Letters: Mar. 17, 1997

THE FIGHT OVER NAZI GOLD

The barbarism, the degradation that helpless, innocent human beings suffered at the hands of Hitler's Nazi butchers is still horrendous enough. Now to learn that the Swiss banking system is holding on to millions in assets that belong to Holocaust victims or their heirs [WORLD, Feb. 24] is just another example of man's inhumanity. I hope that those fighting to right this wrong persevere and that justice prevails. NANCY L. MATSEY Grafton, West Virginia

Your report about Switzerland and the part it played with Holocaust gold shows us Swiss citizens that we are not as special as we sometimes believe, nor are we better than the rest of the world. We are responsible for our share of the guilt and we must carry it. But if any person is without sin, let him throw the first stone. Fifty years after the end of the war, the veil of secrecy is finally being lifted. And it is not only the Swiss who are looking for fame, power and money. LOUIS NIEDERER Winterthur, Switzerland

The gold in question is not Nazi gold. It belongs to the Jewish people whom the Nazis so inhumanely slaughtered. I trust honorable people worldwide will pressure the Swiss to quickly and equitably right this injustice. ED COLBERT Topsfield, Massachusetts

The capacity for indifference and criminal behavior dwells in all of us, but evil can thrive only under evil leadership. Amid all this finger pointing, who is left off the hook? Adolf Hitler. LISA WALLERSTEIN Livermore, California

Your article was a character assassination of the Swiss people. Some people may have disputes with Swiss banks, but I cannot accept the tarnishing of the national character of an entire country. I am reminded of President James Madison's words: "Each generation should be made to bear the burden of its own wars, instead of carrying them on, at the expense of other generations." CHRISTIAN D. DE FOULOY Richmond, Virginia

You were way off with the comment "One lesson of the wartime experience is that in a conflict between good and evil, neutrality is morally indefensible." Since when has this been true? While it is important to stand up for justice, neutrality in the sense of pacifism has always been morally defensible, as taught by great moral leaders, including Jesus, Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi. JEDIDIAH J. PALOSAARI Pasadena, California

Although Jewish groups may be justified in their campaign to recover funds from Swiss banks, their harsh tactics are breeding a new feeling of anti-Semitism. Dredging up the past and trying to forget it are both dangerous. KRYSTIAN DOMARADZKI Chicago

You have done a good service that many of us refuse to undertake: telling the children of the world about our past, even if it is bad. BENJAMIN SNEDEKER Westerville, Ohio

Your report raised disturbing questions: Why were the Project Safehaven documents ever classified by the U.S. government? Why did they remain classified? Who in the U.S. knew how much money was really involved? Who made money besides the "gnomes of Zurich"? ARTHUR S. TISCHLER Newton, Massachusetts