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��Executive Summary of
"The Problem of Restitution of Hungarian Cultural Property: 'The Gold Train'"
In May 1945, forces of the American ~y seized two trains near Salzburg, Austria that contained
valuables that were spirited out ofHungary by members of the pro-Nazi Hungarian government in an
atterhpt to escape the advancing Soviet Red Army. One of these trains contained property from the .
Hungarian Jewish population: this included gold, currency, furs, antiques, rugs, and art, with a combined
worth millions of dollars in 1945 prices. The handling of this property by American forces is
representative of many aspects of the history of occupation and restitution in postwar Europe.
Much of the property on the trains, including all the gold, was returned to the proper owners after
processing (in the case of the gold, this entailed shipment to the Foreign Exchange Depository in
Frankfurt). Indeed, the history of American restitution efforts in Europe is largely a story of attention to
procedure and resulting success. But the Hungarian "gold trains," or more specifically, the train containing
the assets of Hungarian Jews, highlights two significant problems.
The first concerns the challenges of restitution at a time when the Cold War was intensifying. The U.S.
proved increasingly reluctant to return property to Hungary and other Communist countries. In this case,
the U.S. Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives staff, in conjunction with the U.S. Forces in Austria, deCided
to hand over 1,176 paintings to the Austrian government in 1949 (with a final transfer agreement in 1953).
This decision was approved by Secretary of State George Marshall. One problem lies in the fact that most
of these works, the majority of which were from the 19 century and of good but not exceptional quality,
belonged to Hungarian Jews. The Presidential Commission has determined that the paintings were
transferred to Austrian authorities, but their subsequent fate is unknown. Officials in Hungary have stated
that their country never received these works. Therefore, 1,176 artworks that were taken by Adolf
Eichmann and his Nazi forces from Hungarian Jews were not properly restituted: according to both U.S.
policy and international agreements, this cultural property shoul4 have reverted to the country of origin.
While the monetary worth of the paintings may only be one to several million dollars (1999 prices), they
are much more valuable as symbols of suffering and destruction.' The Presidential Commission is
committed to working to help achieve the proper restitution of all assets belonging to Holocaust victims,
regardless of the value. Many of the Holocaust assets that were never returned belonged to victims of less
than grand J;lleans: family portraits o~ books without an ex libris often never found their way back to owners
and heirs.
'
'
The second major issue highlighted by the fate of the Hungarian gold train is the misappropriation of
certain assets by U.S. forces. High-ranking U.S. officials took property from the train, including china,
crystal, rugs, and clothes, and used iherri to decorate their homes and offices. The U.S. was not the only
country whose forces expropriated property: even French troops managed to remove valuables from one of
the Hungarian trains. But this case, where U.S. personnel took objects belonging to Holocaust victims, is
pa,rt of a larger picture in Austria. For complicated reasons--including Austria's ambiguous status as a
."p8rtIy copqu;::req, partly liberated country, the vast array of treasures stored in the many mines and castles,
; 'and the character'pf some of the American leaders in Austria-this region witnessed a high incidence of
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\ ;-, While .some ofth!? property belongiDg to Hungarian Jews was returned to Hungary, and part 'of it was
'. auctioned in H).48i by an agency of the United Nations (the International Refugee Organization) to the
\', benefit of serta!ii'Jewish welfare groups, a significant number of objects are still missing. This includes
som~!~(tJ:i~,housewares, clothes, and rugs taken by the U.S. forces, but also!1te 1,176 paintings transferred
to the Austrian government. The opportunity now exists to learn more about the fate of these objects.
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were allowed to keep their shirt.
All the clothe. had to be put down and
were collected by the police. Thon the naked men were ordered to lie down
in the trenches alter which ; or 6 German soldiers with machine-guua
~rived
and ahot the .on lying in the trenches. The next group had to lie down on
the bodies and was ahot in the 8a•• way. Women and children Buffered the
same fate.
That is how the rest of the population of the larger Ghetto of Riga
was killed in the night from December 7th to December 8th, 1941. This report
coming from the Latvian Ghetto-commander was later confirmed by a number
of members of the Latvian police who were present.
In Riga itselt many
people have seen how the linen and clothe. of the murdered
back.
On the clothes the Jewish star was to be seen.
aent to Germany.
J~W8
were brought
The clothes were then
The action took place under the direction of the Germans.
\
German tiring squads did the killing by'maJh1ne-guns. but only the partici
pation of hundred. ot Latvian policemen who led the Jews to their doom had
made this action possible.
Most of the Latvian police who tookpart--have
later been sent to the Russian front so that they should not be able to tell
about the.e happenings. It is said that two of these Latvian policemen have
lost their mind.
On December 9th. all Jews still living in the small Ghetto were aLSO
assembled and were led away to do Bome work outside the Ghetto. Tho doctors
and the members of the Jewish committee were taken away in a bus. Two doo
tore. Dr. Kretzer and Guttmann, tookpoi80a. Dr. Guttman died ot it.
Then there was suddenly a counter-order and the members of the oommittee
the doctors were sent back to the ghetto. Dr. Kretzer survived.
and
But some.
time later several members of the committee, among them Blumenau and
Ilia.ohotf. were shot.
Dr. Blumenfeld had retired from the committee and
was doing medical work in a
clin~o.
About the middle of December there were still 4,000 male Jews in the
smaller Ghetto of Riga and in addition a few hundred women who had been
arrested at the beginning of December and
ha~
been released later on.
In December the old Ghetto or larger Ghetto was empty and was then ii:
led by the German Jews deported from Berlin, DUsseldorf. Cologne. etc.
In
I
some cases it was found that all the deportees haa died in the carriages
when the trains reached Risa. They had been frozen to death.· Those who ar
rived alive came without any money and without any luggage.
Most ot them
a small bundle containing a few provisions or other possessions. They were
•
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets
Description
An account of the resource
<p>The Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States, formed in 1998, was charged with investigating what happened to the assets of victims of the Holocaust that ended up in the possession of the United States Federal government. The final report of the Commission, <a href="http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/pcha/PlunderRestitution.html/html/Home_Contents.html"> “Plunder and Restitution: Findings and Recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States and Staff Report"</a> was submitted to President Clinton in December 2000.</p>
<p>Chairman - Edgar Bronfman<br /> Executive Director - Kenneth Klothen</p>
<p>The collection consists of 19 series. The first fifteen series of the collection are composed mostly of photocopied federal records. These records were reproduced at the National Archives and Records Administration by commission members for their research. The records relate to Holocaust assets created between the mid 1930’s and early 1950’s by a variety of U. S. Government agencies and foreign sources.</p>
<p>Subseries:<br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Art+and+Cultural+Property+">Art and Cultural Property</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Gold+">Gold</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Gold+Team+Review+Form+Binders+">Gold Team Review Form Binders</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Art+and+Cultural+Property+and+%E2%80%9COthers%E2%80%9D+Review+Form+Binders">Art and Cultural Property and “Others” Review Form Binders</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Non-Gold+Financial+Assets+Review+Form+Binders">Non-Gold Financial Assets Review Form Binders</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=History+Associates+Binder+">History Associates Binder</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Non-Gold+Financial+Assets+Review+Form+Binders+%282%29">Non-Gold Financial Assets Review Form Binders (2)</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Financial+Assets+Documents">Financial Assets Documents</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=RG+84%2C+Foreign+Service+Posts+of+the+State+Department%E2%80%94Turkey">RG 84, Foreign Service Posts of the State Department—Turkey</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Financial+Assets+Documents">Financial Assets Documents</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?search=&advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=%5BJewish+Restitution+Successor+Organization+%28JRSO%29%2C+Oral+Histories%5D&range=&collection=20&type=&user=&tags=&public=&featured=&exhibit=&submit_search=Search+for+items">[Jewish Restitution Successor Organization (JRSO), Oral Histories]</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=PCHA+Secondary+Sources">PCHA Secondary Sources</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Researcher+Notes">Researcher Notes</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Unnumbered+Documents+from+Archives+II+and+Various+Notes">Unnumbered Documents from Archives II and Various Notes</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=RG+260%2C+Finance+Inventory+Forms">RG 260, Finance Inventory Forms</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Reparations">Reparations</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Chase+National+Bank">Chase National Bank</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Administrative+Files">Administrative Files</a><br /><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=39&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=Art+%26+Cultural+Property+Theft">Art & Cultural Property Theft</a></p>
<p>Topics covered by these records include the recovery of confiscated art and cultural property; the reparation of gold and other financial assets; and the investigation of events surrounding capture of the Hungarian Gold Train at the close of World War II. These files contain memoranda, correspondence, inventories, reports, and secondary source material related to the final disposition of art and cultural property, gold, and other financial assets confiscated during the Holocaust.</p>
<p>For more information concerning this collection consult the<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/35992"> finding aid</a>.</p>
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
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Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
<a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/35992" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1040718" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Extent
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2954 folders
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Paper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
[Miscellaneous Papers]
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States
Art & Cultural Property Theft
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Box 217
<a href="http://clintonlibrary.gov/assets/Documents/Finding-Aids/Systematic/Holocaust-Assets.pdf" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="http://catalog.archives.gov/description/6997222" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Format
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Adobe Acrobat Document
Publisher
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Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Medium
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Reproduction-Reference
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
6/24/2013
Source
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6997222-miscellaneous-papers
6997222