“Confinement in prisoner-of-war camps, even temporarily, is forbidden.”
Thus in carrying out these orders, if British soldiers, even in uniform, were captured during a commando operation, the German troops were to judge whether they had acted according to the laws of war or not; and without any appeal, subordinates could annihilate them to the last man, even when they were not engaged in active fighting. These orders were applied to British commandos.
We shall now quote Document Number 498-PS, which was submitted by our American colleagues under Exhibit Number USA-501 and which confirms the information which we have just given to the Tribunal by the reading of the preceding documents. It seems useless to read this document.
THE PRESIDENT: M. Dubost, there are two points to which I wish to draw your attention. In the first place, it is said that you are not offering these documents in evidence, you are simply reading them, and they must be offered in evidence so that the document itself may be put in evidence. You have not offered in evidence any of these documents; you have just been reading from them or have given them numbers.
M. DUBOST: Mr. President, I have submitted them all—absolutely all—except those which were already submitted by our colleagues; and all were filed with a number, and can be handed to you immediately. I shall ask the French secretary to hand them to you with the exhibit numbers which I read out.
THE PRESIDENT: They have all been put in evidence already?
M. DUBOST: Mr. President, some have been put in evidence and I quoted them with their exhibit numbers; but those which have not been submitted, I shall give French numbers when submitting.
THE PRESIDENT: You are saying, “have been put in evidence by some other member of the Prosecution”; is that right?
M. DUBOST: That is correct, Mr. President. When I quote them I give the number under which they were filed by my American colleagues.
THE PRESIDENT: That was filed by the American Prosecution, was it not: 498?