Conclusions of the Commission.

By facts which have thus far been brought to its attention, the commission reaches the following conclusions: 

In this war, German occupation of territory is systematically followed by (and is at times preceded by and accompanied by) acts of violence against the civil population, which acts of violence are contrary to the conventional laws of war and to the most elementary principles of humanity.

The procedure of the Germans is everywhere the same.  They advance along the roads, shooting inoffensive passersby, particularly cyclists and even peasants occupied in the fields which the Germans traverse.

In the towns and villages where they stop, the Germans first of all requisition victuals and drinks which they consume to the point of drunkenness; then they begin to shoot wildly, sometimes from the interior of empty houses, declaring that the inhabitants have fired the shots.  It is then that the firing scenes begin, and murder and especially pillage accompanied by acts of cold cruelty set in, acts which respect neither sex nor age.  Even where they claim to know the perpetrator of the deeds which they allege, they do not content themselves with executing the culprits summarily, but take advantage of the occasions to decimate the population, to pillage all the inhabitants, and to set fire to them.

     After a first massacre, somewhat at random, they shut the men into
     the church of the town and order all women to go back to the houses
     and leave the doors open during the night.

In several localities the civil population has been sent to Germany, to be compelled there, it appears, to labor in the fields, as was done in the slave days of olden times.  Numerous cases are known where the inhabitants were forced to serve as guides and to make trenches for the Germans.  Numerous depositions reveal that in their march, and even in their attacks, the Germans put before them civilians, men and women, in order to prevent our soldiers from firing.  Other testimony proves that German detachments do not hesitate to fly either a white flag or a Red Cross flag, so as to approach our troops without being suspected.  On the other hand they fire on our ambulances and ill-treat our ambulance nurses.  They ill-treat and even kill our wounded.  Clergymen seem to be particularly the object of their attacks.  Last, but not least, we have in our possession explosive bullets left behind them by the enemy at Wechter, and we are also in receipt of medical certificates testifying that the wounds must have been inflicted by bullets of the variety mentioned above.

     Documents and testimonials in support of these facts will be
     published.

     (Signed)

          GOOREMAN, President. 
          COUNT GOBLET D’ALVIELLA.

     ERNST DE BUNSWYCK,
     ORTS, Secretaries.