The President of the Bundestag, West Germany’s lower house, who in the past called for abolition of the statute of limitations that would bar the prosecution of Nazi war criminals after Dec. 31, 1969, has apparently had a change of heart on the matter. Dr. Eugen Gerstenmaier, a leader of the Christian Democratic Party, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in an interview today that he thought the statute should not apply in cases of murder. But as for its outright abolition, he said one had to take into account the sentiment for an amnesty. In any event, the West German leader said, the statute is still a subject for discussion. Dr. Gerstenmaier told a World Jewish Congress meeting in Brusseis two years ago that he favored abolition. Now he apparently prefers to wait and see how the majority acts.
Walter Scheel, president of the rightist Free Democratic Party, told the JTA at the press conference that his party opposed abolition of the statute two years ago and would not now change its attitude. He remarked that it was somewhat late for new investigations of Nazi war criminals. Mr. Scheel also offered the opinion that it would he a good thing if the extreme right-wing National Democratic Party, often described as neo-Nazi, won seats in the Bundestag in next year’s elections. According to Scheel, the NPD would then have to account for its activities and the German people would realize that the party has nothing to offer them. The NPD now holds seats in the legislatures of seven of the 11 West German states. Its recent electoral gains in the reputedly liberal state of Baden-Wurttemburg was cause for alarm inside and outside of Germany.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
