ARMISTICE
SIR,—Mr. Gates' letter in your issue of June 4th is evidence of some confusion of thought as to how unconditional surrender can be applied to the Axis Powers. When an enemy of some 300,000 men is completely defeated and has no escape, as was the case in Tunis, the survivors are disposed of at the will of the victors. But armed forces numbering many millions cannot be placed in prisoner of war camps, and arrangements must be made for control of the territory of the defeated. Terms of surrender must therefore be imposed on the enemy and these are formulated in conditions of armistice, which provide for the period between the cessation of hostilities and the treaties of peace. The French in 1940 surrendered unconditionally to the Germans, who imposed terms of armistice on them. As the conditions of surrender to be imposed on the enemy concern the Allies generally, it is important that timely agreement should be reached on them. Terms of armistice were imposed in 1918, but bitter experience has shown that there were defects in them, due mainly to lack of timely consideration.—Yours, &c., Queen Mary College (University of London). F. lvlstaucE.
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