A prediction that “one way or another” the statute of limitations for German prosecution of Nazi war criminals will be extended was made here today by Erik Blumenfeld, member of the West German Parliament.
Mr. Blumenfeld said on a visit to Washington that the cut-off date for the 20-year period prescribed may be advanced for 10 more years, because the commencement date, now set at May 8, 1945, would be advanced under a parliamentary plan to a beginning date in 1955, when the Allies handed over greater constitutional rights to the Germans and provided the documentary records on Nazi criminals to Bonn.
He said there was also a possibility that the initial date may be moved forward from 1945 to September 1949, when the constitution of the German Federal Republic took effect. He stressed that Bonn legislators were aware of “anxieties” concerning this question.
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