Franz Josef Strauss, the Federal Finance Minister and chairman of the Christian Social Union Party, has spoken out against the continued prosecution of Nazi war criminals beyond the end of next year. He told a CSU youth group that the “cleansing operation conducted for more than 20 years cannot go on that way.” He said the time had come to call a halt.
Three years ago, the Bundestag voted to extend the 20-year statute of limitations for war crimes until Jan. 1,1970. Mr. Strauss said he did not sympathize with the Nazis but indicated enough was enough in prosecuting offenses of years ago. The West German Government has not yet decided whether to ask Parliament to abolish the statute of limitations on war crimes or prolong it. If it takes no action, war criminals who were not indicted before Dec. 31, 1969 will be forever free from prosecution in Germany, unless dossiers have been built up and cases are planned against them.
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