Behind the Headlines a New Sensitivity to Germany’s Past

The government’s plan to make available an additional 440 million Marks in a “final gesture” of financial compensation to Jewish victims of Nazism has focussed public attention on the issue of reparations itself. But it has also engendered a new sensitivity to Germany’s past, a desire for more information on the Nazi era and its implications for Germany today.

Dr. Walter Schwarz, a Swiss lawyer who has concerned himself with these matters, said in a recent lecture here that reparations to Nazi victims and the reason they were paid had been a taboo subject until recently and as a result, the German public at large had little information about it. But only a few days ago, West German television presented a detailed documentary film on three so called “hard core” cases of Nazi victims who were inadequately compensated for their losses or received no compensation at all.

This information reached the public as the Bundestag prepared to debate the “final gesture.” The debate is expected to open on March 31. Meanwhile, official statistics have been released detailing German reparations to date.

They show that, under the laws and agreements covering reparations to Nazi victims, the state so far has paid out 60.284 billion Marks and will pay more than 25.016 billion Marks in the future, a total of about 85.5 billion Marks, not including the proposed “final gesture.”

SEVERAL CATEGORIES OF REPARATIONS

The payments to date represent several categories of reparations. Of the total sum (60.284 billion), 47.25 billion Marks were mode available since 1952 under a law dealing with reparations for personal damages. Twenty percent of this money went to individuals in Germany, among them several well-known politicians who were active in anti-Nazi movements; 40 percent to individuals in Israel; and 40 percent to individuals in other countries throughout the world.

Under another law, which provides financial compensation for property losses, 3.884 billion Marks were paid out. Of that amount, 25 percent went to individuals in Germany, 40 percent to individuals in Israel and 35 percent to individuals in the rest of the world.

In 1952, the Federal Republic committed itself in the “Israelvertrog” (Israel Treaty) so pay a total of 3.45 billion Marks, of which three million went to Israel and 450 million Marks to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. The awards were fully paid by June 30, 1965. Israel utilized the money to facilitate the integration of. Jewish refugees from Germany and other countries where Jews suffered persecution by the Nazis. Israel also-utilized a large sum for capital developments, such as building its merchant marine.

In the category of “Sonstige Leistungen” (other payments), 4.7 billion Marks were paid. The compensation went to public servants, to the families of war victims, to organizations of persecuted groups and to the victims of Nazi medical experiments. Although no further breakdown is available, it is understood that the bulk of this money went to individuals in Germany and other countries, including Israel.

Finally, there is the category called “Globalvertraege” (global treaties) with 12 European states. Under those treaties, the Federal Republic mode available one billion Marks to individuals who, for technical reasons, could not be compensated otherwise. The money was paid to the governments of the countries involved.

A POINT THAT IS OFTEN NEGLECTED

An important point that is often neglected and therefore virtually unknown to Germans is that reparations were paid not only to Jewish victims as individuals or to Israel as a State. Nevertheless, a large part of the total sum did go to Jewish victims of the Holocaust.

Experts can find no comparable instance in history of a nation paying reparation to individuals or states an such a large scale. But the German public is beginning to understand that Nazi crimes were on a scale unprecedented in history. Public opinion polls show that Germans, by and large, justify the various reparations agreements in the post. But they think the time has come to put an end to these payments and not to commit Germany to any new ones.

Against that background the “final gesture” is currently under discussion by the three political factions in the Bundestag. If enacted into law, the 440 million Marks will be paid out over a period of four years, beginning this year. There would be no further reparations thereafter.