Book Description

Stresses the study's preliminary status as a seven-month effort to set forth what and when U.S. officials knew about Nazi looting, and the role of neutrals - Switzerland, Sweden, and the "non-belligerents" (Spain, Portugal, Turkey, and Argentina). Discusses how the U.S. tried to trace the movement of looted assets into neutral countries and recover them. This account of the formation of U.S. and Allied policy is based only on a small proportion of 15,000,000 relevant U.S. documents. The report covers the war and postwar years until 1963. Its major conclusions are: the mass plunder was an essential part of Nazi policy; all the neutral countries cooperated with Nazi Germany for economic benefit; Switzerland had the deepest economic relationship with Nazi Germany; the U.S. role in recovery of gold and assets was positive but had limitations; some assets of individuals (including concentration camp victims) were included in the Gold Pool that was partly restored to formerly Nazi-occupied countries. Victims suffered from indifference of the neutrals and inaction by the Allies; those behind the Iron Curtain received no compensation, and elsewhere only private organizations helped those seeking compensation or relief.