Prepared for the Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals by Alti Rodal September 1986
186 70 30MB
English Pages [618] Year 1986
Table of contents :
Table of Contents
Preface i-ii
CHAPTER I
Origins
Part 1: The Crimes and the Perpetrators: Extent of participation in commission of 'crimes against humanity' in Nazi Germany and in Nazi-occupied countries 1
Part 2; The Response: Allied and Canadian Policy and Practice with regard to the Prosecution of War Criminals 6
The policy setting 8
The United Nations War Crimes Commission (UNWCC), the Moscow Declaration, and Canada's initial response to these developments 11
The Canadian War Crimes Advisory Committee (CWCAC) 19
The Allies' machinery for investigating and prosecuting war criminals 28
Canada and the Nuremberg Agreement 34
Postwar war crimes trials 38
- the Nuremberg trials
- other Allied war crimes trials
- extradition and trials of war criminals in the liberated countries
Canadian war crimes policy in the immediate postwar years 46
Winding up of war crimes investigations, extraditions and trials 57
Later war crimes trials in various countries 62
CHAPTER II
Displaced Persons and Refugees in Postwar Europe: the international setting and its impact on the Canadian immigration experience 64
Who were the Refugees/Displaced Persons? 65
International action on behalf of refugees and displaced persons in postwar Europe and Canada's participation
- The Intergovernmental Committee on refugees (IGCR) 67
- SHAEF and UNRRA 68
- The International Refugee Organization (IRO): 1947-1952 75
Its establishment and constitution
Canada's role
Functioning and accomplishments of the IRO
Screening by the Military, UNRRA and the IRO 86
Impact of American experience with regard to admission of DPs/refugees on Canadian government policy 102
CHAPTER III
Canadian Immigration and Refugee Policy, 1945-1950
The policy position, 1945-1946 105
Political environment and public opinion with regard to refugees and war criminals in the immediate postwar years 108
- The legacy of Fascist groups and Nazi sympathizers in Canada in the 1930s 108
- Official attitudes and policy with regard to immigration of Jewish refugees/displaced persons 111
Policy of exclusion during the war
Policy in the immediate postwar years
Security screening, 1945
Public opinion and official perceptions of the DPs/Refugees, 1945-1947 120
- Polls and mainstream media opinion
- The ethnic press
- House of Commons' debates and recommendations with regard to immigration of refugees/DPs
- The Senate Standing Committee on Immigration and Labour
Impact of ethnic preferences on immigration policy and practice with regard to DPs/refugees 134
The evolution of immigration policy, 1946-1947 135
- Interdepartmental deliberations
- Retention of German POWs in Canada
— The Polish veterans scheme
Immigration policy and programs for DPs/refugees, 1947-1952
- Changes in 1947 143
- Development and introduction of special immigration programs 147
The Close Relatives Scheme
The Bulk: Labour -Scheme
Church Sponsorship
The Canadian Christian Council for the Resettlement of Refugees (CCCRR), 1947-1949 157
Immigration of Balts to Canada 165
Public sentiment with regard to Displaced Persons and alleged war criminals, 1947-1951 168
- Treatment in the press and in the House of Commons
- Reaction to the de Bernonville case and to the admission of former members of the Ukrainian Waffen-SS
- The Valdmanis Story
CHAPTER IV
Security Screening of Prospective Immigrants to Canada, 1945-1950
Security screening, 1945 to March 1947 175
Security screening, Spring 1947 to 1949 186
- Summary of immigration situation during this period
- Screening procedures
- Problems and gaps in screening, 1947-1949 190
Rejection criteria, 1948-1949 196
Security screening problems related to special immigration schemes, 1949 197
Security screening procedures and problems, 1949-1950 202
CHAPTER V
Relaxation of Restrictions on the Admission of Volksdeutsche and German Nationals
Role of the CCCRR 204
Change in government policy with regard to German nationals, 1949-1950 206
CHAPTER VI
Immigration and Refugee Policy, 1950s 216
Immigration from Germany 220
Latvians from South America 222
The Hungarian Refugees, 1956-1957 226
CHAPTER VII
Security Screening, 1950-1951
Preoccupation with the threat of Communism 228
Guidelines and problems in screening 230
Immigration officials vs. the RCMP: Different approaches to screening for Nazis and Nazi collaborators 233
CHAPTER VIII
Relaxation of Security Screening Guidelines with regard to Former Members of the Nazi Party, Wehrmacht and Waffen SS, and Nazi
Collaborators, 1948-1953
Policy and Screening guidelines with regard to admissibility of former members of the Baltic Waffen-SS (1948) 235
Admission of former members of the Ukrainian Waffen-SS (June 1950 - January 1951) 237
Relaxation of guidelines with regard to service in the Wehrmacht (May 1950) 238
Representations from the CCCRR and evolution Of policy with regard to former members of the Nazi Party and the Waffen-SS (1950-1951) 239
Further developments with regard to relaxation Of restrictions on admission of Waffen-SS members (1951-1952) 247
Immigration and security screening policy with regard to admission of Nazi collaborators 256
Policy with regard to former members of the Abwehr and S.A. 262
Application of Policy 262A
CHAPTER IX
Security Screening, 1951-1953
Focus on screening for persons 'detrimental to the security of Canada' 263
Guidelines and problems in screening, 1951-1952 264
- the "lookout" process
- confusion with regard to guidelines
- inadequacies in application of Directive No. 38
RCMP-Immigration' differences, 1952-1953 271
Security screening, 1953 277
CHAPTER X
Security Screening, 1954-1959
Friction between Immigration and Stage 'B' officers and problems in security screening, 1954-1956 282
Deliberations with regard to further relaxation of criteria with regard to members of Nazi organizations 290
Security Sub-Panel decision (October 1955) removing restrictions on former members of SS (and Waffen-SS), Abwehr, SA and SD 294
Aftermath 301
Remaining criteria for rejection: Major Offenders, former members of the Gestapo, and concentration camp guards 303
Immigration and security screening, 1955-1970s 304
CHAPTER XI
Policy with regard to Presence of Alleged War Criminals in Canada, 1960 to the Present 308
CHAPTER XII
Particular Cases
Part 1: Entry of German Scientists and Technicians to Canada, 1946-1951 327
Part 2: Nazi Collaborators from France and the de Bernonville case 343
Part 3: Admission of the Ukrainian Halychyna (Galician) Waffen-SS Division 366
Part 4: Presence in Canada of other Nazi collaborators from Central and Eastern Europe and their links with Western intelligence agencies and the Vatican 409
Part 5: Role of American and British intelligence agencies in the resettlement of former Nazis and Nazi collaborators: Canadian aspects 446
CONCLUSIONS 471
NOTES 482
GLOSSARY 560
ANNEX 1: Ministers and principal officials responsible for immigration, citizenship, security, and war crimes policy, 1940s to the present
ANNEX 2: Statistical profile: Immigration to Canada, 1945 to 1970, from countries where participation in war crimes during World War II was extensive
ANNEX 3: Immigration application forms: information regarding wartime employment/military service
ANNEX 4: “The Destruction of Records, 1982-1983
ANNEX 5: Evolution of immigration and security screening policy, 1939 to 1980s: chronology