German Parliament Debates Indemnification; Govt. Criticized

The Social Democratic Party today precipitated a sharp debate in the West German Parliament here over the Adenauer Government’s failure to implement Federal indemnification legislation for individual victims of Nazism eleven months after the original measure had been passed by Parliament.

The opposition Social Democrats and deputies of several of the government parties noted that while the victims of Nazism still waited for desperately needed relief nine year’s after the war ended most of their “torturers” were either employed in good jobs or were drawing pensions.

When the Finance Minister, Fritz Schaeffer, failed to appear to reply to questions from the floor, the deputies in the two-thirds empty House protested his absence. The Speaker adjourned the session while Herr Schaeffer was summoned from his office.

The Minister promised that the first of the implementation regulations, without which the indemnification law remains inoperative, would be issued within a few days. He said study of the bill and correction of some of its “errors” as well as a shortage of funds had held up the issuance of the implementation regulations.

His reply was termed “unsatisfactory” by Social Democratic deputy Dr. Adolf Arndt, who drew attention to the “remarkable differences in priority and magnanimity” in the granting of pensions for Nazi officials and those for Nazi victims. Mrs. Jeanette Wolf, Social Democrat and a leader of the postwar Jewish community, hit Herr Schaeffer’s lack of sympathy for the victims. Noting that there was “enough money for Nazi generals” she termed “shameful” the claim of insufficient funds for the victims. Similar statements were made by a deputy for the Christian Democratic Union and the Free Democratic Party, both members of the government.