Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-03-01
ALIEN CLAIMS SEEN
RESTORED IN FULL
Notes Covering 20 Per Cent
of Property Expected to
Be Sold for Cash.
by DAVID LAWRENCE.

| While on the surface 1t looks as If
the United States Government will have
returned only 80 per cent of the prop
| ertv of Germans seized during the war
IA bill to that effect having just
passed both Houses of CongresS-au-
tually the expectation Is that banks
throughout the world will cash at a
slight discount the certificates to be
! issued to the German claimants. cover.
| ing the remaining 20 per cent OF then
property.
Most of the German property which
| the American Government holds was
| turned into cash anyway. and has been
held In the Treasury in the form of
Government bonds. Interest has been
accommodating and has been carefully
accounted for, so that when the various
claimants we're finally told they could
have only 80 per cent Of their property
back and the rest would be held in trust
but that they would be given certificates
of ownership, no objection was raised
as 1t was felt these could be sold to the
banks.
Pay From Treasury.
It may take 20 or even SO years Tor
the American Government to be reiln-
bursed for the sums it Is advancing to
American citizens who lost property or
the lives of relatives through operations
of German submarines. The American
Government. under the bill which Is
now before the President for signature,
will pay all the American claimants out
of the Treasury. but will reimburse it
self out Of the annual payments to be
made by Germany on rcparations under
the Dawes plan. Hence the American
Government held back 20 per cent as
a sort Of protection for itself.
There Is no certainty. however, that
even II reparations were not paid the
United States Government would ulti-
mately refuse to turn back the private
property of the Germans, as 1t is con-
trary to international law for private
property to be held after peace has
been declared. and the American Gov
eminent has been criticized for hold
ing the German property 10 years.
The defense given. however has been
that under the treaty with Germany.
the American Government was given
the right to confiscate German property
II 1t chose but In that same treaty the
United States expressed desire to give
the property back when the American
claims against Germany had been sat
isfed.
Bill Proves Popular.
There were very few votes cast
against the bill In either house and
some Of the criticism was directed at
the fact that the United States did not
restore all the German property The
allied governments did not return any
German property, thereby superseding
principle which for many generations
had been defended by international
jurists as an equitable one in respect
OF private citizens. who are made the
innocent victims of the acts of their re-
spective governments.
The possibility that the certificates
representing the 20 per cent balance
will be bought by banking institutions
and held for collection out of German
reparations over a period of years with
accumulated interest. is being dis
cussed and II the certificates are con-
verted into cash. the effect will be to
give German claimants practically all
their property in cash, thus enabling
the American Government to point t.
practically complete restoration OF
private property within 10 years after
the signing OF the armistice
downright. 1872