A request to the West German Government to widen the measures on compensation to Nazi victims–now being debated in the Bonn parliament–to avert serious hardships and injustices was presented here today to the West German Ambassador in London by British organizations concerned with aid to refugees.
A deputation of the Standing Conference of British Organizations for Aid to Refugees, headed by Lord Astor, met with Von Etzdorf, the West German Ambassador and presented him with a letter and memorandum on the question of West German indemnification for stateless victims of Nazi persecution.
The memorandum noted that a sharp distinction had been made in earlier compensation laws between refugees persecuted by the Nazis on grounds or race, religion and ideology and those persecuted on grounds of nationality. The memorandum declared that repeated efforts to improve the lot of the second category of victims had failed and that the proposed new law, unless amended, again would fail to provide in the main body of the law for refugees persecuted on grounds of nationality.
Such failure, the memorandum asserted, might mean discrimination against such refugees. It also expressed concern over serious omissions in earlier legislation which had remained unremedied, citing the fact that the pending new law would not provide compensation for dependents of victims who have died. In Britain alone, the memorandum asserted, at least 40 claimants have died in 1962.
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