Dr. Nahum Goldmann, co-chairman of the Jewish Agency, today outlined a plan of action for reaching an agreement with Germany on Jewish reparations claims as decided upon by the New York Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.
Dr. Goldmann told a press conference here that he is leaving for London February 10 to meet Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Sharett and director-general of the Israeli Finance Ministry David Horowitz to discuss the forthcoming preliminary talks with the West German Government. He revealed that his meeting with the Israeli Government leaders will be aimed at reaching an agreement on the amounts of claims–of the Israel Government, Jewish successor organizations and others–and on the methods of procedure to be followed in dealing with Bonn.
It is expected that the preliminary exploratory talks will be conducted in some neutral country, presumably Belgium, Holland or Switzerland, by experts representing the Government of Israel, the New York Conference on reparations and the West German Government.
Dr. Goldmann told the newsmen that the executive of the New York Conference will meet tomorrow to elect a five-man praesidium, of which he will be chairman. He disclosed that experts of the New York Conference are already at work preparing the basis of the Conference’s claims to be submitted to Germany.
HOPES PRELIMINARY TALKS WILL START IN FEW WEEKS
He said that the conference will call on the Bonn Government to adopt and implement laws for the entire country on restitution and reparations. Since the central government of Germany was mainly responsible for the confiscation of Jewish property and for damage to Jews, he pointed out, and only the Federal Government would have the resources needed for compensation, a Federal law is necessary.
Dr. Goldmann stated that both the Israel Government and the New York Conference are of the opinion that the talks should begin as soon as possible and he expressed the hope that the preliminary talks would commence in a few weeks. He expressed the opinion that the greatest part of the reparations would be in goods, although it is conceivable that a part would be paid in cash.
He declared that the reparations paid on account of Israel’s claims would go to Israel as would probably the greatest part of the claims paid the conference, although the form and manner of this aid to Israel has not yet been determined. He also said that he believed that a small percentage of the Conference’s claims–possibly five percent–would be reserved for welfare purposes for German Jewish victims of Nazism still living in Germany and that a token amount might be reserved for the purposes of some of the organizations represented in the New York Conference.
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