Winston Churchill

[Gomaria]

Churchill favored executing Hitler

 

LONDON, England (AP) -- British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was determined to have German leader Adolf Hitler executed if he was captured, according to previously secret government documents released Sunday.

 

Other documents released show that Churchill favored letting India's Mahatma Gandhi die if he went on a hunger strike while interned during World War II, and that British troops were told during the war to show respect for the U.S. Army's then-racial segregation practices.

 

At a Cabinet meeting in December 1942, Churchill noted: "Contemplate that if Hitler falls into our hands we shall certainly put him to death," according to notes taken by Deputy Cabinet Secretary Sir Norman Brook.

 

"This man is the mainspring of evil."

 

The government documents released to the public for the first time Sunday chart Cabinet discussions from 1942-45 over how to deal with senior members of Hitler's Nazi party if they were caught.

 

In April 1945, Home Secretary Herbert Morrison expressed the opinion that a "mock trial" for Nazi leaders would be objectionable: "Better to declare that we shall put them to death," he said.

 

Churchill agreed that a trial for Hitler would be "a farce," but within weeks both the United States and Russia said they favored trying Nazi leaders, and trials were later held at Nuremberg, Germany.

 

Later, Churchill proposed that Britain negotiate what to do with Nazi leaders such as Gestapo head Heinrich Himmler -- who had already sought secret peace talks with Britain -- and then "bump him off later."

 

When Secretary of State for War Sir Peter Grigg objected that activities at concentration camps such as Buchenwald -- which Himmler helped to operate -- did not qualify as war crimes, the prime minister retorted: "Don't quibble: he (Himmler) could be summarily shot, in respect of some of those in the camp."

 

Other papers released Sunday show that Churchill favored letting the Indian peace campaigner Mahatma Gandhi die if he went on a hunger strike while interned during World War II.

 

Britain was unwilling to allow Gandhi to campaign against the war and the British colonial government while India -- a key colony -- was under threat of invasion by the Japanese.

 

Gandhi was held in the Aga Khan's palace in August 1942 after speaking out against India's involvement in the fight against Nazi Germany and demanding civil disobedience.

 

After much discussion, ministers decided in January 1943 that although they could not publicly give in to a hunger strike, they would be willing to release Gandhi on compassionate grounds if he seemed likely to die.

 

Churchill retorted: "I would keep him there (in prison) and let him do as he likes."

 

Gandhi was freed in 1944.

Edited January 2, 2006 by Gomaria (see edit history)

[Emakera]

Like dad says, "O bonzinho ? vizinho do bobinho"-- "The good guys live next to the dumb guys". Hitler would do something like that if he captured Churchill, so Churchill was right in saying that he?d execute Adolf, the emo (that fringe...)

[Gomaria]

what's your point?

 

of course he would do the same thing they were enemies

[Orioni]

Bush didn't kill Saddam when he was caught.

[Emakera]

@orioni : Different reasons, different times :3

[Orioni]

Well I don't think Saddam would have hesitated if it had been the other way round.

[Scipii]

I'm with Orioni on this one, I doubt that Hitler would have exicuted Churchill if he was captured. It is more likely that he would have tried to use him in negotiating a peace with Great Britain ( something that Hitler was very keen on as I understand it).

 

[Tagmatium Rules]

Adolf, the emo (that fringe...)

[Tamurin]

It is more likely that he would have tried to use him in negotiating a peace with Great Britain ( something that Hitler was very keen on as I understand it).

 

Maybe before the war, but not when it started...

[Slavic Byzantium]

The deputy Fuhrer flew to England in 1940 and requested to speak with certain members of British royaly and eventually the Prime Minister to attempt peace negotiations with England. It seems unlikely Hitler wouldn't have first at least attempted to use Churchill as a bargaining chip to get peace with England.