The American Jewish Committee, at its 44th annual meeting today, set forth a program for consideration by the U.S. Government, as one of the Allied powers, in connection with the proposed peace treaty with Germany. Asserting that the treaty must contain safeguards which would prevent Germany from ever again becoming “an enemy of democracy, a perpetrator of unprecedented inhumanities, and a disturber of world peace,” the program urged:
1. That Germany agree to observe human rights and fundamental freedoms as contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in the U.N. Convention on Genocide, and that guarantees of these rights be incorporated into Germany’s basic and future constitution.
2. That an international Commission on Human Rights, to deal with violations of these rights in Germany, be appointed by the United Nations or the International Court of Justice, and that interested states, aggrieved individuals and private groups be granted the right to petition such a commission.
3. That the Federal Republic of Germany adhere to the convention proposed by the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe for the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms on that continent.
The Committee also urged that for the time being the Allied authorities retain their present jurisdiction over appeals from decisions of German courts in cases where victims of Nazi persecution seek restitution for property looted by the Nazis.
The delegates, in a resolution telegraphed to President Truman, hailed the Presidential Commission on Internal Security and its personnel as answering “the crucial need today for a clear definition of the exact balance that should obtain between American national security and freedom.”
BLAUSTEIN RE-ELECTED PRESIDENT; CALLS FOR COOPERATION OF ALL RELIGIOUS GROUPS
Jacob Blaustein who was elected at the meeting to his third consecutive term as president of the American Jewish Committee, told the 500 delegates that “building our military strength and perfecting our military alliance” are not sufficient for national security. He called for close cooperation among all religious, ethnic and racial groups to eliminate prejudice and discrimination and to stop the onslaught of Communism.
Mr. Blaustein declared that the A.J.C. has been devoted to the continuous extension of rights and liberties of all groups in America. He asserted that the security of Jews and all other groups was intimately related to the general health and well-being of American democracy. “Where democracy fails,” he said, “or illiberalism becomes rampant or hysteria develops, Jews as well as others must necessarily suffer; particularly is this true in an atmosphere of tension such as now exists.”
Dr. John Slawson, executive vice-president of the American Jewish Committee, called on all American groups to develop and strengthen programs designed “to enable the 150,000,000 Americans of diverse religions, national origins and racial stocks to live together in peace and understanding.” He warned that “the tensions that are being produced in this country by the disturbed and menacing world scene have created opportunities for disseminators of hate and instigators of group divisiveness, to sow dissension in a nation made up of 160 national and ethnic groups.”
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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.
