February 14, 1959
MERTEN TRIAL: A war crimes tribunal continued its examination yesterday of charges against Max Merten, who had been the commander of the German forces in Macedonia during the World War II occupation of Greece. Yesterday testimony was heard from a witness for the prosecution who had taken part in the negotiations between the Jewish community and Merten’s troops. This gentleman had both represented and experienced at close hand the Germans’ treatment of the Jews. He had been sent along with thousands of others to Auschwitz and was one of the few survivors. He holds Merten responsible for all the persecution of Greek Jews and the destruction of their property. UNIFICATION OF SOCIAL SECURITY FUNDS: The director of the Social Security Fund (IKA) said yesterday that he was not aware of plans to merge IKA’s main and supplementary funds. The only plans, he said, were to increase the number of those insured with the fund and to absorb weaker funds. He added that, under the present circumstances, healthy funds would not be merged. Plans to create a universal social security fund in Greece had not progressed over the past year, he added.
