20th August 1942, midday
The morale of a people depends to a large extent on the activity of their judges. Every war gives rise to a species of selectivity in reverse; the finest and fittest perish by the thousand. In time, then, there remains only the rascal living in peace and security. If I fail to exterminate the vermin as a counter-balance, a dangerous situation would arise. I am certainly not a brutal man by nature, and consequently it is cold reason that guides my actions.