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Israel Places New Orders in Germany for Reparations Products

September 3, 1953
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The Israel purchasing mission here today announced that a third batch of orders–totaling $8,100,000 –had gone out for reparations goods to be delivered by German producers. This brings the total of Israeli orders for reparations goods to $21,800,000.

For the first time, agricultural products lead the list, accounting for a total of $4,375,000 worth of orders. Included in this category are large quantities of oil seed, vegetable oils for use in manufacturing oleomargarine, oleomargarine, wheat, etc.

The second largest group of orders consists of rolling mill products such as structural steel, sheet plate and other iron and steel items valued in the total at $1,300,000. Third group in order of value is lumber and wood products worth $720,000.

Rubber and asbestos products ordered by the Israeli mission will cost some $475,000, while coke and coal–ordered for the first time–will cost $380,000. Textiles for use in manufacturing other products, such as automobile tires, will cost $325,000 while orders for machinery amounted to $270,000, building materials to $130,000 and finished metal goods to $100,000. Smaller orders were placed for such products as automotive spare parts and electrical equipment.

COMMUNISTS AND NAZIS JOIN IN OPPOSING PAYMENTS TO ISRAEL

Meanwhile, the Communists and the Nazis joined hands today in sharply assailing the West German Government for paying reparations to Israel. The Communist attack was made by Max Reimann, chairman of the West German Communist Party, at a rally in Hamburg in connection with the forthcoming Parliamentary elections on Sunday. The Nazi attack was made in an article by General Remen, in the current issue of “Deutschland-Brief, ” one of the most rabidly Nazi publications now appearing in Germany.

Reimann, who is a Communist candidate for Parliament, has removed all doubts that the Communists are determined to make this a major issue in their election effort. Similar attacks have been made in the past week by East German Communist leaders, who demanded cancellation of the reparations pact. Some 10,000 persons attended today’s rally in Hamburg, many of them brought from points in Schleswig-Hclstein and Lower Saxony in bus convoys.

Gen. Remer who is now in Egypt, where he fled some months ago to escape a short prison term, said in his article: “National-minded Germany considers the reparations agreement with Israel a national disgrace. I am convinced that not ten percent of the German people would have voted for it, particularly if they had known about the inhuman cruelties, the slaughter of innocent Arab women and children during the Palestinian war.”

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