Bundestads Action Deferring Compensation
Condemned by European, American Jewries

BONN (JTA)—The bill curtailing
the 1966 federal budget—which in-
cludes deferment of compensation
payments to about 150,000 Jewish
victims of Nazism—was adopted
Dec. 9 by the Bundestag, the lower
house of the West German Parlia-
ment.
The bill would postpone for at
least a year payment of a $50,000,-
000 installment due during 1966 to
these victims under a new law
enacted only last May. The affect-
ed category is made up of Nazi
victims who were unable to file by
the original West German compen-
sation deadline of October 1953 be-
cause they were then in Iron Cur-
tain countries. The special May
law set up a $300,000,000 "hardship
fund" to compensate these victims,
with $50,000,000 installments to be
paid out in each of the next two
years, 1966 and 1967.
The Bundestag adopted the bud-
get curtailment bill against the
opposition of the Social Democratic
Party. Alex Moeller, a Social Dem-
ocratic member of Parliament,
protested against the decision, tell-
ing the House that Chancellor Lud-
wig Erhard, who had signed the
May legislation, "should have fore-
seen this matter" prior to the elec-
tions. The Chancellor's party was
returned to power in the general
elections held in October. Mr.
Moeller told Parliament that "the
saving of money from the indemni-
fication of persecutees is a politi-
cally and constitutionally doubtful
step."
Jewish organizations, particu-
larly the Conference on Jewish
Material Claims Against Ger-
many, denounced the bill while
it was pending, and threatened
to appeal against it to the West
German Constitutional Court, the
highest tribunal in the country,
on the grounds of unconstitution-
ality.
Now that the Bundestag has
adopted the bill, it must be sent to
Parliament's upper house, the
Bundesrat. That house, however,
has already seen the bill, which
was sponsored by the Government.
After a single reading in the Bun-
esrat, and its approval there, the
draft must go to President Hein-
rich Luebke for signature. How-
ever, the President has no veto
power and, under the constitution,
must sign the measure.
Finally, the bill must be signed
by Chancellor Erhard—who will
certainly favor it, since his Gov-
'ernment sponsored the bill. Then
;the bill will become law after it is

published in the Official Gazette,
unless flaws are found in the
measure. An appeal to the Con-
stitution Court can be taken only
after the bill has become law, 14
days after publication in the Of-
ficial Gazette.
Karl Guenther von Hase, chief
spokesman for the German Gov-
ernment, rejected the contention
of the Conference on Jewish Ma-
terial Claims Against Germany
which has challenged the govern-
ment's new draft budget bill as
unconstitutional.
He told newsmen at a press con-
ference that the cabinet discussed
the budget curtailment bill and
the protests by organizations of
Nazi persecutees who deem the
draft unconstitutional. The Fed-
eral government, he said, "rejects
these allegations."
Bonn Government Assailed
for Evading Moral Obligations
NEW YORK (JTA)—The West
German Government was assailed
here on two counts of evading
their "moral obligations" to the
Jewish people. Dr. Joachim Prinz,
chairman of the Conference of
Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations and president
of the American Jewish Congres,
leveled the criticism on the eve
of the arrival here of Chancellor
Ludwig Erhard for discussions
with President Johnson.
The Jewish leader charged Er-
hard's Government with "inex-
plicable and unjustifiable delay"
in arranging economic negotiations
with Israel following the conclu-
sion earlier this year of diplomatic
relations. He also termed the
action of the West German Par-
liament "shocking" in deferring
compensation payments to certain
categories of Nazi victims until
1968 "for reasons of economy."
He urged that Chancellor Erhard
continue to put "moral principle"
above petty politics, suggesting
that the German leader "take
whatever steps are required to
reverse the recent action of the
Bundestag" with respect to the
indemnification of Nazi victims.
The decision by West Germany
to defer $100,000,000 in indemnifi-
cation payments to Nazi victims
over the next two years was de-
nounced by the American Jewish
Committee as putting "mere
budgetary considerations above
moral issues."
In a statement issued by Dr.
John Slawson, executive vice presi-
dent, the American Jewish Com-

Try and Stop Me

By BENNETT CERF

•••••• ■•■••■

H

ERE'S A tale told about Calvin Coolidge. A fledgling in
the political arena had made an after-dinner speech at
which Coolidge was the guest of honor, and, of course,. was
desperately anxious to
hear whether or not he
had made a good impres-
sion. "You were • pretty
good," Calvin told him
quietly, "but you didn't
quite make the most of
your opportunities." "My
opportunities?" wondered
the young maxi. "Yes,"
nodded Coolidge. "You
had several chances to
sit down before you did."

* * *

Old Jeb Hawkins, of
Raintucky, proudly pointed
to a musket on the wall
near his fireplace and told a couple of foreigners from New
Jersey, "Yes siree, that gun has killed me enough game—rabbits,
possums, quail, deer, and such-like—to feed my family good for
the past twenty years. And what's more—it's got me two pretty
good sons-in-law, too."
«
*
*
Late Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn ("Mr. Sam" to counts
less Texas admirers) always defined archaic, moronic party con-
ventions as "a lot of people mulling around asking one another
what was happening." Of course, that was before the marvels of
1964 television made the whole procedure more ludicrous and
outworn than ever.

p 1965, by Bennett Cert. Distributed by King Features Syndicate

mittee charged that the proposed
deferment would violate "elemen-
tary justice" since many of the vic-
tims were destitute, widowed, and
elderly. A postponement, Dr. Slaw-
son continued, would cause "great
hardship to many persons whose
physical rehabilitation and re-
training depend upon such indemni-
fication," and could set a danger-
ous precedent that might bring on
future deferments.
(Organized Jewry in Sweden
protested to West Germany's Am-
bassador here against the Bonn
Government's plans to defer in-
demnification payments due in
1966 to certain Jewish victims of
Nazism. The protests were voiced
in telegrams sent to the Bonn en-
voy by the Jewish community in
Stockholm and the Swedish sec-
tion of the World Jewish Con-_
gress.)
Deferment of Payments
to Victims Raised in Commons
LONDON (JTA) — Sir Barnett
Janner requested in Parliament
that the British - government urge
the West German Government,
"on humanitarian grounds," not to
go through with its plans to defer
1966 payments to certain victims
of Nazism, including about 150,000
Jews, due to budgetary curtail-
ments.
George Thomson, Minister of
State of the Foreign Office, told
Sir Barnett that the Government
has "the greatest sympathy" for
the victims of Nazism who would
have to wait longer to receive
their indemnification, but declared
that the matter was one that should
be left to the German Government.
In his intervention, Sir Barnett—
who is also chairman of the for-
eign affairs committee of the
Board of Deputies of British Jews
—said it was "wrong" that "peo-
ple on the verge of death, in many
cases, some very old people and
others who have been waiting for
20 years to obtain compensation"
should be affected by budget cur-
tailment. He asked Mr. Thomson
if the Foreign Office would stress
to the German Government the
fact that "there are a large num-
ber of people, here and elsewhere,
who are deeply disturbed by the
proposed action" of the German
Government on this issue.
Another member of the House,
Anthony Kershaw, a Conservative,
also asked Mr. Thomson to make
such presentations to Bonn. Mr.
Thomson told the House that he
had expressed his feelings on the
matter. He added that the British
Government would, as always take
into account "the obvious feelings
expressed here today," and said
that he had no doubt that "the
concern expressed on both sides
of the House" would be widely re-
ported.

Ben-Gurion Suing Newspaper for Campaign Libel

TEL AVIV
A damage suit for of Ahdut Avoda, for printing al-
50,000 Israeli pounds ($16',667) has leged material "besmirching my
been instituted by David Ben- name" during the election cam-
Gurion against "Lamerhav," organ paign to the Knesset.

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Justice Douglas Lauds
Israel's 'Peace Corps'
Work; Receives Award

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israel
was cited Monday night for pro-
viding the world the "Peace Corps"
concept by aiding other develop-
ing nations, in an address by
Supreme Court Justice William 0.
Douglas, who was awarded the
Eleanor Roosevelt Humanities
Award at an Israel Bond dinner.
The award was presented by
Ambassador James Roosevelt, U.
S. delegate to the United Nations
Economic and Social Council, and
noted Douglas' "outstanding serv-
ice to humanity and friendship for
Israel in the spirit of Eleanor
Roosevelt."
Israel Ambassador Avraham Har-
man said the people of Israel were
deeply pleased and inspired by
Eleanor Roosevelt's friendship."
Those in attendance included other
members of the U. S. Supreme
Court, the Cabinet and members
of Congress.

THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Friday, December 17, 1965-9

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