Nazis justify flier's escape (4-24-41)

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The Pittsburgh Press (April 24, 1941)

NAZIS JUSTIFY FLIER’S ESCAPE
…
Berlin denounces U.S. in war prisoner’s case
…
Franz von Werra
Baron Franz von Werra, escapes to South America.

Berlin, April 24 (UP) –
Authorized Nazi quarters said today that Baron Franz von Werra, 26, German military flier who escaped from a Canadian prison, had been justified in decamping from the United States because “the United States no longer recognizes the principles of international law.”

The Department of Justice at Washington reported Tuesday that von Werra had fled to South America and termed it a “flagrant abuse” of United States hospitality.

The Nazis said:

The facts in the case are that he was released on a $10,000 bond. Meanwhile, another case came up in which two German naval officers were handcuffed and handed over to Canada.

Von Werra saw that the word “hospitality” evidently was accompanied by dangers for German war prisoners and that this concept of international law no longer has any meaning to the United States.

The attitude of those presently in power in the United States as evidenced by these action as well as by the occupation of Greenland contrary to all international law fully justified von Werra’s flight.

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Washington, April 24 (UP) –
Justice Department officials believed today that they could halt infiltration into the United States of fugitive German prisoners of war from Canada with the present strengthened border patrol.

These patrolmen are under orders to use “reasonable force” to turn back such fugitives at the U.S. boundaries and there was no disposition among officials here to alter this policy as a result of German protests regarding handcuffing two German soldiers who had crossed from Canada.

Officials admitted that it would take an army of men to watch the entire 300-mile border, much of it wilderness, but they believed that the few German prisoners who escaped Canadian concentration camps could be picked up by border patrol men and consular officials.

A double investigation is in progress concerning the von Werra incident. Immigration and Naturalization Service officials are seeking to learn how von Werra left this country. It is believed he is in Peru. The State Department is also assembling facts in the case. Considerable interest was attached to the report that he had been traveling in company with a German consular official prior to his disappearance.

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