DEAR SIR:

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP59-00882R000100150103-8
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 9, 2002
• Sequence Number: 103
• Publication Date: December 16, 1955
• Content Type: LETTER

Approved For Release 2003/03/25 : CIA-RDP59-00882R000100150103-8
LAW OFFICES OF
FISGIIER, WILLIS AND PANZER
HENRY G.FISC?!f_R
JOHN W.WILLIS
ERVING R.H.PANZER
OGC REVIEW
COMPLETED
General Counsel
Central Intelligence Agency
Washington 25, D. C.
1735 DE SALES STREET N. W,
WASHINGTON (3, D. G.
December 16, 1955
Earlier this year Congress enacted Public Law 285, 84th
Congress, approved August 9, which created a claims fund for American
citizens whose properties were confiscated by Rumania, Hungary or
Bulgaria or whose properties in those countries suffered war damage.
The claims are to be adjudicated by the Foreign Claims Settlement
Commission of the United States, and claims must be filed with that
Commission by September 30, 1956. The claims must of course be
fully substantiated as to ownership, nature of the property, value,
damage or confiscation, and similar questions. You can readily under-
stand that the nature of the present governments of these satellite
countries precludes obtaining any information from them, and since it
is unlikely that most American citizens would be fortunate enough to
have in this country sufficient records evidencing their ownership and
nature of their property in the satellites, documentation of the claims
becomes an extremely vexing problem. We represent persons who will
file such claims.
The Foreign Claims Settlement Commission is aware of these
difficulties and has offered its good offices and, if possible, those of
the Department of State, but it is unlikely that those agencies will be
able to assist us in obtaining documentation. The satellites have shown
no indication of cooperating. However, it is quite possible that other
United States. agencies - such as yours - have on file a considerable
documentation, made for other purposes, which would be of the greatest
value to us in proving our claims.
Our clients owned considerable property in Arad, Rumania.
I am informed that one of your predecessor intelligence agencies made
detailed surveys of the Arad territory and that those surveys would
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General Counsel - December 16, 1955 Page 2
unquestionably describe my clients' properties in such a manner as to
be most instructive to the Commission on the questions I outlined above.
Those reports should still be in your files. The importance of these
reports to our clients' case is so great that I respectfully request an
opportunity to meet with representatives of your agency and discuss with
them the manner in which your reports could be employed by us without
revealing any classified information or violating any provision of law.
Since it is quite possible that my clients' claims could be substantiated
only through the information in your files, I hope that you will give this
letter careful study.
If you desire to verify any of the points I have made in this
letter, you might want to check with the General Counsel of the Foreign
Claims Settlement Commission, Mr. Andrew T. McGuire, for an authorita-
tive statement. I hope to hear from you soon.
Very truly yours,
H a.LAI'. qw
Irving'R. M. Panzer
IRMP /fc
Approved For Release 2003/03/25: CIA-RDP59-00882RTOIOS1(6y.?0'103- t xIS AND PANZER