The Belgian Diamond Federation has sent a letter of protest to President Truman against the decision of the American Military Government in Germany to sell in Germany part of a huge stock of diamonds stolen from Belgium by the Nazis. The monies to be derived from the sale of the diamonds to the Gergian economy will be used to pay the expenses of the U.S. occupation force.
Since shortly after the end of the war, Belgian diamond experts have been amassing and turning over to the military authorities evidence that diamonds weighing 1,100,000 carats were stolen by the Nazis from Belgian diamond merchants. It is estimated that about 75 percent of this loot was seized from Jews, most of whom were later murdered by the Germans.
In 1947 the American authorities planned to turn over to the International Refugee Organization the diamonds, which were claimed by Belgium, Recently, however, apparently under pressure from German diamond circles, the Americans decided to sell part of the hoard–some 200,000 carats–to German merchants.
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