Nazi gold train discovery: Communists, Socialists should get their share of the spoils

We don't know exactly where it is or what it contains but already the vultures are circling. A train containing an estimated $3 billion in gold and other valuables which was hidden by retreating Nazis at the end of the Second World War has been found in Poland, although the exact location will not be revealed until the men who located it have agreed a 10% finders' fee with the authorities. Even so, Art Recovery Group, a private company based in London, is already preparing to swoop on the haul in an effort to distribute the fortune to Jews with Eastern European family connections. "If this train was one of those (Nazi gold) trains, then it would contain materials from Eastern European countries, possibly dispossessed from Jews," Ms Cleary of Art Recovery Group said, possibly wringing her hands and licking her lips in anticipation of a sizable windfall. The Jewish Agency was similarly quick off the mark in its pursuit of cash when just three months after the end of the Second World War they submitted a memorandum demanding reparations, restitution, and indemnification due to the Jewish people from Germany. The German government subsequently declared that it was ready to compensate Israel for material damage and losses and to negotiate with Israel and with representatives of Diaspora Jewry for other reparations. The following month, the Jewish community established the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany and, as a result, billions of dollars were doled out to both the fledgling state of Israel and to Jewish individuals around the world. Even so, as late as 1999, the Jewish community filed a series of class action lawsuits against numerous German companies including Deutsche Bank AG, Siemens, BMW, Volkswagen and Opel demanding even more cash. In return for dropping these cases, the German government gave between $2,500 and $7,500 to over 140,000 Jews from more than 25 countries. Quite right too, you might say, but the Jews were not the only group to suffer at the hands of the Nazis. Among the earliest victims of discrimination and persecution in Nazi Germany were political opponents -- primarily Communists, Socialists, Social Democrats, and trade union leaders. However, the leftists either felt that responsibility for human suffering could not be bought off with blood money or they were not motivated by personal financial gain in the same way as the Jewish Diaspora and so declined to push for financial compensation. As a life-long Socialist myself, I too realise that money cannot compensate the families of the left-wing victims of the Holocaust, but I also realise that money can be used to improve the lives of oppressed Communists and Socialists today. In the West, left-wingers are routinely demonized by the predominantly right-wing media and, as a result, face social exclusion. Furthermore, they are often victimized by employers, especially those with trade union affiliations. That's why I aim to establish the Communist And Socialist Helpline (CASH) which will be a trust fund dedicated to distributing the remaining 90% of the recently-discovered Nazi gold to left-wingers in need. I will ask the authorities to make a cheque for $2.7 billion out to CASH which I will deposit it in my bank account in Switzerland for safe-keeping. Then I will distribute the money to any deserving individuals or groups that can demonstrate their commitment to the Socialist cause and who can show that they are suffering under capitalist oppression. The Jews have already filled their boots, now it's time for other victims of Nazi persecution to get their fair share of the spoils. Thank you. Sources: _________ http://www.ctvnews.ca... https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org... http://www.ushmm.org...