German authorities indicated here during the week-end that the statement made by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer before the West German Parliament offering restitution to Jews for Nazi crimes should not be interpreted to mean that Germany is ready to make financial payment immediately. They pointed out that Dr. Adenauer distinctly said in his statement that the offer to negotiate a settlement would be limited to “Germany’s ability to pay.”
Addressing a meeting here of the Council of Christians and Jews, Prof. Franz Bohem, former rector of Frankfurt University, said that German-Jewish rapprochement has yet to stand its first test. “Declarations like the one made by Chancellor Adenauer prove very little in themselves, “he stated. They can only be looked upon as “a regretfully small start” in the efforts of the West German Government to lay the foundation for conciliation between Germans and Jews.
(The New York Times today reports from Bonn that one of the important factors which led Dr. Adenauer to make his statement offering restitution to Jews was his desire to be invited to the United States. “The success of an Adenauer visit to the United States would depend in a large measure on the attitude of Jewish groups toward him, German officials believe,” the report said.)
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