Posted on 03/11/2005 6:26:47 PM PST by nypokerface
The US is to pay $25.5m (£13.2m) to families of Hungarian Holocaust victims as compensation for the plundering of family treasures in World War II.
US officers took the goods from a train known as the Nazi gold train, heading from Hungary to Germany in May 1945.
It was loaded with gold, silver, china, jewels, 1,200 paintings and 3,000 oriental carpets seized by the Nazis from Jewish families in Hungary.
The money will be handed out to needy survivors of the Holocaust.
The settlement is the final chapter in the disturbing story of the Nazi gold train.
Today it is estimated that the cargo might be worth as much as $90m (£46m).
The train was intercepted by the US army, and never reached Germany. Its treasures disappeared.
'Defrauded and cheated'
More than half a century later, a special commission appointed during the 1990s by then-President Bill Clinton confirmed it had been plundered by US soldiers, including high-ranking officers.
The episode has been seen as a shameful blot on the record of the US army in World War II. The Hungarian families who brought the case have given a guarded welcome to the settlement.
Their lawyers say it was never about money alone, but about having a reckoning with history.
The bulk of the money will go not to the families who lost possessions.
It will be distributed to needy survivors of the Holocaust living in Hungary, the US, Israel and Canada.
Perhaps the most important thing for the families is that the federal government has agreed to acknowledge the US army's role in the affair.
Prominent members of Congress have been urging the Bush administration to reach agreement for some time.
Republican Senator Arlen Specter said the US government should admit the Holocaust survivors had been "defrauded and cheated".
Suddenly in retrospect, the judgement is as if these brave men, then should turn boy scouts,and quick. Any honest person would write the whole thing off. Commonsense dictates it.
Conquering armies did far, far worse than Americans- vis the Russians. There aint no justice- 'er wait up...... Perhaps a luverly bit of the old treasure is in the good ol' USA. Souvenirs of course. LOL.
RIGHT?
I don't think I like your moral and legal thinking. If someone stole your wife's wedding ring and sold it to an unsuspecting pawn shop owner, would your wife be justified in demanding her ring back from the pawn shop? Of course she would. The ring always belonged to your wife, just like the goods always belonged to the civilians.
The Nazi's try to take over the world, destroy millions of lives and property, the Russians rape and pillage everything from Moscow to Berlin (not to mention kill millions of its own people), and the Americans take a few souveniors for saving Europe from its own stupidity.........but we are the ones being blamed for it and called evil??? I have an idea, cut off all ties with Europe and see how they like it without American money, grain, services or military supporting them, then we will talk.
What kind of morality is that? Other pedophiles have done much worse things than Michael Jackson. Should we not hold Michael Jackson accountable?
I'd have to guess we didn't know it was stolen from "Hungarian Holocaust" victims.
What if we had mistaken this train for an ammunition train and had blown it up. Would we be liable for it then? If it was German jewelry would it be considered spoils of war?
Why don't we send them a bill for all the money, materiel, and lives we lost keeping them from being exterminated by the Nazis?
I lost a lot of family in that war and I couldn't agree more with the above statement. Talk about petty nickle and diming. How exactly do these "victims" believe that this seized gold was spent? I am pretty sure that it could be proven that I would be "entitled" to some of this - well, I don't want any part of the money, or the investigation. Not everyone is the enemy and Jewish people need to remember who was and is on their side.
I was also ticked that the Jewish establishment came out against the Passion. We must remember who our friends are...
If the train was mistaken for a military target, it would have been an act of war. No liability. Stealing is not an act of war.
If it was German jewelry would it be considered spoils of war?
The possessions of German civilians should not be stolen.
Is the morality of this really too hard to understand?
For the personal use of the American soldiers-thieves. That is what makes this morally wrong.
If American soldiers benefitted from the theft, they and their families should pay out of pocket. Why should our govt allow both the thieves and the poor of Europe to be enriched?
The soldiers were government employees. Of course it would be preferable to hold the individuals accountable, but if the US government is unable to do that, the US government should hold itself accountable.
If the Terminex man stole valuables from your house, it would be desirable to get the items back from the individual employee. If for some reason that were not practical, you would be within your rights to go after Terminex.
True, you are right in your analogy. It is the actual recounting of the helpless German civilians that still hurts. The horrible rapes and even killing of infants, by the London Daily Mirror's "Our gallant Russian Allies" is now known.
I read where the American authorities actually had an American sergeant executed for raping a French woman. This was to stop initial victorious soldiers from going beserk. Please forgive this homily. For the terrified Eastern Germans to escape to the American zone was utter paradise- though rough hewn.
One hears people losing all, saying, at least WE are unharmed. Yes, you are right- sure. True also is that human beings are not perfect, when exposed to completely abnormal conditions.
If an American soldier saved a single European citizen from the Nazis, and he slipped one gold coin in his pocket, that American soldier is still someone to be honored.
One life saved has infinite more value than a gold coin.
No. They didn't walk into a person's house and steal. They stole from a Reich train. And yet our government is to pay the heirs of people who claim we stole directly from them.
I sure hope they know who owned what.
This kind of stuff is insane. Yes, it happened, and has happened in every war since the dawn of time. Is it right? No. But to bring it up so long after the fact seems rather asinine to me. Next thing you know we will be paying England for the tea we dumped in Boston, I am sure with inflation it will come to quite a sum.
I got a get well card and got some signees for Bill. An FR poster got me the address of the hospital.
Friends. Somewhere there is an American veteran in a hospital. Perhaps nobody knows - or cares a damn. I hope I am wrong. Does William Jefferson Blyth Clinton care? Perhaps he does. (Photo ops Bill, you likable sycophant). These are the persons who should be looked after. A few kind words, no money etc. Phew Peter Libra, better shut down now.
Has our new office of Anti-Semitism released a statement on this?
Ping
There's a difference between someone suing over a loss, and some lawyers and advocates digging through history to find something somebody did wrong and suing on nobody in particulars behalf except the poor (and of course their own fees.) If you have a tort claim against someone, sue. If not, then STFU. That's my logic, anyway.
I hope they don't catch up with Kelly's Heroes. Those guys took a lot of gold.
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