The German Federal Trade Office in Frankfurt, which checks and approves all Israel orders under the reparations pact, has been replaced by a “Federal Agency for Industry” through a bill just adopted by the German Parliament.
The change-over was due to domestic reasons and was not connected with the reparations program. It remains to be seen whether the implementation of the reparations program will be affected by the reorganization, and in particular by a personnel cut accompanying it. Heretofore, cooperation between the Trade Office and the Israel Purchasing Mission in Cologne has been satisfactory.
The Office advised the Mission on purchasing plans, checked orders for compliance with the terms of the reparations agreement and had to approve prices and conditions of sale prior to shipment. When it went out of business on October 1, it was expected here that much the same powers would devolve upon the new agency, which will also be located in Frankfurt.
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