MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR

These are the Proceedings of the Washington Conference on

Holocaust-Era Assets, held November 30 – December 3, 1998 in

Washington, D.C. The Conference, co-hosted by the U.S. Department of

State and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, was a

government-organized, international meeting of forty-four governments

and thirteen non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Participants

sought to address the issue of assets confiscated by the Nazis during the

Holocaust (1933-45), specifically art and insurance, as well as communal

property, archives and books, and to conclude any remaining gold issues.

In addition, the Conference dealt with the role of historical commissions

and Holocaust education, remembrance and research. The agenda for the

Conference (see Appendix E, pages 931-948) consisted of plenary

sessions where all asset classes were discussed, followed by “break-out”

sessions in which each topic was discussed in greater detail. The daylong

session on Holocaust education, remembrance and research was also an

integral element of the Washington Conference.

The Proceedings of the Washington Conference include the

following: formal statements made by presenters during the Conference;

“delegation statements” submitted during or after the Conference;

“position papers” provided by delegations as part of the official record;

interventions made from the floor during free discussion periods that

were submitted in writing for purposes of publication; and related

documents that are included for the historical record.

The papers published in this report are reproduced from text

provided by participants in the Conference. Some spelling and layout

changes have been made, but content and word usage has not been

altered. Authors of individual statements – not the publisher – are

responsible for the use of italics, bold print or underlining for purposes of

emphasis. The U.S. Department of State does not endorse the views

expressed in individual statements.

The following people deserve recognition for their outstanding

contributions to the compilation and production of these proceedings:

Richard A. Smith, Jr., Jody Manning, Holly Waeger, Ananta Hans and

Derrick Holmes. The publication of these documents would not have

been possible without their efforts and steadfast dedication.

J.D. Bindenagel

February 19, 1999

Washington Conference on

Holocaust-Era Assets

PROCEEDINGS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

OPENING STATEMENTS

Opening Ceremony

Remarks

Miles Lerman, United States Holocaust Memorial Council 3

Remarks

Stuart E. Eizenstat, Under Secretary of State for Economic, 7

Business and Agricultural Affairs

Remarks

Abner J. Mikva, Conference Chairman 11

Remarks

Elie Wiesel, Nobel Peace Laureate 13

Opening Plenary Session

Opening Remarks

Miles Lerman, United States Holocaust Memorial Council 19

Chairman’s Opening Statement

Abner J. Mikva, Conference Chairman 23

Keynote Address

Madeleine K. Albright, Secretary of State of the United States of

America 29

Message from Robin Cook, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom

Delivered by Anthony Layden, Head of Delegation of the United

Kingdom 35
iv WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

Opening Remarks

Under Secretary of State Stuart E. Eizenstat, Head of Delegation of

the United States 39

Opening Remarks

Avraham Hirchson, Head of Delegation of Israel 45

Opening Remarks

Rajko Djuric, Head of Delegation of the International Romani Union 49

Opening Remarks

Ambassador Alexander Philon, Head of Delegation of Greece 55

Review of Gold Issues, Research and Resolution

Under Secretary Stuart E. Eizenstat/United States 57

The Closing of the Tripartite Commission for the Restitution of

Monetary Gold

Ambassador Louis Amigues, Ministry of Foreign Affairs/France 63

The International Fund for Needy Victims of Nazi Persecution

Anthony Layden, Foreign and Commonwealth Office/United Kingdom 67

Address at the Conference

Edgar Bronfman, World Jewish Congress and World Jewish

Restitution Organization 73

Address at the National Archives

Nili Arad, Ministry of Justice/Israel 77

CONCLUDING STATEMENTS

Concluding Statement

Miles Lerman, United States Holocaust Memorial Council 83

Concluding Statement: American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust

Survivors

Benjamin Meed, Head of Delegation 85

Concluding Statement: Belarus

Vladmir Adamushko, Head of Delegation 89
TABLE OF CONTENTS v

Concluding Statement: Bulgaria

Ambassador Philip Dimitrov, Head of Delegation 91

Concluding Statement: Canada

Howard Strauss, Head of Delegation 93

Concluding Statement: Czech Republic

Jiri Sitler, Head of Delegation 95

Concluding Statement: France

Ambassador Louis Amigues, Head of Delegation 97

Concluding Statement: Germany

Ambassador Professor Tono Eitel, Head of Delegation 101

Concluding Statement: Israel

Yaakov Levy, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 105

Concluding Statement: Macedonia

Vladimir Naumovski, Head of Delegation 109

Concluding Statement: The Netherlands

Ambassador Jan d’Ansembourg, Head of Delegation 115

Concluding Statement: Poland

Agnieszka Magdziak-Miszewska, Advisor to the Prime Minister 119

Concluding Statement: Switzerland

Ambassador Thomas G. Borer, Head of Delegation 121

Concluding Statement: United States

Under Secretary of State Stuart E. Eizenstat, Head of Delegation 125

Chairman’s Concluding Statement

Abner J. Mikva, Conference Chairman 133

DELEGATION STATEMENTS

American Jewish Committee

Statement by David A. Harris, Executive Director 145

Argentina

Delegation Joint Statement 147
vi WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

Austria

Delegation Statement 151

The Legal Situation in regard to “Holocaust and Insurances” in Austria 157

Federal Ministry of Finance Insurance Supervisory Authority

Austrian Restitution of Works of Art 165

Austrian Historical Commission 169

Gold Transactions Carried out by the Oesterreichische Nationalbank

 during Austria’s Occupation (1938-1945), and the History of the

So-Called Salzburg Gold

Summary of the Preliminary Report of Fritz Weber 189

Belarus

Delegation Statement 191

How Much Did 800,000 Murdered Belarussian Jews Cost?

Leonid Levin, Belarussian Association of Jewish Organizations and

Communities 195

Letter to the Conference Chairman 201

Belgium

The Spoliation of Cultural Goods in Belgium during the Second

World War

Ministry of Foreign Affairs 203

The Antwerp Diamond Sector during the Second World War

Ministry of Foreign Affairs 207

Belgian Jewish Museum of Deportation and Resistance

Ministry of Foreign Affairs 211

Belgium and the Relief Fund for Victims of Nazi Persecution

Ministry of Foreign Affairs 213

Canada

Statement on Insurance 215

Statement on Other Assets 219
TABLE OF CONTENTS vii

Due Diligence: A Report on the Bank of Canada’s Handling of

Foreign Gold during World War II

Dr. Duncan McDowall 223

Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany

Delegation Statement 229

Croatia

Delegation Statement 231

European Council of Jewish Communities and

European Jewish Congress

Joint Delegation Statement 241

Finland

Statement by Ambassador Esko Kiuru, Ministry for Foreign Affairs 245

The Jews of Finland and World War II

Tapani Harviainen, University of Helsinki 251

France

Intervention during the Plenary Session: Overview of NaziConfiscated Art Issues

Ambassador Louis Amigues, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 261

Press Conference by the Mattéoli Mission: Opening Statement on

Art Works

Prof. Adolphe Steg, Fact-Finding Mission on the Looting of Jewish

Assets (Mattéoli Mission) 263

Greece

Delegation Statement 265

Hungary

Delegation Statement 271

Israel

Delegation Statement 275

Italy

Monetary Gold and Italian Participation in the International Fund

 for Needy Victims of Nazi Persecution

Minister Franco Tempesta, Head of Delegation 277
viii WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

Research Issues

Minister Franco Tempesta, Head of Delegation 279

Education

Minister Franco Tempesta, Head of Delegation 281

Latvia

Delegation Statement 283

Luxembourg

Delegation Statement 285

Macedonia

The Last Jews of Macedonia: Extermination and Pillage

Ivan Dejanov and Samuel Sadikario, Macedonian Academy of

Sciences and Arts 293

Poland

Delegation Statement 307

Russia

The General Goals of the Conference and the Looted Art Problem

Ambassador Valentin Kopteltsev, Head of Delegation 319

Slovak Republic

Delegation Statement 321

Slovenia

Delegation Statement 327

Spain

Activities of the Spanish Commission on Holocaust-Era Assets 329

Sweden

Statement

Salomo Berlinger, Special Adviser to the Commission on Jewish

Assets in Sweden at the Time of the Second World War 331

Switzerland

Introductory Declaration

Ambassador Thomas G. Borer, Head of Delegation 333

Delegation Statement 337
TABLE OF CONTENTS ix

Switzerland and World War II: A General Presentation 349

Switzerland’s Role in the Trade of Art Works Stolen by the Nazis 355

Teaching Tolerance 361

Proposal on the Fight Against the Use of the Internet for Racist,

Anti-Semitic or Hate Purposes 373

The Swiss Insurance Industry during the Second World War: Research

Issues – Initial Results – Perspectives

Independent Commission of Experts “Switzerland – Second World War” 375

Gold Transactions of Nazi Germany: Research Issues – Initial Results –

Perspectives

Independent Commission of Experts “Switzerland – Second World War” 381

Report on Switzerland’s Refugee Policy: Research Issues – Initial

Independent Commission of Experts “Switzerland – Second World War” 385

Turkey

Delegation Statement on Holocaust-Era Assets 391

Ukraine

Delegation Statement 403

United States of America

Overview of the Washington Conference Principles on NaziConfiscated Art

Under Secretary of State Stuart E. Eizenstat 411

Explanation of the Washington Conference Principles on NaziConfiscated Art

Under Secretary of State Stuart E. Eizenstat 415

Art Databases and Archives

Under Secretary of State Stuart E. Eizenstat 421

U.S. Support for the International Commission on Holocaust Era

Insurance Claims

Under Secretary of State Stuart E. Eizenstat 425
x WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

The Need for Others to Join the International Commission on

Holocaust Era Insurance Claims

Under Secretary of State Stuart E. Eizenstat 427

Archival Openness

Under Secretary of State Stuart E. Eizenstat 429

World Jewish Restitution Organization

Report of the W.J.R.O.

Ambassador Naphtali Lavie 433

NAZI-CONFISCATED ART ISSUES

Plenary Session

Art Looting during the Third Reich: An Overview with Recommendations for Further Research

Jonathan Petropoulos, Loyola College in Maryland/United States 441

Presenter Statement

Lynn Nicholas, Independent Scholar/United States 449

Restitution of Works of Art in Austria: State of the Provenance

Research November 1998

Ernst Bacher, Austrian Art Commission/Austria 453

Presenter Statement

Valeriy Kulishov, Ministry of Culture/Russia 459

Presenter Statement

Ronald S. Lauder, Museum of Modern Art/United States 465

Presenter Statement

Earl A. Powell, III, National Gallery of Art/United States 469

Break-out Session

Government Restitution Policies, Postwar to Present

Restitution Policy of the Polish Government Post-war to Present

Wojciech Kowalski, University of Silesia/Poland 473
TABLE OF CONTENTS xi

From ‘Legacy of Shame’ to New Debates over Nazi Looted Art

Oliver Rathkolb, Kreisky Archives and Institute for Contemporary

History, University of Vienna/Austria 485

Britain and the Restitution of Art Looted from Occupied Countries

during the Second World War

Richard Bevins, Library and Records Department, Foreign and

Commonwealth Office/United Kingdom 503

Presenter Statement

Nikolai Gubenko, Committee on Culture, State Duma/Russia 513

The Fate of Works of Art in the Netherlands During and After World

War II

Charlotte E. van Rappard-Boon, Ministry of Education, Culture, and

Science/The Netherlands 519

Identification of Art, Archives and Databases

Personal Reminiscences of the Offenbach Archival Depot, 1946-49:

Fulfilling International and Moral Obligations

Seymour J. Pomrenze, Offenbach Archival Depot/United States 523

Presenter Statement

Constance Lowenthal, Commission for Art Recovery, World Jewish

Congress/World Jewish Restitution Organization 529

Restitution of Looted Art: A Practical Approach

Ronald Tauber, The Art Loss Register 535

Presenter Statement

Gilbert S. Edelson, Art Dealers Association of America 539

Presenter Statement

Konstantin Akinsha, Project of Documentation of Wartime Cultural

Losses 543

Spoliated and Restitutable Art and Their Databases

Ori Z. Soltes, formerly of the Klutznick National Jewish Museum 547

Principles to Address Nazi-Confiscated Art

Presenter Statement

Philippe de Montebello, Metropolitan Museum of Art, U.S. Association

of Art Museum Directors Task Force/United States 553
xii WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

Issues of Unclear Provenance and Principles to Address NaziConfiscated Art

Françoise Cachin, Museums of France/France 559

Presenter Statement

Ambassador Louis Amigues, Ministry of Foreign Affairs/France 565

UK National Museums and Galleries Statement

Sharon Page, Tate Gallery and Working Group on Nazi Spoliation of

Art, National Museums and Galleries’ Directors Conference/United

Kingdom 569

Presenter Statement

Carla Schulz-Hoffmann, Bavarian State Paintings Collection/Germany 573

HOLOCAUST-ERA INSURANCE CLAIMS

Plenary Session

Nazi Confiscation of Insurance Policy Assets

Gerald Feldman, University of California, Berkeley and American

Academy in Berlin/United States 579

Presenter Statement

Glenn Pomeroy, North Dakota Insurance Department and National

Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)/United States 585

Presenter Statement

Neil Levin, New York State Insurance Department and NAIC

International Holocaust Commission Task Force/United States 589

Presenter Statement

Herbert Hansmeyer, Allianz AG 593

Break-out Session

Historical Overview: Nazi Confiscation of Insurance Policy Assets

Confiscation of Insurance Assets: Special Issues

Gerald Feldman, University of California, Berkeley and American

Academy in Berlin/United States 599
TABLE OF CONTENTS xiii

Insurance in the Nazi Occupied Czech Lands: Preliminary Findings

Tomas Jelinek, Office of the President of the Czech Republic 605

Postwar Government Compensation Programs and Nationalizations

Presenter Statement

Rudolph Gerlach, German Federal Regulatory Agency for Insurance

Practices 623

Insurance Claims in a Historical Context with a Special Regard to the

Holocaust in Hungary

Tamás Földi, Public Policy Institute/Hungary 629

The Impact of Post-World War II Nationalizations and Expropriations

 in East Central Europe on Holocaust-Related Assets

Vojtech Mastny, Woodrow Wilson International Center 649

Presenter Statement

Elzbieta Turkowska-Tyrluk, Powsechny Zaklad Ubezpieczen

(PZU)/Poland 661

Unpaid Claims

Compensation and Restitution: Special Issues

Gerald Feldman, University of California, Berkeley and American

Academy in Berlin/United States 669

Government Compensation Programs and Unpaid Claims

Catherine A. Lillie, Holocaust Claims Processing Office, New York

State Banking Department/United States 673

Presenter Statement

Bobby Brown, Prime Minister’s Office/Israel 681

COMMUNAL PROPERTY

Plenary Session

Presenter Statement

Under Secretary of State Stuart E. Eizenstat/United States 687

Presenter Statement

Ignatz Bubis, European Jewish Congress 693
xiv WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

Presenter Statement

Erzsébet Pék, Ministry of Foreign Affairs/Hungary 695

Presenter Statement

Saul Kagan, Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany 699

Jewish Communal Property

Andrew Baker, American Jewish Committee 703

Break-out Session

Restitution of Jewish Communal Property in Poland (Status as of

November 23, 1998)

Jerzy Kichler, Union of Jewish Congregations in Poland 709

Presenter Statement

Michael Lewan, U.S. Commission for the Preservation of America’s

Heritage Abroad/United States 715

ARCHIVES, BOOKS AND THE

ROLE OF HISTORICAL COMMISSIONS

Plenary Session

British and Allied Restitution Policy during and after the Second

World War

Gill Bennett, Foreign and Commonwealth Office/United Kingdom 721

Searching for Truth: The Relationship Between National Archives

and Independent Commissions

Michael Kurtz, National Archives and Records Administration/

United States 729

The Treatment of Enemy Archives in the Third Reich

Siegfried Büttner, German Federal Archives/Germany 739

Presenter Statement

Jean-François Bergier, Independent Commission of Experts

“Switzerland – Second World War”/Switzerland 745
TABLE OF CONTENTS xv

Break-out Session

Archives and Books

Understanding Archives of the People, by the People, and for

 the People

Eric Ketelaar, National Archives/The Netherlands 749

Statement by The Holy See about the Accessibility of its Archives

Rev. Fr. Marcel Chappin, Gregoriana Pontifical University/The

Holy See 763

The Names of the Jews

Yaacov Lozowick, Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Martyrs’ and

Heroes’ Remembrance Authority 767

Opening Statement

Robert Vanni, New York Public Library/United States 771

Recovering the Past: How Books and Archives Matter

Abby Smith, Council on Library and Information Resources/United

States 775

Presenter Statement

Shimon Samuels, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Paris 781

Historical Commissions

Report on Dutch Historical Research on Financial Restitution for

War Victims

Peter Klein, Scholten Commission/The Netherlands 785

Presenter Statement

Ambassador Krister Wahlbäck, Swedish Foreign Ministry and

Swedish Commission on Jewish Assets 789

Notes on Archival Research Undertaken by the Turkish Commission

to Determine the Actual Position of Turkey Before, During and

After the Second World War

Ambassador Sevinc Dalyanoglu, Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs 793

Argentine Documents on the Nazi Era

Ignacio Klich, Commission of Enquiry into the Activities of Nazism

in Argentina (CEANA) 797
xvi WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

HOLOCAUST EDUCATION, REMEMBRANCE

AND RESEARCH

Overview of the Importance of Holocaust Education,

Remembrance, and Research

Overview of the Importance of Holocaust Education, Remembrance,

 and Research

Miles Lerman, United States Holocaust Memorial Council 803

Holocaust Education – Research – Remembrance in Germany

Beate Kosmala, Center for Anti-Semitism Research, Technical

University, Berlin/Germany 805

Presenter Statement

T.J. Blankert-van Veen, Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport/

The Netherlands 811

Remembrance and Education

Adolphe Steg, Mattéoli Mission /France 815

Presenter Statement

Rev. Dr. Remi Hoeckman, O.P., Commission for Religious Relations

with the Jews/Holy See 821

On Holocaust Education

Yehuda Bauer, Yad Vashem Institute/Israel 825

Goals of the Task Force for International Cooperation

on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research

Task Force on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research

Under Secretary of State Stuart E. Eizenstat/United States 829

Presenter Statement

Pär Nuder, Prime Minister's Office/Sweden 833

Presenter Statement

Avner Shalev, Yad Vashem/Israel 837

Presenter Statement

Albert Spiegel, Cultural Section of the Foreign Office/Germany 839
TABLE OF CONTENTS xvii

Best Practices and Future Projects in Holocaust

Education, Remembrance and Research

Remembrance

Learning from History: The Nazi Era and the Holocaust in

German Education

Regina Wyrwoll, Goethe-Institut/Germany 845

ADL’s Holocaust Programming: Education, Reconciliation,

Atonement

Kenneth Jacobson, Anti-Defamation League/United States 849

Curricular Education

Life and Resistance During the Holocaust

Vladka Meed, American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors 855

Holocaust Education in Germany

Robert Sigel, Josef Effner High School, Dachau/Germany 859

Presenter Statement

Margot Stern Strom, Facing History and Ourselves National

Foundation/United States 863

Holocaust Education in the 21st Century: Breaking the Silence

 in 1945, Avoiding Premature Closure in 1999

Marcia Sachs Littell, Richard Stockton College of New Jersey/

United States 869

Knowledge and Remembrance of the Holocaust in Different

Countries: Data from American Jewish Committee-Sponsored

Surveys

David Singer, American Jewish Committee/United States 877

Report of the Task Force for International Cooperation on

Holocaust Education Remembrance, and Research

Report to the Conference Plenary

Under Secretary of State Stuart E. Eizenstat/United States 903
xviii WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

APPENDICES

Conference Preparations 909

Appendix A:

Summary of the Organizing Seminar for the Washington Conference

on Holocaust-Era Assets, June 30, 1998 911

Appendix B:

Summary of the Roundtable Discussion on Nazi-Looted Art,

 June 9, 1998 915

Appendix C:

Summary of the Seminar on Holocaust-Era Insurance Claims,

 September 4, 1998 921

Appendix D:

Summary of the Roundtable Discussion on Nazi-Confiscated

Libraries and Archives, September 1, 1998 925

Conference Documents 929

Appendix E:

Conference Schedule 931

Appendix F:

Conference List of Participants 949

Appendix G:

Washington Conference Principles on Nazi-Confiscated Art 971

Appendix H:

Report of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust

Education Remembrance, and Research 973

Declarations from the Task Force for International Cooperation on

Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research:

Promoting Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research 986

Archival Openness and Access 987
TABLE OF CONTENTS xix

Additional Conference Statements 1001

Appendix I:

Address of the Representatives of Former Nazi Victims (Prisoners)

from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine 1003

Appendix J:

Report of the Government of the Russian Federation Cooperation

and Conciliation Fund

Prof. Nikolay Andreyevich Makhutov, Cooperation and Conciliation

Fund 1007

Supplemental Information 1019

Appendix K:

Information on the Nazi Persecutee Relief Fund 1021

Appendix L:

Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Holocaust-Era Insurance

Claims 1043

Appendix M:

Text of the [Russian Duma] Federal Law No. 64-FZ of April 15, 1998,

 on Cultural Treasures Transferred to the Union of Soviet Socialist

Republics as a Result of World War II and Located in the Territory

of the Russian Federation 1049

Appendix N:

Information on the Project for Documentation of Wartime Cultural

Losses 1063

Appendix O:

La Civiltà Cattolica, March 21, 1998: The Myth in the Light of the

Archives: The Recurring Accusations against Pope Pius XII 1067

Appendix P:

Nazi Documents from Russian Archives Made Public by the Russian

Delegation to the Conference, December 3, 1998 1079