The question whether to end prosecuting German war criminals, on May 8, under the statute of limitations, will be decided upon early in March, a spokesman of the West German Government declared here today at a press conference.
The spokesman, State Secretary Gunther von Hasse, said that the refusal by the West German Government to accept a Soviet message on Nazi war criminals last weekend did not mean that the federal government would reject evidence from the Soviet Union on such crimes.
The Soviet message, he declared, sent in reply to the West German appeal last year for information about such criminals, had been refused because its tone was considered offensive. West Germany issued the appeal to all governments in connection with its decision against extension of the deadline for prosecution of Nazi criminals.
The Soviet message called the West German Government’s appeal for information “an inadequate attempt to gloss over the amnesty for fascist murderers and to render this illegal step innocuous in the eyes of world opinion.” The Soviet message also said that the Soviet Government would make all relevant documents available to the Bonn Government regardless of what West Germany did about the statute of limitations on prosecution of Nazi war criminals.
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