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Early Return of Property to Jews in Austria Held Unlikely; Complications Outlined

February 15, 1946
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The problem of restoration of “aryanized” Jewish property grows more complicated by the day, and there appears to be little prospect at the moment of anybody in Austria getting back their property in the near future.

The entire question seems to have run into a vicious circle. The Allied Control Council has ordered that administrators of “aryanized” property be placed under their supervision. This was done in a move to insure justice to the Jews, but as a result the Government is claiming that it is impossible to restore property to anyone until the country has regained its full sovereignty.

Government spokesman also say that any decision on property cannot be made until the Allies decide what is Austrian property and what is German property, since enterprises falling into the latter category are subject to seizure as reparations. They also assert that to return property to Jews would only engender anti-Semitism.

One official told the JTA correspondent today that he believed that in view of all these circumstances, the Government would not be able to permit the Jewish community to administer and take profits from its former property, since that would violate the Allied Control Council’s ruling.

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