Prominent Jewish Leader Calls for Independent Investigation’ of Vatican’s Role in the Escape of Nazi

A prominent American Jewish leader called on the Vatican today to undertake “an appropriate and independent investigation” of reports that numbers of the Catholic hierarchy played a role in the escape of wanted Nazi war criminals from Europe after World War II.

Julius Berman, chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, who made the request, noted that President Reagan had ordered a probe of reports that Nazi war criminal Klaus Barbie was aided in his escape by American personnel in Europe and observed, “The Vatican can do no less.”

A similar request for a Vatican investigation of charges that the Catholic clergy hid Nazi war criminals was made by the Synagogue Council of America, representing the congregational bodies of Conservative, Orthodox and Reform Judaism. It was addressed to Bishop James Malone, president of the United States Bishop’s Conference, who was asked to convey it to Rome.

At the same time, Harold Jacobs, president of the National Council of Young Israel, wrote to Reagan asking him to use the newly established diplomatic ties between the U.S. and the Vatican to urge the Pope “to release all information on post-war Catholic Church activities to shield Nazi war criminals and aid their attempts to escape prosecution by Allied authorities.”

These representations by Jewish organizations were partly in response to the attempts by Vatican sources to discredit a 1947 report documenting the Vatican role in aiding the escape of Nazi war criminals from Europe after World War 11. That report was written by Vincent La Vista, an international lawyer and officer in the U.S. Foreign Service who was attached to the U.S. Embassy in Rome at the time. The La Vista report was classified secret by the State Department until released a year ago under the Freedom of Information Act.

LA VISTA REPORT WERACITY QUESTIONED

Last week, two Jesuit academics, the Rev. Father Robert Graham and the Rev. Pierre Blet, questioned the veracity of the La Vista report which they branded a propaganda maneuver aimed at harming the Church. Their allegations were publicly supported by the Rev. Romeo Panciroli, the chief Vatican press spokesman. According to Panciroli, Graham and Blet are experts in the field and their statements were a “sufficiently clear reply” to the charges.

Grahnm, who is in the U.S., told the Italian news agency Ansa in a telephone interview that the La Vista report was “artificial and false, unworthy of attention.”Blet, interviewed by the Italian daily Corriere Delia Sera, also contended that the report was based on unreliable source material, and recalled pointedly the falsified “Hitler Diaries” that surfaced last year and initially fooled the experts.

But Berman, in his statement today, said: “The reported cooperation by the Holy See with the effort of Nazi war criminals to escape justice after World War II deserves a fuller and more serious response than what the Vatican issued last week. Because of the serious charges in the La Vista report and the fact that it was prepared by a member of the U.S. Foreign Service stationed on the spot in Rome, we have proposed that an appropriate and independent investi gation of the Vatican’s own records of that period be undertaken to determine what role if any was played by members of the Catholic hierarchy in the illegal emigration of Nazis following World War II.”

Berman pointed to “a similar probe of American culpability in the escape of the notorious Nazi criminal Klaus Barbie” ordered by Reagan “following reports that American’ personnel in Europe had engineered his emigration.”

The subsequent findings confirmed the American role and resulted in an apology to the government of France, Berman recalled. Barbie is now awaiting trial in France for crimes against humanity when he headed the gestapo in Lyon during World War II.

Berman added, “We submit that the Vatican can do no less and we await a positive reply to our suggestion. It is difficult to believe that the Vatican will ignore the seriousness of these charges.”

THOROUGH PROBE URGED

The Synagogue Council of America, in its telegram to Bishop Malone, said it “is deeply concerned over the recent allegation that the hierarchy of the Catholic Church was involved in shielding Nazi war criminals from just retribution. In the interest of Catholic-Jewish relations we urge you to convey to the Vatican our request for a thorough investigation of these charges.” The telegram was signed by Rabbi Mordecai Waxman, president, Rabbi Walter Wurzburger, chairman, and Rabbi Balfour Brickner, co-chairman.

Jacobs stressed in his letter to Reagan “that the U.S. now has “a perfect opportunity to demonstrate the advantage of full diplomatic relations with the Vatican, by submitting a formal request, on behalf of the government of the United States, that all files and records relating to the Catholic Church’s involvement with accused Nazis after World War II ended be made public.”