerhard Fritz
Durst, Fritz Ernst	Ohrt, Claus
Garthe, Walter Ernst Heinrich	Pezygode, Herman Willy
Gluding, Felix	Sauberlich, Richard Bernhard Heinz
Hader, Herbert Paul	Schierz, Hermann Hugo
Halm, Heinz, Werner	Schmieder, Max Helmut
	Schwarz, Georg Max Josef
	Wagner, Fritz

- 2 -

SPKLI (I)    31751

February 12, 1943

        On December 1st these prisoners were questioned by Office of Naval Intelligence.

        The prisoners were then divided into two groups as above. One group consisting of four officers and eighteen men to go to Fort Meade, and the other group of twenty-two men to go to Fort Bragg, N.C. The men were handcuffed in groups of two's or three's after the two different groups for Meade and Bragg had been separated, and then were put into their respective convoy trucks after having been thoroughly inspected personally by the Commanding Officer of the convoy to see that the handcuffs were not too tight or uncomfortable, and then each prisoner was warmly blanketed with big heavy blankets furnished by the Prisoner Escort Detail to keep them warm during their journeys to Camp Bragg and Camp Meade.

        Both groups of 22 prisoners of war each were delivered to their respective destinations without incident. The two convoys left at 10:30 A.M. The convoy for Bragg arrived at Fort Bragg at 7:30 P.M. The convoy for Meade arrived at Meade at 4:50 P.M. Regular stops were made enroute to give both the prisoners of war and company guards an opportunity to relieve themselves, during which times the prisoners of war were unhandcuffed and allowed out of the truck one at a time. Prisoners were fed enroute same as guards were fed.

        In both convoys the prisoners were treated decently and humanely. They were warned beforehand not to talk. None of them tried to take part in any conversation with each other, although it is possible they may have communicated with one another by a dot and dash system of communication of pressing one prisoner's hand against the other man's knee.

        The Officers and non-commissioned officers had been allowed to mix with the enlisted men in the prisoner group aboard the transport. If the Escort Company had not furnished them with heavy blankets, they would have suffered from cold even in trains. They were compactly bundled into 1 1/2-ton trucks which were covered with heavy tarpaulins.

        The prisoners were handcuffed simply because 49.3% of the men in the Escort Company are limited Service Men with either glass eyes or poor eyesight and heavy glasses. Over 39% of the men actually selected as guards for these two prisoner of war details to Bragg and Meade were 1-B men. At the same time, two other guard details were on duty, one escorting a carload of high-ranking German officers and non-commissioned Officers from Newport News to Crossville, Tenn., and the other acting as a military escort to 13 French prisoners of war (not to be treated as prisoners) to Philadelphia, Pa.

        The prisoners of war destined for Bragg and Meade, while of medium stature, were rugged, healthy men most of whom wore big heavy-soled metal capped shoes, - great weapons for kicking a guard between the legs. They were all very active and in perfect physical condition, and one or more could readily have smashed one of the guards' eye-glasses and blinded him permanently by punching a broken eye-glass into his eye.

- 3 -

SPKLI (I)    31751

February 12, 1943

        The convoy method of transportation was selected as being the best, quickest and most efficient method of getting these prisoners to Bragg and Meade.

- 4 -

Mr. Bernhard Gufler

Special Division

Department of State

Washington, D. C.

Dear Mr. Gufler:

        The Secretary of War has directed me to acknowledge receipt of your communication addressed to the attention of the Provost Marshal General dated February 26, 1943, SD 311.6215/225, enclosing a copy of memorandum No. VIII-1 dated February 5, 1943, from the Legation of Switzerland concerning Kapitaenleutnant and U-bootkommandant Quaet-Faslem.

        Investigation of this matter discloses that when prisoners of war are transported from a distant port it is at times impossible to give them the desired amount of exercise and as much time in the open air as they wish. It should be noted that Article 56 of the Geneva Prisoners of War Convention, 1929, requiring two hours' exercise in the open air daily refers to those prisoners of war who are receiving disciplinary punishment. This was not the case with Quaet-Faslem. The weather at this time of year is frequently inclement, and this is also a reason for the lack of proper outdoor exercise.

        The prisoner of war is in error when he refers to Fort Mayne and Belvoir in his complaint.

G-2

Subj: Complaint to German Govt. on Conditions at Dulag Luft Interrogation Camp.

24 July 1943                  

TO:

Sec., General Staff

FOR:

X        Necessary action

        Transmitting a letter to the Secretary of State for the signature of the Acting Secretary of War.

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD:

        A letter to the Secretary of State from the Secretary of War, dated 30 June 1943, requesting a protest be made to the German Government on the treatment of American aviators -- their being placed in solitary confinement at Dulag Luft, German prison camp. The Secretary of State replied under date of 21 July 1943, stating they had reports from the Swiss Legation on complaints of German prisoners of war in this country, alleging the failure of the U. S. to carry out the provisions of the Geneva Convention and requesting further information from War Department as to whether in view of the above we still wished to make the protest.

The Honorable,

        The Secretary of State.

Dear Mr. Secretary:

        Reference is made to your letter of July 21, 1943, in respect to Mr. Stimson's letter of June 30, 1943, requesting you to make a vigorous protest to the German Government on American aviators confined in Dulag Luft, an Air Corps interrogation camp in Germany.

        It would be appreciated if you would make this protest in accordance with Mr. Stimson's letter of June 30, as the War Department is in possession of other confirming information in addition to the report of the Swiss Legation at Berlin, dated April 19, 1943, which indicates that our aviators are kept in solitary confinement for periods up to thirty days.

        I can assure you that the War Department does not consider this action of the German Government as a retaliation for the treatment of German prisoners of war in the hands of the United States.

        The protest made by the Swiss Legation in charge of German interests in the case of Kapitaenleutnant and U-bootkommandant Quaet-Faslem is in fact, and allegation which could not be substantiated if the facts were known. You may be assured that Kapitaenleutnant Quaet-Faslem and any other German prisoners of war were never mistreated by intelligence officers during their period of interrogation. Complaints of this character are frequently made under a pretext to make the period of internment of prisoners of war as difficult as possible for the detaining power. This is looked upon by the War Department as being a duty by which the prisoners may continue to be of service to their country. It should be noted that few complaints have been received from the German prisoners of war since the close of the North African Campaign, as a result of which we have a preponderance of German prisoners.