The Christian Democratic Union of Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger is expected to decide next week against any postponement of the statute of limitations on Nazi war crimes, which is scheduled to go into effect on Dec. 31, 1969, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency has learned. That stand by the Christian Democrats may provide a parliamentary majority against prolonging the period during which war criminals may be indicted and tried in cases of murder. A statute of limitations is already in effect on lesser crimes including manslaughter. The expected majority may be provided by the CDU and the Free Democrats. The Social Democrats in the present Government coalition are officially opposed to the statute of limitations but some members of that party favor it.
Meanwhile, the state prosecutor in Canebruck has demanded life sentences for the three principal defendants in a war crimes trial who are accused of responsibility for the murder of 36 Jewish men. women and children at Lake Maggiore in northern Italy in 1943. The three are Hans Roewher, 52. Hans Krueger, 56, and Herbert Schnelle, 55, and, according to the prosecution, they acted out of sheer racial malice. Sentences for two other defendants, Oscar Shulz and Ludwig Leithe, will be requested next week. The verdict is not expected before July 5.
West German authorities barred 600 out of 700 East German delegates from entering Bavaria last week to participate in a “rally of democratic action against neo-Nazism and Fascism in Germany.” A spokesman for the Bavarian Ministry of Interior said that only 100 delegates would be admitted. As a result, the entire 700 member delegation returned home. The Democratic Action Organization of Bavaria protested the ban.
The West German Ministry of Interior claimed in its publication “Internal Security” that the East German secret service has been attempting to infiltrate the ranks of the extreme right-wing National Democratic Party in order to obtain its membership lists. According to the publication, the attempts have been partially successful and the illegal West German Communist Party took part in them. A spokesman for the NPD said his party had no membership lists and was no more vulnerable to infiltration than any other West German party or NATO.
The European Association of Fighters Against Neo-Nazism and Fascism staged a rally today at the site of the former Dachau death camp on the theme: “Act Now Before It’s Too Late. The National Democratic Party Is Growing Steadily.”
The NPD issued a statement expressing sympathy with the Greek military regime, the first time the party has openly identified itself with such a Government. The NPD said it understood “quite well” when people were called “fascists” in a reference to charges against the Greek dictatorship and itself.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
