§ 6. Lieut.-Colonel Sir Assheton Pownallasked the Secretary of State for War if he is now in a position to say what is the result of his inquiries with regard to the alleged ill-treatment of British prisoners of war in Bulgaria.
§ Sir J. GriggAccording to such information as I have the position is as follows. Prior to the signature of the armistice there were between 30 and 40 British prisoners of war in Bulgaria. They were placed in camps with Americans, who far outnumbered them. I regret to say that some of our prisoners were put to death; it is not known how many but the number is certainly under 10. Enquiries are still being made. The physical conditions under which all our prisoners lived were entirely unsatisfactory. Their food was inadequate and the treatment they received was rigorous and on occasion brutal. I understand that the commandant and two officers of one prisoner of war camp have been arrested and confined. The commandant of another committed suicide while he was waiting to be interrogated. Twenty-three Bulgarian officers and other ranks are in close arrest and 19 in open arrest for their share of the responsibility for this ill-treatment. British ex-prisoners of war who have passed through Bulgaria since the signature of the armistice report, however, that they have been treated satisfactorily.
§ Sir A. PownallWill my right hon. Friend take steps to see, when these inquiries are complete, that those found guilty shall be appropriately dealt with by the British authorities?
§ Sir J. GriggThat raises the whole question of the machinery for dealing with war criminals. I should not like to answer it without notice.