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DOCUMENTS ON GERMANY, 1944-5 9
mail, and was later released to the Press. The Commission did not
receive a reply to this letter.
34. The Commission decided that, during its forthcoming visit to
Germany, it should also meet with the Allied High Commission to
submit to it the Commission's memorandum concerning the arrange-
ments deemed necessary by it to enable it to undertake its work. The
Commission, therefore arranged to have a meeting in Bonn with the
Allied'High Commission on 17 March 1952.
35. During the period-11 to 14 March, the Commission considered
the draft -memoranda that it was to submit to the authorities in Ger-
many that had expressed their willingness to receive the Commis-
sion. On 14 'March, -the Commission unanimously approved their
text. 'The memoranda were identic in substance, excepting only for
such changes as were necessary in view of the fact that they were
addressed to different authorities in Germany. They specified, among
other things, that during the period of the Commission's work
(a) The Commission and its secretariat be granted by the au-
thorities concerned the right to travel freely throughout their
respective areas and that the Commission and its secretariat be
granted normal and recognized diplomatic privileges and immu-
nities;
(b) The Commission and its secretariat be granted by the au-
thorities concerned the right of free access to such persons, places
and relevant documents as the Commission might consider neces-
sary, that the Commission be granted the right to summon any
witnesses it might wish to examine or obtain testimony from; and,
further, that the Commission' be given specific assurance by the
authorities concerned that such witnesses would not be impeded
from meeting with it, that such persons or their relatives would be
immune from any manner of punishment for their having met
with and given evidence before the Commission, and that the wit-
nesses would not be forced to reveal the contents of their
testimony;
(c) The Commission and its secretariat be granted the right
by the authorities concerned to communicate freely and without
hinderance with the people in their areas; that the Commission
be assured by the authorities concerned that communications to
and from the Commission and its secretariat would be immune
from censorship, delay or suppression; and that the Commission
be given assurance that persons communicating with it or receiv-
ing communications from it would not be punished in any man-
ner for having such contact.
36. On 14 March, the Commission also approved the text of a state-
ment to be delivered by its Chairman on its behalf at the forthcoming
meeting of the Commission with the authorities of the Federal
Republic of Germany, and the text of an address to the German
people to be broadcast from Bonn by Mr. Kohnstamm on behalf of
the Commission.
Section 2. Work of the Commission in Germany
37. Leaving Geneva on the evening of 15 March 1952 by train, the
Commission arrived in Bonn the following morning. Mr. Abbasi,
the representative of Pakistan, was unable to join the Commission on
91