Prime Minister, drawn up and signed by the Home Secretary and the
Attorney General. It stated the need that had arisen for investigating
the accusations of inhumanity and outrage that had been brought against
the German soldiers, and indicated the precautions to be taken in
collecting evidence that would be needed to insure its accuracy.
Pursuant to this minute steps were taken under the direction of the Home
Office to collect evidence, and a great many persons who could give it
were seen and examined.

For some three or four months before the appointment of the committee,
the Home Office had been collecting a large body of evidence.[A] More
than 1,200 depositions made by these witnesses have been submitted to
and considered by the committee. Nearly all of these were obtained under
the supervision of Sir Charles Mathews, the Director of Public
Prosecutions, and of Mr. E. Grimwood Mears, barrister of the Inner
Temple, while in addition Professor J.H. Morgan has collected a number
of statements mainly from British soldiers, which have also been
submitted to the committee.

[Footnote A: Taken from Belgian witnesses, some soldiers, but most of
them civilians from those towns and villages through which the German
Army passed, and from British officers and soldiers.]

The labor involved in securing, in a comparatively short time, so large
a number of statements from witnesses scattered all over the United
Kingdom, made it necessary to employ a good many examiners. The
depositions were in all cases taken down in this country by gentlemen of
legal knowledge and experience, though, of course, they had no authority
to administer an oath. They were instructed not to "lead" the witnesses
or make any suggestions to them, and also to impress upon them the
necessity for care and precision in giving their evidence.

They were also directed to treat the evidence critically, and as far as
possible satisfy themselves, by putting questions which arose out of the
evidence, that the witnesses were speaking the truth. They were, in
fact, to cross-examine them, so far as the testimony given provided
materials for cross-examination.

We have seen and conversed with many of these gentlemen, and have been
greatly impressed by their ability and by what we have gathered as to
the fairness of spirit which they brought to their task. We feel certain
that the instructions given have been scrupulously observed.

In many cases those who took the