EXECUTING US SOLDIERS IN ENGLAND, WORLD-WAR-II - COMMAND INFLUENCE AND SEXUAL RACISM

Current capital punishment literature is overwhelmingly concerned with civilian executions. Overlooked is capital punishment by the non-civi lian sector-the military, This paper researches US executions of soldi ers during World War II in England. We conclude that racism exists in the process, but can only be understood through the context of its use , The Visiting Forces Act of 1942 permitted the American military to u se capital punishment in England as a disciplinary tool to control a p erceived danger: African-American troops socializing with British fema les, and the potential explosive violence between Caucasian and Africa n-American troops.