Baruch Expresses Views on Return of German Property by U.S.

The opinion that the United States should return to Germans their private property and investments that were sequestered in this country at the outbreak of World War II, was expressed here by Bernard Baruch, who said this action should be taken on condition that private property of American citizens seized in Germany is also restored.

Mr. Baruch made it clear that he advocates the return by Germany only of property of those Americans who were U.S. citizens when these assets were seized by Germany, and not of those who became American citizens after the war was declared. “I feel a great horror at what was perpetrated upon the Jews and, indeed, other citizens of Germany, and have a deep sympathy for those who although left to live lost all their property, we can only give an expression of our feelings to them. Certainly we cannot use the private property to force Germany to make restitution to her own citizens.” Mr. Baruch declared.

Mr. Baruch’s statement, published in the New York Daily News, was ressed to John O’Donnell, Washington correspondent of that paper, in connecting with measures now pending in Congress designed to turn back to Germany Party and investments of Germans sequestered by the U.S. Government during last war. A bill to this effect, introduced by Sen. Everett M. Dirksen, is ### to be a controversial subject before the new Congress.