Declassified WWII documents reveal Churchill's inhumanity

Declassified WWII documents reveal Churchill's inhumanity

Our heroes were not as heroic as we presume to be, we might conclude, if we are to take into account their actions at the worst of times. Churchill wanted 'three for one' bombing of German villages to avenge killing of civilians in Czech villages, wanted Hilter to be executed on electric chair without a fair trail which would cause complications and he was willing to let Mahatma Gandhi die, reveals several wartime cabinet documents documents pertaining to World War II which were recently declassified.

After the massacre of Czech civilians in the village Lidice north of Prague in 1942, Churchill proposed the RAF to wipe out three villages in retaliation for massacre in every one, according to these document. The plan was abandoned only after fears were raised by the cabinet that lives of pilots would be endangered needlessly.

Clement Attlee, then the dominions secretary and later to become the Labour prime minister maintained it unwise “to enter into competition in frightfulness with the Germans.” On June 15, Churchill is observed to have said, “My instinct is strongly the other way… I submit unwillingly to the view of cabinet…”

He is also noted to have proposed the execution of Hitler 'like a gangster' on a electric chair borrowed from America if the Fuehrer were to be caught alive by British troops.

The village raid plans were revealed in a notebook kept by the wartime deputy cabinet secretary, Sir Normal Brooks whose responsibility was to take minutes of cabinet meetings. The National Archives at Kew, south-west London made these notes public.

Regarding the execution of Hitler, Churchill is noted by Sir Normal to have said, “Contemplate that if Hitler falls into our hands we shall certainly put him to death.”

In the summer of 1945, Herbert Morrison, the home secretary, said that he considered a 'mock trial' for the Nazi leadership would be 'objectionable' and that it was actually 'better to declare that we shall put them to death.' Churchill is noted to have agreed that Hitler's trial would be 'a farce,' going to add that 'all sorts of complications ensue as soon as you admit a fair trial.

The ruthlessness of Churchill becomes evident in these notes where he is noted to have said that if the Nazis began murdering British prisoners, German PoWs captured by British should be shot.
After Mahatma Gandhi went on a hunger in 1942 protesting the involvement of Indian soldiers in the war against Hitler, Churchill proposed to let him die, stating that the Indian leader be treated at par with other prisoners. Not willing to concede a moral victory, Churchill is quoted as saying "I would keep him there and let him do as he likes. But if you are going to let him out because he strikes, then let him out now."

Why these classified documents are being made public now are anybody's guess. It is believed that at a time when Britain and its ally the US are being blamed for wartime atrocities, these revelations would help win over world opinion in their favour.