740.00116 E.W./9–2744
The American Representative on the United Nations War Crimes Commission (Pell) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 4.]
Sir: I have the honor to report that at the meeting of the Commission, September 26, Dr. Ecer, Representative of Czechoslovakia, resigned from the Committees of which he was a member, and apparently expects to withdraw from the Commission, although the Czechoslovak Government may appoint another representative.
Dr. Ecer, apparently with the support of his Government, is extremely indignant that no answer has been received from the British Foreign Office to a letter sent in the name of the Commission by the Chairman to the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. This letter was sent on May 31, 1944, described in Document C. 23 (1).
I am very much afraid that a considerable amount of unfavorable publicity will come out of this and especially that the large Jewish population will be aroused into hostility.
When this subject came up I said nothing, but Lord Wright announced it as his belief that the Committee and other authorities were wrong in saying that offenses committed in Germany against German Catholics and Jews were out of the purview of the Commission, as he believed they constituted war crimes within any reasonable definition. This naturally caused a certain amount of flutter. Lord Wright, a Judge of Appeal, a member of the highest court now sitting in Europe, must be considered seriously. He is a vigorous man and undoubtedly will maintain his opinion.
Respectfully,