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Barbie Case to Reopen

October 6, 1971
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The Munich State Attorney ### investigation and prosecution of Nazi crimes ### Ludolph, has decided to officially reopen ### of former Nazi official, Klaus Barbie. ### yesterday told a French delegation in Munich that the discovery of a live witness who can testify that Barbie knew of the ultimate destination of the deportees from the city of Lyons, is sufficient legal reason to have the case reopened. The live witness is a prominent French lawyer, Raymond Geissman, who served during the German occupation of France as director for the south of France of the Union of French Jews and who had, in this capacity, frequent contacts with Barbie and other gestapo officials.

Geissmann is ready to testify that he had heard Barbie say about the deportees that “whether shot to death or deported, their fate is the same.” The West German decision to renew legal proceedings against Barbie who served during the war as gestapo commander of Lyons, concludes a long struggle conducted by a number of French Jews for West German action against him. Prominent in this group was Mrs. Beate Klarsfeld and Jean Pierre-Bloch, president of the International League Against Anti-Semitism.

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