Description

During World War II, the United States maintained two secret interrogation camps in violation of the Geneva Convention—one just south of Washington, D.C., and the other near San Francisco. German POWs who passed through these camps briefed their fellow prisoners, warning them of turncoats who were helping the enemy—the United States—pry secrets from them. One of these turncoats, Werner Drechsler, was betrayed and murdered by those he spied on. U.S. military authorities reacted harshly to Drechsler’s death, even though he was not the first captive to be assassinated by his fellow POWs. How had military intelligence been compromised? Were fanatical Nazis terrorizing their countrymen on American soil? Would Hitler take reprisals against the GIs he held if the United States did not protect the German POWs from violence and death while confined at the interrogation camps? At one of the secret camps, U.S. officials forced Drechsler’s seven murderers to confess. The next problem faced by authorities was how to court-martial them when their confessions were legally invalid. Their secret trial was stage-managed to deliver death sentences while apparently complying with U.S. and international law. This presented U.S. authorities with further problems. The Geneva Convention entitled the prisoners’ governments to the full facts about their crimes, trials, and sentencing. Despite escalating German complaints, the War Department adopted a policy of giving as little information as possible about any of the several POW murder trials in order to avoid releasing inconvenient facts about the Drechsler case. Unsurprisingly, the Reich began sentencing GIs to death. Gambling with American lives, the War Department stalled every German attempt to trade these men for the convicted German murderers until the war ended. Every American was saved; every German but one was hanged. The Drechsler case foreshadows current controversies: creative circumvention of the Geneva Convention, secret interrogation centers, torture, and the consequent problem of how to provide a fair trial to prisoners coerced into self-incrimination. Author Meredith Lentz Adams sees a familiar pattern of cover-ups, leading to difficulties with public and international relations. In contrast to recent policies, she points out how leaders during World War II felt constrained by their respect for Geneva and by fear of retribution against their own soldiers. Murder and Martial Justice is a fascinating and provocative book that will appeal to those with an interest in World War II, POWs, international law, foreign policy, and true crime history.

Langue

en

Version

Couverture rigide

Date de sortie initiale

11 mars 2011

Nombre de pages

310

Illustrations

Non

Personnes impliquées

Auteur principal

Meredith Lentz Adams

Editeur principal

Kent State University Press

Informations sur le fabricant

Nom du fabricant

Mare Nostrum Group B.V.

Adresse électronique du fabricant

gpsr@mare-nostrum.co.uk

Informations sur le fabricant

Les informations du fabricant ne sont actuellement pas disponibles

Autres spécifications

Hauteur de l’emballage

19 mm

Hauteur du produit

33 mm

Largeur d’emballage

159 mm

Largeur du produit

157 mm

Livre d‘étude

Non

Longueur d’emballage

235 mm

Longueur du produit

233 mm

Poids de l’emballage

635 g

Police de caractères extra large

Non

EAN

EAN

9781606350751

Sécurité des produits

Opérateur économique responsable dans l’UE

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Catégories

Thrillers et suspense

Histoire

Guerres

Seconde guerre mondiale

Histoire militaire

Livres

Livre, ebook ou livre audio ?

Livre

Disponibilité

Disponible à l’adresse suivante

Langue

Anglais

Type de livre

Hardcover