Nazi War Criminals in Canada: the Historical and Policy Setting from the 1940s to the present

Prepared for the Commission of Inquiry on War Criminals by Alti Rodal September 1986 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