Gutmann called three meetings between July and November of last year to consult with specialists on the question.

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But eight years after the purchase Searle received a letter from a lawyer representing the heirs of Holocaust victims Friedrich and Louise Gutmann.

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The Gutmann heirs claimed that the appearance of a notorious German art dealer, Hans Wendland, in the painting's ownership record should have raised a red flag.

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"The commission used to assume diversity would be served by a greater number of small owners, " says Peter Gutmann, a Washington lawyer who practices before the FCC.

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As a consequence of his paper, U.S. President Barack Obama would ask his Bioethics Commission, chaired by Amy Gutmann, to make recommendations about how the emerging technology should be monitored.

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Searle claimed the Gutmann family sold the painting in Paris in 1939 and that even if it were stolen, the heirs could have found it much earlier if they had been searching diligently.

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"The safety of our children is paramount, and we have to get this precisely right, " said Dr. Amy Gutmann, who chairs the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, which released its report Tuesday.

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