OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES
                        WASHINGTON, D.C.
 
                                   20 MARCH 1944
 
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
 
      
                              You may find of interest the following report on the treatment of Russian 
 
prisoners in German prison camps.
 
                              At first, that is in 194l, the Russian prisoners were far more closely guarded 
 
than any others, and on the whole received far worse treatment. Most of them arrived in the 
 
prison camps in a pitiable condition. They were given completely inadequate food and practically 
 
no medical attention, and were forced to undertake heavy manual work, even though in most 
 
cases they were really too weak and too undernourished for this. Also the French and British 
 
prisoners were absolutely forbidden to do anything to help the Russian prisoners, but 
 
notwithstanding this there were many cases where the British and French shared their parcels with 
 
the Russians whenever they were able to get in contact with them.
 
          The mortality among the Russian prisoners was