The Central Council of the Jews in Germany disclosed today that it had filed a complaint with the Dusseldorf district attorney’s office against a violently anti-Semitic pamphlet distributed by Arab representatives in West Germany and that an investigation was in progress.
The issue was first raised last January by Dr. Henryk G. Van Dam, secretary general of the Council. In the current issue of the Allgemeine Wochenzeitung Der Juden, Dr. Van Dam expressed sharp criticism of the West German Foreign Office for failing to take action on the brochure and its sponsors.
A spokesman for the Justice Ministry said, in reply to questions in Parliament, that the Ministry was aware that the pamphlet was being distributed but had not been able to obtain a copy. Social Democratic Deputy Ludwig Metzger asked whether the Justice Ministry planned to act to prevent the repetition of “unlawful acts” such as distribution of the pamphlet. The spokesman said that “I do not think I can make a promise on behalf of the Government in this hour but I feel certain your suggestion will be followed.”
Gerhard Jahn, another Social Democratic deputy, asked whether the Government was prepared to take diplomatic steps to prevent the distribution in West Germany of such “infamous publications.” The spokesman said “this is a matter for the Foreign Office.” That office has not indicated it was taking any action.
Dr. Van Dam, in his renewed criticism, noted that the West German Government had not hesitated to break off diplomatic relations with nations establishing East German consulates on their territory, and that in the case of Ceylon, West Germany even out off foreign aid. “But here we have a case where hatred is being traded for foreign aid and being disseminated by students who receive scholarships paid for by West German taxpayers,” he asserted. “The West German Foreign Office should have taken action on this case long ago.”
The pamphlet, entitled “The Problem of the Palestine Refugees,” was published by the Information Bureau of the United Arab Republic and members of the Arab-German Friendship groups in Germany and by the “Delegation of the Arab States in Bonn.” The pamphlet declares that “the greatest intellects of humanity have recognized and repeatedly pointed to the unpleasant character of the Jewish people” and it charges the Jews with using “their political marionettes, such as the Zionist Winston Churchill and the Zionist Franklin Roosevelt” to “force” Germany into World War II.
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.
