(To me, as the Son and Grandson of Holocaust survivors, I find this a very empty apology. Too little, too late.)
Tue Oct 11, 2005 02:40 PM ET
By Michael Christie
MIAMI (Reuters) - The United States on Tuesday apologized to Hungarian Holocaust survivors whose possessions were stolen by U.S. soldiers at the end of World War Two after allied forces seized what became known as the "Gold Train."
Washington has previously reached a $25.5 million settlement with elderly Jews over the trainload of gold, artwork and other property that was plundered by the Nazis and then fell into the hands of the U.S. Army. Most of the haul was auctioned off to pay for post-war refugee aid programs, and some was requisitioned by U.S. Army personnel for use in offices or kept as trinkets.
In the apology issued by the Department of Justice, the U.S. government acknowledged that U.S. military staff failed to return requisitioned items such as typewriters, Oriental rugs and silver cutlery. It also acknowledged that some property was stolen from a warehouse.
"The United States regrets the improper conduct of certain of its military personnel and seeks in this settlement to provide meaningful assistance to those Hungarian Holocaust survivors still living who qualify as financially needy," the apology read.
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