-
https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/files/original/d41a602b7f96851f0e1b225071b16d69.pdf
a293679820e37eedf2fbb885c74e31e8
PDF Text
Text
DRAFT FIVE - SEPTEMBER 30, 1999
RESTITUTION OF HOLOCAUST ASSETS:
THE MYSTERY OF THE HUNGARIAN "GOLD TRAIN" .
c9 \. ci"
.The story of the Hungarian "Gold Train" represents both a unique and a ~omprehensive
~ illustration of the questions arising in connection with the adoption of~S restitution policy and its
('5i()J?~implementation. it is'comprehensive in that it illustrates one of the consequences of the de . Ion to
r .~chew
6J-~~
dealing with individuals in
f~vor of governments and organizations; it is unique in that it
departs from the decision to return assets to their
.
count~ of origin. Although the focus of this
. report is on the fate of the many art works that fell into t~e hands of the US authorities with the
capture of the train, it carried many other valuables - in fact the :entire gamut of movable assets,so
that, in many aspects the story told below is that of all the valmibles carried on the train. I
The fate of the artworks and other assets the Naiis confiscated in Hungary stands as one of
the most problematic cases in the history of the US :estitution.We can track quite well what .
happened to the crown of St. Stephan and the Hungarian royal regalia, which were sent West by the
Hungarian Nazis on the so-called Silver Train and remained hidden in Fort Knox until the 1970s, as
well as that of the National of Bank of Hungary Train, which carried the Bank's gold reserves and a
looted valuables that had been put in the custody of the Bank. This latter train is, in fact, confused
in some documentation with·the "Gold Train", whichis the subject of this report. What should be
kept in mind is that the Hungarian "Gold Train" repres~nts only one of the vehicles that the
Hungarian Nazis and the German occupiers employed to send assets looted from their victims to
what they hoped would be safety. Sadly, as this report demonstrates, it is also only one of the
examples of the US acting in contrary to stated policy on restitution and treatment of assets.
I The Presidential Advisory Commission is currently revie~ing, for later inclusion in above report, the treatment of the
Gold Train's gold and non-gold financial assets.
�?
The full story of the hundreds of artworks taken frQm the Jews of Budapest before their
. deportation by Adolf Eichmann's Nazi forces and Hungarian collaborators, has yet to be recorded.
One of the remaining mysteriesof the history on the looting of Budapest's Jewry is the final
. "
"
disposition of the so-called "Gold Train's" contents. In the last days of the war the Nazis sent these
assets westward from Hungary to escape the approaching Soviet Red,Army. The documents
discussed below concern some 1,176 artworks, the vast majority of which came from dispossessed'
Hungarian Jews. These were intercepted, with the other assets on the train, by U.S. forces near
Salzburg and eventually most assets were handed transferred to Austrian custody in 1949. There is
no evidence that the Austrians ever completed the restitution process and returned these works to
the Hungarians.
~\'tJ.
The documents below also indicate that the U.S. government refused to acknowledge
compelling evidence that the works came from Hungarian Nazi victims. As such the assets were
subject to mishandling by the US forces including requisitioning, sale and theft of the assets. This
determination of ownership, or the hick thereof also enabled the 1948 auction of goods in New
York and the 1949 transfer of Hungarian property t6 Austria.
I.
HISTORY OF THE "GOLD TRAIN"
The story
,
'
.
".0~
.
~
,",V'
ofth~ train found by the US forces inWerfe~(best reconstructed from a letter~
the Central, Board of Jews in Hungary to the State Department, dated July 28, 1947:
'\~ In April 1944, after the inv~sion of Hungary by the Germans, the Fascist Government '
of Hungary of those days issued a discriminatory decree against the Jewish
population obliging them to deposit their gems, their golden jewels ornamented with
gems, and generally all their valuables made of gold with the Authorities. This '
provision went so fa~s to oblige Jewish individuals to deliver their wedding rings.
Accordingly the jewel~nd other valuables of 800,000 Hungarian Jews were seized
by the Fascist Government.
\
'
'1
2
�\-
,10
>\~On the ~pp,.rO~~~Of our liberators, the Nazi government 01 Szalasi had these valuables
, laden onla- train consisting of 44 cars and had them abducted westward under military
escort/This railway train was seized in May 1945 by the U.S. troops of occupation.
This was the so-called "Gold Train". The wagons contained other valuables, too,
besides the jewels e.g. oriental carpets silver,Jurs, etc. The escort of the train placed
a detailed report and protocol notes at our disposal on the valuables themselves
disclosing the fact, that they succeeded to rescue the "Gold Train" on the whole ' ..
pillaging of both, the Nazis and the mob and (sic) and the Hungarian military escort
handed over the train pushed into'the railway tunnel near Boeckstein intact apart from
minor cases of theft and blackmail and without its doors having been forced open, to
the American troops of occupation at. the railway station of Werfen. There is a report
available on the jewels and golden valuables ordered by Commander Arpad Toldy to
be laden on two lorries and carried to the French zone, where they were seized by the
French troops.
'(~ Accordin'g to these reports the following valuables were taken under control by the .
United States Military Authorities:
10 Cases with marking~ indicating contents of gold. Average weight of cases
45 kg.
I case containing golden coins. Average weight -100 kg.
18 cases, marked as containing golden jewels. Average weight 35 kg.
32 cases containing golden watches, weight varying from 30 to 60 kg.
/~ The following amounts of foreign currencies were handed over in a closed trunk: $
44,600, Swiss Francs 52, 360, L 84, Palestinian L 10, Canadian Dollars 66, Swedish
Kronen 5, Reichsmark 15, Pengo 260.484, This trunk contained a sealed package,
containing brilliants.
1560 cases containing silver with different weights.
1 case of silver bricks
About 100 artistic pictures
About 3000 knotted Persian and Odental carpets and some home-manufactured
carpets sporadically, among them.
'
i,f\ I cannot tell exactly the number of the cases.
According to the reports received from
, the officials, there were also clothes, fur-coats, made of noble' furs, stamp- '
collections, collections of laces. Cameras, gramophons, silver-jewels, porcelains,
pocket and wrist watches (about 8-10.000) laden into the wagons. The contents of
two'wagons were not assorted, they contained every sort of valuables mixed.
q::fie-seizuFc w~uLh.y...cap.tain.John J. Black~ ,
'
~ The French military authorities seized the Jollowi'ng valu'ables in St. Anton as, detailed
be l9 w:
31 cases with markings of gold ,
2 cases containing golden coins
3 cases containing golden watches'
8 cases of brilliants
'-,
3
�2 cases containing selected pieces of brilliants and pearls. 3
On July 27, 1948 General Marshall, then Secretary of State, described the United States'
own understanding of the fate of the "Gold Train" in a cable sent to the US Legation in Budapest:
~ Prior to their withdrawal from Hungary the Nazis had collected a considerable quantity
of movable property belonging to Jewish victims of Nazi action. It is understood thaJ
7
this property belonging to Jewish victims in all parts of so-called Greater Hungary. It
was removed by train to Austria, where, having been separated into two trains, it was
::\
(. ~ "
found by American and French forces.
~ American For~es having examined the portion of the Hungarian tr~n in the American
lJ
. Zone of Austna, the US Commander [General Mark Clark] detenruned that the
/'
contents therefore were unidentifiable as to owners and, in view of the territorial /
changes in Hungary, as to national.origin; restitution to Hungary being therefo~ot.
~ .
feasi~le, it was deter:nuned, with the approval of this gov~rnment, that the pJ>Perty i~ \0".>
questIOn would be gIven to the Intergovernmental COffiffilttee for Refugees (~ceeded
\:: ~(CC.
by the Preparatory Committee for the International Refugee Organization):1'he basis
.
for this action was the decision of this Government to apply to so-called non-monetary
gold found in Austria the principle of Article 8 of the Paris Reparation Agreement of
December 1945 [Appendix A] and of the Power Agreement of June 1946 [Appendix B]
for the implementation ofthis provision...PCRIO, as successor organization to the
IGCR, is United Nations Agency charged with the responsibility for the resettlement
and rehabilitation of the non-repatriable victims of Nazi action,and that ninety percent
of the proceeds of the so-called non-monetary gold transferred to this agency under the
\~ urt -\
terms of the international agreement referred to are used for the benefit of Jewish
victims of Nazi persecution ...The valuables recently auctioned by the PCIRO in New
. CYJUJ~
York include some items which were in the Hungarian gold train, as well as valuabJes
.' xyJJ'
found in Germany.4
.
~Y\1
.'
Qd
.
~,
The US Government and the US military authoritie t5eli~ved that the property of the .
>
t\
J
"GoldtS1ATrain" was impossible to identify. The representatives 'of the Hungarian Jewish
community and the Hungarian Government weJ.:e-OLtoo-Oppas·ite-epinien-.
.II.
btQi ~l..H'O .~ w~
'h(J(lOf'(l.-C{\T(OUJ' oP
~4./·'
HE "GOLD TRAIN" TREASURES ~THE U.S. FORCES IN
AUSTRIA
1.
Requisitiolls ofthe "Gold Traill" Property.
NARA, RG 84, Papers of the US Legation to Budapest, box 4, Letter ofthe Centrai Board of Jews in Hungary to the
. ' ,
Department of State, July 28, 1947.
4 NARA, RG 84, POLAD- USCOA Records, Papers of the US Legation to Austria, box 106, Cable of General
Marshall to the US Legation to Budapest, July 27, 1948.
3
4
•.
�The art and cultural property assets of the .Gold Train may have been unidentifiable as to
(r:. 0>(9 \
L
liJSG f a cA ~
owner, but their idwtity as valuable objects was clear. ~~.
'nstaAcO of...lJS-HlistI·eal:ment.. .
.
.
.
¥* \,.
A
~ta?M;\ tV'fCQ;::> <;,toJ\v~ .tL.. ~tVlb..f
~
O-JlS~ cwulJ
.bR
ofuhe:g\!<1d:s=inyeked..t~ecls~desire fef fe~ftiflg-f*1Ff>@se6f On July 13, 1945
.
.
Major General Harry J. Collins, Commander of the 42
nd
. q.
lOuJr
("Rainbow") DivisioD.ct~ejl in
to
V
8;0001
western Austria, received different objects of "furniture and furnishing ... supplied by Office of
()/.J£ •
Property Control, Land Salzburg."s In addition to providing the tapestries, paintings and antique
.
.
furniture found throughout locations in Salzburg, "U.S. Goverpment Property (from Hungarian
Train, Military Government
warehOUSe)"~as also given to Collins.
6
Specifically, a
receiPt~
"Inventory of Furnit.ure and Furnishing", dated July 31, 1945 provides a list of furnishings Major
.'
'.
Collins received for his
lMcJ..utll."
.
..
. .
headquarter~G{;i:ptsi:nclaoo1such items as "different objects made
of onyx, 5 rugs and.8 paintings.,,7...
' . O~ltJ .,.,
t·
~
'J\vvW.
. .',
ftr ~ ~
,
aj~r ·Collins R~~~MhG--,;eqt1isitioning:O£::6o1d.!ffa:tn!!...m·ateFials-fer-eff.iOOA....
I
uJ~
~. ~ ~
Go\(\. 'T~'.
.
A memo from Collins to the Property Control Officer in Salzburg on August 28, 1945 d~
~ ,~ ~ \,U\.o \
.AJLCi UJl<)t ~
..
•
le~RGUs0helG-ehjeGts-h~gR~iS-hem~icitly tAe rnemostates;..-..Q..
I.
,The Commanding General directs that you give first priority to obtaining
without delay the following listed household furnishing':
a)
Chinaware (all types for formal banquet and other meals.) Sufficient
, for 45 people.
b)
Silverware (Same qualifications as above and to include serving forks
and spoons).
c)
Glassware (To include water glasses, highball glasses, cocktail glasses,
wine and champagne glasses, and liqueur glasses. Sufficient for formal
banquet involving several kinds of wine for 90 people.)
NARA, RG 260,Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Inventory of
Furniture and Furnishing (May.'Gen. H. J. Collins, Military Governor, Land Salzburg) in Room \02-103 Courthouse,
'
.
Supplied by Office of Property Control,Uind Salzburg. July 31,1945.
6 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA., USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Inventory of
Furniture and Furnishing (May.Gen.H. J. Collins, Military Governor, Land Salzburg) in Room \02-\03 Courthouse,
'.
Supplied by Office of Property Control, Land Salzburg.. July 31, 1945.
7 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Inventory of
Furniture and Furnishing (May. Gen. H. J. Collins, Military Governor, Land Salzburg) in Room 102~1O3 Courthouse,
.
Supplied by Office of Property Co'ntrol, Land Salzburg. July 31,1945.
5
5
�d)
Thirty (30) sets of table·linens; each set to consist of one table cloth
,
and 12 napkins.)
e)
Sixty (60) sheets, sixty (60) pillow cases, and sixty (60) large bath
towels.
2.
The General desires that all of the above listed items be of the very best
quality and workmanship available in the land of Salzburg. He specifically told me to
., '
say that he intended to hold you responsible for securing these items."g
~~~~ 40 ~ ~!\AiX7t'
,
The Property Control Officer :imm'
"
~
.
"A:~...
(0
~
,aUze(tthe"llfe-alfing 6f":Major Genera:~Coltlirs!'-merr\.o~
l\;e~
-take····,·
~
Qlf the
,
"Gold Train." Subsequent
~~~J~l' Iud' ,9-SI ver candestlcksandll
"'1
" l'
12
' . ' n matena mc ed/12
rrugS to decorate his railroad carlO; and 13 rugs for d~coration of his villa)Maria- .
'...
requlSltlOns byt he M' G'
aJor ener
,
. D
.
carpets 9;
Theresien Schloss. I I
~~~ Major General Collins was not the only military
official who used the "Gold Train" property fqr personal use. '
AProperty Control Office document, "List of Material Loaned' from Property Control
Warehouse", details that in 1945-1946 numerous high-ranking officers of the U.S. Forces Austria
appropriated intercepted treasures of the Hungarian Jews for the decoration of their residences.
11::Y'
..Q){a-(.I..-\~\Qbeneral Laude received china, silverware and linen for his Salzburg home~~neral E.E. Hume
..J
appropriated 18 rugs, table and silverware, table linen and glassware, to use in his residencej
.
\1:l>\..- V\.\N rP'
f silver set and 12 silver plates to decorate
.'
.
tt:d:
J,'
Schloss Rief. General Edwin D. Howard ~~rugs,
V
his Vienna apartmen .1.. Brigadier General Linden w.as..also..in.v.GI.ved,taking 10 rugs for his
~,
J
NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Properly Control Branch, Memorandum to Lieutenant
Colonel Homer K. Heller. August 28, 1945.
9 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, List of Objects Received
from Lt. Col. Homer K. Heller from Werfen Train, for the use of Maj. General Harry J. Collins in his private dining
Car. Not dated.
I
10 NARA, RG 260, Bqx 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Inventory of
Furniture and Furnishing (May. Gen. H. J. Collins, Military Governor, Land Salzburg) in Room 102-103 Courthouse,
Supplied by Office of Property Control, Land Salzburg. July 31, 1945.
II NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Rugs removed from Military
Government Warehouse MAXGLAN, Salzburg by order of Maj. Gen. Harry J. Collins for use in his villa MARIA
THERESIEN SCHLOSS. Not dated.
12 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, List of Material Loaned from
Property Control Warehouse. Not dated.
8
6
�....
.\1.,
quarters in the von Trapp Estate) This document, listing officers .gtI!.'~~0Pf~~j.a((;~
requisitioning victims' property, goes on for several pages0--
(J. .
-----~
.
9_and-th.v.M.me
~.
~
f.· e-mere-impoltrrnrOfficers~ Property Control Officer ~he
CDl\N h ~
GL"f.t>i~l);~il~t)
k
. Repatriation, Deliveries and Restitution
Divisi~~Qn March 8, 1946 ~is-fears-a:bout
JlPPwpr.iatJgus-maae-fgr-the.hemes-ef-American-mtlttary personnel ano1tieirfarnilies:-TI1e
··Pfeper.t.y-bgntr.ol-()'ffiG0f reported: "The problem arrival of families of military personal in Austria
in the near future, it is believed, wjll place heavy demands on certain of the property in the
\~~.~
( ~ Wed
(M.
wv~ ~~
warehouse.,,14 Th~~d that his fear ~s€"~Ml€mE.~~Ol~stat0ithat "General
Collins was interested in providing proper quarters and house furnishing for families of the
military~~ Of~EleiIl that to achieve this end, the procurement of "proper" materials,
"quite probably demands might be made upon property in the warehouse.,,16
')
C::/!!'~
2. Sales and Liquidation ofthe "Gold Train" Property.
.
t
,
Al
,i LlAI \f"\Vj) ~
/
oJs.o su.hjt~cJ- 11>
Gold Train assets under US custodianship was tRat-af-eei-ng-se1cl
( C4{).p1\.P>{l~ v\.... .fOr 5tI.b ....) .
.
~tllfough Army Exchang stores. In early November 1945 the representative of the Office of the
An::adaititma:l-cl~e-~h6
.
Army Exchange Service f the US Forces in Austrialwrote to the Property Control Officer and the
'.
. ' . h:>~~'
\\
Legal Advisor of US AlIi d Control for Austria (US ACA)•. :r.6tloE¥~tiv.a~ that the
merchandise now held in S zburg in the custody of the Property Control Officer, USACA, from
13 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, U ;"CA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, List of Material Loaned from
Property Control Warehouse. Not dated.
.
.
.
14 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Properly Control Branch, Subject: PropcrtyofWerfen-
Train in Military Government Warehous~. March 8, 1946.
,
15 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USA€:A, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, SUbject: Property ofWerfen
Train in Military Government Warehouse\ March 8, 1946.
16 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USA A, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Property ofWerfen
Train in Military Government Warehouse. March 8, 1946.
7
7
�"ll. .'_
the "WERFEN" train be made available for purchase by the Army Exchange Service.,,17 J.tJ:St:i:il.. \K.oVJ
'&),ase=thc-Prepct (y Control Unlcer was unclear of which nrateriil:"was~f6€}ueste(Ffor-relea:s:@~oo'
'fiq~t'
(l
~,~~ SJXv:>~, '"1tt~
~A-r.m¥=E:x:ehan~as more speeik~ "such merchandise is believed to consist
of watches, alarm clocks, cameras, jewelry, etc., which would normally be sold through the
PX'S.,,18 The letter concluded that the Army Exchange Service, would make payment 'for these
~ ~£\u(! . /
'..
, .
,
items based "on agreed prices.,,19 On November 19){he Chief of the Legal Division, replied~
~
that "the property which is the subject of the r~quest by the Army Exchange Office is, as
disclosed by our file, either captured enemy property, or property of a perishable nature, or both.,,2~
~~ Q\~lS~CM~ , .
'+helf eenelt1~mber
,.
t91t,~
,'.
that "it [property from the train] may therefore,.in the
opinion of this Division, be disposed of accordingly.,,21
17 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Purchase ofMerchan~ise,
November 6, 1945.
,
18 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Purchase of Merchandise,
November 6,1945.
19 NARA, RG 260, Box?7, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Purchase, of Merchandise,
November 6, 1945.
20 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Letter from Legal Division to
RD&R Division Property Conlrol Brunch, November 19, 1945.
.
21 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Properly Conlrol Branch, Letter from Legal Division lo
RD&R Division Properly Conlro~ Brunch, November 14, 1945.
8
�"
..
GeRel~hat
.
"goods apparently are not perishable and it is believed there may be claims from·'
T1..~ ~~ r~s)
t fi
=_. · .. 1..-fi=-~~-f
.
step t1ersrproposect-sIDe;-lf-waS-flot-tHe.
"
IH
'
.. C 'd . 'fi bl
'.
,,22
O"-Q..
ongma unganan owners lor 1 ent! la e pnvate property,
l"l1VUgU tulStteterffilRa~}eR-was-
~~A~ ~)1. tnne ~O
'
JnaIJ.e.JD...J.7..::t.J.,..ll1-0ROUgn
.
.
.
~he-fluftgari... @ghl Train..goo>.d.!. Ju!L=:"~oler in 1946/he
.
..,
mal-WOFtl·0n-sales-~
. .
~ t"b ~ \~
i(
Th';LtYl
~h
was approve.
;R~9:ftf!~~'or-lmeh-a1l'1'fimths'"fo1:m,<:f.=in..a November 18, 1946-1@~~ the Property
fu
.
. )..
'.'
k:
Control Officer in Salzburg ~ Co""",, Ilfallchoo£th~m.m£
~~
. '
\fiCl?>(Y\~
.
·1ft-the=lerteFlhe Salzburg @ffieer-reG~tis that the Property Control Branch sell "the Werfen
Train tugs and furs which are located in the Property Control Warehouse.,,23 The Salzburg office
defended its recommendation saying that "the property will lose a great part of its value int is not
disposed of within the next two or three months.,,24 The letter continues with the assessment that
"this property represents an asset of several thousand dollars.,,2s It was because of this value that
they urged' "it be immediately disposed of.,,26
~ ~C-tA(h. ~
On November 29, 1946 the Chief of RD & R Division concurred with lHs oWflleuer. He
~
UJ~~·~:
It is recommended by the Property Control Officer, Land Salzburg, and also by this
Division that in order to realize the maximum value of the property that steps be
;
,
NARA. RG 260. Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD &. R Division, Property Control
Property Control Brunch to the Chief of Legal Division. December 8,1945.
23 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control
and Furs, November 18, 1946,
24 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control
and Furs, November 18, 1946.
.
25 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control
and Furs, November 18, 1946.
'
26 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control
and Furs, November 18, 1946.
22
Branch, Letter from RD&R Division
Branch, Subject: Werfen Train Rugs
Branch, Subject: Werfen Train Rugs
Branch, Subject Werfen Train Rugs
Branch, Subject: Werfen Train Rugs
9
�,.
"
.
taken at once to dispose of this property either on the Austrian open market, or by
sale through the Army Exchange Service for dollar credits. 27
'
~,
The representative of the Army Exchange Service Procurement Division enthusiastically replied ~ ~
0~
../.'
\._.
cttiS letter WI' December 22, 194~;n}€:AE~.e;7 .t\..lJ u.NO\-e.
: 'rp::.QJ..
S-
·
.
'
The Army Exchange Service is very much interested in the confiscated Hungarian
property stored in Salzburg, which was inspected by this office ... It was requested,
from Army Exchange Service (AES) Headquarters Fr~~, that permission to
.
J~pose of the property be obtained as soon as possibl~ ? .
. '
While the ~¢~ rugs and furs 1belonging originally to Hungarian Jews"were if ~ptl ta.hJ
(fbr' S'~ ¢w-o""P~
~ \~ "
,
~NbStanthrl!!iDmms~he Army Exchange, theil\clotnes wereti)tIa~Q tA@ ~gylru;.cled:RH-gnffem
.
ezr
.~€-/:
~dispose~ more freely. On March 6, 1946 the Property Control Office~ the
'
.?
Department of Civil Affairs at the Headquarters of USF A neatly outlined the distinction between' ,
treatment of the finer goods and the more regular goods when he wrote:
At present this office has stored at the Military Government Warehouse various items of
clothing and linens, such as pants, coats, dresses, scarves, gloves, shoes, table linen,
nd
napkins, etc ...Major Flaherty 42 Division Chaplain pas submitted to this office a request
for all the clothing. He plans to distribute this clothing ~o needy DP-s .. .It is recommended
that the men's and women's clothing be turned over to Major Flaherty, 42 nd Division
Chaplain for distribution to DP-s and that linens and finer quality clothes be retained in
custody.30·
,
3. Thefts ofthe property ofthe."GoldTrain.'"
"
'~~ to
tBtLiMLh ",,·.:
. __ a. Q...
'
"
.
(}.X¥Jy
~~fo~s~~~e~f~ru
USfO~_"_ e~ -:-Bi.IAird:ilffii~
, APe:PF~y-:fi:ef.H.-the=.Mitnary-6iweliIInenFWa-rebouse.r--In OelOb@f
~.~
Office, reported
~
,(ct4Co
)
l~I'6"the Property Control
' .
~ ~~t:t;;J:~rees;i:a-A·ustr.ia
o..tjC,
.
~~JeeJ---
'fv
that two small suitcases of gold dust {} p/J
"~
27 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Storage Depreciation of
Rugs and Furs Taken From Hungarian Loot Train. November 29, 1946.
28 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Confiscated Property,
December 22, 1 9 4 6 . '
;
29 The Presidential Advisory Commission is currently in the process of investigating the final disposition of proceeds
from the sale of Gold Train goods, through the US Army Exchange Service.
30 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, USACA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Werfen Train .
Clothing, March 5, 1946.
~
~'
~
~
..
~~~
�,.
'~.
.QKfP~
"
,
.':
,
,
had disappearedJrom the warehouse. The Officer <.k:tailed tb.~ aisttppeamnee-sayi:i:lg;-"every'
apparent possibility for tracing the gold dust has been
exhaustedh"~he search, the.P-F0~rt.y-.
~l-aeet)tmts-witlrtne~S AustnanCurren"Cy-Secti0n,the-Bank-~r-geeF~eesteiTei'Clnrfi1t
Satzburg amI ~e-National-Bank-Salzbllr.g,:",w€F€-in-vestigatedTthough-thts-examin'atitflrWas~with0Ut'
ClMd CiJv\~ *,,~',
'
"S\mecSs_'Hle-MissililfProperty'Memo offered-rht:exp1anation for-the-m:tssing pIOpeuy saying, '
..
~
some months ago Property Control Warehouse was burglariied by military guards..
It is possible that the subject gold dust was stolen at that time. However, the
inventory of the warehouse is still being checked. 32
J
**************************************************'*********
.
' . '4-iA~ ,
~
The numerous loans, sales.,anQ...gift
0 t
'",
-.'"t'B'""'
,~~
e propert~e "Gol~ Train" matre b5Pfffi
U S Milita~;'AutbGf.itWs in .%eSl~~ts to identify the ownership of the property f.ftml
,
'
~ ~ ~ AJLfJ~ct..ed
',,"
SD
~ ~
,the "Gold +ram!.Pmeticail:.y:in1ptJssibie. The ~a6 repa:ckea asd the original containers and
,
,"
labels indicating count
,,~~
a
.
~
'~J-fkQ
,So names 0
'
owners were ost.
,
II.
,
THE EFFORTS OF THE HUNGARIAN JEWISH COMMUNITY TO RECLAIM
THE GOLD TRAIN PROPERTY.
Leaders Of the HungarianJewish community knew before the end of 1945 that United
.
'
,
"
States troops had intercepted the Hungarian Gold Train. On December 20, 1945 representatives of
the Temporary Managing Committee of the Central Bureau o(Hungari~n Jews sent a letter
acknowledging this fact to t h e O ) Legation in'Budapest:' This letter began with the
Committee's own version of
t~ry of the composition of the Gold Train:- ~
NARA, RG 260, Box 77. USFA, USAC ,RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Missing Property.
October 2, 1946.
32 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USFA, U8AC
RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Missing Property.
October 2, 1946.
31
II
�an
In the country,
valuables in Jewish property - even golden wedding rings - have
, been collected by official ,persons before the Jews have been transported to gathering
places in order to ,be deported. The valuables deposited ;by Jewish persons or by the
authorities that have'collected them have been loaded up, later in railway-cars and
carried away in westerndirection, and; as the defeat of ~he German Army became
33
evident, transported to Austria,. after hirvingbeen tithed several times.
Th~S lettef we&lJilj;tber, also desctibill!l ",kat they brew of tITe fate ofille tfaIn
lIf><')n-its.ru:r:i.yal':'~I:l-Austria-:-'Phe-Iettep conceded
•
~
that sonie 100ti':1g of the train had taken
q..
,
place but said that "the remainders ofthese valuables, namely 24 railway cars loaded with
gold, jewels, etc. were surrendered to the American troops in A~stria. ;,34 Of the ownership
of the materials entounteroo by' th~ Americans on the 24 trains,: the Committee argued "as
these valuables were considered, even in terms of the Na,;zi-decrees, as Jewish deposits, they
">,
.
never ceased tO'be the undoubted property of their original owners. 35 . ,
.' C
.
'~rDP~A' . T ' .
'
M
.
The Temporary anagmg onumttee WFe~wbemef1caQ egatJOQ
.
,<,
b
wJt . t
'h' h'
.
ISlst'*Y
. ~i.ag:.t:he Goid Ttain W"sl:lf)pert fortheit pIOpoot~to send a delegation of
the members of the Central Bureau of Hungarian Jews to negotIate the "delivery of the
. '
"J~~. tMOJtH~ cJ...il~J }
above ci!ed values" (sic) from the Ame~qu=rs:3~1I,e Te;:o~ ~a~aging
Committee
'
~lc.aIS
~_n~
VY""
;
of the ownership of the' tram's assets and·
.
--h>'
",
"
.
.
.
~ leg.al?bligation~r th€ir appeal.t@ effect ret~rn1ifth~ objec~ ~.t~
..
r~_~j'
inc1uded~emotiOnal appeal; <me IHghligbtiag.tB&:i.~r-e~l:lm,
,.
.~ Qf the ma~bjeets, of tliC'lIttilI~ s cotltCli1:'S:m:t:mrt1tmgai'itln Jewi~h-.
'
' ; ' .
,
NARA, RG 84, Box (i5: Papers of the US Legation in Budapest, Letter of the Temporary Managing Committee of
Central Bureau of Hungarian Jews, December 20,1945.
.'
34 NARA, RG 84, Box 65. Papers of the US Legation in Budapest, Letter of the Temporary Managing Committee of
Central Bureau ofHungarian Jews, December 20, 1 9 4 5 . : .
'
35 NARA, RG 84, Box 65. Papers of the US Legation in Budapest, Letter ofthe Temporary Managing Committee of
, Central Bureau of Hungarian Jews, December 20, 1945,
•
. : '.'
.'
.
.
36 NARA, RG 84, Box 65. Papers of the US Legation in Budapest; Letter of:the Temporary Managing Committee of
Centra} Bureau of Hungarian Jews; December 20, j 945.
.
33
·12
�,.
The Jews having been robbed also of everything else they possessed, all clothe's',
underwear, furrtiture, etc. it is not only, their undoubted right to claim that the objects
stored in the railway-cars under American Control, should be rendered to them, but
their demand is justified from humane standpoint too. By recovering a part of the
rebuild their hoines and their
, valuables lost, many of them could begin to '
7
. ,
existence. 3
.
.
~e.bisto~ of the ownership gf too ~,..lJSJegalre£.P.onsibilities,..atld-the_abo:v.e-
~~
~:
Vi)
.
.'
.~tatement.of-th~-f>l:lfely-htJmane-0bhgatlOns_mvQLv.ed,
'.
i.'
the U.S. ,Ignored the
'.
, .'
~p~cJJ'
HungarIan~eSltlon
to
send a delegation to review the property.
On January 2, 1946 H.P. Arthur-Schoenfeld, the US Envoy to Hungary informed the State
~,
"
Department about the letterll the Temporary Managing Committee ef, the CemmJ-B'Htea:tEef
-::Mattgal.kt~an~conversation, on December 27, 1945, with the gentlemen who
presented the letter, I told them the matter seemed to be one forthe Hungarian Foreign Office."
'~
~
(RG Box 103, File 840.1, Papers of US Legation in Budapest. Letter of H.F. Arthur·
84,
Schoenfeld, the US Envoy to Hungary to the Secretary of State, January 2, 1946.)
1
.
In July 1946 Nyaradi,
~thOrities
~,.~)(~
~,
.
,
'
the~nister of Hungarian Government,visited Berlin and tried to convince
not to dispose the property found on the ':Gold Train". Nyaradi informed the
US Authorities that about 200JOO Jews remained in Hungary and that the Hungarian Government
in coopeFation-wi:tirfewish-eI:g
'zations is forming the Jewish Rehabilitation Agency. RG 84,
Box 103, File 840.1, Papers of US Legation in Budapest, Telegram # 43 from USPolad, Berlin,
~litme:ve;rhe initiative of the Hungarian Government ~change the opinion of the
~~ \\ot J ~;)
US authorities.
•
f
~
By 1947, it was well known that the US government was planning to sell tl!e"contents 'of the
~\t..~ public auction. The proceeds of the auction were to be used for 'the benefit of the Unit~d
Nations International Refugee Organization (IRO).
T~e
f
leadership of the Hungarian Jewish
37 NARA, RG 84, Box 65. Papers of the US Legation in Budapest, Letter of the Temporary Managing Committee of
Central Bureau of Hungarian Jews, December 20, 1945.
13
�, .,
.
"
.
.
.
.
community, in respons:io this plan, tried many timesto convirice the
.
~~
Ameri~ans not to ~~
~ to return ~li¥fiI."Y to its rightful owners.
.
Their attempts began with a February 21, 1947 relegram from the Central Board of Jews in
Hungary to the Department of the State: The \S'eiufiiI
BeaR!J.l§WFe~
Undersigned legal representative bodies of the Hungarian Jewry were informed with
deep consternation of the fact that the United States Government is planning to
transfer the value of so called Golden Train which forms the property of Hungarian
"
Jewry to the Refugee Committee of the UNO.
Instead of transferring the objects to the IRO, the Central Board ~~~ijf.,fI'R!t!ett::te'l~~~~st;;.o.
"emphatically" that the U.S. Government place the "valuables abducted with so-called Golden
Train" for which the US had authority "at the disposal of the lawful representative bodies of
~
Hungarian Jewry.38
.
ro<'
A later February 1947 letter, ~his time from both the Central Board of Jews in Hungary and
the Autonomous Orthodox Israelitic Religious Bodies, was seni to
~gation in Budapest on
.
February 26, 1947. This letter once again appealed to the humanitarian r~asons for the return of the
Gold Train
operty in arguing that:
Hungarian Jewry suffered immeasurable losses in human lives and property owing
to Fascistic inhumanity. 600,000 Hungarian Jews lost their lives in Nazi
concentration camp. The remaining valuables of the 200,000 Hungarian Jews, who
survived, are on the "Train of Gold" andwe think that the great6st injustice would
befall these people if they could not get back even their remaining few valuables
after what they have beenthrough.39
., .
,In addition to stressingthe humanitarian responsibility of returning goods to the Hungarians, the
letter also ex res sed great a concern for the ramifications of such an auction. The Hungarians
feared such action as a part of the Gold Train's goods were rob1;led and did not ever fall into US
.
. :
~
NARA, RG 84, Box 4, Papers of the US Legation in Budapest. Telegram of the Central Board of Jews in Hungary to
lhe Department of Slale, February 21 , 1947.
39 NARA, RG 84, Box 4. Papers of the US Legation in Budapest, Letter of the Central Board of Jews in Hungary and
the Autonomous Orthodox Israelitic Religious Bodies in Hungary tolhe US .Legation in Budapest; February 26, 1947.
.
.
,
38
14
�·
.
I
.
hands. The members of Hungarian Jewish organiZation knew from 1945 on that some of the gQods
"
'
had been taken into the custody of French forces oand they were con~erned that if Americans
4
auctioned the valuables found in Werfen then the French government would follow their example.
Additionally the letter emphasized that the property to he aucti<imed could be identified and traced
to specific heirs,th~s violating stat~d US policy of restitution.
41
Nevertheless, the United States ignored the pleas of the Hungarian Jews and eventually
directed them to seek answers elsewhere. On May
19, 1947 the Sec~nd Secretary of the American
Legation to Hungary, Robert S. Folsom, replied to the Central Board on behalf ofthe Legation's
minister. He defended the decision to auction goods, saying:
With the approval of the United States Government, the Commanding General, U.S.
Forces, Austria, determined, that the property should be turned over the (sic)
Intergovernmental Committee of Refugees for relief and rehabilitation of non
repatriablevictims of German action. This means in practice, that ninety percent of
proceeds will be disposed of by Am~riean Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and
,the Jewish Agency for Palestine. This decision was based on the fact, that it was
impracticable to return individual items to the original owners or heirs and is
believed to be in best interest ofclass who were despoiled. 42
If the Central Board had retained any hope of appealing this deyision, that hope was dispelled in
May 1947. Secretary of State George Marshall cabeled the American Legationon May 19, 1947
with the followil!g description of the American response to sucp lingering hopes:
[Hungarian Finance Minist~r] Nyaradi was informed of this decision on visit here
and was told no disposition to reconsider. If represent~tives Central Board inquire,
you should inform them accordingly. You may suggest that so far as their interests
are involved they may wish to consult with the above two Jewish organizations.43
NARA, RG 84, box 4, Letter to the Department of State from the Centrat:Boa~d of Jews of Hungary, July 28, 1947.
NARA, RG 84, box 4. Papers of the US Legation in Budapest, Letter of the Central Board of Jews in Hungary and
the Autonomous Orthodox Israelitic Religious Bodies in Hungary to the US Legation in Budapest, February 26, 1947.
42 NARA, RG 84, box 4, The papers of the US Legation in Budapest, Robert S. Folson of American Legation in
Budapest to Central Board of Jews in Hungary, May 19, 1947.
'
43 NARA, RG 84, box 4, The papers of the US Legation in Budapest. Cable of General Marshall, May 29, 1947.
40
41
15
�However -the U. 8:"1egation ·did"11Otiml"J."Y""tO-de:liver-th-e-di-S-appointhrg-news The "esc l !! tj on. as
on May 19 did the legation notify the Central Board of Jews in Hungary about the final decision of
the American authorities. 45
\\~
.
vv5:
.
~ ~ ~ I ~\Q.
V'Q.(~j~. l~(
~~
ca.6lQ..& ..
~.~<t~. ~.(,
.
.
.
Despite the isfoimatioft fSsei·~fItthe US Legation, the Hungarian Jews continued to
rb3 r~ c/l)
.
,
~equest the return of their property. Hungarian Jewish leaders again addressed the State
.
·,tiAu.J\.u~ .~ ~aJ ~CJ.Ad
Department in a letter dated July 28, 1947 ...;.fn:it;-re:pr~rat1v.es_of:tl'ie-Gentf.al~80aFa-0f":'Jews
<t
~
informed the Department that they had not received any answer from the French authorities about
the fate of the treasures captured by the French troops in Austria and they once again asked the
~_.
American side to revise th.~e_ir_d_ec_is_io_n_.4_6___ .
.
Ghe Central Board of Jews in Hungary continued their plea concerning the treatment of the goods,
saying:
~
A fraction of the deported Jews returned to Hungary - another fraction escaped at
home - these lay a legitimate claim to the valuables they or their relatives were
robbed of. So, where the possibility of identification exists beyond doubt and is
proved, the owner reclaims his valuables rightfully on the basis of the principle of
47
.
private property.
. .
!.fite Gentral Beard requested permission from American authorities for representatives or/he
Special Commission of the Hungarian Ministry of Finance on the Restitution of Jewish ,Property to
NARA, RG 84, Box 4, The papers of the US Legation in Budapest. Cable ofGeneral Marshall, May 29,1947.
NARA, RG 84, Box 4, Papers of the US Legation in Budapest. Letter of American Legation to the Centr~1 Board of .
Jews in Hungary, May 19, 1947.
46 NARA, RG 84, Box 4, Papers of the US Legation in Budapest. Letter to the Department of State from the Central
Board of Jews in Hungary, July 28, 1947.
47 NARA, RG 84, Box 4, Papers of the US Legation in Budapest. Letter to the Department of Slate from the Central
Board of Jews in Hungary, July 28, 1947.
44
45
16
�visit and examine the stored valuables. Their ultimate desire was that such examination would start
the process of restitution to Hungary of identifiable property.48,.
<;. :
Once again, the United States refused their request,.although t h e g , t i o n did
attempt to question the policy governing such refusal. On October 23, 1947 the US Legation in .
.
.
Budapest sent a telegram to the Department of Stat
~S\V\'~~
,1~~C()RGeJ(Rs;:: -heY-VJfl3t~ "after
further reflection," the Legation
ventures suggestion that our proposal to tum over identifiable Jewish property at
Salzburg to IGCR might be inconsistent with our previous liberal policy for
restitution of identifiable Hungarian displaced property: and with the spirit of
.
Articles 27 and 30 of the treaty.[Paris Conferencet9
~-'--I-gn-O-r-in-g-t-h-e-re-pe-a-te-d-r-e-q-ue-s-ts-o-f-H-u-ng-ar-ia-n-s-fo-r-r-e-co-n-s....id-e-r-at-io-n-,-an-d-t-he-re-q-u-es-t-f-o-r-th-e--
same from the American Legation,.a part of the contents of the "Gold Train" was auctioned in New
York by the Preparatory. Committee of the International Refugee Organization (PCIRO) in July
1948. The Department of State sent a July 28, 1948 letter to the US Legation in Budapest
explaining the US position: "The basis for this action was the decision of this Government to apply
to so-called non.:.monetary gold found in Austria the principles of Article 8 of the Paris Repatriation
Agreement of December 1945 and of the Five Power Agreement of June 1946 for the
implementation of this provision."so The ietter continued to inform the Legation:
On May 29, 1948, the Hungarian Restitution Mission in Geneva wrote to the
Preparatory Commission of the IRO requesting that the property in question be
withheld from disposition and returned to Hungary, indicating in the same time that
an official restitution claim therefore had been filed with American authorities in
Austria on October 17, 1947, and had. not been acted u~on ... PCIRO replied to the
NARA, RG 84, Box 4, Papers of the US Legation in Budapest Letter to the Department of State from the Central
.
.
Board of Jews in Hungary, July 28, 1947.
49 NARA, RG 84, Box 4, Papers of the US Legation in Budapest. Telegram to the Department of State, October 23,
1947.
50 NARA, RG 84, box 106, Papers of the US Legation in Austria. Letter of the Department of State to the US Legation
Budapest July 27, 1948.
.
48
17·
�..
.,.
effect that it could not question the determination of unidentifiability which the US
military authorities had made concerning the gold train ... "SJ
The decision of the Commanding General of USFA in 1945 as to the "unidentifiability~' of the
train's contents governed every subsequent decision on possible restitution of goods to Hungary.
Even the pcrno, when they gained control of the objects and were asked by the Hungarians
directly, could not revoke the Commander General's initial
det~rmination of the
nature of the
objects ownership.
IV.
THE AUCTION OF THE "GOLD TRAIN" TREASURES"
1"""'_ _ .
.
I
~S ~ ~ ~\Juv:> of ~ ~ltA\CV\.-.: ~UJh \.JIvV\(}I\..(A~)
~he U.S. Government decided in 1946 that a substantial part of the "Gold Train"
.
treasures would be auctioned in New York. 52
Jewis~
property found
.Wk~s ~ew
i~
.
Werfen was sent overseas and which part was disposed of in Europe)
. that the sales of
.
A-~' :ll
If. remains unknown which part of the looted
"owner1es~i' property organized. by Preflarat(!)lly..€~mifte.-&=Gf--
.
-tbe mtemat.ioaal :R:emgee Qfgat'l'iz-atiefl=t)f-l:J'N (PCIRO) involved objects found by American
troops in both Germany and Austria, including some of the "Gold Train" treasures. These
objects were mixed together in Germany before their transportation to New York. Of the objects
sent, only jewelry and miscellaneous items were selected for the auction sales. The fate of gold.
and silver bullion, coins and currency found.on board of the "Gold Train"
~s not known. s3 Ray .
C. Kramer, appointed in November of 1947 as the Chairman of the Advisory Liquidation
Leo
Committee of the tatematioRsl RefugeeOt=ga~ was responsible for th~ organization of the
sales. The
~~n also e~tablished the Merchandising Committee,
which was charged with the preparation oftwo auctions.
.
~)~. ~
··M=XW @lC
NARA, RG 84, box 106, Papers of the us Legation in Austria. Letter of the Department ofState to the US Legation
Budapest July 27, 1948.
.
' .
52 Adoption of the Paris Conference Agreement, 1946...
..
.
,.'.
..' .
53 The Presidentiai Advisory Commission is currently researching the final disposition of these items.
51
'. .
�'. .
,
.
1948. The New York Times reported: "In the first, June 16 to 18, jewelry and diamonds will be
offered, while in the second, June 20 to 25; silver; glass, china; and gold objects will be put up
,\t}(f)h\~
,
'
',PCIfU)
,:
for bids.,,54 ~month before the sale, the representatives ofthe-J.lfe~8ffttory
"eOImnittee-ofthe-Intemationai
Refu~\~~learly u~d~rstand what part' of the '
r~b.R~~"..J
"
'
treasures captured in Europe~tlld lecei~ orhow much they would bring,at the au~tion.
at ~ NfuJ q(f\t-
,
Arthur G. Alschul, a journalist covering the sales noted: ' _ , '
d
n~
,
neither Mr. ~amer [the Chairman ofthe Advisory Liquidation Committee 9f the
International Refugee Organization], nor Leslie A. Hyam, the vice-president of
Parke-Bernett... would venture an estimate on the total value of the war loot. Rough
estimates of the total worth of valuables captured by the United States in Austria"
and Germany approximated $ 4,000,000. However, what part of that property
eventually will be brought into the United States, and what the potential market for
it will be, is impossible to judge now. 55
"
',~
,
,
The auction was planned as a non-profit sale, although Alschul stats that this "problem was
complicated in February with the ruling by the office of the Attorney General that the goods
,~
. .
UJaJ
all 0/
,
could not be admitted for sale duty free to the United States.,,56 In a6ciitiI5uto the f'FGblerns '
(}..~~'
, "
~eci by ft"6uty levied ()n the-goods-npon-entranceto·the·enited-States~s, "it was
\,.\
~ ...
the regular excise tax would have to be paid by persons, who bought silver and other
taxable items.,,57
Crates with Jewish property labeled "unidentifiable as to ownership" started to arrive to
?,
Staten Island in the middle of December of 1947 accoFciing-w ~'Schuf. A-stJbs@q'l:leflt Jtn'te 19Zf8"'"
-alrivai of-goods and Cheir aucuon in lune 1948. "Inthe meanwhile;~he-at1:iel~
"Vast Loot of Nazis Will
"Vast Loot of Nazis Will
56 "Vast Loot of Nazis Will
57 "Vast Loot of Nazis Will
54
55
Be Sold Here",
Be Sold Here",
Be Sold Here",
Be Sold. Here",
NYT, 5/22/48
NYT. 5122/48
NYT. 5122/48
NYT, 5122/48
19
�entatives at the Sofia BFOthefS
emrer-'~I'e examining and cataloguing the contents
Warehol:lsc, Sixty-first Street and Eol
Ott
~
~Ntrt -\'V.Q ~ ~
of thirty-five of 136 large cases"1tl!Ble=:£m:~~~~g~~~~~;t=eemtent8"t)t4b~':ba~~,::'4h@;.,_"
'h,o
CYfL.
b~~
'New York T~"were unknown until opened."s9 ,
.::&ccoi:ding ,to.this article 'Fhe Parke-Bernet experrs-unpaCKe(nne loot "assorte"'d-in-EuropC"in
~~~.,
.
.
~.,
<the most mGuJlentary mannez:....;·":
three to fo
e experts divided the jewell1: .into 400 catalogue lots, with
6:.
. es in each lot. Items' neluded iR-the~olry.sale woaltl ae a large miscellaneous
collection of unset diamonds along with other precious ston'es, pearls, necklaces, gold and jeweled
watches, and numerous pieces of Victorian jewelry with varying types of semiprecious stones 61
The ~ provided it!Lown description of the contents of the..crates..aS-tlley-wereupeneG-i.n..tbe
.
.
J U:1'7j
. .r2 ,-", +... J
-al:ltheF!s-t>resenee-itrt~lre1SWarehouse. The artIcle state~: ,L~ ~ 1~~~ r.Q
r_·.. ~
~
~
~
d- -tv.e
~
~
. . . I~r"'<..(¥ a::r
\'''''f''
Laid out on tables were dozens of tinted and cut glass goblets and liqueur glasses,
decorative porcelain vases, Bohemian cut sapphire blue and ruby glassware,
Meissen, Dresden, Berend, Rosenthal, a.nd Vienna porcelain statuettes and figure~
groups, eighteenth and nineteenth century Continental pewter flagons and tureen~...-.
6,
~orld
~
" h.. .
'\J
f this Jewish pro~
Ct
c)
ivaI at Staten'
0 An
estimated 22 tons is on hand, marked and unmarked, used and unused, plain and
ornate, consisting of every conceivable shape of platter, tureen, tray and dish, and
great quantity of candlesticks, vases and dishes, single and sets.,,63
"Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations"; NYT, 06123/48.
"Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations", NYT, 06/23/48.
. 60 "Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations", NYT, 06/23/48.
61 "Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations", NYT, 06/23/48.
62 "Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations", NYT, 06/23/48.
63 "Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations", NYT, 06123148.
58
59
20
~
.
�"
,'"
~f' OfthisJe warehouses also contained about 4,~00 oriental rugs, photo cameras,'
microscopes, iaces, tapestries, and thousands of other items. 64
JUdging by the press reports after the auction, the sales
:
~ere
successful. On June
/'
23, 1948 the New York Times wrote that the sale of June 22 brought 40 percent over
expectation.65 "The week receipts total $ l52,850"-accOrdin~York Times article
two days later.66 Such a reaction was a boon for the
?
eparatofy Co
'.,
,
·ttee. This
Committee designed the New York auction as an experiment to determine the best way of
disposal of ownerless assets. In A:lsssI:II' 8 May New ¥eric Ti:m:es-aft.ie-le,.liG-Wt:ero-ae0I:lt-tfie
~,
K::tamer [the Chairman of the Aovisoqt Lkjurdamm=eonmrit:tee'"of:t:I:te .
lDtematjonal::Reftlgee Olgmliza~ed that the principal problem facing him
and his committe~ was the manner in which the goods will be disposed. It was
decided that that for miscellaneous items, the auction was the best medium, and that
the results of the June sales at Parke-Bernet will be watched with a view to setting
.'.
.
the pattern for future sales all over the country.67
',
.
V.THE FATE OF PAINTINGS FROM THE "GOLD TRAIN"
~.f2p~~<jJt.j
James Rorimer, the Monuments, Fe; ~rts and Archives (MFA& ~0~ficer and a.
representative of the Collecting Point Munich, was in Austria in 1945 when the "Gold Train" was
found by the American troops in Werfen. Later he remembered:
In Werfen and vicinity there were concentration of German soldiers and
ordnance equipment, including small arms and acres of broken-down trucks.
On the railroad tracks were fifty-two box cars, twenty of them containing
miscellaneous loot from Hungary. In an effort to keep this cargo from the
Russians, who had been advancing rapidly in the east, forty-two Hungarian
guards under compUlsion from the Nazis accompanied a gruesome mixture of
gold wedding rings (in case too heavy for two men to lift), household
furnishing, money, watches, diamonds, dress goods, building stone, carbon,
"Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations", NYT, 06123/48,
"Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations", NYT, 06123/48.
66 "Nazi Loot Brings $31,520," NYT, 06125/48,
67 "Vast Loot of Nazis Will Be Sold Here", NYT, 5/22/48
64
65
21
�I" .
fI
boards, empty cans and rubbish, objects from the Museum in Gyor, and people.
Arpad Toldy, 'who had accompanied the shipment from Hungary, escaped with
the inventories of the contents of the train before it fell into American hands.
We did not envy Major Laughlin, the executive officer of the 15 th Regiment,
3rd Division, XV Corps, who with the Property Control officer would have to
decide how to handle these carloads of problems. I recommended that the
material of artistic value be sent to collecting points being established in
,
, . '
Salzburg and Munich. 68
~No
attention was paid to Rorimer's recommendation f~r the next two years.
~~ro~ ~he paintings were placed in the Military Government Warehouse in Salzburg
~ n October 1947:aid SOni0eH0 return to:the paii)fiii:~Evelyn Tucker,
MFA & A representative in. Austria, was informed about the existence ofsome
, paintings in the Military Government Warehouse.
On October 23. Tucker wrote in her monthly report:
Was informed in Salzburg that there. are approximatelY,200 paintings from the
Werfen Train loot which have been set aside and are presently stored in a small
room in the upstairs of the MG Warehouse in Salzburg .. I understand from the
men in Salzburg handling this property that they have no instructions
whatsoever concerning these paintings, and they seem to doubt that they will
.
. .
' .
have.69
Even before Tucker's visit to Salzburg, the Chief ofRD&R Division, according to the
. Commanding Officer of Detachment 7753, issued an order for release of paintings.
On November 5, 1947, he wrote: "You are authorized to release to the custody and
control of Miss Eve Tucker. MFA&A representative of this Division approximately.
two hundred (200) paintings presently stored in the Military Government Warehouse
.
I' .
James J. Rorimer, Survival. The Salvage and Protection of Art in War (New York: Aberlard Press, 1950), pp. 155
.
.
.
69 NARA. RG 260. box 160. USFA General Records. Field Report of Evelyn Tucker to Hq USFA-USCA RD&R
Division Repatriation & Restitution Branch. October 23, 1947.
'
.
68
~
22
�. .
'
in Salzburg.,,7o Identification of thepa~ntings was limited to physical location and one
small phrase describing the paintings as being "allegedly of Hungarian origin.,,71
Between November 6 and November 11, 1947 Evelyn Tucker finally made her
, . ,visit to Salzburg. Upon returning to Vienna she reported:
Paintin
allegedly Hungarian) in MG Warehouse. Went to the warehouse in
compan with Major Langer and Mr. Kennedy to inspect the paintings (which had
been est mated at around 200), which were stored upstairs in the "gold room."n
the w
house Tucker found not 200, but 1, 181 paintings. All of them were
allegedly of the Hu'ngarian origin. The 200 paintings were found not on the
"\
,~~:r~
,
the Castle Fischhom where the Nazis established a repository of artworks looted from
\
Central Europe: In 1946 these paintings were removed from the Castle an~ combined
in the warehouse with paintings from the Gold Train. The military authorities
, believed the paintings wert: not of important value and treated them accordingly.
Evelyn Tucker wrote about this estimatIon:
The idea that these paintings were worthless is fallacious - how this idea
could have grown and been given any credence is unknown inasmuch as no
inventory appears to exist and very few people seemed to know of their
existence. Major Langer insist~d when I first approached him on these
paintings that th~re were no such paintings in the warehouse ... yet when he
dictated the receipt to his secretary the next day he added (not for inclusion
in the receipt) value $ 10.00. I smiled and "You will be surprised Major
Langer when I tell you I found a little etching signed "Rembrandt 1639" and
a van Ruysdael "Seascape" ... By the time I left Salzburg we had inventoried
about 300 paintings. While I do not p~ofess to be an art expert, my opinion
for wh,at it is worth, is that as a whole the paintings are not by the best artists
73
.
"
though many of them are very good.
NARA, RG 260, Box 158, USFA General R~cords, Subject: Paintings (allegedly Hungarian}Stored in M.G..
Warehouse, Salzburg. November 5,1947.
71 NARA, RG 260, Box 158, USFA General Records, Subject: Paintings (allegedly Hungarian) Stored in M.G.
Warehouse, Salzburg. November 5,1947.
72 NARA, RG 260, box 160, USFA General Records, Field Report of Evelyn Tucker to Hq USFA-USCA RD&R
Division Repatriation & Restitution Branch for the period November 6-11, 1947
'
73 NARA, RG 260, box 160, USFA General Records, Field Report of Evelyn Tucker to Hq USFA-USCA RD&R
Division Repatriation '& Restitution Branch for the period November 6-11, ~947.
70
23
�'J' ,
.,
...,
-----1f$> .
~
.
Later on January 5, 1949, thes€PSal'IiC"Gold Train" paintings were transferred into the
tQUJ\S~
.
~
~
.~
cu~tody of the Federal Go~ernment of Austri\~r document weU;. signed by Vernon R. . ,.
Kennedy, the Chief of Property Control and Restitution Branch of the Headquarters of Zone
Command Austria and by Joseph Reith, minister of the Austria,n Government.
'"
,
"',~
74
c..e.d
f'\Pn~
~ V'-1
~~anuary 1951 '<fucument .
~~: "Disposition of Art Objects and Scientific Works under USFA Control~'f.hi3 Slaw
Two years later the Gold Train
.
~hlV'\
'
, '
0>
~eDt docu~I&i~ why the paintings were transferred into Austrian custody:
In January 1949, the art objects were turned over to the Austrian Government'
subject to further U.S. directives. It is believed that these works had been in
the possession of middle-class Hungarians, many (but not all) 'of whom were.
dead. Some ofthe survivors continued to live in Hungary, while others had
emigrated. The Austrian Monuments and Fine Arts Office agreed with the
opinion that the artworks were impressive, primarily because of their number
and not because of their known or possible individual value. There exist
doubts here whether they would be of any significance to any future general
exchange agreement of cultural objects among any nations concerned. In view
of their origin and by virtue of the identity of mQst of the artists of the oil,
paintings, insofar as they are known from signatures, the objects should
undoubtedly be considered Hungarian art. This would place them into the
category of property, which is part of the cultural heritage of a nation and
would ordinarily be returned to that nation. It is believed that it should be not
returned by the U.S. t6 Hungary at this time'in as much'as this would be
inconsistent with the action taken in January 1949 under which the U.S.
transferred the matter of restitution claims affecting alleged'Hungarian
properties located in the U.S. zone of Austria to the Austrian Government.
Such transfer would further almost certainly produce strong objections on the
part of the Austrian Government for the reason that Austria and its nationals
have lost many assets of all types in Hungary by virtue of postwar Hungarian'
legislation and feel that they should be given the opportunity of strengthening'
their bargaining position in an expected general settlement between the two
nations.
This office recommends Department approval that these objects be released
from US control and be turned over to the control of the Austrian Government
as apparently Hungarian property.75
NARA, RG 260, USACA Records, USFA, box 100, Transfer Receipt from USFA to Austria, January 5,1949.
NARA, RG 59, Box 16, Disposition of Art Objects and Scientific Works under USFA Control. From Walter
'
Dowlling, the Deputy High Commissioner to the Department of State. 01.12. 1951.
74
75
24
�JI
•
.
.
..
.
<,
\Cl.t\ ......
\ \<.9f-~
xa-
-: \ (l\JJ6
\j~.
A
r
/
,.('\1
V
UJ
~1 r;xlJ~,
--.
.,
r
Hand-written note(of Ardelia Hail provide further iI].fotmation about
the Hungarian~ painting
~
J
<7h
~,
.
~
Gx:)d. -r~ ~
. I
Train - Wurfen - stopped there in Wurfen. Mostly property Nazis looted from
Jews. Paintings brought to Salzburg in storage inKarabinersaal in Rezidentz..,
where inventory was made. Wiesbaden had about 11,000 pieces of silver from
• 76
.
...
atram.·
" . . . J . . .. I.. _. • ...."
.
~
~ Xn0ther
~YNY\d~ ~ 'l~. ~"'f ->
..
~I
dOCUffi€ t ....>21'(
.~
EMe :kiiiiiJittg,
..
.
. ,.
"Co~fidential Security Information,"
.
dated March 26, 1952 wa,& alse subtitled: "Hungarian Cultural Property in U.S. Custody;:
document,
~
~ -\\a-U. .
.
~e. her VIews on the S~: . . cultural PlOll~
~ISpOSlh@Ii1=@fkl:lGUgamm
I would like to propose that all cultural property of Hungarian ownership will be held
indefinitely for eventual return to the rightful owners arid that this fact should be broadcast
to Hungary.
. Hungarian cultural property includes:
1) Hungarian library, under seizure by the Alien Property Custodian, stored at
Columbia University;
2) The 1176 paintings from the Hungarian Gold Train now in U.S. control, stored
in the Residing Depot, Salzburg, Austria;
3) The Crown of St. Stephen and related objects: '
"'~
.
~
I was informed by the last MFA&A officer in Austria that the names of the
individual owners and addresses in Hungary were attached to the paintings.
Should I find evidence of ownership of these 1176 paintings when I go to
Salzburg, I would suggest that the detail~d list of the objects and owners,'
painting by painting should be broadcast to Hungary with the statement that the
property is held under trusteeship for eventual return to:the owners,,77
Thi~ was never send to Budapest.
r~~- Q.~
Furthermore, an anonymous
document titled: "Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Problems in Europe" noted:
In Austria there remains the largest holdings of cultural property awaiting.
appropriate disposition. There are three blocks of art to be dealt with under
U.S. policy... The second block of art includes approximately 2,000 objects
formerly under USFA control, presumably restitutable. Miss Hall, when in
NARA, RG 59, box 61, not dated.
NARA, RG 59, box 17, Confidential - Security Information. Hungarian Cultural Property in U.S. Government
Custody, March 26,1952.
·76
77
25
�Austria, completed the cataloguing of these items, had photograp~s where
necessary made, and began the works of identifying ownership .... "7s'
~f ~b~E"~I'
'A'
fh"
f'
h GldT'
"
n mventory 0 t e pamtmgs rom t e o
ram ~ m act, vv.....1"""'''''... Y ve yn
'
~--'.
Tucker, and was included in the Report on Cultural Properties under U.S. Control of the Office
"
of the U.S. High Commissioner for Austria.
~
Unfortunately Tucker's'
inventory did not include information about ownership.79
There is no indication that the Hungarian government was informed about the paintings
from the Gold Train. On June 3, 1953 Dr. Otto Demus, the Chairman of the Federal Monuments'
Office of Austria (Bundesdenkmalamt) visited Washington and met with Ardelia Hall and
George Freimarck of the Department of State. The Memorandum of Conversation.s-~ S~ ~
, .. ~J.
according to Dr. Demus and Miss Hall, there are two other 'blocks' of art objects whose,
ownership is either in doubt or not Austrian property. These are a collection of "some 1500
paintings" which are presently housed in a mine near Bad Aussee and a collection of 967
paintings from the former Munich Collecting Point."so The latter work:)originating from the
Alte Aussee salt-mine, were sent to the Munich Collecting Poi~tKnd returned to Austria.l!'~
9 . ...rlslf'ln $ili6m'g. According to Dr. Demus the 1500 paintings in Bad Aussee were, clearly looted
""e
Hungarian property. He described them as "mostly 20th century stuff and quite worthless;"sl
The 967 paintings from the Munich Collecting Point were described as "mainly looted and some
NARA; RG 59, box 17, Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Problems in Europe, September 26,
1952. (Unfortunately the mentioned photographs were not found.)
,
78
NARA. RG 59, box 25, Office of the U.S. High Commissioner for Austria. Report on Cultural Properties under U.S.
Control, June 11, 1951.
80 NARA, RG 59, box 16, Department of State, Memorandum of Conversation. Subject: Identification and Restitution
of Art Treasures Currently in Austria. Participants: Miss Ardelia Hall- ICS, Department, George Freimarck - WEIP.
Department, Dr. Otto Demus Chairman of Federal ,Monuments Office of Austria, June 3, 1953.
81 NARA, RG 59, box 16, Department ofState, Memorandum of Conversation.' Subject: Identification and Restitution
of Art Treasures Currently in Austria. Participants: Miss Ardelia Hall - ICS, Department, George Freimarck - WEIP,
Department, Dr. Otto Demus - Chairman of Federal Monuments Office of Austria, June 3, ] 953.
79
26
\
�ain that some among them are Austrian property. Both the Aussee and
Salzburg block are nder control.of US Hi&h Commissioner for Austria (USCOA).82
.
.
(1) ~
. . W
(()AIM.hJ·
#
~
~n September 20, 1945, lawyers ~ Mrs. Joli Gergely a:d'ttfes'Se~ a claim f0 the A ~an
\
.
\~~ dl ~ cUev\"tIJ..J . ~ ~ ~ O\- A.rr,
ion in Switzerland for th~property.OftheiI eliem. ~I\t, Mis. OetgNy, fiad'prepeFty.
.
i\fA.
_=IS-e~~the train found by Ute U.S. troops in Werfen. Lawyers ofMt·s.@crgeiy
...QXP~ ~. ~ ~J
'ed
l,
tje 7
PYb~
Oh)
~:-Clur iI2fu3iJ:, a "non-aryal\' __left Hungary in order to escape Pi).'ee:prosecution1fIfd=h'as
t~;r:nce in Switzerland some yearsaf?o.
Ger.
h.a...J
~
..
.
Her husband who had to stay in Hungary,
there~olaus von Csillaghy, a friend of Gergely family, took care of their property,
I
tre Ocrgely-belOiigi'ifgs including jewelry, linen, laces, clothe, silverware and paintings wme·
~
oaded at the "Golden Train."
0
On February 8, 1946 Mrs. Gergely's lawyers sent the American authorities 1i\W detailed list of
the property of their client and the results of their investigation.
Every piece of the luggage - they wrote - is the property of our customer, Mrs. Joli
Gergely. The tru~ks were, however, marked outside as being the property of Mr.
Nikolaus von Csillaghy, a friend of Mrs. Gergely, and who at the time attended t6 the
transport of the luggage. The car 55438'containing the property of our client, has·
been unloaded at the goodstation in Salzburg-Lehen ("Heereszeugmagazin") on 24th
of July 1945. Lieutenant Colonel Heller, an American subject, and his secretary Miss
Schnee dealt with the matter. When submitting the inventory of the luggage, Mr. Von·
NARA, RG 59, box 16, Department of State, Memorandum of Conversation. Subject: Identification and Restitution
of Art Treasures Currently in Austria. Participants: Miss Ardelia Hall- ICS, Department, George Freimarck - WEIP,
Department, Dr. Otto Demus - Chairman of Federal Monuments Office of Austria, June 3, J953.
83 NARA, RG 260, Box 99, USfA Reparation and Restitution Branch, Letter of Fides Union Fiduciary to the American
Legation in Bern. September 20, 1945.
82
27
�Csillaghy discussed the matter with Lieutenant Colonel Heller ...Basing on this
discussion it should be ~ossible to proceed with the investigations about the property
~fou~nt'sluggage.
4
~-rreviouUonOctoeer3,.194Q tR~hief
~
.
g .
fRo & R.
?
.~~1br~~
ra~ch.se~&the Property
.
.
Control Officer~ "it is the opinion in this office that this property could be released to the
. individual concerned ...),85 Ne'l~leGs OR Octebef~ the P~operty Control Officer replied ~~~
~ ;11eU@f ef Lieutenant Colonel McKee-witfl-the-pessimiStic-ansWer: •
The property of Mrs. Joli Gergely which was taken into custody with the Werfen
Train material is still in the possession of this office; however, the identification of the
subject property will be most difficult. Officers who were formerly in charge of the
Property Control Warehotlsein.Salzburg, believed that the material could not be
identified and restituted. Therefore, in order to preserve clothing, linens; etc., such
articles were removed from their original containers, treated with moth-repellent and
placed in n~w bQxes. 86 •
., .
. '
;
~ ~tr"--~ . . . .
, .
Despite aJ.+.@f..tbt.=n~, the Property Control and Restitution Section of the
~.
~
Headquarters of the Zone Command of Austri~ realized the rightful owners of
~
.
aJ~
,
...
Jlv4....~ paintings and one icojon February 2, 194~ "Gele Trai8" ffiB:teriah:
:::;.
il1duded ;1 pai8tiags belonging to Ni:Ioolaus '108 EsiUagby, ~mti:n:gs:aud:aft::ieen,;-_
-,
1'Fope.§¥efMFs.~gely~.-
s
~ ~ ~1.f1I'JWJ,
'
-l
s, miniatures and prints
4
NARA, RG 260, Box 29, USFA Reparation and Restitution Branch, Letter of Fides Union Fiduciary to the Allied
Military Government, Salzburg, February 8, 1946.
'
.
85 NARA, RG 260, Box 99, USFA, USACA, RD & R DiVIsion. Property Control Branch, Subject: Personal Property·
and Werren Train. October 3, 1946.
86 NARA, RG 260, Box 99, USFA, USACA, RD.& R Division, Property' Control Branch, Subject: Personal Property .
and Werfen Train. October 18, 1946.
. .
87 NARA, RG 260, Box 99, USFA, Reparations and Restitution Branch, Restitution Receipt for Paintings Belonged to
Nikolaus von Csillaghy and Joli Gergely. February 2, 1948.
.
84
28
�in the luggage of VonCsill'aghy/Gergely, confiscated by the US Troops in 1945, only
the above 8 artworks were found in 1948.
VI.
(I
CONCLUSIONS
\\0
.
~
On January 14, 1946 the United States signed an Agreement establishing the inter-allied
reparation agency. The Governments of the USA, Great Britain, France, Yugoslavia and
.
\ __ OAAnA
~ ~
.
.
..
.. . . .
C)echoslovakia tb:.t:ided that: "A share of reparation consisting of all the non-monetary gold found
by the Allied Armed Forces in Germany and in addition a sum not exceeding 25 million dollars
shall be allocated for the rehabilitation and resettlement of non-repatriable victims of German.
action." This agreement had the noble task to help displaced persons, victims of the Nazi
. oppression. However the agreement mentioned only "non-monetary gold" and "assets of victims of
Nazi action who have since died arid left no heirs." (Appendix B)
In 1945, it was possible to identify the owners of the contents of the "Gold Train" found by
the US troops in We!fen, Austria. About 200.000 Jews (approx~ma:tely a quarter of the pre-war
Jewish population of Hungary) survived the Nazi occupation. Their property - furniture,
chinaware, clothes, paintings and even wedding rings formed a significant part of the "Gold Train"
cargo.. Despite the ob~ious ownership, the pleas of the Hungarian Jewish community, and the fate
of Hungarian Jewry at Nazi hands, the US military authorities refused all addresses from the
Hungarian Jewish community and denied access to the military :warehouses for Hungarian
representatives.
Motives of such refusal can be construed as various. Presumably the Military
Administration tried to avoid a long and difficult process of identification of the looted proPerty.
29
�On the other hand, the numerous loans, sales and gifts of the property of the "Golden Train" made
by the U.S.1\iilitary Authorities in Austria any attempts to identify the ownership of the property
from the "Gold Train" practically impossible. The property was repacked and the original
containers and labels indicating country and sometimes names 'of owners were lost.
t
The decision ofthe Commanding General of USFA in ~ 945 as to the "unidentifiability" of
the train's contents governed every subsequent decision on possible restitution of goods to
Hungary. Even the PCIRO, when they gained control of the objects and were asked by the
Hungarians directly, could not revoke the Commander General's initial determination of the nature
of the objects ownership.
The bitter feeling of the Jewish community ofH~ngary'is easy to understand. The US
,
'
Government refused its numerous pleas to return the Jewish property looted by the Nazis and in the
same time restituted to Budapest gold of the Hungarian National Bank, found as the "Gold Train"
,
,
'
in Austria. Property of victims was not returned, property of the country, which fought the U.S. in
wwn on the side of the Nazi Germany was restituted.
The fate of the paintings, which were on the' board of the "Gold Train," reflected changes in
,
.the US foreign policy of the first post war years. That the paintings were not registered and
,
,
restituted before 1947 may be explained because their presence in the Military Government
..
,
'
,
warehouse in Salzburg contradicted the opinion that the property, found on the "Gold Train'; was
unidentifiable as to owner. (Accprding to Ardelia Hall of the State Department many of them had
labels with names and addresses of their owners.)
30
�In 1948 Hungary experienced a communist takeover arid the European continent was
divided along the lines of Cold War. In 1949 the US Government decided to stop restitution to
Hungary and transferred t~e Hungarian property to the Austrian Federal Government, despite the
fact that such transfer was violating those very principles of restitution, which were established by
the US after the end of WWII.
In the mid 50s the Department of State demonstrated serious interest to the problem of
.
.
Hungarian cultural property, left in Austria. However the events of 1957 and the Soviet occupation
of Hungary put end to all restitution efforts. The paintings found in Werfen by the US troops for
I
more than a half of century became hostages of politics.
\
I
•
31
�APPENDIXB
Agreement betwein the United States ofAmerica and other governments respecting the
.distribution ofGerman reparation. the establishment ofan intet:-allied reparation. the establishment ofan
inter-allied reparation agency. and the restitution ofmonetary gold. Opened for signature at Paris
January 14. 1946; signed for the United States ofAmerica January 14, 1946; entered into force January
24,1946.
Article 8.
Allocation of a Reparation Share to Nonrepatriable Victims of German Action
In recognition of the fact that large numbers of persons have suffered heavily at the hands of the
Nazis and now stand in dire need of aid to promote their rehabilitation but will be enable to claim the
assistance of any Government receiving reparation from Germany, the Governments of the United States of
America, France, the United Kingdom, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, in consultation with the Inter
Governmental Committee on Refugees, shall as' soon as possible work out in common agreement a plan on
the following general lines:
A. A share of reparation consisting of all the non-monetary gold found by the Allied Armed
Forces in Germany and in addition asum not exceeding 25 million dollars shall be allocated
for the rehabilitation and resettlement of non-repatriable victims of German action.
B. The sum of 25 million dollars shall be met from a portion of the proceeds of German assets in
neutral countries which are available for reparatign..
C. Governments.of neutral countries shall be requested to make available for this purpose (in
addition to the sum of 25 million dollars) assets in such (fountries ofvictims of Nazi action
who have since died and left no heirs.
D. The persons eligible for aid under the plan in question shall be restricted to true victims of
Nazi persecution and to their immediate families and dependents, in the following classes:
1. Refugees from Nazi Germany or Austria who require aid and cannot be returned to
their countries within a reasonable time because of prevailing conditions;
2. German and Austrian nationals now resident in Germany or Austria in exceptional
cases in which it is reasonable on grounds of humanity to assist such persons to
emigrate to other countries within a reasonable period;
3. Nationals of countries formerly occupied by the Germans who cannot be repatriated
or are not in a position to be repatriated within a reasonable time. In order to
concentrate aid on the most needy and deserving refugees and to exclude persons
whose loyalty to the United Nations is or was doubtful, aid shall be restricted to
nationals or former nationals of previously occupied countries who were victims of
German concentration camps or of concentration camps established by regimes
under Nazi influence but not including persons who have been confined only in
prisoners of war camps.
.
E. The sums made available under paragraphs A and B above shall be administered by the Inter
Governmental Committee on Refugees or by a United Nations Agency to which appropriate
functions of the Inter-Governmental Committee may in the future be transferred. The sums
made available under paragraph C above shall be administered for the general purposes
referred to in the Article under a program of administration to be formulated by the five
Governments named above.
.
F. The non-monetary gold found in Germany shall be placed at the disposal of the Inter
Governmental Committee on Refugees as soon as a plan has been worked out as provided
above.
�Executive Summary of
"The Problem of Restitution of Hungarian Cultural Property: 'The Gold Train'"
~
-
>
•
Ccm-~
In May 1945; forces of the American Army seized a train in the town of Werfen, Austria thtit'-ee~iHe~
valuables tba t were sRirited Olit of Hungary by members of the pro-Nazi Hungarian government in an
attempt to escape t~'1dvancing Soviet Red Army. This train contained property from the Hungarian
Jewish population: \bis l.DGiy888 gold, currency, furs, antiques, rugs, and arr. witft.a combined worth #Jo.t.
r mil~ef66nar-s in 1945 priceS7'The handling ofthis-proper.ty by American forces is representative of
many aspects of the history of occupation and restitlltion)ft~twar_Europe-.- VS r.~_
~
i--flM GoIGT'fO:\tf\
bu
-U
e;vey.w.tue
,.
I
rurC~...:::.
The history of American restitution efforts in Europe is largely a story of attention to procedure and
resulting success. But the Hungarian "gold train," containing the assets of Hungarian Jews, highlights two
significant problems.
T~rst
H~ngarian
misap~;opriati~n
major issue highlightt1d by the fate of the
gold train is the
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 them to decorate-their homes and offices. But this case, where U.S. personnel
took objects belonging to Holocaust victims, is part of a larger picture in Austria. For complicated reasons
-including Austria's ambiguous status as a partly conquered, partly liberated country, the vast array of
treasures stored in the many mines and castles, and the character of some of the American leaders in
Austria-this region witnessed a higtLincidt;<nce of irreg~
-1Despit~.s(numerous p~~s~.t~ I:Iungarian Jewish communitypeneral C1a~~J,the Allied H~gh .
~mmlsslOner-for AustnljIDo)(..i:feclslOn that the property found on the ~9\d train could not be Identified.
According to the Final A'ct of the Paris Agreement ~A 945, and~ee\me1l?between the United States of
America and other governments respecting the dist~i~ution of German reparatio.yQi"l-946 the US
Government decided to transfer a part of valuables from the gold train to the Interh~tional Refugee
Organization. In 1948 they were auctioned in New York to the benefit of displaced persons - victims of the
Nazism.
0..'S
btl-tw~_ Coo'.\"V~n\st
, ~~
//~
The second concerns the challenges of restitution at a time when the Cold War was intensifying. The U.S.
,..tt~ Q . proved increasingly reluctant to return property to' Hungary and other-Communist countries. In this case,
the U.S. Monuments,.fine Arts, and.¥chives.staff, in conjunction with the U.S. Forces in Austria, decided
. .,,~Over 1, 176:pain~~ustrian government in 1949. One problem lies in the fact that most of
• these works, the majority of which were from the 19 th century and of good but not exceptional quality,
\ \. . ._.J_~{\oS belonged to Hungar.ian Jew!; .~he Preside.ntial Commission .has determined th~t th~ paintings were _
rJriJ.~
transferred to Austnan-alftnontles, but their subsequent fate;$' unknown. OffiCials In Hungary have stated
\'\.' _,
that-thei~try never received these works. Therefore, IfliJ6 artworks taken from Hungarian Jews were
,(() \
4 t properly restituted0.r~cording~to both U.S. policy and intJrnational agreements1\this cultural property
\ .. 'J
/
~'hould have reverted to the country of origin.
I ~. L 1 \
A. ~
nr::<\:)
'.
\J
.oJ;
~ "fl rf\
~'\f<Y' .
"t\
~~\..9.d'f".
\6
{'...n ,,;
V.J ..1"\
-'
I.' -
V'e Mc\H\S
"d ....'"
OACT~l~\\: .
'1 v\tJV\.;
While the ~ngtAry worth of the paintings may only be not very high, they are much more valuable as
symbols of suffering and destruction.
w~a part of th~p~y~trjan Jewry was auctioned in 1948 by an agency of the United Nations
fJ
1
-i"
r
<{V·
_ --:S:>-nVH~'"
(the International Refugee Organization) to the benefit of certain Jewish welfare groups, a significant
number of objects are still missing. This includes some of the housewares, clothes, and rugs taken by the
U.S. forces, but also the 1,176 paintings transferred to the Austrian government. The opportunity now
exists to learn more about the fate of these objects.
.'
�EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL OCTOBER 14, 1999, 5:00 P.M.
DRAFf EIGHT - OCTOBER 5, 1999
PROGRESS REPORT ON:
THE MYSTERY OF THE HUNGARIAN "GOLD TRAIN"
INTRODUCTION
In May 1945, forces of the American Army seized a train in'the town of Werfen, Austria
containing valuables spirited out of Hungary by members of the pro-Nazi Hungarian governmentin
an attempt to escape the advancing Soviet Army. This train - carrying gold,jewelry, art and other
treaSures confiscated from the Hungarian Jewish population - became known as the Gold Train. 1
~
,
,
\"
.'
\~tyriCPJ'
,
, The story ofthis train represents both a uniqu~ and,Jfco!preI:4eHnve illustration ofthe questions ';
tha~ection with tbi-us restitution policy and its'implementation. It is G9er:;~QjififJ
'in thrrt it points up the consequences ofthe decision to eschew dealing with individuals in favor of
governments and organizations;
is unique in that it dep';;rts from the decision to return assets to
their country oj'origin. 'Although the mystery ofthe train involves the fate ofthe many art works
that fell into the hands ofthe US authorities with the capture ofthe train, it ett11 ied nmhy orner
·wihuible.s in/tlct «u: entire gamut ufmovable U3::Y8t&, snthat. the story told belew, is that c.,fall thB
VQillabl€g earrieJ: f:JH ;he Uililft-It additionally exemplifies the problem that arose for the Am.erican
forces with the political decision to treat Austria as a Nazi occupied country.
For complicated reasons, including Austria's ambiguous status in the post-War world, the
vast array of treasures stored in its mines and castles and its proximity to the growing Soviet sphere
I There are other trains in the lore of restitution of assets to Hungary. There was a so-called ~'Silver Train," another
"Gold Train" that carried gold, from the Hungarian Central Bank, and an "Art Treasur~ Train," that bore paintings from
the Hungarian National GaUery back to Budapest. But, none of these is the Gold Train found in Werfen.
�of influence, the conduct of the American forces occupying Austria was less disciplined than that
of the American forces occupying Germany. There is, for example, documentary evidence that
American forces in Austria misappropriated so-called "unidentifiable" property of Hungarian Jews
found on the Gold Train, while refusing to allow leaders of the Hungarian Jewish community
access to the Gold Train to identify the property: high-ranking American officials took assets from
the Gold Train for their own personal use; assets from the Gold Train were sold through the Army
Exchange. There is also evidence that assets from the Gold Train were stolen outright.
Although the general American policy required restitution of cultural property to the
country of origin, more than 1100 works of art belonging to Hungarian Jews were eventually
transferred to the custody of the Austrian government. Despite the pleas of the Hungarian
Jewish community to return the contents of the Gold Train to their rightful owners, American
,
~~ :!t:/~Jri'y
'
,
forces, under their general policyl"P~ such items to the designated refugee organization,
UfV~e:sd carlo~ds of assets from th~ Goid Train to the International Refugee Organization for
disposal.
Inthe end, the treasures of the Gold Train, lIS lither trlemifiablP lWtU"ldes lzp1Pfl8i'lS
to
;'l..,ll'Jr:(tnst l>'itlHm&" were so dispersed tha estitution, except p~rh~ps the collection of paintings
transferred to Austria, is now virtmi.l1y impossible.
I. '
U.S. RESTITUTION POLICY
The Unite4 States policy on restitution of assets on the Gold Train was determined in part
by the political status of, Austria, the country in which the assets were seized, 'and by the nature of
.
'
the assets themselves.
2
�In 1946, the United States signed two international agreements that bore directly on the
disposition of these Gold Train assets: the Final Act ofthe Paris Reparation Conference and the
Five.:.Power Agreement for Non-Repatriable Victims of Germany. These agreements enabled the
creatiqn of the Preparatory Committee for the International Refugee Organization and directed the
sale of non-monetary gold and other ownerless property for the benefit of non-repatriable refugees.
The United States followed a different policy towards works of art and cultural works of
either religious, artistic, documentary, scholastic, or historic value. In accordance with
longstanding international agreements, the United St~tes adhered to the principle of restitution of
national cultural heritage to the country of origin. Within this principle there were no limitations
based on a nation's status - as former enemy~ military ally, or neutral. The United States
determined that "[i]dentifiable looted works of art and cultural material will be restituted to the
governments of the countries from which they were taken.,,2
AccO<O..\Yf.l ~J
IR FejZBrr&i&i't
.'
,
,
,.
.
.
efiHis 8tcisi(1ft, the United States extended restitution of cultural property
found in Germany and Austria to Italy, Hungary, Romania and Finland by an order issued by the
State- War - Navy
Coordin~ting Committee on March 4, 1946. Pursuant. to thisorder~
1/!3
.
...
,
.
to be "restored to the government of the country from which it was takener ftecttlitcd in any
..
-wtty....,,3
.In tul4iti(1ll, tmdel
the Pl!UCe'fleazws wilhjvimet enemy r;"ttl!tFies, tli6
I5~r:l8H 0
7
~. applied as ofth. date thec~uutry in question was co••idered to .0 louger In bJj co-
NARA, RG 59, Lot 62D-4, Box 28, Problem: External Restitution of Cultural Property, '~Title 18, Change No. I, 12
February 1947, Part I. Policy and Organization."
"
3 NARA, RG 59, Lot 62D-4, Box 28, Problem: External Restitution of Cultural Property, "Extension of Restitution to
Austria and Satellite Countries," March 4, 1946.
.
2
3
I
�II.
HISTORY OF THE GOLD TRAIN
The story of the, Gold Train was summarized in a poignantly written report by the Central
Board of Jews in Hungary to the State Department, on July 28; 1947:
In April 1944, 'after the invasion of Hungary by the Ger~ans, the Fascist
Government of Hungary of those days issued a discriminatory decree against the
Jewish 'population obliging them to deposit their gems, their golden jewels
'
ornamented with gems, and generally all their valuables made of gold with the
Authorities. This provision went s~ far,as to oblige Je:wish individuals to deliver
their wedding rings.
.
Accordingly the jewels. and other valuables of 800,000 Hungarian Jews were
'seized by the Fascist Government.
OiI'the approach of our liberators, the Nazi government of Szalasi had these
valuables laden on a train consisting of 44 cars arid had them abducted westward
under military escort. This r,ailway train was seized in May 1945 by the U.S. troops
of occupation. This was the so..:called 'Gold Train' .. The wagons contained other
valuables, too, besides the jewels e.g. oriental carpets silver, furs, etc .... the
Hungarian military escort handed over the train push'ed into the railway tunnel near
Boeckstein intact apart from minor cases of theft and blackmail and without its
doors having been forced open, to the American troops of occupation at the railway
.'
s
.station of Werfen. .
.
"
~
The Central Board also referred to various reports available on the Gold Tra~n:
There is a report available on the jewels and golden valuables ordered by
'Commander Arpad Toldy to be laden on two lorries and carried to the French zone,
where they were seized by the French troops.
According to these reports the following valuables were taken under control
.
by the United States Military Authorities:
10 Cases with markings Indicating contents of gold. Average weight of
cases. 45 kg.
. 1 case containing golden coins. Average weight 100 kg .
.. NARA, RG 59, Lot 62D~4, Box 28, Problem: External Restitution of Cultural Property, "Extension of Restitution to
Austria and Satellite Countries," March 4, 1946.
. .
5 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation to Budape~t, Box 4, Letter of the Central Board of Jews in Hungary to the
Department of State, July 28, 1947.
.
4
�Paris Conference and the Four Powers Agreement, a determination that property ownership was
. "unidentifiable" and/or restitution" impracticable" opened the door for the transfer of Gold Train
. assets to the International Refugee Organization for disposal.
.
Ray C.Kramer, appointed in November of 1947 as the, Chairman of the Advisory
Liquidation Committee of the IRO, was responsible for the organization of the auction sales. The
,
.
.
.
IRO also established a Merchandising COJll!Ilittee, which was charged with the preparation of two
auctions. Mr, Kramer declared that:
the principal problem facing him and. his committee was the manner in which the
goods will be disposed. It was decided that that for miscellaneous items, the auction
was the best medium, and that the results of the June sales at Parke-Bernet will be
watched with a view to· setting the pattern for future sales all over the country,53
Crates with Jewish property labeled "unidentifiable as to ownership" started to arrive at
Staten Island in the middle of December of 1947 with the initial sales to take place at the Parke-:
'-
Bernet Galleries in New York in June 1948. The New York Times reported: "In the first [auction],
June 16 to 18, jewelry and diamonds·will be offered, while in the second, June 20 to 25, sHver,
glass, china, and gold objects will be put up for bids.,,54 The Parke-Bernet staff divided the jewelry
into 400 catalogue lots, with three to four pieces in each lot. Items in the jewelry sale included a
large miscellaneous collection of unset diamonds along with other precious stones, pearls, gold and
jeweled watches, and numerous pieces of Victorian jewelry,55 A month before the sales, The New
York Times wrote that:
neither Mr. Kramer, nor Leslie A. Hyam, the vice-president of ParkeBernet... would venture an estimate on the total value of the war loot. Rough
estimates of the totalworth'of valuables captured by the United States in Austria
and Germany approximated $ 4,000,000. However w~at part of that property
"Vast Loot of Nazis Will Be Sold Here", NYT, 5122/48
"Vast Loot of Nazis Will Be Sold Here", NYT, 5/22148
55 "Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations", NYT, 06/23/48.
53
54
18
�Despite the confusion, on February 2, 1948 the Property Control and Restitution Section of the
Headquarters of the Zone Command of Austria returned four paintings and one icon to Mrs~ Joli
Gergely and threepaintlngs to Mr. Nikolaus von Csillaghy.77 Thus, only eight of the 27 works in
the luggage of Von Csillaghy/Gergely, seized on the Gold Train by U.S. forces in 1945, were ever
.
.
found and returned.·
CONCLUSION
.
.
This report on the disposition of the assets of the Hungarian Jewish community captured by
the Us. Forces wit~ he Gold Train highlights some of the shortcomings in the restitution efforts of
the American forces in Austria, including the designation of victims' assets as "unidentifiable" and
their restitution "impracticable", when that was not necessarily the case; the appropriation of
victims' assets by American officers for personal use; the sale of victims' assets through the Army
Exchange;' the unresponsiveness of the American forees to Hungarian efforts to reclaim their
assets; and the transfer of Hungarian paintings to the Austrian government. Responsibility for·
these actions does not rest exclusively with the Ame.rican forces in Austria; in most cases, high
ranking officials inWasQington sanctioned their decisions
and~
in the case of non~cultural assets
stemmed from enunciated policy..
Accordingly, the mystery ofthe Gold Train concerns· ti,e question why were 1176
paintings restituted to the country in which they were captured and not to the country from
which they came? Onlypart ofthe explanation can lie in post~war politics. True, documentation
shows that the decision to treat Austria as Nazi-occupiedJol1Jl March 1938 motivated leaving
valuables hostage in Austria to ~e used in war claim negotiati(;ms, but this should never have
appliedto cultural property, especially not that o/Nazivictims,. Nordoes the move toward
2S
�..
.
.
communist domination ofHungary provide the explanation. Until 1948, when the Hungarian
restitution mission was expelled from the US Zones in Germany, .and Austria, Hungary actually
received treatment that went beyond what it was coldly entitled to For example, this included the
restitution of the so-called Silver train, in also $20 million worth ofpaintings was included.
The answer to this mystery may help explain why the whereabouts ofthese paintings still remains
unknown.
,
NARA, RG 260, Box 99, USACA Records, USFA, Reparations and Restitution Branch,
Paintings Belonging to Nikolaus von Csillaghy and Joli Gergely, February,2, 1948.
. 11.
.
Restitutio~' Receipt for
.
26
�.'
,
!
, EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL OCTOBER 14, 1999,5:00 P.M.
~-OCTOBER5,1999
DMFf
PROGRESS REPORT ON:
THE MYSTERY OF THE HUNGARIAN "GOLD TRAIN"
,BOLD
INTRODUCTION,
In May 1945, forces of the American Army seized a,train in the town ofWerfen, Austria
containing valuables spirited out of Hungary ,by wmbe~s of the pro-Nazi Hungarian government in'
an ~ttempt to escape the advancing Soviet ArmylrhiS train
carrying gold, jewelry, art and other
treasures confiscated from the Hungarian Jewish popul~ti_on - became known as the Gold Train. I
'
At the time ofthe seizure of the Gold Train, American forces were pursuing a well
intentioned and largely successful policy of restitution of victim's assets in western Europe. The
story of the Gold Train, however, illustrates two problems for the
~merican
forces in Austria:
what policy to apply to "unidentifiable" property and how to treat restitution to countries that were
,
'
falling behind the. Iron Curtain.
For complicated reasons, including Austria's'ambiguous status in the post-War world, the
vast array of treasures stored:in its mines and caStlejnd its
~roXimity
j
to the growing Soviet sp~ere
of influence, the ,conduct of the American forces occupying Austria was less disciplined than that
of the American forces occupying Genhany. There is, for example, documentary evidence that
American forces in Austria misappropriated so-called "unidentifiable" property of Hungarian Jews
found on the Gold Train while refusing to allow leaders of the Hungarian Jewish community access
@vt,~l~
There are other trains in the lore of restitution of assets to Hungary. There was a so-called "Silver Train," another ~ f:t
- - - '_...
I
...
....
..
c.J
'1J
"Gold Train" that carried gold from the Hungarian Central Bank, and an "Art Treasure Train," that bore paintings from ~- I
the Hungarian National Gallery back to Budapest. But, none of these is the Gold Train found in Werfen.
~~
.
"
CDMt ~~ -" ~iAt1J~
I~~!,
�to the Gold Train to identify the property. High-ranking American officials took assets from the
.
.
.
Gold Train for their own personal use. Assets from the Gold Train were sold through the Army
Exchange. There is also evidence that assets from the Gold Train were stolen outright.
Although the general American policy required restitution of victims' assets to the country
j
of origill, more than )100 works of art belonging to Hungarian Jews were eventually transferred to
the custody of the Austrian government. Despite the pleas of the Hungarian Jewish community to
return the contents of the Gold Train to their identitlableowners, American forces transferred
carloads of assets from the Gold Train to the International Refugee Organization for auction in the
United States.
:i::
,h, CDlI~
",
In the end, the
even reconstruction of
..
',.,
the Gold Train were
• oI~~~~
J¥j'"
,
,
~dispersed that restitution or
.' except perhaps the collection of paintings transferred to Austria;
is now virtually impossible.
I.
U.S. RESTITUTION POLICY
The United States policy on restitution of assets on the Gold Train was determined by the
political status of Austria, the country in which the assets were seized, and the nature of the assets
themsel ves.
V .
~
.. .
I ,J.
.
ThJ St~te Department determined that:
j
.:the position of Austria with respect to the Allied Powers is unique in that Aus~ria is
-s'till subjeCt to military occupation and at the same time is recognized as a sovereign
.state by this, government and treated in all political and economic matters as a
'. liberated area. 2 .
.
.
. .
.,
}
j
" Immed~elY after occupation of Ausmap.S. forces issued~ Military GovernmentAustria Decree!:. 3, on the "Blocking and Control ofPrope6Article I of this decree defined
2 Foreign Relations of the United States 1948. Volume II
Washi'nton) 1973, pp. 1341-1351.
•
Germany and Au'stria (U.S. Government Printing Office.
2
.
�categories of property "subjectto seizure of possession or title,; direction management, supervision
or otherwise being taken into control by Military Government" includin :
Governments, nationals or residents of countries other than Austria which have been
at war with any of the United Nations .at any time since September I, 1939, and ..
governments, nationals or residents of territories which have been occupied since that
date by such countries; [and]
Property which has been the subject of duress, wrongful acts of confiscation,
dispossession or spoliation from territories outside Austria, whether pursuant to
legislation or by procedures purporting to follow forms of law or otherwise, is hereby
declared to be equally subject to seizure of possession or title, direction, management,
supervision or otherwise being taken into control by Military Government. 3 . .
+
~UD1i:J~ltt1~ this definition, the non-monetary gold, jewels, porcelain, furniture, furs, and clothes,
found on the Gold Trai~vereci by this d e c r e e . .
@~ gN!{ ~ Ik~
~
.
4 (~A1AM. "'vJ nt,
\) tC5/20
. .
In 1946, the United States signed two international agreements that bore directly o'itVth~ \
disposition of these Gold Train assets: the Final Act of the Paris Reparation confe.repce and th~
.
.
....
Five-Power Agreement for Non-Repatriable Victims of Germany. These
. (!
1~1d ~ ~SIS
agreeme~ t
tof .
e
creation of the Preparatory Committee for the International Refugee Organization and permitted the
sale of non-monetary gold and other ownerless property for the benefit of non-repatriable refugees.
.
The United States followed a different policy towards works of art an't:t:ral-m
either religious, artistic, documentary, scholastic, or historic value. In accordance with
longstanding international agreements, the United States adheredlo the principle of restitution of
national cultural heritage to the c~untry of origin..Within this principle there were no limitations
~
based on a nation's status as fanner
enemy~ military ally, or neutralWhe U~ited _S_ta_te_s_ __
NARA, RG 260, USACARecords, Box 213, Military Government-Austn
Properly.
3
1
./
�determined that "(i]dentifiable looted works of art and cultural material will be restituted to the
governments of the countries from which they were taken.,,4
The United States extended restitution of cultural property from Germany and Austria to
Italy, Hungary, Romania and Finland by an order issued by the State- War - Navy Coordinating
Committee on March 4, 1946. Pursuant to this order, property had to be "restored to the
government ofthe country from which it was taken or acquired in any way ...."s For Hungary, this
order applied to property taken "during the period 20 January 1945 to May 1945.,,6
II.
mSTORY OF THE GOLD TRAIN
The story of the Gold Train was summarized in a poignantly written report by the Central
Board of Jews in Hungary to the State Department, on July 28, 1947:
In April 1944, after the invasion of Hungary by the Germans, the Fascist
Government of Hungary of tho.se days issued a discriminatory decree against the
Jewish population obliging them to deposit their gems, their golden jewels
ornamented with gems, and generally all their valuables made of gold with the
Authorities. This provision went so far, as to oblige Jewish individuals to deliver
their wedding rings.
Accordingly thejewels and other valuables of800,000 Hungarian Jews were
seized by the Fascist Goverm;nent:
.
.
.
..
On the approach of our liberators, the Nazigov~rnment ofSzalasi had these
valuables laden on a train consisting of 44 cars and had ·them abducted westward .
under military escort. This railway train was seized in May 1945 by the U.S. troops
of occupation. This was the so-called 'Gold Train'. The wagons contained other
valuables, too, besides the jewels e.g. oriental carpets silver, furs, etc ... ~ "'\
Hungarian military escort handed over the train pushed into the railway tunnel near
Boeckstein intact apart from minor cases of theft and blackmail and without its
[j J
4 NARA, RG 59. Lot 620-4. Box 28. Problem: External Restitution of Cultural Property, "Title 18, Change No.1, 12
February 1947, Part I. Policy and Organization."
5 NARA, RG 59,Lot 620-4, Box 28, Problem: External Restitution of Cultural Property, "Extension of Restitution to
Austria and Satellite Countries," March 4, 1946.
.,
.
6 NARA, RG 59, Lot 620-4. Box28, Problem: External Restitution of Cultural Property. "Extension of Restitution to
Austria and Satellite Countries," March 4, 1946,
4
�doors having .been 7
forced open, to the American troops of occupation at the railway
.
station of Werfen.
The Central Board also referred to various reports available on the Gold Train:
Ther€? is a report available on the jewels and golden valuables ordered by .
Commander Arpad Toldy to be laden on two lorries and carried to the French zone,
where they were seized by the French troops.
According to these reports the following valuables were taken under control
by the United States Military Authorities:
10 Cases with markings indicating contents of gold.' Average weight of
cases 45 kg.
1 case containing golden coins. Average weight 100 kg.
18 cases marked as containing golden jewels. Average weight 35 kg.
32 cases containing golden watches, weight varying from 30 to 60 kg.
.
.
The following amounts of foreign currencies were handed over in a closed
trunk: $ 44,600, Swiss Francs 52, 360, L 84;, Palestinian L 10, Canadian Dollars 66,
Swedish Kronen 5, Reichsmark 15, Pengo 260A8'bThis trunk contained a sealed
package, containing brilliants.·
'. .
•
~
1560 cases containing silver with different weights.
1 case of silver bricks
About 100 artistic pictures
.
About 3000 knotted Persian and Oriental carpets and some home
manufactured carpets sporadically, among them.
I cannot tell exactly the number of the cases. According to the reports
received from the officials, there were also clothes, fur-coats, made of noble furs,
stamp-'collections, collections of laces. Cameras, gramophons [sic], silver-jewels,
porcelains, pocket and wrist watches (about 8-10.000) laden into the wagons. The
contents of two wagons were not assorted, they contained every sort of valuables
.
. .
.
mixed. 8 ..
According to the Central Board, the following assets were transported into the French Zone where
they were seized by French troops in St. Anton:
31 cases with markings of gold
2 cases containing golden coins
NARA, RG·84, Papers of the U.S. Legation to Budapest, Box 4, Letter of the Central Board of Jews in Hungary to the
Department of State, July 28, 1947.
' ,..
8 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation to Budapest, Box 4, Letter of the Central Board of Jews in Hungary to the
Department of State, July 28, 1947.
7
5
�3 cases containing golden watches
8 cases of brilliants
.
2 cases containing selected pieces of brilliants and pearls. 9
.On July 27, 1948 Secretary of State George C. Marshall described his own understanding of
the fate of the Gold Train in a cable sent to the UB. Legation in Budapest:
Prior to their withdrawal from Hungary the Nazishad collected a considerable
quantity of movable property belonging to Jewish victims of Nazi action. It is
understood that this property belonged to Jewish victims in all parts of so-called
Greater Hungary. It was removed by train to Austria, where, having been separated
into two trains, it was found by American and French forces.
.
The U.S. forces removed the assets found on the Gold Train to storage facilities in Salzburg,
Austria. The majority of th~ assets were stored in the Military Government Warehouse (also
referred to as MG Warehouse or the Property Control Warehouse). The paintings from the Gold
Train were stored elsewhere according to undated notes from
~delia
Hall, the State Department's'
I
Advisor for Restitution issues. Hall's notes detail the storage of the Gold Trains! paintings
.
[it"~
.
.
/
,0
/
Train - Wurfen - stopped there in Wurfen. Mostly property Nazis looted from
Jews. Paintings brought to Salzburg in storage in Karabinersaal in Residenz. 1O
The paintings stored in the Residenz were ignored and not inventoried until 1947, but the assets
stored in the MG warehouse attracted the immediate attention of the American forces.
Marshall's July 1948 cable described the assumptions that lay behind U.S. treatment of the
. assets on the Gold Train:
American Forces having examined the portion of the Hungarian train in the .
American Zone of Austria, the U.S. Commander [General Mark Clark] determined
that the contents therefore were unidentifiable as to ow~ers and, in view of the
territorial changes in Hungary, as to national origin; restitution to Hungary being
therefore not feasible, it was determined, with the approval of this government, that
the property in question would be given to the Intergov~rnmental Committee for
Refugees [IGCR]. The basis for this action was the decision of this Government to
apply to so-called non-monetary gold found in Austria the principle of Article 8 of
NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation to Budapest, Box 4, Letter of the Central Board of Jews in Hungary to the
.
Department of State, July 28, 1947.
to NARA, RG 59, Box 61, not dated.
9
6
�"
the Paris Reparation Agreement of December 1945, and of the Power Agreement of
June 1946 for the implementationof this provision II '
,
The U.S. Government and military authoritie's maintained that it was not possible to identify
the ,ownership of the prope,rty on the Gold Train. Th.e representatives of the Hungarian Jewish
community and the Hungarian Government, however, vigorously protested otherwise.
III.
THE EFFORTS OF THE,HUNGARIAN JEWYr COMMUNITY TO
,
RECLAIM THE GOLD TRAIN P~OPERT '
,
,
Leaders of the Hungarian Jewish community knew before the end of 1945 that United
States troops had intercepted the Gold Tra~n. On December 20, 1945/he Temporary Managing
Committee of the Central Bureau of Hungarian Jews sent a letter acknowledging that fact to the
U.S. Legation in Bu<;lapest. The Committee presented its
versi~n.
of the
ass~ts
on the Gold Train:
In the country, all valuables in Jewish property - even golden wedding rings - have
been collected by official ~rsons before the Jews have been transported to gathering
places in order to be deported. The valuables deposited by Jewish persons or by the
authorities that have collected them have been loaded up, later in railway-cars and
carried away in western direction, and, as the defeat Of the German Army became
evident, transported to Austria, after having been tithed several times~ 12
The Committee noted that some looting of the train had taken place in Austria, but said that
"the remainders of these valuables, namely 24 railway cars loaded with gold, jewels, etc. were
surrendered to the American troops in Austria.,,13 The Committee argued "as these valuables were
,
...Jf~~
~'\'.'
~YM A~
.
II NARA, RG 84, POLAD- USCOA Records,
ers of e U.S. Legation to Austria, Box 106, Cable of General '
Marshall to the U.S. Legation to Budapest, July 2 ,1948. copy of Article Eight of the Paris Reparation Agreement
of December 1945.is ftUeetHRt heieru as Ap~, A copy ofthe Power Agreement of June 1946 i~~~',
~"ehE1iliMca The IOCR was succeeded by the Preparatory Committee for the, International Refugee Organization
1fCIR~
"
I NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation in Budapest, Box 65, Letter of the Temporary Managing Committee 0
Central Bureau of Hungarian Jews, December 20, 1945.
,
.,
13 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation in Budapest, Box 65, Letter of the Temporary Managing Committee of
Central Bureau of Hungarian Jews, December 20, 1945.
f
[pCJ'[}'"l
7
]'V
J
j
�considered, even in terms of the Nazi-decrees, as Jewish deposits, they never ceased to be the
.
.
.
,
undoubted property of their original owners.,,14
The Temporary Managing Committee sought-support for its proposal that a delegation of
the Central Bureau of Hungarian Jews negotiate the "delivery of the above cited values [sic]" from
American Headquarters. 15 In making its case fOHestitution, the Temporary Managing Committee
relied not only on the history of the ownership of the train's assets and America's legal obligations
to return them, but on a strong emotional appeal:
The Jews having been robbed also of everything else they possessed, all clothes,
underwear, furniture, etc. it is not only their undoubted right to claim that the
objects stored in the railway-cars under'American Control, should be rendered to
them, but their demand is justified from humane standpoint too. By recovering a
part of the valuables lost, many of them could begin to rebuild their homes and their
existence. 16 ,
.
'
"
The U.S. officials nevertheless ignored the Hungarian Jewish proposal to send a delegation to
review the p~operty.
On January 2, 1946, H.P. Arthur-Schoenfeld, the U.S. Envoy to Hungary, informed the
'.
.
State Department of the letter from the Temporary Managing Committee and reported that: "iIi
conversation, on December 27, 1945, with the gentlemen who presented the letter, I told them the
matter seemed to be one for the Hungarian Foreign Office.,,17
InJuly 1946 Nikoiaus Nyaradi~ the Hungarian Ministe~ of Finance, visited Berlin in an
J
attempt to convince American authorities not to dispose of the property found on the Gold Train.
Nyaradi informed the U.S. authorities that about 200,000 Jews'remained in Hungary and that the
14 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U:S. Legation in Budapest, Box 65, Letter of the Temporary Managing Committee of
Central Bureau of Hungarian Jews, ,December 20,1945. ' .:
.'
, '
15 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation in Budapest, Box 65, Letter of the Temporary Managing Committee of
Central Bureau of Hungarian Jews, December 20, 1945;
16 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U .S~ Legation in Budapest, Box 65, Letter' of the Temporary Managing Committee of
Central Bureau of Hungarian Jews, December 20, 1945.
.
11 NARA, RG 84, Box 103, File 840.1, J;>apers of U.S. Legation in Budapest. Letter of H.P. Arthur-Schoenfeld, the U.S.
Envoy to Hungary to the Secretary of State, January 2, 1946.
8
�Hungarian government, in cooperation with Jewish organizations, had formed the Jewish
Rehabilitation Agency.18 Thi~ initiative of the Hungarian government did not, however, change the
opinion of the American authorities.
By 1947, it was well known in the international community that the U.S. government was
(
.'
planning to sell certain contents of the Gold Train at public auction. The proceeds of the auction
were to be used for the benefit of the United Nations International Refugee Organization (lRO).
The leadership of the Hungarian Jewishcommunity tried many times to convince theAmericans.
.
,
not to auction their property but to return it to its rightful owners.
Their attempts began with a telegram from the Central Board of Jews in Hungary to the
Department of the State on February 21, 1947:
Undersigned legal representative bodies of the Hungarian Jewry were informed
with deep consternation of the fact that the United States Government is planning to
transfer the value of so called Golden Train which forms the proferty of Hungarian
Jewry to the Refugee Committee of the UNO [United Nations]. t
Instead of transferring the objects to the IRO, the Central Board requested "emphaticaIif' that the
U.S. Government place the "valuables abducted with so-called Golden Train" at the disposal ofthe
lawful representative bodies of Hungarian Jewry.20
A second letter sent in February to the U.S. Legation by the Central Board of Jews in
Hungary and the Autonomous Orthodox Israelitic Religious Bodies, again appealed on
humanitarian grounds for the return of the Gold Train property,
Hungarian Jewry suffered immeasurable losses in human lives and property owing
to Fascistic inhumanity. 600,000 Hungarian Jews lost their lives in Nazi
concentration camps. The remaining valuables of the 200,000 Hungarian Jews,
18 NARA, RG 84, Box t03, File 840.1, Papers of U.S: Legation in Budapest, Telegram # 43 from U.S. Po\ad, Berlin,
July 7, 1946.
'
' .
19 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation in Budapest, Box 4, Telegram of the Central Board of Jews in Hungary
to the Department of State, February 21, 1947.
.
.",
20 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation in Budapest, Box 4, Telegram of the Central Board 'of Jews in Hungary
to the Department of Stale, February 21, 1947.
.
.
9
�who. survived, are Qn the 'Train Qf GQld' and wt? think that the greatest injustice
WQuid befall these peQple if they CQuld nQt get back even their remaining few
valuables after what they have been through?1
'Hungarian Jewish leaders feared that an auctiQn WQuld create a bad, precedent. They knew
that some Qf the gQQds had been taken into. the'custQdy QfFrench fQrces and. wQrried.that if the
Americans auctiQned the valuables fQund 'in Werfen, the French gQvernment WQuld fQllQW suit. 22
ImpQrtantly, the letters emphasized that the property to. be auctiQned CQuld be identified and traced
to. specific owners and heirs. 23 The Central Board believed that the auctiQn WQuid viQlate U.S.
restitutiQn PQlicy.
. The United States ignQred the pleas Qf the Hungarian Jewish cQmmunity and eventually
.
.
directed them to. seek answers elsewhere. On May 19, 1947, the U.S. LegatiQn to. Hungary, in a
reply to. 'the Central BQard, defended the decisiQn to. auctiQn property from the GQld Train:
With the approval Qf the United States GQvernment, the CQmmanding General, U.S.
FQrces, Austria, determined, that the property shQuld be turned Qver the [sic]
IntergQvernmental CQmmittee Qf Refugees fQr relief and rehabilitatiQn Qf nQn
repatriable victims Qf German actiQn. This means in practice, that ninety percent Qf
proceeds will be disPQsed Qf by American Jewish JQint DistributiQn CQmmittee and
the Jewish Agency fQr Palestine. This decisiQn was based Qn the fact that it was
impracticable to. ret.urn individual items to. the Qriginal Qwners Qr heirs and is
24
. believed to. be in be'st interest Qf\class who. were desPQiled.
_ t~0
If the Central BQard Qf the Jews Qf Hu.ngary had retained any hQpe Qf appealing this decisiQn, it
was dispelled when Secretary of State Marshall cabled the U.S. LegatiQn Qn May 19, 1947 that:
Nyaradi was infQrmed Qfthis decisiQn Qn visit here and was tQld no. disPQsitiQn to.
recQnsider. If representatives Central BQard inquire, yQU shQuld infQrm them
accQrdingly. YQU may suggest t~at so. far as their interests are invQlved they may
wish to. cQnsult with the abQve two. Jewish organizatiQns?5
;
.
NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation in Budapest, Box 4, Letter ofth Central Board of Jews in Hungary and
the Autonomous Orthodox Israelitic Religious Bodies in Hungary to the U. gation in Budapest, February 26, 1947.
22 NARA, RG 84, Box 4, Letteno the Department of State from the C
al Board of Jews of Hungary, July 28, 1947.
23 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation in Budapest, Box
etter of the Central Board of Jews in Hungary and
gary to the U:S. Legation in Budapest, February 26, 1 9 4 7 / \ .
the Autonomous Orthodox Israelitic Religious Bodies in
24 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S, Legation in B
pest, Box 4, Robert S, Folson of U.S. Legation in Budapest to
.
'
Central Board of Jews in Hungary, May 19
25 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S.
ation in Budapest, Box 4, Cable of General Marshall, May 29, 1947.
~ ~.
21
~~~ W lM4.fId.1lcJi.Jr rI'
10
�This notification to Nyaradi would have been the first notification to the Hungarians of the United
States' decision?6 On May 29, Secretary
"action not necessary until
Ma~sh~ll cabled the U.S: Legation in Budapest that
~dditional inquiries made."27
Despite the posit~on articulated by ~he
p.S. Legation, Hungarian Jews refused to give up.
,In a letter dated July 28, 1947, the Central Board informed the U.S. State Department that they had
not heard from French authorities about thefate of the assets captured by t~e French troops in
Austria. They again asked the Americans to change their decision?8
The Central Board of Jews in Hungary continued to argue that at least a portion of the
assets were identifiable:
A fraction of the deported Jews returned to Hungary - another fraction escaped at
home - these lay a legitimate claim to'the valuables they or their relatives were
robbed ,of. So, where the possibility of identification exists beyond doubt and is
, proved, the owner reclaims his valu'ables rightfully on the basis of the principle of
private property. 29
. .
....
. . '
,..'
'.
It requested permission from American authorities for representatives of the Special Commission .
of tQe.Hungarian Ministry of Finance on the Restitution of Jewish Property to visit and examine the
stored valuables. The Hungarians hoped that such an examination would start the process of
restitution to Hungary of identifiable property. 3D
Once again, the United States refused their request. In a telegram that suggests a difference
ofopinion between U.S. representatives in Budapest and State Department officials in Washington,
the U.S. Legation questioned U.S. policy stating that "after further reflection," the Legation
NARA, RG 84, Papers of the u.s. Legation in Budapest,. Box 4, Letter of U.S. Legation to the Central Board of Jews
in Hungary, May 19, 1941.
. ' .
.
.'
7:7 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation in Budapest, Box 4, Cable of General Marshall, May 29, 1947.
28 NARA, RG 84, Box 4, Papers of the U.S. Legation in Budapest. Letter to the Department of State from the Central
...'
.
.
.
Board of Jews inHungary, July 28, 1947.
29 NARA; RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation in Budapest, Box 4, Letter to the Department'of Stat~ from the Central
Board of Jews in Hungary, july 28, 1947.
.
"
26
II
�, ventures suggestion that our proposal to turnover identifiable Jewish property at
Salzburg to IGCR might be inconsistent with our previous liberal policy for
restitution of identifiable Hungarian displaced property and with the spirit of
Articles 27 and 30 of the treaty[1947 Treaty of Peace with Hungary]?
Despite these misgivings and the repeated requests of the Hungarians for reconsideration,
.
.
.
certain contents of the Gold Train were auctioned in New York by the Preparatory Comrriittee of
.
'
.
.
,
,
'
.
the International Refugee Organization (PCIRO) in July 1948. The Department of State wrote to
the U.S. Legation in Budapest explaining the, U.S. position: "The basis for this action was the
decision of this Government to apply to so-called non-monetary gold found in Austria the
principles of Article 8 of the Paris Repatriation Agreement of Dece,mber
194~
and of the Five
Power Agreement of June 1946 fot the implerrientation of this provision.,,32 The letter informed
the Legation that:
On May 29, 1948, the Hungarian Restitution Mission in Geneva wrote to the
Preparatory Commission of the IRO requesting that the property in question be
withheld from disposition and returned to Hungary, indicating in the saine time that
an official restitution claim therefore had been filed with American authorities in
Austria on October 17, 1947, and had not been acted upon.:;PCIRO replied to the
effect that it could not question the determination of unidentifiability which the u.s.
military authorities had made concerning the gold train...,,33
The decision of General Mark Clark, the Commanding General of U.S. Forces in Austria
(USFA) in 1945 as to the "unidentifiability" of the train's contents thus governed every subsequent
decision on possible restitution of assets to Hungary. When asked by the Hungarians, PCIRO
,
'
, officials said they could not revoke the Commanding General's initial determination ofthe nature
of the objects' ownership.
NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation
Board of Jews in Hungary, July 28, 1947.
31 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation
1947.
, '
32 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation
Legation Budapest July 27, 1948.
'
33 NARA, RG 84, Papers of the U.S. Legation
Legation BudapeslJuly27, 1948.
30
.
.
.
in Budapest, Box 4, Letter to the Department of State from the Central
in Budapest, Box 4, Telegram to the Department of State, October 23,
'
,
in Austria, Box 106, Letter of the Department of State to the U.S.
' , .
,
in Austria, Box 106, Letter of the Department of State to the U.S. '
•
i
12
�APPROPRIATIONS OF THE GOLD TRAIN TREASURES BY THE U.S..
FORCES IN AUSTRIA
IV.
1.
j
Requisitions ofthe Gold Train property!
U.S. military personnel recognized from the beg~nninglhat the art and cultural property
assets of the Gold Train were valuable and impressive and could be used in their offices and
homes. On July 13, 1945, Major General Harry J. Collins, Commander of the 42 nd ("Rainbow")
Division, in western Austria, received objects of "furniture and furnishing ...supplied by Office of
Property Control, Land Salzburg.,,34 Collins was given property for his headquarters identified as
"U.S. Government Property (from Hungarian Train, Military Government Warehouse)" including
"different objects made of onyx, 5 rugs and 8 paintings.,,35
General Collins also requisitioned valuables from the Gold Train for his home. An August
28, 1945, memo from one of Collins' aides to the Property Control Officer in Salzburg made the
following demand:
1.
The Commanding General directs that you give first priority to obtaining·
without delay the following listed household furnishing:
a) Chinaware (all types for formal banquet and other meals.) Sufficient for 45
people.
b) Silverware (Same qualifications as above and to include serving forks and
spoons).
c) Glassware (To include water glasses, highball. glasses, cocktail glasses, wine and
champagne glasses, and liqueur glasses. Sufficient for formal banquet involving
several kinds of wine for 90 people.)
d) Thirty (30) sets of table linens, each set to consist of one table cloth and 12
napkins.)
e) Sixty (60) sheets, sixty (60) pillow cases, and sixty (60)I~ge bath towels.
NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, SUbject: Inventory of
Furniture and Furnishing (Maj. Gen. H. LCollins, Military Governor, Land Salzburg) in Room 102-103 Courthouse,
Supplied by Office of Property Control, Land Salzburg. July 31, 1945.
.
35 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, SU,bject: Inventory of
Furniture and Furnishing (Maj. Gen. H. J. Collins, Military Governor, Land Salzburg) in Room 102-103 Courthouse,
Supplied by Office of Property Control, Land Salzburg. Ju'ly 3 J, 1945.
34
13
�2.
The General desires that all of the above listed items be of the very best
quality and workmanship available in the land of Salzburg. He specifically told me
to say that he intended to hold you responsible for securing these items;,,36
The Property Control Officer responded to this request by taking these items from the MG
warehouse in which the Gold Train properties had been stored. Subsequent requisitions by the
General for Gold Train property included 12 silver candlesti~k~ and 11 carpets37 ; two rugs to
decorate his railroad car38 ; and 13 rugs for decoration of his villa, Maria Theresien Schloss. 39
Nor was Major General Collins the only military official who used the Gold Train property
for personal use. A "List of Material Loaned from Property Control Warehouse" prepared by the
Property Control Office, indicates that numerous high-ranking officers of the American Forces in
Austria appropriated Hungarian Jewish treasures found on the Gold Train for the decoration of
their residences. For example, General Laude received china, silverware and linen for his Salzburg
home; General E.E. Hume received 18 rugs, table and silverware, table linen and glassware;
General Edwin D. Howard received nine rugs, one silver set and 12 silver plates to decorate his
Vienna apartment; and Brigadier General Linden received 10 rugs for his quarters on the von Trapp
Estate. 40
As more American military families settled in Austria, the Property Control Officer
expressed his concerns to.the Repatriation, Deliveries and Restitution Division (RD & R Division).
On March 8, 1946 he repQrted: "The problem arrival of families of military personal in Austria in
36 NARA, RG 260, Bo~ 77, USACA Records, RD & RDivision, Property Control Branch, Memorandum to Lieutenant
Colonel Homer K. Heller. August 28, 1945.
'
.
37 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, List of Objects Received
from Lt. Col. Homer K. HeUer from Werfen Train, for the use of Maj. General Harry J. Collins in his private dining
Car. Not dated. '
38 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD &R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Inventory of
Furniture and Furnishing (Maj. Gen. H, J. Collins, Military Governor, Land Salzburg)'in Room 102-103 Courthouse,
.
.
Supplied by Office of Property Control, Land Salzburg. July 31, 1945.
39 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Rugs removed from
Military Government Warehouse MAXGLAN, Salzburg by order of Maj. Gen. Harry J. CoUins for use.in his villa
MARIA THERESIEN SCHLOSS. Not dated.
.
14
�the near future, it is
b~lieved,
will place heavy demands on certain of the property in the
warehouse,,,41 because he believed that "General Collins was interested in providing proper
quarters and house furnishing for families ofthe military;", and to that end, the procurement of
"proper" materials; meant that, "quite probably demands might be made upon property in the
warehouse.,,42
2.
Sales and Liquidation ofthe Gold Train properr/
Over time, Gold Train assets under U.S. custodianship in Austria also became subject to
appropriation for sale through Army Exchange stores. In early November, 1945 a representative of
, the Office of the Army Exchange Service in Austria wrote to the Property Control Officer and the
Legal Advisor of U.S. Allied Controlfor Austria (USACA) to request "that the merchandise now
held in Salzburg in the custody of the Property Control Officer, USACA, from the WERFEN train
be made available for purchase by the Army Exchange Service.,,43 To clarify the request, the Army
Exchange specified "such merchandise is believed to consist of watches, alarm clocks; cameras,
jewelry, etc., which would normally be sold through the PX'S.,,44 The Army Exchange Service
added that it would make payment for these items based "on agreed prices.,,45 The Legal Division
,
.
,1(
I
1'''
1
....
concluded '·'it [property from the train] may therefore, in the opinion bf tllis Division, be disposed
of accordingly.,,46 On November 19, 1945 the Chief of the Legal Division added that "t~e property
d
.
NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, List of Material Loaned
from Property Control Warehouse. Not dated.
.
41 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Property of
Werfen-Train in Military Government Warehouse. March 8, 1946.
42 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Property of
Werfen-Train in Military Government Warehouse. March 8, 1946.
43 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Purchase of Merchandise,
November 6, 1945.
44 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Purchase of Merchandise,
November 6, 1945.
45NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Purchase of Merchandise,
November 6, 1945.
46 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Letter from Legal Division
to RD&R Division Property Control Branch, November 14, 1945.
40
15
�which is the subject of the request by the Army Exchange Office is, as disclosed by our file, either
captured enemy property, or property of a perishable nature, orboth.,,47
This first attempt to dispose of Gold Train Property through the Army Exchange did not,
however, succeed. The Chief of the RD & R Division challenged the conclusion of the Legal.
Division on the grounds that the "goods apparently are not perishable and it is believed there may
be claims from original Hungarian owners for identifiable private property.,,48
Nevertheless, one year later, virtually the same plan was approved. On November 18,
1946, the Property Control Officer in Salzburg recomniended that the Property Control Branch sell
"the Werfen Train rugs and furs which are located in the Property Control Warehouse.,,49 The
Officer defended his recommendation saying that "the property will lose a great part of its
valu~
if
it is not disposed of within the next two or three months." Because it represented an asset of
several thousand dollars the Property Control Officer in Salzburg wanted it to "be. immediately
disposed of.,,5o
On November 29, 1946lhe Chief of RD & R Division
~oncurred
with the recommendation
to go forward with the sales:
It is recommended by the Property Control Officer, Land Salzburg, and also by this
Division that in order to realize the maximum value of the property that steps be
taken at once to dispose of this property either on the Austrian open market, or by .
sale through the Army Exchange Service for dollar credits. 51
NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records. RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Letter from the Chief of
Legal Division to RD&R Division Property Control Branch. November 19,1945,
48 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division,Property Control Branch, Letter from RD&R
Division Property Control Branch to the Chief of Legal Division. December 8, 1945.
49 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records. RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Werren Train Rugs
, and Furs, November 18, 1946.
50 NARA, RG 260. Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R
Division. Property Control Branch, SUbject Werfen Train Rugs
and Furs, November 18, 1946.
.
51 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Storage Depreciation of
Rugs and Furs Taken From Hungarian Loot Train. November 29, 1946.
47
16
�The Army Exchange Service Procurement Division enthusiastically replied to this letter on
December 22, 1946:
The Army Exchange Service is very much interested in,the confiscated Hungarian
property stored in Salzburg, which was inspected by this office .. Nt was requested,
from Army Exchange Service (AES) Headquarters Frankfurt, thtjt'permission to .
dispose of the property be obtained as soon as possible. 52
While the rugs, furs and fine clothing, originally belonging to Hungarian Jews, were
appropriated for sale through the Army Exchange, their other clothes were distributed more freely.
On March 6, 1946 a Property Control Officer at the Headquarters of USFA in Vienna neatly
outlined the distinction between treatment of the better goods and the more regular goods:
At present this office has stored at the Military Government Warehouse various
items of clothing and linens, such as pants, coats, dresses, scarves, gloves, shoes,
table linen, napkins, etc ... Major Flaherty 42 nd Division Chaplain has submitted to
this office a request for all' the clothing. He plans to distribute this clothing to needy
DP-s ...lt is recommended that the men's and women's clothing be turned over to
Major Flaherty, 42 nd Division Chaplain for distribution to DP-s and that linens and
finer quality clothes be retained in custody. 53
3.
Thefts ofproperty from the Gold Trai,/
In addition to requisitions by U.S. forces and sales through the Army Exchange, property on
the Gold Train was also subject to outright theft. In one case, documented in October 1946, the
Property Contrql Officer-reported that two small suitcases of gold dust had disappeared from the
MG warehouse. The Officer explained that "every apparent possibility for tracing the gold dust has
been exhausted" and concluded that:
... some months ago Property Control Warehouse was burglarized by military
guards. It is possible that the subject gold dust was stolen at that time. However,
the inventory of the warehouse is still being checked. 54
77,
NARA, RG 260, Box
USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Werfen Train
Clothing, March 5, 1946.
53 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Properly Control Branch, Subject: Werfen Train
Clothing, March 5, 1946.
. 54 NARA, RG 260, Box 77, USACA Records, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, SUbject: Missing Property.
October 2, 1946.
.
. 52
17
�The numerous loans, sales, gifts and thefts of the property of the Gold Train hampered
attempts to identify ,the ownership of the property., Further complicating matters, the property was
repac'ked and the original containers and labels indicating country and names of owners were lost.
.
.
V.
.
.
THE AUCTION OF THE GOLD TRAIN TREASURES,
General Mark Clark's 1945 determination that the Gold Train's assets were unidentifiable
as to owners and national origin and that re~titutioll was therefore not feasible, withstood
challenges from the Hungarians, as well as from the U.S. Legation. In accordance with the Paris
,
Conference and the Four Powers Agreement, the determination of "unidentifiability" opened the
door for the transfer of Gold Train assets to the International Refugee Organization for auction.
Ray C. Kramer, appointed in November of 1947 as the Chairman of the Advisory
Liquidation Committee of the IRO, 'was responsible for the organization of the auction sales. The
IRO also established a Merchandising Committee, which was charged with the preparation of two,
auctions. Mr. Kramer declared that:
the principal problem facing him and his committee was the manner in which the
goods will be disposed. It was decided that that for miscellaneous items, the auctiQn
was the best medium, and that the results of the June sales at Parke-Bernet
be
watched with a view to setting the pattern for future sales all over the country. 55
will
Crates with Jewish property labeled "unidentifiable as to ownership" started to arrive at
Staten Island in the middle of December of 1947 with the initial sales to take place at the ParkeBernet Galleries in New York in June 1948.
Th~
New York Times reported: "In the first [auction],
June 16 to 18, jewelry and diamonds will be offered, while in the second, June 20 to 25, silver, "
glass, china, and gold objects will be putup for bids.,,56 The Parke-Bernet staff divided the jewelry
55
56
"Vast Loot of Nazis Will Be Sold Here", NYT, 5122148
"Vast Loot of Nazis Will Be Sold Here", NYT, 5/22/48
. 18
�· into 400 catalogue lots, with three to four pieces in each lot. Items in the jewelry sale included a
large miscellaneous collection of unset diamonds along with' .other precious stones, pearls, gold and
jewel~d watches, and numerous pieces of Victorian jewelry.57. 'A month before the sales, The New
York Times wrote that:
neither Mr. Kramer, nDr Lesiie A Hyam, the vice-president of ParkeBernet. .. would venture an estimate on the total value of the war loot. Rough.
estimates .of the total worth of valuables captured by the United States in Austria
and Germany approximated $ 4,000,000. However what part of that property
eventually will be brought into the,United States, and what the potential market for
'.
it will be, is impossible to judge now. 58 .
The exact content of the boxes shipped from Europe "were unknown until opened" at the
warehouse in New York.59 The New York Times described the scene at the warehouse:
Laid out on tables were dozens of tinted and cut glass goblets and liqueur glasses,
decorative porcelain vases, Bohemian cut sapphire blue and ruby glassware,
,Meissen, Dresden, Herend, Rosenthal, and Vienna porcelain statuettes and figure
groups, eighteenth and nineteenth century Continental pewter flagons and tureens
.... an estimated 22 tons is on hand, marked and unmarked, used and unused, plain
and .ornate, consisting of every conceivable shape of platter, tureen, tray and dish,
and great quantity of candlesticks, vases and dishes, single and sets.,,60
The warehouse also contained nearly 4,000 .oriental rugs, as well as cameras, microscopes,
tapestries, among thousands of other items. 61
Press reports indicate that the auctions were successful. The New York Times reported that
the June 22, 1948 sale exceeded expected revenues by 40 percent 62 and the week's receipts totaled
$152,850. 63 The results were a triumph for Ray Kramer and the Advisory Liquidation Committee
of the IRO who had designed the New York auction as an experimerit to determine the best way to
dispose of ownerless assets. '
"Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations", NYT, 06123/48.
"Vast Loot of Nazis Will Be Sold Here", NYT, 5122/48
59 "Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations", NYT, 06123/48.
60 "Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations", NYT, 06123/48.
61 "Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations", NYT, 06/23/48.
62 "Sale of Loot Tops All Expectations", NYT, 06/23/48..
57
58
19
�,
.
VI. THE FATE OF PAINTINGS FROM THE GOLD. TRAIN "
James Rorinier, a
,',!,' ,
~onuments, Fine Arts and Archi~es (MFA & A) 'Office,'t/was in Austria ' j
in 1945 when the Gold Train was found,by the 'American troops in Werfen. Later he remembered:
,
\.
In We~fen and vicinity there were concentrations of Ger~an soldiers and ordnance
equipment, induding small arms and acres ofbrok;eri-down trucks. On the railroad
tracks were fifty~twb box cars, twenty' of them containing miscellaneous loot from
Hungary. In an effort to keep this, cargo from the Russians, who had been'
advancing rapidly in the east, forty-two Hungarian guards under compulsion from
the Nazis accompanied a gruesome mixture of gold wedding rings (in cases too
heavy for two men to lift), household furnishing, money, watches, diamonds, dress
goods, building stone,catbon, boards, empty cans and rubbish, objects from the
Museum in Gyor"andpeople. Arpad Toldy, who had accompanied the shipment
from Hungary, escaped with the inventories of the contents of the train before it fell
into American hands. We did not envy Major Laughlin, tbe executive officer of the
15th Regiment, 3rd DIvision, XVCorps, who with the Property Control, officer
'
would have to decide how to handle these carloads of problerqs. I recommended
that the material of artistic value be sent to collecting points being established in
Salzburg and Munich.~5 '
','
.,
,',
For the next two years no attention was paid to Rorimer' s ~ecommendation to send the items of
artistic value to collecting points. Instead the painti~gs~ with~qt inventory, were pi aced in the MG
, Warehouse in Salzburg and forgotten.
,
,
,
In 1947, Evelyn Tucker, MFA& A representative in Austria, was informed about the
existence of paintings in the M G Warehouse. ' On October ~3, Tucker wrote in her monthly report:
Was informed in Salzburg that there are approximately200 paintings from the
Werfen Train loot which haye been set asid~ and are presently stored in a small
room in the upstairs of the MG Warehouse in Salzburg. I understand from the men
"in Salzburg handling this property that they have no, instructions whatsoever
concerning these paintings:'and they seem to doubt that they will have.66
"Nazi Loot Brings $31 ,520," NYT, 06125/48. '
,
The Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Office operated as a program of the War Department under the Civil'
Affairs Division. MFA&A Officers coordinated protection of European monuments and the safeguarding of art and
cultural property. After the war the MFA&A Officers worked \Yi.th th~ Military Governments.of Germany and Austria
on restitution matters.
65 James J. Rorimer, Survival. The Salvage and Proiection ofAn in War (New York: Aberlard Press, 1950), pp.155
56. .
'
66 NARA, RG 260, Box 160. USFA General Records, Field Report of Evelyn Tucker to Hq USFA-USCA RD&R
'
,
Division Repatriation & Restitution Branch. October 23, '1947.
63
64
20
�Before Tucker was able to visit to Salzburg, the Chief of the RD&R Division issued an order for
,release of the paintings. On November 5, 1947, he wrote: "You are authorized to release to the
custody and control of Miss Eve Tucker, MFA&A representative of this Division approximately
two hundred (200) paintings presently stored in the Military Government Warehouse in
Salzburg.,,67 Identification of the paintings was limited to physical location and one short phrase
describing the paintings as being"allegedly of Hungarian origin:,,68
Between November 6 and November 11, 1947, Evelyn Tucker made her visit to Salzburg.
Upon returning to Vienna she reported:
Paintings (allegedly Hungarian) in MG Warehouse. Went to the warehouse in
company with Major Langerand Mr. Kennedy to inspe<;:t the paintings (which had
been estimated at around 200), which were stored upstairs in the 'gold room~,69
In the MG warehouse Tucker found not 200, but 1,181 paintings, all ofwhich were apparently of
Hungarian origin. The 200paintings ri1e~tioned in the November 5, 1947 instruction had not been
found on the Gold Train but in the Castle Fischhorn where the Nazis established a repository of
.,
artworks looted from Central Europe .. In 1946 these paintings were removed from the Castle and
combined with paintings from the Gold Train in the MG warehouse.
The ritilitary authorities believed that none of the paintings were of significant value and
treated them accordingly. Evelyn Tucker' however, believed otherwise:
The idea that these paintings were worthless is fallacious - how this idea could have
grown and been given any credence,.isunknown inasmuch as no inventory appears
to exist and very few'people seemed to know of their existence. Major Langer .
insisted when I first approached him on these paintings that there were no such
paintings in .the warehouse... yet when he dictated the re~eipt to his secretary the
next day he added (not for inclusion in the receipt) value $ 10.00. I smiled and Stt~
"You will be surprised Major Langer when I tell you I found a little etching signed
J"
0 .10
NARA, RG 260, Box 158, USFA General Records, Subject: Paintings (allegedly Hungarian) Stored in M.G.
Warehouse, Salzburg. November 5, 1947.
. .
68 NARA, RG 260, Box 158, USFA General Records, Subject: Paintings (allegedly Hungarian) Stored in M.G.
Warehouse, Salzburg. November 5, 1947.
.
. "
69 NARA, RG 260, Box 160, USFA General Records, Field Report of Evelyn Tucker to Hq USFA-USCA RD&R
Division Repatriation & Restitution Branch for the period November 6-11, !947 .
'
67
21
�"Rembrandt 1639" and a van Ruysdael"Seascape" ... By the time I left Salzburg we
had inventoried about 300 paintings. While I do not profess to ,be an art expert, my
opinion for what it is worth, is that asa whole the paintings are not by the best
artists though many of them ary very good. 7o ,
"
,"
On January 5, 1949, the 1,181 paintings in the MG warehouse were transferred into the
custody of the Federal Government of Austria pursuant to a document signed by the Chief of
Property Control and Restitution Branch of the Headquarters of Zone Command Austria and by
Joseph Reith, a minister ofthe Austrian Government. 71 A January 1951 State Department
document entitled: "Disposition of Art Objects and Scientific Works under USFA Control,"
explained the transfer:
It is believed that these works ,had been in the possession of middle-class
Hungarians, many (but not all) of whom were dead. Some of the survivors,
conti~ued to live in Hungary, while others had emigrated. The Austrian
Monuments and Fine Arts Office agreed with the opinion that th~ artworks were
impressive, primarily because of their number and not because of their known or
possible individual value. There exist doubts here whether they would be of any
significance to any future general exchange agreement of cultural objects among
any nations concerned. In view of their origin and by virtue of the identity of most
of the artists of the oil paintings, insofar as they are known 'from signatures, the
objects should undoubtedly be'oonsidered Hungarian art. This would place them
into the category of property, which is part· of the cultural heritage of a nation and
would ordinarily be returned to that nation. It is believed that it should be not
returned by the U.S. to Hungary at this time in as much as this would be
inconsistent with the action taken in January 1949 under Which the U.S. transferred
the matter of restitution claims affecting alleged Hungarian properties located in the
U.S. Zone of Austria to the Austrian Government. Such transfer would further
almost certainly produce strong objections on the part of the Austrian Government
for the reason that Austria and its nationals have lost many assets of all types in
Hungary by virtue of postwar Hungarian legislation and feel that they should be
given the opportunity of strengthening their bargaining position in an expected
general settlement between the two nations.72 "
NARA, RG 260, Box 160, USFA General Records, Field Report of Evelyn Tucker to Hq USFA-USCA RD&R
Division Repatriation & Restitution Branch for the period November 6-11, 1947.
,
71 NARA, RG 260, Box 100, USACA Records, Transfer Receipt from USFA to Austria, January 5, 1949.
72 NARA, RG 59, Box 16, Disposition of Art Objects and Scientific Works under USFA Control. From Walter
Dowlling, the Deputy High Commissioner to the Department of State. 01.12. 1951.
70
22
�In another document prepared on March 26, 1952 called "Confidential Security
Information,"·and subtitled: "Hungarian Cultural Property in U.S. Custody," the State
Department's Ardelia Hall wrote:
I would like to propose that all cultural property of Hungarian ownership will be
held indefinitely for eventual return to the rightful owners and that this fact should .
be broadcast to Hungary.
Hungariari cultural property includes: '.
1) Hungarian library, under seizure by the Alien Property Custodian, stored at
Columbia University;
2) The 1176 paintings from the Hungarian Gold Train now in U.S. control, stored in
the Residenz Depot, Salzburg, Austria;
3) The Crown of St. Stephen and related objects.
.J
I was informed by the last MFA&Aofficer in Austria that the names of the
individual owners and addresses in Hungary were attached to the paintings. Should
I find evidence of ownership of these 1176 paintings when I go to Salzburg, I would
suggest that the detailed list of the objects and owners, painting by paintirig should
be broadcast to Hungary with the statement that the property is held under
trusteeship for eventual return to the owners,,73
No such detailed list of paintings was ever sent to Budapest. The last mention of the
paintings was in the report of a meeting on June 3; 1953, when Dr. Otto Demus, the Chairman of
the Federal Monuments Office of Austria (Bundesdenkmalamt), visited Washington and met with
Ardelia Hall and George Freimarck of the Department of State. The Memorandum of
Conversation states.that:
according to Dr. Demus and Miss Hall, there are two other 'blocks' of art objects
whose ownership is either in doubt or not Austrian property. These are a collection'
of 'some 1500 paintings' which are presently housed in a mine near Bad Aussee and
a collection of 967 paintings from the former Munich Collecting Point. 74
NARA, RG 59. Box 17. Confidential c Security Inf~rmation. Hungarian Cultural Property in U.S. Government
Custody, March 26. 1952. While the numbers differ, (Hall, 1176 paintings; Tucker 1181 paintings) both women are
referring to the same group of Gold Train paintings.
.
14 NARA, RG 59, Box 16, Department of State, Memorandum of Conversation. Subject: Identification and Restitution
of Art Treasures Currently in Austria. Participants: Miss Ardelia Hall- ICS. Department, George Freimarck - WEIP.
Department, Dr. Otto Demus - Chairman of Federal Monuments Office of Austria. June 3. 1953.
13
23
�In fact, there is no evidence that the Hungarian governrnent was ever informed about the existence
of the paintings.
1.
The
ExcePtio~
Only one fully documented case of restitution of paintings from the Gold Train exists. On
September 20, 1945, trustees for Mrs. Joli Gergely initiated a claim with the U.S. Legation in
Switzerland for the return of their client's property. They alleged that jewelry, linen, lace, clothes,
silverware and paintings belonging to Mrs. Gergely had been loaded on the Gold Train. Her
. trustees explained that their client, a "non-aryan" left Hungary to escape persecution and took up
,
.
residence in Switzerland.some years before. Her husband remained in Hungary and died there. 75
•
Nicolaus von Csillaghy, a friend of Gergely family, took care of their property.
On February 8, 1946 Mrs. Gergely's trustees sent the American authorit~es a detailed list of
their client's property and the reSults of their investigation:
Every piece of the luggage is the property of our customer, Mrs. Joli Gergely. The
trunks were,however, marked outside as being the property of Mr. Nikolaus von
Csillaghy, ·a'friend.of Mrs. Gergely, and who at the time attended to the transport of
the luggage. The car 55438 containing the property of pur client, has been
unloaded at the goodstation in Salzburg-Lehen ("Heereszeugmagazin") on 24th of
July 1945. Lieutenant Colonel Heller, an American subject, and his secretary Miss
Schnee dealt with the matter. When submitting the inventory of the luggage, Mr.
Von Csillaghy discussed the matter with Lieutenant Colonel Heller., .. Basing on this
discussion it should be possible to proceed with the investigations about the
property of our client's luggage?6 .
' .
,
Although the Chief of RD & R. Branch informed the Property Control Officer that "it is the
, opinion in this office that this property could be released to the individual concerned ... ,'.77 the
Property Control Officer replied that:
NARA, RG 260, Box 99, USACA Records,USFA Reparation and Restitution Branch, Letter of FidesUnion
Fiduciary to the U.S. Legation in Bern. September 20, 1945.,
'
"
76 NARA, RG 260, Box 29, USACA Records, USFAReparation and Restitution Branch, Letter of Fides Union
Fiduciary to the Allied Military Government, Salzburg, February 8, 1946.
'
77 NARA, RG 260, Box 99, USACA Records, USFA, RD & R Division, Property Control Branch, Subject: Personal
Property and Werfen Train. October 3, 1946.
75
24
�the property of Mrs. Joli Gergely which was taken into custody with the Werfen
Train material is still in the possession of this office; however, the identification of
the subject property will be most difficult. Officers who were formerly in charge of
the Property Control Warehouse in Salzburg, believed that the material could not be
identified and restituted. Therefore, in order to preserve clothing, linens, etc., such
articles were removed from their original containers, treated with moth-repellent
and placed in new boxes. 78
Despite the confusion, on February 2, 1948 the Property Control and Restitution Section of the
(
Headquarters of the Zone Command of Austria returned four paintings and one icon to Mrs. Joli
Gergely and three paintings to Mr. Nikolaus von Csillaghy.79 Thus, only eight of the 27 works in
the luggage of Von Csillaghy/Gergely, seized on the Gold Train by U.S. forces in 1945 were ever
found and returned.
'1 ~ Hl~/itn ~1J,.",t 4~ ik U7,(7W1
CONCLUSION
](wIsh COlItIllU"u
r
This report on th disposition of the assets of the Hungarian Jewish community found on
the Gold Train highlIght some "of the shortcomings in the restitution efforts of the American forces
in Austria, including the esignation of victims' assets as "unidentifiable" when that was not
necessarily the case; the ppropriation of victims' assets by American officers for personal use;
the sale of victims' assets through the Army Exchange; the unresponsiveness of the American
forces l!6 MdlIgerifMt effort to reclaim their assets; and the transfer of Hungarian paintings to the
Austrian government. Responsibility for these actions does not rest exclusively with the American
forces in Austria; in most cases, high ranking officials in Washington sanctioned their decisions.
Accordingly, the story of the Gold Train raises questions about the difference in American
policy toward the occupation of Germany and the occupation in Austria and about the more or less
capricious conduct of the occupying forces in Austria. The answers to these questions may help
NARA, RG 260, Box 99, USACA Records, tiSFA, RD & R Division, Property ContI:ol Branch, Subject: Personal
Property and Werfen Train. October 18, 1946.
"
79 NARA, RG 260, Box 99, USACA Records; USFA, Reparations and Restitution Branch, Restitution Receipt for
Paintings Belonging to Nikolaus von Csillaghy and Joli Gergely, February 2, 1948.
"
78
25
�;.
"
explain why some of the property of the Hungarian Jewish community for the Gold Train was so
carelessly dispersed and may never be restituted to its proper owners.
26
.:...:
�
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
An entity responsible for making the resource available
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
The size or duration of the resource.
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
[Gold Train Drafts - Sept. and Oct. 1999] [2]
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 218
<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
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Adobe Acrobat Document
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
Reproduction-Reference
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
6/24/2013
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
6997222-gold-train-drafts-sep-oct-1999-2
6997222