File spoon-archives/marxism-international.archive/marxism-international_1997/marxism-international.9711, message 466


Date: Sun, 30 Nov 1997 21:40:12 +0000
From: Chris Burford <cburford-AT-gn.apc.org>
Subject: M-I: Norway's willing executioners


I was glad to see Doug's post pursuing this question. There are times when
these lists seem to be beginning to engage with reality with the
possibility of affecting that reality.

This post is just to share that yesterday the BBC reported the discovery of
a 52 year old Nowegian newspaper article. After the war German prisoners of
war were used to clear landmines. After the field was supposedly cleared
they were made to march shoulder to shoulder across it. 182 died this way.
Assuming that did not all occur on one occasion the degree of sustained
psychological brutality involved must have been considerable over a period
of time. No doubt there were occasions when the prior work done with metal
detectors was not entirely diligent. 

Why was this article lost for 52 years?
This is the latest in a series of revelations this year of atrocities by
the allied side, including "scientific" experiments on vulnerable and ill
informed subjects, that in quality if not in degree are actually comparable
to the stuff of "holocaust" studies of German atrocities.

It is essential to have a standpoint that seeks to comprehend what has
happened knowing that atrocities are possible in all cultures, but trying
to see the concrete circumstances and the various determining factors,
rather than giving the impression that one nationality alone are
predetermined to murder. Workers of all countries unite! is not an easy
slogan to implement concretely. It is still worth it.

Chris Burford

London.



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