A delegation of Jewish leaders were told by a West German vice-consul here that West Germany would not extend its statute of limitations on prosecution of Nazi war crimes because “my government does not want to amend the constitution to favor any one group.”
The delegation, which also organized a picket line in front of the consulate in downtown Chicago, was sponsored by the Illinois Conference of Jewish organizations. David C. Bern, president of the Zionist Organization of Chicago, was acting chairman of the 15 organizational leaders who met with Dr. Karl Lauteritz.
Dr. Lauteritz urged the Jewish leaders to look for witnesses who could identify war criminals “who are not among the 5,000 already known to the authorities.” He also told them that even if an arrest warrant was issued in May 1965, when the statute expires, the war criminals so named would eventually be tried if found, no matter when the criminal was found. The delegates represented the American Jewish Congress, Pioneer Women, Israel Histadrut, the Farband, the Chicago Board of Rabbis and the Student Zionist organization.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
