US apologizes to Hungarian Jews over 'Gold Train' - Yahoo! News
US apologizes to Hungarian Jews over 'Gold Train' - Yahoo! News: "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.
The statement closes the book on a lawsuit filed in 2001 in Miami by Hungarian Jews, many of whom live in the area.
It originally sought $10,000 per person in compensation and charged that the Army falsely classified the trainload as unidentifiable and enemy property, thus avoiding having to return it to its rightful owners."
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.
The statement closes the book on a lawsuit filed in 2001 in Miami by Hungarian Jews, many of whom live in the area.
It originally sought $10,000 per person in compensation and charged that the Army falsely classified the trainload as unidentifiable and enemy property, thus avoiding having to return it to its rightful owners."
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