American Jewish Leaders Confer with Adenauer in New York

A delegation representing the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany called on Chancellor Konrad Adenauer in New York today to express appreciation for the prompt ratification of the agreement between the German Federal Republic and Israel and the Claims Conference, and to urge the speedy adoption of legislation referring to individual restitution and indemnification.

Chancellor Adenauer replied that passage of the agreement was a source of deep personal satisfaction and that the large majority it achieved in the German Parliament indicates that it has the approval of the majority of the German people. He pledged that he would do everything possible to have the individual restitution bill acted upon during the present session of Parliament.

The delegation consisted of Dr. Nahum Goldmann, chairman of the Jewish Agency executive and president of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany; Jacob Blaustein, president of the American Jewish Committee; Jules Braunschvig, vice-president of the Alliance Israelite Universalize; Dr. Israel Goldstein, president of the American Jewish Congress; Adolph Held, president of the Jewish Labor Committee; Dr. Rudolph Callmann, chairman of the American Federation of Jews from Central Europe, and Moses Leavitt, executive vice-chairman of the Joint Distribution Committee.

Speaking in behalf of the group, Dr. Goldmann thanked the Chancellor for the great contribution he had made toward the success of the claims agreement. He expressed his sincere hope that the second part of the agreement, referring to individual restitution, will be submitted to the West German Parliament in time to be voted on before the end of the present session. He said the Conference hopes that the principle of this legislation, agreed upon by the German and Jewish delegations at The Hague, will be incorporated into the new legislation now under consideration by the German Government.