Nazi Victims Fund to Be Established

The government will establish a $40-million fund to compensate victims of Nazi persecution whose assets were seized by Britain during World War II, Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Mandelson said. Britain’s 1939 Trading With the Enemy Act sought to stop “belligerent countries” from using property belonging to their nationals to finance Hitler’s war effort. However, innocent victims, including many Jews who had sent cash and valuables to Britain for safekeeping, also had their assets seized. Mandelson said victims of Nazi persecution who had assets confiscated--or their heirs--can make claims that will be considered by a panel of three independent assessors.