US opposes penalty for Russia over historic books

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FILE - In this Feb. 6, 1952, file photo, a masked former Polish soldier testifies to house committee on Katyn Forest massacre in Washington. With him at the witness table, Roman Pucinski, interpreter beside him, right. Committee members, left to right on rostrum: Reps. Timothy Sheehan, (R-Ill., Alvin E. O’Konski, R-Wis., George A. Dondero, R-Mich., Ray J. Madden, D-Ind., Daniel J. Flood, D-Pa., Foster Furcolo, D-Mass., and Thaddeus M. Machrowicz, D-Mich. The Obama administration is opposing a Jewish group's bid to levy civil fines against Russia for failing to obey a court order to return its historic books and documents — a dispute which has halted the loan of Russian art works for exhibit in the United States. In a recent court filing, the Justice Department argued that judicial sanctions against Russia in this case would be contrary to U.S. foreign policy interests and inconsistent with U.S. law. The Jewish group, Chabad-Lubavitch of Brooklyn, N.Y., has already persuaded Chief Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court here that it has a valid claim to the tens of thousands of religious books and manuscripts, some up to 500 years old, which record the group's core teachings and traditions.

Bill Allen, Associated Press