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INTRODUCTION
BY DR MARGARET SIRIOL COLLEY (NIECE OF GARETH JONES)
In May 1933, unable to return to the Soviet Union, Gareth Jones initially travelled to Germany to report on the first three months of Hitler's Chancellorship and then went on to Danzig to visit his great friend, Reinhard Haferkorn, Chairman of League of Nations High Commission in the Polish Corridor. There he met the German Consul from Kharkiv and the following is an excerpt from the letter Gareth wrote to his parents on Sunday May 28th, 1933 from Danzig: ...The German Consul in Kharkoff and his wife thought that my Russian articles gave a wonderful picture but that it was really much worse than I described it. Since March it has got so much worse that it is horrible to be in Kharkoff. So many die, ill and beggars. They are dying off in the villages, he said, and the spring sowing campaign is catastrophic. The peasants have been eating the seed. To talk of a bumper crop, as Molotoff did, was a tragic farce, and he only said that to keep their spirits up, but nobody believed Molotoff. Many villages are empty. The fate of the German colonists is terrible, in some villages 25% have died off and there will be more dying off until August. In August he said there would be an epidemic of deaths because hungry peasants would suddenly eat so much as to kill themselves. Cariad Cynesaf Gareth (With Love from Gareth) The following letters from German sufferers of the Ukrainian famine were probably collected by Gareth whilst travelling through Berlin on his way to Danzig from an Evangelical Charity called 'Brüder in Not' (Brothers in Need). These tragic letters which relate tales of cannibalism were among Gareth's effects carefully preserved by his mother after Gareth's tragic death in 1935 in Inner Mongolia. German Document 1 15.5.33. A distressing letter from northern Caucasus. This is the original. (Exerpt). Wohldenfuerst, 24.4.1933 My gracious uncle... Before I begin, I would like to tell you that this is my second letter to you. I am not sure whether you know exactly who I am. Over the last couple of days I found out that I did not have the correct address. I turn to you with terrible and outrageous news: Famine! My husband is a deaf-mute, and is 37 years old. I am 33 years old, and we have three children, who are 12, 8 and 6 years old. My youngest son has died. Right up to now, my husband, our children and I retain our belief in the Lord. Our whole family is of the Evangelic (Protestant-?) faith. I wish to briefly describe our whole suffering and misery in this letter, also the daily lamentation, as we become more and more aware of the fact, that we will not be able to avoid death from starvation. The distress in our home has increased 100%. Oh Lord, we are helpless and destitute. Our hands are bound for ever. Oh Lord, please stop our tears! We no longer have a bed for each person. We now sleep four to a bed, my husband sleeps on the table. Now we want to forget everything, then it won't hurt so much. Oh Lord, hunger is so painful. We ate rotten turnips for five weeks that my husband, little children and I went begging for. But now we no longer have any more left, and the sack is empty. The suffering of all the dwellers in the Caucasus region is indescribable. But even so, I wish to help you to visualise what we are going through. We have been eating grass for the past two weeks. I even went to a little hill where a dead horse lay, and ate some of it. My husband is ill, his body is swollen, my children are swollen. The doctor claims that the people will be dropping like flies, due to the hot weather. Forty people have already been buried every day in a neighbouring Russian village. A German village lays claim to fifteen dead per day. Whole families lay unburied on the paths of the steppes for weeks. No one cares. Cats and dogs are eaten. An underground trade organisation has been formed in the nearby town of Armawir, where people are slaughtered and are turned into sausages and cutlets, to be sold for food. Some of our neighbours in our village have desecrated graves by digging up bodies and pulling out gold teeth with pliers, to sell in Torgsin for products. The Bible says: The Ashes should lay in peace! Even the dead have no peace. Why do we suffer so much? Winter is over. Very heavy restrictions were made in December, and this resulted in us becoming helpless and destitute. December, January, February, for three whole months we were tortured, and now we have to starve to death if no one helps us. Bread was taken from us, grain, everything that we call corn; different types of seeds, vegetables, everything was collected and taken away by the State. All the potatoes, meat, eggs and dairy products. We have nothing! Oh Lord, where can we find help, who will pity us? Oh dear uncle, please find help for us unhappy people. Oh, pity us. Oh brothers and sisters, may the Lord put this letter into your hands. Please put your hands together to save us from starvation. Oh, help, help, please, please! Soon I will no longer exist, soon the flood of death will wash over me, I will die soon, oh Word (of the Lord)! Soon I will be carried away! Oh uncle, please, please send us alms, even just a little piece. Oh, if only I had some corn bread, I would always be thankful and would praise the Lord for ever. In eternity we will take your hands and thank you... German
Document 2 Seeing as we are in a terrible situation and cannot expect any help from anyone, we are forced to turn to Germany to seek assistance for us, the Vershikoten from Russia. We were forced to live in the forests, making our homes in barracks (sheds) and in tents, where the cold temperatures do not allow us to sleep at night. Our only nourishment is flour ground from tree bark, and water soup in which we cook tree roots. We no longer even think of bread. We do not know how to go on, having not eaten for 6 months. A long journey is out of the question. We not only have no strength to walk, we hardly have strength to survive. The slightest burden causes people to collapse. The eyelids [eyes] have fallen in, and the physical stature [of the people] has changed dramatically. German Document 3 Exigency in the Ukraine A follow-up report by our special correspondent from Kharkiv [Ukraine] from 18th May 1933. The determining factor for the migration of the German peasants [citizens of the German Empire] is the exigency in the country. Over 200 people have arrived in Kharkiv since the 1st of May 1933 to seek refuge in the German Consulate, where they were looked after, received nourishment and were sent on [back to Germany]. More larger groups are expected. The citizens of the German Empire are suffering a loss in numbers; many villages no longer have members of the Empire. The acknowledgement of citizenship of the German Empire is turning out to be a life line for many. Even many German specialists from Kharkiv and the surrounding industrial areas are returning to Germany. The reports provided by the peasants from their regions are detailed and very disturbing. Their statements are affirmed by the physical state of these people. The emigrants are allowed to be thoroughly questioned in the refugee camp in Schneidemuehl if they so wish. All the reports [up to now] correspond with each other. The famine is spreading and has already surpassed the famine of 1921/1922. Dangerous substitute substances and dead cattle are eaten, and there have even been authentic reports of cannibalism. In some villages there are no cattle, not even poultry, cats or dogs. Rows of houses stand empty, as whole families have died out. The dead are no longer buried. The population is too weak to work, the spring sowing has not been completed. Only a tenth of the workload [quota] has been achieved, with meagre results. The prospect for the next harvest is bad, due to the poor cultivation and lack of seed, even though the weather has been good. The harvest in many regions is endangered, as one is in doubt whether there will be enough able bodied people to work in the autumn. The peasants have already been informed about how much grain and other fruits from this years' harvest they have to give to the state. A relief action by the authorities, to help the most endangered regions, has not been put into action. The famous Ukrainian author, KHVYLEVIY, who wrote many articles about life in the kolkhoz, and also the author HIRNIAK (KYVELIUK), from Galicia [Ukraine], were sent to the country, where they reported to the Ukrainian government and the [Communist] Party committee about the seriousness of the situation concerning the starving peasants. The authorities reacted with gross disinterest. The two men committed suicide a few days ago upon hearing this. The chairman of the political department in a German colony shot himself for the same reason. The famine has become very noticeable in the city, even though the authorities have tried their best to stop the migration from the country. Starving people are everywhere, many dying in the streets. The authorities seem only to help the children, but even here they are not able to cope. The doorways of many collecting points are blocked with corpses. Gangs of youths terrorise the citizens by snatching valuables off people in the markets and on trams, pulling off earrings, injuring and even poisoning their victims. Bystanders and the police are not able to intervene, as they are afraid of revenge. The lack of nourishment, the general depressive state of the citizens has never been as bad as in these past few months. A large part of the population are convinced that they are doomed if they do not receive help soon. Translated by
Mariana Dzus ORIGINAL GERMAN 1 Nicht für die Veröfenllichung
bestimmt. Das Original liegt hier vor. (Auszug). Wohldenfürst, 24.4.1933. Werter gnädiger Onkel.... Im Anfang meines Schreibans berichte ich Ihnen, dass dieses main zwei ter Brie:f ist, den ich an Sie schreibe. Zwar unbekannt, bin ich Ihnen doch in Herrn bekannt. Es hat sich letzte Tage herausgestellt, dass ich eine nicht richtige Adresse batte. Ich komme zu Ihnen mit einer himmelschreienden Nachricht: Hungersnot! Main Mann ist taubstumm, 37 Jahre alt, lob selber bin 33 Jahre. alt, wir haben 3 Kinder von 12, 8 und 6 Jahren. Dam kleine Sohn ist schon gestorben. Beide, mein Mann und ich und unsere Kinder, sind bis jetzt noch bewahrt im Glauben an den himmilischen Vater. Die ganze Familie ist evangslisch gläubig. Ich will Ihnen kurz alles Elend brieflich vor die Augen fuhren. Und den endlosen Jammer, in den wir tagtäglich stecken und auf keinerlei Art dem Hunertod enthgen können. Die Not in unserem Hause hat sich in den letzten 3 Wochen auf 100% gesteigert. 0 Gott, wir sind ganz hilflos und mittellos gemacht. Unsere Hände sind gebunden für immer. 0 Gott, sei unseren Tränen ein Ziel! Wir haben nicht mehr in jedes sein Bett. Wir schlafen zu 4 Personen in einem Bett, mein Mann schläft auf einem Tisch. Nun das wollen wir alles vergassen, das tut nicht so weh. 0 Gott, wie tut der Hunger so weh. Wir haben uns 5 volle Wochen von verfaulten Kuhrüben genährt, die mein Mann und ich mit den Kinderchen zusammenbettelten. Aber in letzer Zeit wurden auch diese alle, und der Sack blieb leer. Das Elend, in dern unsere Bewohner im Kaukasus stecken, ist gar nicht zu schildern. Und doch will ich versuchen, Ihnen etliche Bilder vor Augen zu führen. Wir selber essen jetzt Gras, schon bereits zwei Wochen. Ich selber ging eines Tages zum Hügel, wo sin krepiertes Pferd lag, um zu essen. Der Mann ist krankt, ganz geschwollen, die Kinder alle ganz geschwollen. Der Arzt behauptet, dass jetzt, wo die warmen Tage kommen, die Menschen werden fallen wie die Fliegen. Im nächsten Russendorf werden schon jeden Tag 40 Mann beerdigt. Im nacheten deutschen Dorf 15 Leichen den Tag. Auf der Steppe, wenn man geht, liegen ganze Familien am Wage. Allerwärts die Leichnahme unter freiem Hiimmel, wochenlang. Niemand räumt sie fort. Katzen und Hunde werden gegessen. Man hat in Armawir, in der nächsten Stadt, einen unterirdischen Handel entdeckt, wo Menschen geschlachtet werden und zu Wurst und Koteletten verarbeitet und verkauft. Hier in unserem Dorfe unsere Nachbarn haben eine Leiche aus dem hiesigen Friedhof hervorgegraben und mit Zange und hammer die goldenen Zähne ausgebrochen, die Zähne im Torgsin für Produkte verkauft. Sagt doch die Bibel: Ruhe in Asche! Auth die Toten haben keine Ruhe. Wie sind wir zu so elnem Elend gekommen? Verflossenen Winter Ende .Dezember wurde eine strengste Auflage gemacht. Man hat uns hilflos, mittellos gemacht. Dezember, Januar, Februar, drei volle Monate - wurden wir gequält, und das Ende davon ist jetzt, wo keine Hilfe kommt, Hungers zu sterben. Alles Brot wurde genommen, alles Getreide, überhaupt alles, was Korn heisst, verschiedene Samen, Gemuse, alles zusammengefegt und dem Staate abgeliefert. Alle Kartoffeln, Bohnen, alle Produkte, Fleischauflage, Milchauflage, Eierauflage. Von allem sind wir los! 0 Gott, Wo finden wir Hilfe, wer erbarmt sich unser? 0 lieber Onkel, suchen Sie Hilfe für uns Unglückliche. 0 erbarmen Sie sich. 0 Brüder und Schwestern, möge Gott; geben, dass dieses Schreiben zu Ihren Händen käme. Und schliesst Eure Hände auf, uns vom Hungertode zu erretten. 0 Hilfe, Hilfe, bitte, bitte! Über in kleines, dann bin ich nicht mehr, bald kommt die Todesflut brausend daher, bald muss ich sterben, o wichtiges Wort! Über in kleines, und man trägt mich fort! 0 Onkel, bitte, bitte, lassen Sie uns eine kieine Gabe zukommen. Ein paar Bissen nur. O wenn ich nur Maisbrot hätte,so wollte ich Gott danken immer und ewiglich. Ja dort in der Ewigkeit wollen wir Ihnen die Hände drüchen . . . ORIGINAL GERMAN 2 Auszugsweise Abschrift aus einem Brief vom 25. Mai 1933 aus einem Verschicktenlager in Gortsohakowo bei Dawlekaidnowo (anschenend im Ural).
ORIGINAL
GERMAN 3 Die Notlage in der Ukraine. Weiterer Bericht eines besonderen Vertrauensmannes aus Charkow (Ukraine) vom18. May 1933.
Die
Berichte der Bauern aus ihren Bezirken sind in ihren Einzelheiten erschütternd
und werden durch ihren körperlichen Zustane bestätigt. Die Rückwanderer
können, falls es erwünscht eim sollte, im Flüchtlingslager in
Schneidemühl eingebend vernommen werden. Sie stimmen darin üherein, da
die Hungerenot immer grö§eren Umfang annimmtund bereits die den Jahre
1921/22 übertrifft. Gesundheitsschädliche Ersatzstoffe, krepiertes
Vieh dienen Der bekannte ukrainische Schriftsteller CHVYLJEVOI, der u.a. verschiedene Artikel aus dem Leben der Kollektive geschrieben hat, und der aus Galizien stammende Schriftsteller HIRNJAK (KYVELJUK) waren auf das Land geschickt und haben der Ukraine-Regierung und dem Parteikomitee über die ernste Lage der hungernden Landbevölkerung Bericht erstattet, sie haben jedoch anscheinend keinerlei Verständnis für die gro§e Not gefunden. Vor einigen Tagen haben beide Selbstmord begangen. In einer deutschen Kolonie hat sich der Leiter der politischen Abteilung aus dern gleichen Grunde erschossen. Auch in der Stadt wird die Hungersnot immer mehr sichtbar, obwohl die Behörden sich bemühen, den Zuzug vom Lande nach Möglichkeit fernzühalten. Uberall sind Hungerkranke zu sehen, viele sterben auf der,Stra§e; die Behörden scheinen höchstens für die Kinder eine gewisse Fürsorge zu übernehmen, doch sind diese nicht mehr unterzubringen. In manchen Sammelstellen soll der Abgang an Toten dem Zugang entsprechen. Banden von jungen Leuten terrorisieren die Bevölkerung, indem sie auf dem Markte und in der Stra§enbahn in frechster Weise stehlen, Ohrringe abreissen, Verletzungen unl Vergiftungen beibringen, ohne da§ die Umstehenden oder die Polizei einzuschreiten wagen, weil sie die Rache dieser Banditen fürohten. Was die Ernährungsplage, allgemeine Stimmung der Bevölkerung und Versagen des Regierungeapparates anlangt, haben die letzten fünf Jahre nie einen solchen Tiefstand gezeigt wie er in diesen letzten Monaten erreicht ist. Eir gro§er Teil des Volkes sicht den sicheren Untergang vor Augen, wenn nicht irgendeine Hilfe kommt.
FOR
ALL ADDITIONS AMENDMENTS AND FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS RELATING TO THE ABOVE
STORY PLEASE VISIT
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