Mercy Ships

This book offers a remarkable insight into the humanitarian exchanges and communications between warring governments during the Second World War.Remarkably, throughout the Second World War, even when the violence was its height, the Allied and Axis governments remained in contact through third parties in order to achieve humanitarian ends such as the exchange of wounded prisoners-of-war, of 'protected' persons, such as medical personnel and priests, and of civilian internees. This involved detailed negotiations, careful planning and coordination, and the movement of protected ships and trains through war zones. Even after Pearl Harbour and the defeat of Singapore there were exchanges between both America and the UK with Japan.This book fills an important gap in Second World War and humanitarian literature, describing how the warring governments not only communicated with each other but also exchanged large numbers of people and goods, thus showing that, despite the bloodshed and killing, a spark of humanity still existed.