The two texts – “Displaced Persons in Germany: Present Operations” and “The Trains of Misery” – present the same situation in a different light. The first paper, written by the War Department, shows a government view of displaced persons’ relocation efforts, while the second one provides a first-person account of this operation. From the officials’ perspective, the governments are doing their best, exceeding their efforts and moving people efficiently. It is clear that statistics and numbers are at the center of this narrative, and the described quality of care and attention to displaced people seems immaculate. However, Jacques reveals a different story of people and countries entirely broken by the war.
The report written by the government office presents the relocation process as efficient and successful. According to it, displaced persons receive “highly preferential treatment,” even better than that provided to German citizens (The War Department 2). People from other countries get the best-imported medicine and live in comfortable conditions. Jacques, however, gives a different account of people who are forced to travel on the roofs of goods trains or among livestock and stocks of hay (2). The author describes people who still relive their memories of the war, who battle disease and look for any source of help they can get.
These contradictions can be explained by the fact that one text is an official report and another is a personal account. While government officials can present data and state that they are sending resources, likely, they are not living in the same conditions as displaced persons. Thus, they can only describe the efforts as relayed in documents and other reports. In contrast, Jacques’ story is centered on people who have faced the direct consequences of the war. Her descriptions are not of the numbers and statistics but of real people who lost their homes and did not know where they are returning.
References
Jacques, A. (1945). The trains of misery. Le Monde. Web.
The War Department. (1945). Displaced persons in Germany: Present operations. Web.