Goldmann Sees Speedy Action by Bonn Parliament on Agreements

Early ratification by the Bonn Parliament of the German reparations agreements under which the State of Israel and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany will receive a total of $822,000,000 in goods, was forecast by Dr. Nahum Goldmann, chairman of the Jewish Agency and of the claims conference, on his return here.

Dr. Goldmann, chief negotiator with German Chancellor Dr. Konrad Adenauer, will report on Wednesday to a meeting of the conferences policy committee. He told the press that “the agreements with Germany represent a material settlement” and that “the formidable moral implications of the Nazi wrongs cannot be cancelled by agreements.

“Nonetheless,” he added, “the documents signed in Luxemburg definitely indicate moral awareness by the West German Government of the dreadful misdeeds committed by the Nazis. Chancellor Adenauer and the late Kurt Schumacher, leader of the German Social Democratic Party, contributed greatly to the successful conclusion of the negotiations. The implementation of the agreements also is a complex procedure which, I am confident, will be executed in the same spirit in which the agreements were negotiated.

“The governments and press of the United States, Britain and France helped facilitate a successful conclusion of the negotiations by clearly stating their keen interest in the matter,” Dr. Goldmann declared. He pointed out that “the payments by Germany in settlement of Jewish Material Claims will undoubtedly have far-reaching effects on the Israel economy and contribute immeasurably to the new State’s industrial and agricultural development. Although benefits from the settlement will be felt immediately, the over-all gains will not be fully realized for at least another decade, until full payment is made.

“Meantime,” he warned, “Israel will still require in the years ahead the assistance of the American people. This assistance shall come, as it has in the past, through the United Jewish Appeal, the Israel bond drive, U.S. Government aid, and private investment. The field of private investments has not yet been sufficiently exploited by American friends of Israel.”