HUNGARY: The US government has started paying out $25.5 million (€21 million) compensation for Hungarian Jewish treasures stolen by American troops at the end of the second World War.
The first $4.2 million portion was released this week to social groups that will disburse it to needy Hungarian survivors of the Holocaust, rather than directly to Jews who claim to have had belongings seized from the infamous Nazi "Gold Train".
The train carried perhaps the largest shipment of goods stolen from Jewish families by Hitler's troops and their allies, and comprised 46 wagons crammed with gold, silver, jewels, furniture and china, as well as 3,000 Oriental rugs and 1,600 paintings.
Advancing US troops found at least 24 of the cars in May 1945 in Austria, but were loath to return many of the treasures to Hungary, which by then was under Soviet control.
Many of the goods were later turned over to the Inter-Governmental Committee for Refugees, which auctioned them to cover its costs in helping millions of displaced people.
But a US investigation confirmed allegations that many high-ranking American servicemen stole valuable items to furnish homes and offices during their postwar occupation of Austria.
As well as being hugely valuable, the contents of the Gold Train documented thousands of lost Jewish lives: one inventory cited not only 41 cases of gold, 35 cases of gold watches and eight cases of diamonds, but also typewriters, telescopes, gramophones and 17 bundles of walking sticks with silver handles.
The US government sought to end the decades-old dispute last year in a statement saying that it regretted "the improper conduct of certain of its military personnel and seeks in this settlement to provide meaningful assistance to . . . Hungarian Holocaust survivors".
More than 40 per cent of the financial settlement will go to poor survivors in Israel, 22 per cent to those in Hungary, 21 per cent to those living in the US and the rest to help those living in Canada, Australia, Sweden and Romania.
While the first tranche of compensation is on its way to Jewish groups in those countries, it is not known when the rest will be released.