Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States and Staff Report DECEMBER 2000

PLUNDER AND RESTITUTION: Findings and Recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States and Staff Report DECEMBER 2000

Sometimes, to get a sense of where we are and what progress has - or has not - been made, it's useful to look back. In December of 2000 the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States published a major report.

The official PLUNDER AND RESTITUTION report is reproduced at the links below for historians, journalists, historians, families of Holocaust victims and anyone else interested.

Google Doc with a copy of the Plunder and Restitution Presidential Advisory Report of 2000

Internet Archive record of Plunder and Restitution: Findings and Recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States and Staff Report DECEMBER 2000

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PLUNDER AND RESTITUTION:Findings and Recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States and Staff Report DECEMBER 2000 Courtesy National Archives, photo nos. 111-SC-209154

Table of Contents:Transmittal Letter
Commission Members
Introduction

The Creation of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust
Assets in the United States
The Commission's Work
The Historical Context
Overview of the Commission's Findings

Findings
Implementation of Restitution Policy in Europe

Victims' assets were restituted to countries and organizations, not individuals
Currencies were returned to the government of issue
Victims' assets were turned over to humanitarian organizations
German officials were entrusted with restitution responsibilities
Strict deadlines created a narrow window for claims and some victims' assets were therefore transferred to Germany and Austria
Austrian officials were entrusted with restitution responsibilities
Political considerations impeded the restitution process
Problems at central collecting points and government warehouses impeded identification of victims' assets

Implementation of Restitution Policy in the United States

Claims procedures for restitution were flawed
The Alien Property Custodian prolonged adjudications
Victims' assets may have been used to pay U.S. war claims
Restitution efforts of recipient countries were not monitored
Duty was assessed on victims' assets
The $500,000 lump sum settlement of Office of Alien Property claims was inadequate

Agreements Negotiated by the Commission in the Public and Private Sectors

The Library of Congress has agreed to recognize the provenance of certain books in its collection that had been looted by the Nazis
The National Gallery of Art has agreed to return a painting to its rightful owners
The Commission has identified dormant bank accounts and other unclaimed property of Holocaust victims in the United States, and significant members of the banking industry have agreed to endorse suggested best practices for the investigation of bank records regarding such accounts
The museum community has agreed to full disclosure of Holocaust-era works and their provenance

The Context of the Commission's Recommendations
Recommendations
Acknowledgments
Appendices

A. Public Law 105-186, 105th Congress
B. Activities of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States
C. Staff Contributing to Commission's Work
D. Commissions of Inquiry into Holocaust Issues
E. Letters of Agreement

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Staff ReportExecutive Summary
Chapter I: The History of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States and its Report

Creation of the Presidential Commission and Its Purpose
Scope of the Report
Estimate of Assets in U.S. Possession or Control

Non-gold Financial Assets
Gold and Non-gold Financial Assets in Europe
Art and Cultural Property

Organization of the Report

Chapter II: From Nazi Expropriation to U.S. Control

Introduction
Nazi Victimization

"The Science of Race"
Discrimination and Plunder Become the Law
Devices of Extermination

United States Engagement

Overcoming Isolationism
The Grand Alliance

Occupation and Stabilization

Civil Life in Chaos
U.S. Command Structure
The U.S. Army and the Discovery of Assets
Managing Refugees and Displaced Persons
Policy Versus Implementation

Control of Victims' Assets in the United States

The United States Treasury Department and Frozen Assets
The Bureau of Customs, Import Prohibitions, and the Post Office

The Cold War and the Jewish State
Summary

Chapter III: Assets in the United States

Introduction
Foreign Funds Control and the "Freezing" of Assets

Freezing Foreign-owned Assets
Assets within the United States
Licensing

Aliens, Nationals, Enemies, Friends

Numbers and Definitions
Alien Enemies: Restrictions and Rights
Aliens and Real Property
Victims in Europe

"Vesting" Assets and the Office of Alien Property Custodian

Creation of the Office of Alien Property Custodian
Evaluating the Property Taken Under Control
The Postwar Period

Summary

Chapter IV: Assets in Europe

Introduction
Organizations, Policies, and Operations to Protect Valuables in North Africa, Italy, and Western Europe, 1942-1945

Protecting Art and Cultural Objects in North Africa & Sicily
Activities in Italy Relating to Art and Other Valuables
MFA&A in France and the Benelux Countries

Preparations for the Final Offensive into Germany and Austria

MFA&A Roles and Responsibilities
Other Organizations Participating in the Recovery of Assets
Directives on the Control of Assets in Germany and Austria
Intelligence on German Looting and the Location of Valuables

Discovery of Caches During the Final Offensive
Initial Activities Following the German Surrender
Consolidation of Assets--Establishing Collecting Points
Operation of Collecting Points
The Case of the Hungarian Gold Train
Security Issues

Problems in the Field
Problems at Collecting Points

Laying the Groundwork for Restitution
Summary

Chapter V: Restitution of Victim's Assets

Introduction
Restitution in Europe

Context and Planning
Restitution to Countries, Not Individuals (External Restitution)
Victims' Assets and the Paris Reparations Agreement
The Restitution of Identifiable Property in Germany: Law 59
The Jewish Restitution Successor Organization
Problems with Restitution
Berlin
Restitution Efforts in Austria

Recovery of Property in the United States

Unblocking Assets at the FFC
Transfer of Responsibility to the OAP
OAP--Divesting and Unblocking
OAP and Other Victim Assets

The JRSO and Recovery of Heirless Assets in the United States
Summary

Chapter VI: Heirless Assets and the Role of Jewish Cultural Reconstruction, Inc.

Jewish Cultural Reconstruction, Inc.: Origins and Purposes
Communal Property

Torah Scrolls
Ceremonial Objects
Paintings

Books

Identification and Return
Allocation and Distribution

Difficulties with Distribution
Summary

Chapter VII: Conclusion

Seizures of Assets from Sinti and Roma, Homosexual and Disabled Victims of the Holocaust
The Impact of the Cold War and the Creation of the State of Israel on the Formulation and Implementation of American Restitution Policy
Third Country Avenues for the Importation of Looted Assets into the United States
The Quantification of Holocaust Victims' Assets
The Relationship between Jewish Organizations and U.S. Government Agencies
The Presence of Victim Gold Circulating in the International Market
The Role of State Governments in Handling Dormant Assets
Comprehensive Integration of Findings from Other National Commissions

Abbreviations and Glossary

Chronology of Key Events
Bibliography
List of Tables
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