War Criminals And Justice Poem by Paul Warren

Justice seems to lag behind
It depends on the law, place and time
For what has happened since the crime
Will sometimes obscure what you find

Some Japanese and German War criminals
Escaped conviction or had sentences that were minimal
It seems politics and influence are important
And stopping Communism and rocket motors were priorities meant

The main point made by the defendants
Was it was victor's justice in their rant
For without victory they wouldn't be on trial
And so they were in complete denial

The Japanese Emperor Hirohito survived
Because General McArthur wanted to keep him alive
To build a democratic government
And limit Russian and Chinese expansion meant

Rocket scientists were a premium at War's end
With the Germans the best in this field of weapons then
So they invented a whole story for Von Braun the scientist
And NASA got the technology for space travel express

I wonder if those people who were murdered
Rest In Peace in justice not rendered
When other priorities wrench out the right
And we go further away from the light.

© Paul Warren Poetry