The Austrian Cabinet today set up a special Ministerial committee to negotiate further with the Jewish claims committee representing world Jewish groups. The committee, which is authorized to come to an understanding with the Jewish groups, will include Chancellor Julius Raab, Vice Chancellor Adolf Schaerf and the Ministers of Education, Social Administration and Finance.
At the same time, the Cabinet took an action which was interpreted here as a move to split the ranks of the Jews. It invited an organization of former Austrian Jewish persecutees now resident in the United States to come to Vienna to participate in the Austro-Jewish talks. At the same time, the Cabinet also decided to ask for the views of Austrian Jews who became Christian converts and were persecuted by the Nazis as Jews.
A government spokesman said that these moves might lead to the Austrian Government’s calling a conference of all groups interested in restitution and indemnification in an effort to reach an overall settlement. The belief that these moves are intended to gain a further delay for the Austrian Government as well as to split the Jewish ranks was strengthened by the admission in government circles that the special Ministerial committee should have been formed three weeks ago.
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