An official announcement issued by the Swiss Government this weekend said that the total of assets unclaimed by Jewish victims of Nazism from Swiss banks and insurance companies–or under the control of lawyers–amounts to $2, 200, 000, according to a six-month search conducted by the Federal Department of Justice.
Jewish spokesmen here expressed disappointment with the announcement, claiming that the assets hidden in this country by Jews subsequently massacred by the Nazis had totaled perhaps more than $50, 000, 000.
The search for the hidden assets was conducted by the Federal Department of Justice Police, acting in accordance with a law passed in 1962. That law instructed the identification by all banks and others holding assets belonging to foreigners or stateless persons who have not been heard from since the end of World War II in May of 1945.
According to the announcement, 961 such accounts have been located, valued at around $2, 200, 000. The Government stated that, after an effort is made to trace the owners, the remaining funds will be turned over to a special fund, to be controlled by the Federal Assembly.
Jewish spokesmen, expressing their disappointment over the low evaluation, said there seems to be “some incompatibility” between the amounts reported and the known flight of Jewish capital into Switzerland during the Hitler era.
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