German Chancellor Meets with U.S. Jewish Leaders; Pledges Continued Support to Israel

A delegation of American Jewish leaders, meeting with German Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger here, received a pledge of “continued German support of Israel’s efforts to achieve peace and security in the Middle East,” it was reported today. Chancellor Kiesinger’s statement came following an expression of appreciation by the American Jewish leaders for the Federal Republic’s stand on the Middle East situation.

The German Chancellor also said his country would vigorously support Israel’s request for associate membership in the European Common Market, according to a spokesman for the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Germany’s policy in the Middle East crisis, the Chancellor was reported to have told the American Jewish leaders, was rooted in the “strong sympathy and support of the German people for Israel.”

The Jewish leaders also raised the question of extending the West German statute of limitations on Nazi war crimes, which is due to expire December 31, 1969. Chancellor Kiesinger assured the delegation that his government was concerned with the problem and that the matter would be dealt with soon on a cabinet level. The Jewish delegation included Rabbi Israel Miller of New York, acting chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and chairman of the American Zionist Council and Morris B. Abram of New York, president of the American Jewish Committee.