General von Falkenhausen
SIR,—May I enlarge on Janus's recent and welcome note on General von Falkenhausen? Falkenhausen has been in prison, in either German or
Allied hands, since shortly after the plot against Hitler of July, 1944. He is over 70. The surprising part of his case is that the Belgians, who have long had charge of him, presumably because he was Military Commander in their country during most of the German occupation, consistently avoid bringing him to trial. The specific charges under which he is to be indicted have still not been made public. This, in 1950, is intolerable.
The main reason for this continual postponement of trial may well lie in political issues within Belgium in which King Leopold is concerned. I believe also that a Belgian Government's plan to release the general quietly some time ago came to nothing because the intention leaked out,
with the consequent threat of an outcry from extreme left-wing quarters. Concerning Nazism, Falkenhausen saw the light far sooner than most of his fellow generals. It emerges clearly from the von Hassell Diaries
(and Dr. Gisevius's book supports this) that he was regarded by many conspirators against Hitler as a willing and resolute ally from as early as 1940, and that in the event he played a considerable part in anti- Nazi intrigues. In August, 1941, von Hassell wrote: "I had a very good impression of Falkenhausen. The worst that he could find to say about Falkenhausen was the rather vague statement, in January, 1943, that he "is rejected by many as having participated in the regime of terror." Dr. Goebbels, on the other hand, was suspicious. "I have received a report by General von Falkenhausen about conditions in Belgium. . . . In my opinion Falkenhausen is not quite up to the task. What we need in Belgium is an energetic and uncompromising National Socialist." So he wrote in April, 1942.
At a time when an opportunist like Rommel is being uncritically lauded, Falkenhausen, who neither jumped on the Nazi band- wagon nor stands convicted of atrocities against civilian populations (or of anything else), seems hard done by. Ironically enough, he looked forward to the`Cnd of the war as bringing liberation and not disgrace. I suggest that, whatever the rights and wrongs of his conduct in Belgium, he be tried or released immediately.—Yours
[It is now reported that von Falkenhausen has been released from gaol "indefinitely "; his wife is in.—Ed. Spectator.]
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