Concluding

Statements

Concluding Statement

Mr. Miles Lerman

CHAIRMAN,

UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL COUNCIL

Thank you. Ambassadors, Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen:

We are nearing the end of this extraordinary conference on

Holocaust-Era Assets. We have heard many speakers; we have listened

to impassioned pleas; we have been moved; we have been called to

action. Indeed, much has been accomplished – yet so much more remains

to be done.

As I stated before, the success of this conference will ultimately

be judged by the manner in which every nation here will assume its own

obligation towards an ongoing, intensive program of Holocaust

Education.

History will judge all of our nations by the demonstrated degree

of willingness to confront the truth about our own past. We will be

judged on how diligently we will pursue efforts to make our archives

available for scholarly research. Without these archival records, the full

story of the Holocaust and all related issues cannot be told.

The story we will convey to future generations must be factual

and fully documented. Otherwise, it will not withstand the test of history.

But there are other critical issues that I want to address this

morning.

I believe all of us should be concerned with the recent

phenomenon that is arising as a result of increased attention to Holocaust

assets. I am referring to the rise of anti-Semitism in certain European

countries. So far the drummers of hate are still somewhat subdued. They

seem to come in the form of a whisper campaign. But remembrance

teaches us that we cannot ignore or take lightly early signs of antiSemitism.

One manifestation of this phenomenon appears to be taking

place in Switzerland.

On November 5, 1998, Switzerland’s Federal Commission

Against Racism reported that, “Latent anti-Semitism is again being
84 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

increasingly expressed in public word and deed.” The Commission

reports that, “Comments from Swiss politicians helped make antiSemitism socially acceptable.” Again this fact is highly disturbing.

This resurgence of anti-Semitic sentiments seemed to be

explained as a reaction to the negotiated financial compensation with

some of the Swiss banks.

Should this phenomenon continue, we should keep in mind that

such retaliatory anti-Semitism will only compound the problems that this

conference is trying to address.

Let it come forward from here to all concerned that the days

when Jews were afraid to speak up to defend their rights are gone and

will never return again.

It is essential that we recognize that the debate, in which we are

now engaged, is not only about assets, but it is about what is right and

what is wrong and what is just and what is unjust.

The moral aspect of this debate is perhaps more important than

the material consequences.

There is another matter that I must bring to your attention. It is

eloquently expressed in the letter that appears in your packet that was

written by David Harris, the Director of the American Jewish

Committee, regarding the identification and preservation of the places of

martyrdom throughout Europe.

Some countries are dedicated to the task to preserve these sites;

in others, little or no effort is made.

In some countries, legislation exists to protect these sites; in

others, there is no protection whatsoever.

It is imperative to prevail upon the nations that have failed to

preserve and protect their sacred sites, that they must ensure that these

places remain as reminders of the horrible crimes of a half century ago. If

we are to pursue an intensive program of Holocaust education and

remembrance, these sites must be preserved and they must become our

eternal witnesses to a horrid past.

As you can see, Ladies and Gentlemen, we are ending our

conference with great accomplishments – but even greater challenges,

much in the way of education, research and preservation remains to be

done, but I feel hopeful that with goodwill and true understanding of

what is at stake for future generations, we will succeed in our efforts.

Thank you.
Concluding Statement

AMERICAN GATHERING OF

JEWISH HOLOCAUST

SURVIVORS

By Mr. Benjamin Meed

HEAD OF DELEGATION

Mr. Chairman Abner Mikva, thank you for your kind

introduction.

As we are about to conclude this historic conference, I would

like, on behalf of the survivor community, to express our appreciation

especially to Stuart Eizenstat and Miles Lerman for bringing together

such a distinguished international gathering.

In the last four days much good will was expressed and we are

grateful. There were many highlights, many expressions of solidarity

with the victims. The aim of the conference was to unite us for future

activities and we hope this was achieved. A better understanding of what

the Holocaust did to our people.

Although this conference dealt mostly with pragmatic issues,

Holocaust survivors must never allow to forget the enormity of the

catastrophe which befell especially our Jewish people and remember the

murder of six million European Jews. We realize that we will never learn

the enormity of our losses, but we must demand that justice and morality

be the guidelines in future deliberations.

I am here together with my fellow officers of the American

Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors. As Americans we feel proud

that under the seal of the United States, under the leadership of America,

this conference was organized and this work will continue. We are

working very closely with the Israeli delegation, with whom we have

special bonds. In the field of education we work very closely with Yad

Vashem in Jerusalem and Lochamei Hageta'ot in Nahariya.

We were inspired by many people, but personally, for me were

the remarks by our Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. While she

spoke and summoned us to remember, I could not help but think of my
86 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

own family murdered in the Holocaust, and about so many Jewish

children never given a chance of growing up and doing so much for

society and humanity.

The aims of the Holocaust survivors in all their years after

liberation can be summed up in three objectives: our responsibility to

commemorate, document and educate. To the end of our lives we will

continue to bear witness.

As we rebuilt our lives in this country, in the State of Israel and

countries throughout the world, survivors took upon themselves the

responsibility of not letting the world forget. In the last fifteen years the

American Gathering created, under the leadership of Vladka Meed, the

acclaimed program of education of the Holocaust and Resistance. Six

hundred seventeen alumni from throughout the country are today

teaching nationwide about Holocaust and Resistance.

We are pleased that the flame of education, which we survivors

ignited and which we would like to instill in our future generations, has

today become the most important theme. The Conference and assets also

had to become the platform of remembrance, this time, not only by

survivors, but by countries worldwide. We are grateful to the State

Department, under the leadership of Under Secretary Stuart Eizenstat,

and Miles Lerman, the chairman of the United States Holocaust

Memorial Museum, as well as all representatives of Yad Vashem of the

State of Israel and we are commending their goals.

Naturally, those who lived through that period have a special

sensitivity and passion, and are bound by Remembrance. Most important

to us survivors is the subject of Remembrance. What should be

remembered is that truth and morality must be our guide.

We are grateful that today, the Days of Remembrance is

officially observed in the United States as a full week of remembrance.

Hundreds of thousands of people annually remember the Holocaust

through these observances.

Many institutions in the United States did help in documenting

the Holocaust through eyewitnesses and we are grateful to them. But the

official documentation of Holocaust survivors in the United States is the

National Registry of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, which was, and is

being, compiled jointly by the American Gathering and the United States

Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Our records and data base today already represent more than

120,000 Holocaust survivors and their families. This work is of the

utmost importance and we must continue with it. Our goal is that every

living survivor, as well as those who passed away, in the United States
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 87

should have his or her record, including the family, recorded. History

will need this documentation. Although it is work we are doing for more

than twenty years, we hope it will continue as a major priority of our

activities. We need, for all this, cooperation from Holocaust survivors

and their descendants.

We hope that education will become now the tool of erasing

ignorance and preparing new generations free of hatred and bigotry.

Concluding Statement

BELARUS

By Vladimir Adamushko

HEAD OF DELEGATION

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the delegation of the Republic of Belarus allow me

to thank the Conference hosts for their invitation to participate in it, for

their hospitality, good organization and conditions of our work.

The problems viewed at this conference are of great importance

for the mankind. The cooperation and mutual understanding of nations

depend greatly on how fairly they are going to be resolved.

Speaking at the opening of our conference Secretary of State

Madeleine Albright precisely defined the Holocaust as history's most

monstrous crime. This 'monster" cost more than 2.5 mln. lives to my

small country in the center of Europe. Nearly 800 thousand of the

victims were Jews, which accounts for 1/7 of the total Holocaust victims.

Regrettably, the problems of the Holocaust to the east of Poland

have been hardly touched upon at this Conference.

Immediately after the London Conference we in Belarus came

back to the problem of Nazi gold: we thoroughly studied documents in

our national archives, as well as in those of Germany and Russia.

Our research resulted in the collection of documents "Nazi Gold

from Belarus" published in September, 1998, which had included 46

documents containing data on gold, silver and other jewelry confiscated

by the Nazis from the population of Belarus and sent to the Reich.

Out of the book's 410 pages, 185 pages are devoted to the

documented lists of persons whose jewelry had been confiscated by the

Nazis. They are Belarusians and Jews, Russians and Poles, Ukrainians

and Tartars, and people of other nationalities.

But these lists of looted valuables have one discrepancy. Jews

make up only 5 percent in them, though Belarus was a major center of

Jewish pale in the former Soviet Union. The fact is that only few Jews

could get into these lists. The Holocaust victims were in another list.
90 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

Nearly 800 thousand Jews were killed in more than 200 ghettos in

Belarus, among them almost 50 thousand Jews from various European

countries. Jews were killed "wholesale'. All at once. They were robbed of

anything: documents, valuables, personal belongings, gold, silver and the

most dear thing - the life itself. The archival documents prove it.

It's worth noting that the research included documents and

materials dealing mainly with the central part of Belarus (during the Nazi

occupation it formed the General Region of Byelorussia incorporated

into the Ostland Reichkommissariat) which accounts for a quarter of

today's territory of the country. The remaining part of the Belarusian

territory was under the authority of the military occupation

administration of the Center Army Group Rear and the General Regions

of Bialostok and Lithuania. Therefore, the real number of citizens whose

jewelry was confiscated by the Nazis is much larger.

And the documentary database was far from being complete. A

part of archives on this problem was either destroyed or sometimes

inaccessible for researchers on other reasons. We present here only the

documents which our researchers could find by fragments and which

apply to non-monetary gold, or to be more exact, the gold confiscated

from the Belarusian citizens.

Distinguished Delegates,

Today, due to economic reasons, my country cannot become a

donor to the International Fund for Needy Victims of Nazi Persecution.

Unfortunately, it needs assistance itself due to various reasons, the

Chernobyl disaster among them, with its consequences continuing to

affect nearly half the country's territory for many years to come.

We propose to make within the International Fund for Needy

Victims of Nazi Persecution a special list of states that suffered most

during the Holocaust era and cannot become the Fund's donors yet but

whose Holocaust victims could be assisted through this Fund. Belarus is

among the European countries which suffered the heaviest losses from

Nazism. Its people, Nazi victims, both Jews and non-Jews, hope that

their country will be included into the group states which are to be

compensated for their confiscated assets.

There are more than 400 persons among them whose names had

been or are about to be commemorated in Jerusalem's Avenue of the

Righteous Amongst the Nations.

We believe and hope that our research will be taken into account

as well when sealing the final fate of Nazi non-monetary gold.

We hope for a just solution of this problem. Thank you.
Concluding Statement

BULGARIA

By Ambassador Philip Dimitrov

HEAD OF DELEGATION

Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like first to thank, on the behalf of the Bulgarian

delegation, all who worked hard to make this conference possible. Permit

me to thank personally Secretary Eizenstat for his efforts and for his

efficiency.

Restitution is not merely an economic but mainly a moral issue.

It is generally accepted that crime and violence should not and will not

be tolerated to benefit anyone. Restitution is a – if not the – practical way

to make this perfectly clear.

I cannot agree with people who think that what has been said and

done about the Holocaust until now is enough. We need to protect our

world from the possibility of any new outburst of totalitarian savagery,

and memory is one of the most important factors in this respect. The

memory of the Holocaust should be kept alive. The sufferings of the

Jewish people who were systematically tortured and industrially

slaughtered represent the most blatant and terrifying example of what

tyranny and teaching of hatred brought to people in the twentieth

century. And it is not surprising that quite a few issues directly deriving

from the Holocaust could be raised only now when the other poisonous

social structure – communism – fell.

The need to recall and discuss the Holocaust is not a matter of

fashion, but of an intrinsic human necessity which should be respected,

supported and encouraged not only in memory of the past but for the

sake of the future as well.

For obvious reasons, the contribution of my delegation to the

work of this Conference is very modest. Fortunately, Bulgaria does not

face most of the problems that are being discussed here. The Bulgarians,

like the Danes, took a firm stand in support of their Jewish compatriots

during the war. Bulgaria was the only country in Hitler-dominated

wartime Europe which emerged from the war with more Jews living in it
92 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

than before the war, and managed to save fifty thousand human beings

from deportation to the death camps. This was only achieved due to the

combined and sustained efforts of the State Institutions (Parliament and

King), the Church, the intellectuals of different trends of thought and the

common people who went out into the streets. It is true that the Bulgarian

nation could not save the Jews from Trace and Macedonia, and this is

painful indeed. But the Jews in Bulgaria, even when they suffered the

humiliation of yellow stars and labor camps, knew that this was the only

way to save them from deportation and that when the Nazi pressure was

over, their position would be restored. Most of the Bulgarian Jews later

chose to leave post-war Bulgaria and it was then that a good part of their

property was robbed by the communist regime.

However, one thing that gives me courage for the future of my

nation is the awareness that even now there are thousands of

Bulgarian-born Jews living in the State of Israel and elsewhere, who

keep on mentioning Bulgaria in their prayers.

In fact, my country has considerable experience with restitution

of Jewish (as well as every other) property robbed by the communist

regime and we are ready to share this experience with respect to

problems that can occur in such complicated procedures.

Weekend Jewish schools in Bulgaria were started soon after the

fall of the Berlin wall and last fall a full-time Jewish school was

established in Sofia with the generous assistance of the Lauder

Foundation.

The University of Sofia has already introduced Jewish Studies

into its curriculum, and steps are being taken to increase the amount of

data on the Holocaust in the curriculum of the public high schools.

Naturally, I would like to use the opportunity of this Conference to

express our openness to exchange of experience in these matters as well.

I would also like to express the support of my delegation to the

proposal for measures aimed at the full preservation of sites of the

Holocaust. These ugly monuments of despicable inhumanity should not

be destroyed. Their existence is a weapon in the fight for human

memory, i.e., for human conscience. We should not deprive ourselves of

this weapon as long as there are still voices saying that the story of the

Holocaust is a bit exaggerated.
Concluding Statement

CANADA

By Mr. Howard Strauss

HEAD OF DELEGATION

Mr. Chairman, hosts, fellow delegates:

As the Conference draws to a close, we join others who have

spoken to congratulate the U.S. authorities on their initiative in

convening this Conference. It was a success by any standard.

Mr. Chairman, the ratio of the holocaust survivor community in

Canada to the Canadian Jewish population is higher than that of any

other country in the world, except Israel. The Conference has, therefore,

a special importance for us.

Canada has opened its holocaust-era national archives to the

public. Canadian insurance companies are in the process of reviewing

their holocaust-era files. Bank of Canada records have been reviewed

both internally and by outside experts. The Canadian Art Museums

Directors Organization fully supports the principle of return of Holocaust

Era Assets, and is working on guidelines similar to the ones discussed

here.

Our education facilities provide cutting edge holocaust education

programs: a chair has been dedicated to holocaust studies at a major

university, courses are offered at all levels, holocaust memorial museums

have been established in Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver.

An international symposium on hate on the Internet took place in Canada

in 1997. A follow-up international conference will take place in Canada

in March of next year.

Through our written contributions and oral participation, we

have sought to provide others attending this Conference with the benefit

of our experience. And we, in turn, have benefited from the insights

offered by colleagues.

We will complete the work begun in Canada. We will also

continue to contribute what we can at the international level.
94 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

It is too late for the many who have died, but we can provide a

small measure of justice to their memory and to the survivors. And, we

can, through education, try to save our children from reliving their

horrors.

We should do it because it is the right thing to do. Thank you.
Concluding Statement

CZECH REPUBLIC

By Mr. Jiri Sitler

HEAD OF DELEGATION

Ladies and gentlemen,

This conference has not been summoned to account for

successes; it was intended to stimulate a deeper international debate on

Holocaust era assets.

In our country, we take part in the debate, and support the

creation of diverse committees, task forces, and funds for victims.

Nevertheless, I have a feeling that the overflow of memorandums,

committees, and press declarations in the last years and months was

sometimes self-purposed. I will tell you why I believe so.

We sometimes ask our citizens who have survived the horrors of

the Holocaust about their opinion on international foundations that are

being announced in the headlines of the world press. Usually they answer

politely that they welcome the current discussion, nevertheless, none of

the Czech Jews or Roma has ever received a dollar from these funds. I

am sure it will happen soon, but still, more agility would not hurt.

Victims who survived and stayed in Czechoslovakia or other

countries of the Central and Eastern Europe were de facto excluded from

the compensation remedies arranged between the Allies and the German

government. We actually do not know the reason for this. The argument

that they lived in a communist country is not clear – it meant that they

needed the money even more. Moreover, no arguments ever prevented

retirement payments to ex-members of the Nazi army. Well, be it as it

may, the lost decades are not to come back. But it is the reason why

international community should focus much more on the real situation of

the Nazi victims in Central and Eastern Europe, not on the virtual world

of statements, memorandums, moralizing, and press conferences.

Of course, there is a lot to do in my own country too. That is

why the Czech Republic established a governmental committee chaired

by the Deputy Prime Minister. We know that the results of its work will

be more important than the intentions and plans.
96 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

However, you could allow me to share with you some of our

good experiences. As waiting for a compensation or humanitarian aid

from abroad seemed to take too long, in 1994 the Czech Parliament

adopted an act providing financial aid to the Nazi victims. By this day,

55 million dollars were distributed from a Czech government agency,

without any request for its operating budget increase.

In December 1997, the so-called 'Czech-German Fund for the

Future' was established. The Czech share is 17 million dollars while the

German one is 93 million dollars. 53 million dollars out of this amount is

to be handed directly to the victims. Both the Czech and the German

members of the board of administrators and of the supervisory board of

the Czech-German Fund fulfill their job for free.

We are proud that funds in which Czech side is participating are

running smoothly and inexpensively and I hope that you will forgive me

mentioning this so much. After all, this is the only aid that the Czech

victims of Nazism have ever seen. They rightly hope that it was not the

last one. We can show to all the attorneys, members of boards and others

involved in this issue how things worked out so swiftly and without any

expensive salaries and fees. Of course, only if they would like to see

something so strange.

Much more important issue is to make everybody see what the

victims of Nazism from Central and Eastern European countries think. It

is no surprise that we can find representatives of Roma and Jews among

the Czech delegates. We do not want them to function only as a matter

of the debate. We wish them to be involved in solving the problems

concerning them most, not only in our country, but also in appropriate

international councils. It is still not that way. Therefore, I highly

appreciate the speech given yesterday by the representative of the

American Jewish Committee who addressed this problem.

The Washington conference gave us the opportunity to discuss

all these issues in an open and frank manner. I would like to thank all the

organizers who made it possible, especially Judge Abner Mikva,

Undersecretary Stuart Eizenstat and Miles Lerman, Chairman of the

United States Holocaust Memorial Council.

Several decades ago we were united in the battle against Nazism.

Now we should become allies in fighting its consequences. We can sure

teach each other a lot in that. Thank you very much for your interest and

patience.
Concluding Statement

FRANCE

By Ambassador Louis Amigues

HEAD OF DELEGATION

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to join my colleagues in thanking the

organizers of this conference. These three days were full of exchanges on

the tragic subject of the looting of assets during the Holocaust. They

have allowed all the participants, I hope, to better understand what

happened during that period and to take the necessary steps toward

fulfilling our duty to remember.

This final speech gives me an opportunity to reaffirm the desire

of the highest authorities of my country to shed all possible light on this

painful aspect of our history.

In 1995, President Chirac indicated his concern for seeing France

fulfill its duties of remembrance and history through the recognition of

the horror and tragedy that struck the Jews of France in the form of the

Holocaust ordained by the Nazi occupier and implemented by the Vichy

government. Just a few days ago, on November 28, the Prime Minister

reaffirmed this determination before the Representative Council of

Jewish Institutions of France.

I want to quote the following passage from his speech:

"The test of truth is always delicate. Nevertheless it

remains indispensable. A nation always benefits from a

clear-minded look at its past, including its darker pages.

That is why, after approving without reservations the

declarations of the President of the Republic with regard

to the anti-Semitic crimes of the Vichy regime, I myself

expressed the same sentiment." And: "You have

legitimately stressed the concerns of the Jews of France

regarding the question of looted assets. Such

expectations are well founded. It is normal for those who
98 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

were the victims of this unprecedented tragedy – the

Shoah – to demand rights that are indeed theirs."

There cannot be the slightest doubt as to France's will.

Indeed, it has resulted in the establishment of the Commission

headed by Mr. Jean Mattéoli, Chairman of the Economic and Social

Council. Several of its members are part of our delegation, notably its

Vice President, Professor Steg, who is also president of the Universal

Israelite Alliance. They had an opportunity to talk about their work so I

will not go back into the details, but I do want to underscore the

following points:

The work being accomplished is considerable, exceptionally

wide-ranging, and is mobilizing all the administrations and bodies

concerned to investigate all possible sources. It is being carried out with

determination and total independence on the part of Commissioners.

The government has taken the necessary measures, both in

financial terms and in terms of staff, to complete this enormous task by

the end of 1999. If necessary, its resources will be increased in order to

meet this goal.

The results of this investigation will be accompanied by

proposals regarding the nature and modalities of reparations that seem

justified. The government will then make the decisions it deems

necessary.

As you can see, France's approach is thus extremely ambitious. It

is also specific, given that France – and first and foremost its Jewish

community – was a victim of Nazi looting. As soon as the legitimate

Republic was re-established, our country systematically began making

restitutions in all areas: financial assets, works of art, real estate,

industrial and commercial assets and so on. The work under way will

make it possible to very precisely identify the extent of the sizable

restitutions that have already been made and to determine those that were

unable to be made.

Finally, this approach is directed first and foremost toward

France's Jewish community. We favor the concept of individual

restitution, despite the considerable work it entails. This legal concept,

which differs from the collective and communitarian treatment that may

be current elsewhere, allows us to respond specifically to the claims

made by our fellow citizens. To this end, the Prime Minister has just

approved the creation of a body responsible for examining individual

claims by the victims of anti-Semitic measures and their heirs.
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 99

That does not prevent us from taking part in the duty to pursue

remembrance and education at the international level, as shown by our

contribution of some 20 million francs to the activities of the

international fund assisting the victims of Nazi persecution.

Thank you for your attention.

Concluding Statement

GERMANY

By Ambassador Professor Tono Eitel

HEAD OF DELEGATION

Mr. Chairman, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen:

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, Judge Mikva, for the understanding

and impartiality with which you have conducted the conference over the

past days. We are sure that your balanced judgment will also be brought

to bear in your summary, which will contain your findings about our

work. We shall study it with the greatest interest and with the greatest

respect and sympathy for you personally, Mr. Chairman, and for the

cause of the conference.

I thank the State Department, Ambassador Eizenstat, and the

Holocaust Memorial Museum, Mr. Lerman, for their hospitality.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The subjects with which we have been dealing over these days

are very difficult for everyone in this room. They are and they will

remain a source of shame for Germans. The liberation of Auschwitz on

January 27, 1945, is a day of remembrance in Germany. We also

commemorate Kristallnacht, the night of the pogrom on November 9,

1938, when synagogues were burned. This was a turning point in the

history of the persecution and plundering of German Jews. On the

sixtieth anniversary of that event, Federal President Roman Herzog, said

in a Berlin synagogue:

The night of November 9 to 10, 1938, was one of the

most terrible and disgraceful moments in German

history. It was a slap in the face of humanity and

civilization.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Immediately after the end of the war, it was clear to everybody

that there could never be complete compensation for the immense
102 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

suffering, both human and material, which the Hitler regime had brought

upon the world. Germany nevertheless endeavored to do what it could at

the time. Nazi victims included Jews, politically and religiously

persecuted persons, and also Sinti and Roma, whose terrible suffering

was so vividly brought to life by the remarkable intervention of the

President of the International Romani Union.

Today, Germany can look back on nearly fifty years of

compensation totaling more than 100 billion German marks, and annual

payments of 1.7 billion German marks continue to be made. This

corresponds to more than 60 billion dollars plus continuing annual

payments of 1 billion dollars.

In Germany, the restitution of assets belonging to Nazi victims

began immediately after the war. Prior to the foundation of the Federal

Republic of Germany in 1949, the victorious powers had already done a

considerable amount of work to right the wrongs and give back to the

victims what belonged to them. The Federal Republic of Germany

carried on where the Allies had left off. Movables and immovables that

could be identified as having belonged to victims of Nazi persecution

were returned to survivors, to their heirs, or to successor organizations.

Compensation was paid for material assets that could no longer be

restituted. This compensation also covered cases where there was no

successor. These assets were dealt with in global agreements with the

Jewish Claims Conference. Our policy of restitution and compensation

has been developed over the years in constant dialogue with the Allies,

with the successor organizations set up by survivors and trusted by

everyone involved, and also with the State of Israel.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Allow me to make a few comments on the main subjects of our

conference.

On the issue of Nazi gold, we regret to admit that the Reichsbank

files concerning the victims' gold were, based on the documents

available, divided up according to the then prevailing standards and

ultimately lost 25 years ago. It seems their political and historical

significance was not properly understood. Documentation is available to

you on this regrettable loss.

The German Government welcomes and supports efforts by

German and other European insurance companies to pursue in the

International Commission the question of insurance policies held by Nazi

victims that were not paid out. I would like to emphasize at this point

that it was the declared intention of the Hitler regime to channel all
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 103

Jewish assets to the state or one of its organizations. That policy also

applied to insurance claims. If the victims did not collect on such policies, their surrender value was confiscated by the Reich Treasury, that is,

by the tax offices. After the war, these insurance policies became part of

German compensation payments. The International Commission should

therefore be concerned only with insurance claims which, for whatever

reason, were not stolen by the Nazis, or, in rare cases, for which no

compensation was paid.

As far as works of art are concerned, the German Government's

position is clear, and I am sure that this can be confirmed by

representatives of the Conference on Jewish Claims against Germany.

Any work of art that belonged to a victim of the Nazis and may be still in

the possession of the German Government, will be returned to the

survivors or given to their successors. If neither victims nor successors

can be traced, the work will be handed over to the Jewish Claims

Conference. I can assure you that this policy will also apply to any works

of art taken out of Germany as individual or collective war booty which

will be returned to my country in the future. We expect that binding and

unequivocal treaty obligations will be honored. We very much welcome

efforts by European museums and other bodies to track down works of

art whose provenance is in doubt and to find their former owners.

That is the policy the German Government applies not only in

cases of art works but also in the area of libraries and archival documents

belonging to Nazi victims.

Please allow me a word on the land formerly owned by Jewish

communities and the victims of the Nazis. After reunification in 1990,

the Government took over responsibility for handling open claims in the

same manner as had been practiced to date, i.e., with a clear preference

for returning such assets. Of course, fifty years after the end of the war, it

is much more difficult to resolve those kinds of questions when

possession has changed several times. We are confident that this work

can soon be brought to a satisfactory conclusion in close and trustful

cooperation with the Claims Conference.

The subject of Holocaust remembrance also looks ahead to our

common future. In Germany, knowledge of the Third Reich and its

crimes is an established part of all school curricula. We have acquainted

you with our wide-ranging educational materials. Teaching tolerance and

historical awareness also includes visits to memorial sites, especially to

former concentration camps. When visiting a former concentration camp

in Germany, one always encounters young Germans.
104 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

We believe that international cooperation on Holocaust

remembrance is essential to strengthening a common international

attitude towards crimes such as racism and anti-Semitism. It is in this

spirit that we welcome the Swiss Government’s proposal to host a

governmental conference on the fight against the use of the Internet for

racist, anti-Semitic or hate purposes.

We consider it important and useful to make available our

experience and wide range of German teaching materials to other

countries for use in their curricular development.

Allow me to close by again quoting President Herzog:

No community, no society, and no state can live without

remembrance. Living without remembrance means living

without identity and orientation. Remembrance must be

passed on, for the sake of the victims, but also for our

own sake. Anyone who wants to be honest must face up

to his entire history, history which, in both its good and

its evil aspects, makes up the identity of our people.

Remembrance - when we talk of remembrance in the

context of the Nazi era, we mean, above all,

remembrance of the victims. But it also signifies

remembrance of the crimes and the criminals. It is our

responsibility to refute anyone who claims that being a

human depends on race or origin, convictions or beliefs,

health or ability.

Thank you very much.
Concluding Statement

ISRAEL

By Mr. Yaakov Levy

DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL,

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

On behalf of the Israeli Delegation, I wish to express

appreciation to all of you who have participated in this Conference;

special appreciation is due to the United States, under whose auspices we

are convening, in particular to Under-Secretary of State Stuart Eizenstat

and his dedicated staff, who worked diligently in preparing and

implementing the Conference.

Mr. Chairman: Not all the victims were Jews, but all Jews were

victims. Following the defeat of the Nazis, a majority of Holocaust

survivors immigrated to Israel, where they and their families built their

lives anew. The State of Israel sees itself as the central representative of

the survivors and their offspring and is dedicated to achieving justice on

their behalf and to the remembrance of the Shoah.

The matter of Jewish assets is not merely a material issue; it is a

moral imperative. "Thou shalt not steal" appears in the same Decalogue

with the injunction against murder. There is no adequate compensation

for the loss of life, but justice must be sought for the Jewish communities

and individuals that were despoiled.

Compensation must also be sought for the men and women

turned into slave laborers, whose bodies were violated for profit. All

civilized nations outlaw slavery and whomever exploits slave labor must

provide reparations for this heinous crime.

We support the adoption of a universal principle of restitution of

communal property. The obligation of restituting private property to its

rightful owners or to their descendents is of paramount importance. If

restitution is not possible, adequate compensation should be made.

Individuals and institutions who acquired looted property should

pay restitution. Financial institutions such as banks and insurance

companies should accept responsibility for their Holocaust era clients.

This also applies to those who acquired art works and ritual objects
106 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

looted from Jewish homes and synagogues. The original owners have an

indisputable claim to what is rightfully theirs, even though these items

may have passed through a number of hands.

We welcome the openness and the cooperation of the countries

researching the facts regarding property looted during the Holocaust. We

note with satisfaction that many countries have established commissions

to investigate their own past. We urge all countries, groups, financial

institutions and individuals to allow immediate and unrestricted access to

all archival and state archive materials relevant to the period.

We welcome the establishment of the International Commission

on Holocaust Era Claims and look forward to its equitable resolution of

all outstanding Holocaust era claims.

The World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) is the

umbrella organization representing the Jewish people, in close

coordination with the State of Israel, in matters of restitution.

It is imperative that the International Task Force on Holocaust

Education, Research and Remembrance succeed in promoting worldwide

awareness of the horrors of the Holocaust and help combat racism,

anti-Semitism, Holocaust denial and ethnic hatred.

The State of Israel, together with Yad Vashem, in cooperation

with Jewish communities worldwide and all other relevant institutions,

will work to effect the widest dissemination of knowledge about the

Holocaust, its prelude, its aftermath and its lessons for all humanity.

Many of the Speakers were cognizant of the need to focus on the

high moral ground of maintaining the memory of the Holocaust and to

promote educational projects. The need to put a face and a name on

every victim, as well as to impart the universal lessons of the Shoah, will

forever remain a primary goal for us all. At the same time, it is vital that

we focus on the plight of the survivors among us, and of their

descendants. The need for expeditious material compensation is of

paramount importance during the survivors’ lifetime. The swift

implementation of all legitimate claims of the survivors is the very basis

for maintaining a high moral ground struck during these days.

This Conference is not the conclusion of the process. The issue

of Jewish assets will remain on the Worlds agenda until just solutions are

found.

To this end, we urge further gatherings and consultations in the

months and year to come.
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 107

The State of Israel commits itself to full cooperation with all

governments and non-governmental organizations in an effort to uncover

the truth, promote humanitarian solidarity and accord justice to the

victims of the Holocaust and their heirs.

"Tzedek Tzedek Tirdof"

"Justice, justice, thou shall seek.....”

Concluding Statement

REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA

By Mr. Vladimir Naumovski

HEAD OF DELEGATION

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There are documents on the presence of Jews in Macedonia from

the 6th century B.C., who came here from Persia. Those comprise the first

Jewish settlements in Europe. The Diaspora brought masses of other

Jews (during Alexander the Great, and the Roman Empire), who are

known as Romaniots. Many known families remained in Macedonia until

the Holocaust. The most numerous population and the culture came from

Spain and Portugal (1492 and 1498 respectively), bringing the highest

level of civilization and culture in these territories. We always stress the

fact that in Macedonia, the Jews brought with themselves the Bible,

Judaism, Christianity, the alphabet and part of the Jewish fate. All of the

Judaism in Macedonia has gone with the Holocaust. The last 7148

Macedonian Jews, were arrested and gathered by the Bulgarian Army on

March 11, 1943, and deported to Treblinka, where they were

exterminated. This number comprise 98% of the Jewish population at

that time, which rate is incomparable with any other, except maybe in

Northern Greece (Aegean Macedonia) and Trakia. Very few survivors

have joined the Resistance movement, but also many of them have lost

their lives on the battles. Documents about the history of the Macedonian

Holocaust are collected by the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and

Arts and the Macedonian Archives. As the SS Nazi troops stormed

through former Yugoslavia (April 6, 1941) to invade Greece, they

delivered most of the Macedonian territories to the Bulgarian occupation

forces who remained in those territories until the end of the World War II

1945. A few months just before the occupation, the Bulgarian

government issued the "Law for Protection of the Nation" signed by the

King Boris III on January 21, 1941, and it was immediately operative in

Macedonia.

On this occasion I would like to point out that according to the

claim of Riebbentrop (Nazi-German Minister of Foreign Affairs), King

Boris III approved initial deportation of 20,000 Jews to the Nazi -
110 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

concentration camps, mainly persons from the occupied territories,

communists or socialists. On March 11, 1943 all Jews from Macedonia

were gathered on the temporary concentration camp "Monopol" in

Skopje. The conditions of living there were horrible, including minimal

food and water, with no bathroom and toilette, with no heating in an

exceptionally severe winter. Towards the end of March and the

beginning of April 1943, three convoys with Jews were deported to

Treblinka. In each carriage without windows there were around 80

persons, in standing position. Not a single person came back from

Treblinka. In Bulgaria, although many of the Jews were arrested and

5000 died during the arrest and in the labor camps, were spared from

deportation and extermination, thanks mainly to the organized protests of

the Bulgarian people and ethnic Macedonians, the Orthodox Church and

some MPs. Many ethnic Macedonians took the first initiative and had the

crucial part in the organization and participation of the protests (as stated

by the Bulgarian writers Harry Nisimov and Aaron Assa):..."For

hundreds of years the Macedonian and Jewish peoples have lived

together as brothers in misfortunes, suffering and destiny. We have the

same enemies. Therefore our struggle against them should be identical

(The Macedonian Liberation Front, end of 1942) ... There is indisputable

evidence that several prominent members of the Macedonian movement

in Bulgaria, in the town of Kjustendil to be precise, played a decisive

role in saving Bulgarian Jews from extermination in Poland... "(Aaron

Assa). The anti-Semitism and anti-Macedonism are practiced in the

certain countries for centuries. The very basic principles of moral and

social ecology are treaded constantly mainly in the same European

countries. We do believe in the hope of U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye (D--

Hawaii), "The Chief Rabbi" in U.S. Senate and Congress, that the

concentration camps and Holocaust will not happened again; to have this

security "the vigilance is not enough, we need active participation", said

the U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

For more than two and a half millennia, Jews and Macedonians

have a life of tolerance, peace, mutual help, friendship and

understanding. During many centuries both Jews and Macedonians are

under vitriolic pressure of assimilation and prosecution of Babylonians,

Persians, Romans, Byzantinians. Many rulers of European empires were

seeking to obliterate the Jewish and Macedonian identity of the People

and the Land. For example the name of the Jewish Land was changed by

Romans to Palestina, after the long-vanished Philistines, an Aegean
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 111

people, the name of Jerusalem was changed to Aelia Capitolina. For

some of our neighbors, the name and the identity of Macedonians are

questionable even now! The name of Macedonia was changed several

times in the last two and a half millennia. And in spite of all possible

forms of intolerance, hatred, prosecution, suppression and Holocaust the

moral and spiritual identity of Jewish and Macedonian People survived

the falls of many "eternal" empires! The main goal was to annihilate the

ethical and spiritual identity of Jewish and Macedonian People! The

annihilators were ready to assimilate these peoples, but not their ethical

and spiritual nature. But it was not possible to kill the ideas of their

ethics and spirit. There was and always will be an Israel and a

Macedonia, a Jewish Spirit and a Macedonian Spirit! A Spirit of Justice,

Tolerance and Peace Promotion! The Jews and Macedonians love all

nations. They have never promoted or conducted any ethnic cleansing.

The existence of Jewish and Macedonian people is a terrible but glorious

history of death, sorrow, remembrance and hope. A transcendental

surmountableness of the "European Justice" and "The borders of

Auschwitz"! A permanent extermination and pillage of these, two

peoples and their material and spiritual culture! In the memory of

Macedonian Jews perished in the concentration camps, in Skopje, in

Macedonia, the President of the Republic of Macedonia Mr. Kiro

Gligorov, in 1996 laid the foundation stone of Macedonian Holocaust

Memorial Center. The center will be finished at the end of 1999. There is

also a commitment for supporting the construction of this Holocaust

Memorial Center in Skopje.

The possibility for study stay of an independent world expert

aimed at examine the participation of Nazi-Bulgaria at the period in the

deportation of Jews, is being considered and its scholarship is approved

by the Government of the Republic of Macedonia. The financial claims

of Macedonian Jews if they are return, will be given in that case, to the

Jewish Community of the Republic of Macedonia.

The Jews in Macedonia identified themselves as Macedonian

Jews all over the Balkan. After 1912 and the Balkan Wars, when

Macedonia was territorially divided by her neighbors in the Almanac of

Macedonian emigrants, published 1931 in Sophia, Bulgaria, is written:

"Macedonian Jews were always the best friends of Macedonians in their

struggle for independence."

Dear participants, I would like to mention the considerations in

the Republic of Macedonia are divided in two parts, as follows:
112 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

1. The Nazi laws, with brief description of the discriminative and

humiliating measures in order to demonstrate the mode of violation of

the human rights in occupied Macedonia, and

2. Documents on the confiscated properties. Nazi laws, after the

occupation, the Bulgarian Nazi Army has imposed series of restrictive

and discriminative laws and regulations.

We will stress only few illustrative examples.

The "Law for the Protection of the Nation" was issued on

January 21, 1941, for whole Bulgaria and the occupied territories. This

law contained five parts on the origins, general restrictions, places of

living restricted for Jews, on the Jewish properties, on the professional

and economical activities of the Jews.

On February 17, 1941, additional regulative act entitled

"Principles for the Application of the Law for the Protection of the

Nation" was issued as integrative part of the Law.

On July 13, 1941 the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Public

Health was applied "The Law for the special single Tax payable on all

Jewish Real and Personal Estate".

The Department of Jewish Affairs at the same ministry, issued

the "Decree No 32" on December 29, 1942, with detailed instructions for

wearing special badge, with six pointed, bright yellow star, on all

clothes, for all Jews older than 10 years.

"Decree No 5" of the same Department on September 8, 1942

was forbidding all Jews to keep cash and valuable items (gold, jewels,

Chinese vases,' silverware, archeological items, historical items,

paintings, collections, stamps, etc), and they should be deposited on the

bank. Confiscation of all Jewish properties continued on the beginning of

1943, and continued until the deportation and final solution on March 11,

1943 Before deportation, the Jews were gathered in labor groups

("trudovi druzini"), along with other minorities, distributed in labor

camps in Bulgaria (Naroden glas No. 6 1942).

The second part of our view is addressed on documents of the

confiscated assets. This presentation uses documents from the Archives

of Macedonia (Skopje, Bitola and Stip). Although abundant

documentation is kept in the Archives of Sofia, Belgrade and Salonika,

the experts of the Republic of Macedonia still do not have access to those

documents. Minimal part of these documents is previously published and

kept in the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the Jewish

Community in Skopje: Archive in Skopje has 1001 archive units with

documents written on 10358 pages. All archive documents are copied

and sent to The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The values
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 113

of confiscated Jewish assets and the details from the laws and regulations

are given in separate listings of the prepared information, which we

estimate that will contribute to the final documents and conclusions of

this important Conference, in which Macedonian representatives

participate for the first time.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The deportation of the Jews from Eastern Aegean Macedonia,

Western Trakia and Vardar Macedonia (Republic of Macedonia) was

ordered on the base of a Decision of Bulgarian Ministerial Council from

March 2, 1943 and it was an Agreement between Bulgarian and German

representatives based on this decision. The appropriation of Jewish assets

(real and personal estate, money, deposits, insurance, gold, and other

valuable belongings) was done by Bulgarian authorities. The experts of

National Bank of Republic of Macedonia estimate (only for Jews from

Skopje, Vardar Macedonia) on the basis of available, but not complete

documents the total amount of Jewish assets to be 16,498,383.95 US

dollars and 6,310,909.43 US dollars is the value of the assets without the

value of real estate.

On behalf of the delegation of Republic of Macedonia, I hope

that on this conference, the commission for claims and returning of the

Jewish estate will be formed, covering the Jewish communities in the

world, including the Jewish Community in the Republic of Macedonia.

Thank you for your attention.

Concluding Statement

THE NETHERLANDS

By Ambassador Jan d'Ansembourg

HEAD OF DELEGATION

My delegation is very grateful to the organizers of this

conference to have given us the opportunity to exchange views on the

way governments and NGO's deal with the many injustices which form

part of the legacy of the Holocaust.

It has been an extraordinary occasion to explain what has been

done in the past, what is currently being done and what will be done in

this respect in the future. As far as my delegation is concerned we are

happy to have been able, mostly in the break-out sessions, to inform you

about what has been done in the Netherlands and what we intend to do.

As a concluding contribution to this conference let me briefly

give you an overview of where we stand on the past, present and future

of the subjects we have discussed during the last three days.

As far as the past is concerned I will not exhaust you with an

enumeration of all the regulations and measures that were devised to give

material and immaterial support to the victims of the war. Let me just

mention that the drafting and promulgation of measures designed to

remedy, wherever possible, the action taken by the Germans against

Dutch Jews and other population groups, were undertaken by the

Netherlands Government in exile already before the liberation of our

country. After the war these measures grew into an extensive corpus of

legislation and legal protection in the field of the restoration of legal

rights. In retrospect these measures may not always have been successful

in taking away the feelings of injustice inflicted by the Nazis on our

Jewish population.

Over the years a unique system of legislation was created to

meet the needs of different categories of Dutch war victims. It has led,

inter alia, to the Victims of Persecution Benefits Act, which awards

payments and grants, a total of 4 billion dollars, also to victims who no

longer live in the Netherlands, like, for example to some 1,400 people in

the U.S.A. In addition to material assistance the Dutch Government
116 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

funds a number of organizations that specialize in non-material

assistance to war victims.

In the field of art, guidelines for restitution were set in 1947 by

the Council of the Netherlands Art Property Foundation which recovered

many thousands of items and returned a substantial part of them to their

rightful owners. Nevertheless, of all the works of art stolen from the

Netherlands during the war more than 8,000 paintings alone are still

missing.

As far as Jewish life insurance policies is concerned a situation

evolved which led to case law under which insurance policies were

generally restored and a large number of amicable settlements were

concluded between insurance companies and policy holders. Between

1948 and 1950 some 12,000 amicable settlements were dealt with in this

manner. In 1954 nearly all life insurance companies and the Dutch State

concluded an agreement for the amicable restitution of legal rights with

regard to life insurance and annuity policies of people who had died.

The recent surge in interest in and concern with the fate of the

victims of World War II has led, in the Netherlands to the appointment of

a ministerial committee chaired by the Prime Minister that oversees the

activities of 5 investigative committees. They deal, respectively with Art,

Nazi Gold, Financial assets, other tangible assets, and assets seized by

the Japanese in the former Dutch East Indies. Some first results of the

activities of these committees are starting to come in but the final reports

are expected at different moments between later this month and the

middle of next year. Apart from this the Jewish community has set up a

claims center funded by the Government, where Jewish victims and their

heirs can claim stolen property. More than 1,500 substantiated claims

have already been received. In 30 cases, mostly insurance policies the

claims were honored. More settlements are to be expected.

In the field of restitution of art I want to mention the fact that,

after a pilot study, we are going to research the provenance of all state

owned works of art that were returned after World War II. Of many of

these we know that they are rightfully in the State collection because

they were sold voluntarily to the Germans. But since we have found out

that in a limited number of cases serious doubts were raised, we want to

investigate the total collection.

The example of the Government collections is being followed by

the Dutch museums. The details of these investigations and their

timetables have been set forth by a member of my delegation during

yesterday's break-out session on Nazi Confiscated Art. In the execution
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 117

of its restitution policy the Netherlands has applied principles which

correspond with the eleven principles proposed by the US delegation.

Many injustices of the Holocaust cannot be rectified because loss

of life is irreplaceable and suffering cannot be undone. What can in any

case be done though, is to redress unjust situations in the material field

which, for whatever reason, have not yet been dealt with until now.

While, in the Netherlands war victims have generally benefited from our

legislation in the field of restitution, compensation or non-material

support, those in Eastern Europe have, until recently, remained deprived

of this kind of benefits. For that reason the Dutch Government has

decided to allot half of its voluntary contribution to the Nazi Persecutee

Relief Fund established at the London Conference to projects in Central

and Eastern Europe. Apart from that I should recall that the proceeds of

the sale of the last share of the Dutch Nazi gold has been almost totally

allotted to the Dutch Jewish community for the support and

reinforcement of that community.

As I have mentioned before the reports of the several

commissions which dealt with Holocaust-era assets in our country are

scheduled to be published in the months to come. The Government is

determined to remedy defects in government policy in this area if and

where this policy is shown to be deficient.

Other actions that have been undertaken in the Netherlands

concern a 364 page archival finding aid, a catalogue of actors involved in

the looting of assets, their recuperation, restoration of legal rights and

restitution and compensation which will be published next week. This

will facilitate research into our archives to which any claimant has free

access.

Another current activity that should be mentioned is the request,

by the Dutch Government addressed to a foundation to carry out a study

of the circumstances in which war victims returned to Dutch society and

the way in which they were received and treated in the early postwar

years. Next Monday a seminar organized by this foundation will take

place in the Netherlands on the way the different groups of returnees

have been received back in the Netherlands after the war. This will make

it possible for returnees to give expression to their feelings about that

period. This meets a general feeling in our country that people in the

Netherlands after the war were generally busy with getting their own

existence back in order and therefore had insufficient understanding and

empathy for their compatriots who felt they did not get the attention they

needed.
118 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

In one of the break-out sessions in the Holocaust Museum a

member of our delegation has pointed out that the focus of Government

efforts in the non-material field is aimed at informing and educating

young people about the Second World War in an effort to avoid a similar

catastrophe in the future. The Government will contribute to the work of

the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust

Remembrance, Education and Research. We hope this conference is a

start for more international cooperation especially to inform our

youngsters.
Concluding Statement

POLAND

By Mrs. Agnieszka Magdziak-Miszewska

ADVISOR TO THE PRIME MINISTER

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On the 8th of November, the 60th anniversary of “Kristallnacht”,

participating in the ceremony of the rededication of the Wrocaw

synagogue recovered by the local Jewish community, the Prime Minister

of Poland, Jerzy Buzek said: “Sixty years ago it was decided that the

Jews of Wrocaw, as well as German, Polish and European Jews; and

their temples will be erased from history, whose new chapters would

henceforth be written solely by the racially pure hands of Aryans.

This satanic idea failed. For over fifty years, you Jews and we

Christians have been recording the horrible history of he enormous

atrocity committed by the Nazis in the heart of Europe. For over fifty

years we have been asking in horror: How it was possible? And, as the

years go by, we realize more and more that we must not shun an answer

to that question, for the future of our continent depends on that answer.

The Wrocaw synagogue is rising from the ruins. The Jewish

community of this city is returning from oblivion. I believe that a new

chapter of Christian-Jewish and Polish-Jewish dialogue has opened. I

believe that in spite of all difficulties, obstacles and mutual prejudices,

our common dealings will once again be imbued with trust, cooperation

and ordinary human friendship. I believe that the current renaissance of

the culture of Polish Jews will once again become an integral part of he

culture of Poland, as it had been for eight hundred years.

What I wish from the bottom of my heart I wish it to you, to

Wrocaw, and all of Poland.”

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Poland regained its independence a few years ago. After a long

period of communist regime, Poland has started the process of regaining

of its own history. An integral part of this history is a history of Polish
120 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

Jews. The Polish society started the process of regaining its memory. The

Holocaust is an integral part of this memory.

It will be a long and painful process also – for Poles but, thinking

about our future as a future of the free, democratic country, we must be

ready to confront our past in a full truth. This is why we are ready, and

will be very, proud to become a part of Task Force for International

Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research. This

is not only our moral obligation, but we feel that our experience on that

field – the experience of the Educational Center of the Auschwitz State

Museum and our archives can well serve in that task.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Let me, in the name of the Polish delegation, and especially in

the name of the head of this delegation – Polish Minister of Culture, Mrs.

Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa – to say “thank you” to Miles Lerman and to the

Under Secretary of State, Stuart E. Eizenstat, for this conference which

starts the international dialogue about the past which should never be

forgotten, and about future which is expected to establish the truth and

justice. Let me assure you that Poland is ready to participate in it with a

good will and openness. We are proud to participate in this great and

noble undertaking. We are proud to participate in implementing the

moral values to international policy.

Thank you.
Concluding Statement

SWITZERLAND

By Ambassador Thomas G. Borer

HEAD OF DELEGATION

Mr. Chairman, Honorable Delegates:

We are nearing the end of a century that has produced more

victims on battlefields and in towns and villages, witnessed more crimes

against humankind, more atrocities against minorities and political

dissidents, has lead to greater waves of refugees - has, in short, seen

more human suffering than our minds will ever be able to grasp. Within

this sad record, the Nazi crimes against humanity are unparalleled. They

remain the symbol of the most complete denial of Humanity. As such,

they stand before us as a constant warning never to let history repeat

itself.

Everyone here will agree that the Holocaust and its unspeakable

atrocities must never be forgotten. It is indeed important to develop ways

and means of remembrance and sensitivity, and we welcome the

opportunity that was given to us here to discuss Holocaust remembrance

and education. In remembering the past, we build an important basis for

promoting tolerance for the future.

Mr. Chairman, Dear Delegates:

It is in this spirit that I would like to raise an important issue

which, I hope, will be of particular interest for the Governments and

NGOs gathered here in Washington:

• As you know, the rapid development of racist and antiSemitic propaganda on the Internet has become a matter of

concern for many countries. The Swiss Federal police, for

instance, identified 700 such websites in 1997. Not one was

based in Switzerland, as the dissemination of racist and antiSemitic propaganda is strictly forbidden in our country.

However, as the Internet has no borders, prohibition in

specific countries is not an adequate solution, for hate
122 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

propaganda can be disseminated via foreign providers and

anonymizers. The need for international cooperation in this

field is obvious. Moreover, the development of Internet as a

platform for racist, anti-Semitic, and revisionist activists,

many of which disseminate the "Auschwitz lie", is all the

more worrying as the web appeals to and is used by younger

generations. As such, it is a critical task for every nation to

contain the spread of hate propaganda on the web. The

Washington Conference carries a huge moral weight. It

could thus, in our opinion, send an important signal: A

signal showing that its participants are committed to

fighting anti-Semitism and racial hatred. A signal that

they will not allow the use of new technologies to deny a

past that must never be repeated.

This is why the Swiss delegation would like to inform the

various delegations that the Swiss government would be ready, if so

wished, to host a governmental conference on the fight against the

use of the Internet for racist, anti-Semitic or hate purposes, and to

propose concrete remedial steps.

The signal we will send will undoubtedly contribute to the

concrete objective of the present conference, which represents one of the

great tasks and challenges for the next century: To prevent denial and

oblivion of the horrors of this century, as well as their recurrence.

Switzerland is committed to this effort towards the future.

Before concluding, Mr. Chairman, let me say a few words about

the other topics dealt with during this conference.

On the insurance question, Switzerland welcomes the

constructive participation of the three Swiss insurance companies in the

"International Commission", and supports the cooperative approach the

Commission chose. However, in our view the on-going class action suits

are not compatible with this cooperative spirit, and we expect that an

intensive dialogue, involving especially the American participants in the

said Commission, will soon bring an end to this confrontational element.

Regarding the looted art issue, Switzerland welcomes the ongoing discussion on this complex subject. My country has taken

important measures in this matter, and welcomes the proposal submitted

by the American delegation.

The request for the complete opening of the archives has long

been met at the Federal level in Switzerland. Furthermore, the Bergier
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 123

Commission has special rights guaranteeing complete access even to

private archives.

In concluding, Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the US

Department of State, as well as the Holocaust Memorial Museum, for the

perfect organization of this important and fruitful conference. Finally, I

would not fail to express my appreciation of the very skilled and able

Chairmanship of Judge Mikva.

Thank you very much.

Concluding Statement

UNITED STATES

By Under Secretary Stuart E. Eizenstat

HEAD OF DELEGATION

It has been a great honor for me and for the State Department to

have co-hosted the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets. It

is a particular privilege to have had as our partner the U.S. Holocaust

Memorial Museum, which is doing so much to ensure that the memory

and the lessons of the Holocaust endure for future generations.

A year ago, at the London Nazi Gold Conference, we established

a goal to complete by the end of this century the unfinished business of

the middle of the century: the completion of the long-hidden historical

record on Holocaust-era assets and the provision of some measure of

justice -- however belated -- to the victims and survivors of that

unparalleled tragedy. Now with the conclusion of this conference

approaching, we have made great strides toward achieving that historic

goal.

As a result of the inspiring seriousness of purpose and spirit of

dedication, openness, cooperation, and commitment you -- the 57

delegations, 44 countries, 13 NGOs, and scores of presenters -- have

demonstrated, we can genuinely call the Washington Conference a great

success. Indeed, we have surpassed our highest expectations and together

accomplished more over the past several days than any of us could have

possibly imagined when we began our preparations many months ago or

even when we began these proceedings this week.

To all those who have participated and contributed, I offer my

heartfelt gratitude and appreciation. Most of all, I want offer my thanks

to Judge Abner Mikva, whose guiding hand has been critical to the

success of this Conference. I also want to commend the Conference

Director, J.D. Bindenagel, and our entire team for bringing such a

complex undertaking to life and helping ensure its success.

While we must acknowledge our failure to address these issues

earlier, we must also acknowledge the work of individuals and

organizations who heard the pleas, who understood that justice must be
126 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

completed, and who in the face of apathy worked so hard to uncover the

truth and to come to the aid of survivors and their families. You refused

to let the world forever turn its back to the truth, and to you we owe our

enduring appreciation.

Building on those efforts, both governments and NGOs have

achieved remarkable progress, particularly in our efforts to shape

principles and processes that can guide our efforts to complete the

historical record and to seek justice. I would like to briefly address some

of those important achievements and focus on our remaining challenges.

First, we can be encouraged that our efforts last year at the

London Conference continue to motivate countries to contribute to the

Nazi Persecutee Relief Fund. Pledges to the fund -- augmented by Spain

at this conference -- which will be used to assist the neediest survivors of

the Holocaust, now total $60 million. We also appreciate Slovenia

joining Croatia in pledging their share.

Second, the issue of Holocaust-era insurance claims was one of

the more complex and difficult challenges facing this conference. This

week's presentations systematically walked us through the historical

record of Nazi confiscation. They painted a vivid picture of the wellintended but inadequate compensation efforts after the war, and they

updated us on recent actions by insurance regulators and companies to

address these issues.

I am pleased that so many delegations have supported the

International Commission as the best mechanism for adjudicating claims.

The U.S. Government strongly supported the creation of the commission

and will work intensively with it. The commission brings together the

key actors on both sides of the Atlantic, and we firmly believe that it

represents the most appropriate mechanism for promptly resolving

unpaid insurance claims from the Holocaust era in a swift, just, and

cooperative manner. We urge other companies to join this process.

The commission will help us avoid the trans-Atlantic tensions

that at times have been apparent on other Holocaust-era issues. In

addition, the commission will seek to expedite a fair settlement of

heirless claims so that those funds can be used to urgently help the aging

survivors in need.

Resolution of the insurance issue is also being pursued on three

separate tracks: through the courts, through legislation, and through

regulation. It is our hope that the credibility and effectiveness of the

commission's work will convince all the actors pursuing resolution of

this issue, including those pursuing litigation, to merge with the IC
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 127

process as the best means for quickly and equitably resolving these

claims.

Third, art, without a doubt, represents the most complex set of

issues we have faced at this conference. Yet I am pleased to note that we

have achieved a breakthrough far exceeding our most ambitious

expectations. As Philippe de Montebello told us, "The genie is out of the

bottle." The art world will never be the same in the way it deals with

Nazi-confiscated art. From now on, the sale, purchase, exchange, and

display of art from this period will be addressed with greater sensitivity

and a higher international standard of responsibility. This is a major

achievement which will reverberate through our museums, galleries,

auction houses, and in the homes and hearts of those families who may

now have the chance to have returned what is rightfully theirs. This will

also lead to the removal of uncertainty in the world art market and

facilitate commercial and cultural exchange.

We have reached a remarkable degree of consensus on a set of

substantive principles, which while not legally binding represent a moral

commitment among nations which all in the art world will have to take

into account. These principles are the result of intensive consultations

with art experts, cultural institutions, and countries before and during the

conference. We have listened and incorporated many of your suggestions

in order to achieve consensus, and we are very pleased by the explicit

support given by so many countries directly to the principles. These

principles encourage research into the provenance and identification of

art, they call for these findings to be publicized and for the establishment

of a central digital registry which will link all Holocaust-era art-loss

databases, and they encourage alternative dispute-resolution strategies.

I am pleased to note that several countries have already taken

courageous steps to address these issues. For example, Austria,

Switzerland, and the Netherlands are researching the provenance of

works in their national collections; the French Government has

established a web site to display a portion of the some 2,000 pieces of art

restituted after the war still unclaimed; and Austria has passed a law to

allow restitution notwithstanding such legal obstacles as the statute of

limitations. In addition, we are particularly pleased by the announcement

of the Russian delegation that they will actively cooperate in resolving

outstanding issues related to Holocaust-era art. The actions of these

nations could provide useful models for other countries. Indeed, the

Austrian law is a model for all countries to follow.

To be sure, it is not enough to identify art that was stolen. We

must also establish a system to resolve issues of ownership and
128 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

compensation. In that spirit, I urge each national delegation to commit

itself to the task of faithfully implementing these principles.

Fourth, this conference is the first time that international

attention has been focused so sharply -- with genuine debate -- on the

issue of communal property restitution. It was an important opportunity

to review both the progress that has been made and the very real

obstacles that remain. We also were reminded that restitution is essential

to the revitalization of religious and other pluralistic communities as well

as to democratic institutions and the rule of law.

We have worked to encourage the new democracies of the region

to provide restitution and/or compensation for property wrongfully

confiscated -- and to do so in an equitable, transparent, nondiscriminatory, and expeditious manner. While most countries in the

region recognize their obligation to return confiscated property, there

remains in some countries a lukewarm commitment to completing

quickly the work at hand.

There is a compelling reason to finish this task as urgently as

possible. I have met with Holocaust survivor communities throughout

Central and Eastern Europe. Cut off from freedom, their relatives, and

the compensation that was available to survivors in the West, many of

these elderly survivors are living out their remaining years in poverty and

fear. They are truly the double victims of the 20th century -- first of the

Nazi Holocaust and then more than 4 decades of communist repression.

They deserve to see the return of their communal properties within their

lifetimes so their communities can rebuild their shattered existence.

Precisely because restitution of communal property is a difficult

process, it requires the urgent, cooperative, and steadfast support of both

governments and non-governmental organizations.

We certainly recognize that there are many practical difficulties

in resolving these issues, and that circumstances vary among countries.

That is why the U.S. has proposed some general principles to address the

difficulties faced by all communities. We are urging governments to

return secular as well as religious communal properties, to take necessary

steps to ensure that restitution policies established at the national level

are implemented at the regional and local levels, and to make the legal

procedures for filing claims clear and straightforward. At the same time,

restitution procedures must take into account the legitimate interests of

the current occupants.

On the other hand, we recognize that in some countries local

communities are not always able to bear the full cost of restitution. That

is why we also urge the establishment of foundations where needed to
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 129

help local communities organize their restitution claims as well as

involve other groups in assisting local communities with research, legal

counsel, and funding for rebuilding. Above all, communal properties

should be returned at a much faster rate than they have been so far. This

may require more resources from governments and from nongovernmental organizations. Even more important, it will require

renewed energy and commitment by all concerned. The U.S.

Government hopes that in 1999 we can see an intensification of efforts

on these issues -- and concrete progress as a result.

We were pleased to hear that Poland has expressed tentative

interest in hosting a conference on communal property restitution. This is

encouraging, and we would urge other countries in the region to support

the idea.

Fifth, a key to success in all the areas this conference has

addressed -- and in all aspects of Holocaust-era assets -- is the openness

and accessibility of archives. We are concerned that in some countries,

archives are still accessible on only a limited basis and others

unfortunately appear destined to remain closed. The U.S. vigorously

supports the archival openness declaration of the Task Force for

International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and

Research. That declaration urges that all Holocaust-relevant archives,

both public and private, be made widely accessible and that all

documentation bearing on the Holocaust be made available to

researchers by December 31, 1999.

The work of the 17 historical commissions has been the

centerpiece of an amazing outpouring of scholarship on the Holocaust.

And a consensus has emerged on the need to use the Internet in making

their reports and other related information available. At the planning

seminar for this conference in June 1998, we agreed to establish, on the

Internet, an international guide to archival sources on gold and other

assets looted by the Nazis. I am pleased to report that this guide is up and

running. Valuable archival information from the U.K., France, Croatia,

and the Bank for International Settlements is linked through a central site

hosted by the Holocaust Museum, and more countries are preparing their

contributions.

This experience has convinced us to further expand our use of

the Internet and institute what we might call a "Mega Web Site" to link

the sites of all commissions, governments, and institutions. A "Mega

Web Site" is fully possible using current technology. Its users will be

able to share all currently available reports and documents on Holocaust-
130 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

era assets. This "Mega Web Site" will become even more useful as new

participants add their Internet sites and new materials are published.

As a contribution to Holocaust education, research, and

remembrance, we plan to include the proceedings of this conference on

the website. Although we will publish a volume of the proceedings of

this conference in January 1999, we intend to keep the record open until

the end of 1999 so that researchers and delegations can contribute the

results of work completed subsequent to this conference -- and move

toward completing the historical record on the wide range of issues we

have addressed this week.

I would like to take note of the fact that Greece, one of the first

countries in post-war Europe to restitute property to Holocaust survivors

and their heirs, has undertaken another crucial aspect of uncovering

history. The Greek Government is funding the publication of a collection

of Greek Foreign Ministry documents, which shed new light not only on

the history of Thessaloniki, the largest Sephardic community in Europe,

but also on the creation of the state of Israel. I would also like to take

note of the contribution made by Belarus on developing a book on

Holocaust-era assets in their country. We appreciate the spirit in which

the Swiss Government has made its proposal on Internet racism and antiSemitism.

Sixth, our greatest, most solemn and enduring responsibility is to

memorialize the lives of the victims by committing ourselves to

educating future generations on the full dimensions of the Holocaust.

That is why I am so encouraged by the groundbreaking work launched

by Sweden to create the Task Force for International Cooperation on

Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research, which has forged the

first intergovernmental effort to promote Holocaust education. The U.S.

wants to urge the representatives of each country present here to endorse

the Task Force declaration on Holocaust education and its call to

"undertake with renewed vigor and attention Holocaust education,

remembrance and research, with a special focus on our own countries'

histories." We are also pleased by the interest on the part of France and

the Netherlands to join the task force, which will meet later today to

discuss, among other things, how to reach out to include more countries

in its work. The U.S. strongly supports the proposal by Sweden to host a

conference on Holocaust Education and Remembrance in late 1999 or

early 2000.

The Washington Conference comes to a close today, but the

process of resolving the outstanding issues of Holocaust-era assets must

not. We must use the historical record established, the information
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 131

shared, and the consensus reached in the past 3 days to galvanize our

efforts in all areas. As a result of our work this week, we can point to

principles in some cases, processes in others, and initiatives in still others

that will continue to focus our attention and accelerate our progress

toward justice. A number of countries have come forward to suggest

follow-up efforts by the international community on many of the issues

we have discussed here, and these should be seriously considered.

Let me close with a proposed roadmap for fulfilling the call of

the London Conference -- and now the Washington Conference as well --

to complete our work for justice before the end of this millennium.

• On insurance, we look to the International Commission to

fulfill its mandate and reach a swift and just solution. We

recognize the need to merge the IC process with litigation,

and the U.S. will support any such efforts.

• On art, the consensus achieved on principles should be

translated into action, databases should be linked, and

provenance research expedited – all leading to the resolution

of claims and the restoration of confidence in the world art

market.

• On communal property, we urge the governments to

embrace the principles we have proposed and make

substantial progress in 1999. I encourage the countries in the

region to support the proposal for a follow-up conference to

focus further attention on this issue.

• On archives, we urge all the delegations to implement the

declaration on opening all public and private archives

pertaining to the Holocaust, including assets, by the end of

next year.

• On Holocaust education and remembrance, we encourage

countries to strengthen their efforts and support the

International Task Force and the Stockholm Conference.

It is also important to mention briefly two related issues that

were not on the conference agenda:

• Private property restitution was omitted from the conference

agenda because of the complexities of the issue, not to

indicate that it was unimportant. Countries in the family of
132 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

democracies should move swiftly to conclusively address the

unjust confiscations that took place during the war and after.

• The landmark settlement by the Swiss banks must be

finalized, and the distribution called for in the settlement

should be made swiftly so that it can benefit needy

Holocaust survivors.

As representatives of our nations and as representatives of

humanity, we must never forget that the commitment and resolve we are

demonstrating today comes more than 50 years late. Each and every one

of us has a solemn and awesome responsibility to see that some small

measure of justice for the victims of the Holocaust can be achieved. By

doing so, we will rededicate ourselves not only to the work at hand, but

also to ensuring that the millions of individual victims will not be

forgotten and indeed will guide our efforts in the weeks and months to

come.

We appreciate the statements by the Ukrainian and Russian

delegations on non-Jewish survivors of the concentration camps and their

needs as aging survivors. This merits our serious consideration. As Elie

Wiesel has said, "All Jews were victims, but not all victims were Jews."

To those who perished in the gas chambers; to those who lost families,

homes, property, even their communities and homelands; to the double

victims who suffered not only the unimaginable horror of the Holocaust

but also 40 years of communist repression; to the survivors, whose cries

for justice and restitution were ignored; to the victims' families, to their

children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren whose pain and sense of

loss will never disappear -- it is to their individual memories that we

must continue to commit ourselves.

As we pen the final chapter in the unfinished business of the 20th

century, we ask that each delegate remember that our efforts at this

conference, in some small way, are helping restore that sense of

individual dignity and personal humanity for those who amazingly

survived and those who tragically perished. May that solemn goal guide

us as we tackle the great challenges that lie ahead.

Thank you very much.
Chairman’s Concluding Statement

The Honorable Abner J. Mikva

CONFERENCE CHAIRMAN

INTRODUCTION

We have just completed a series of fascinating and challenging

discussions over the past 3 days. I believe that the work of this

conference has been a landmark event in fulfilling the international

community's long-overdue commitment to focus on Holocaust-era assets.

It has been a personal privilege to chair proceedings that may well be

considered to have made a historic contribution to justice.

I want to thank the delegations from Europe, the United States,

Canada, South America, Australia, and the international Jewish and

Romani Union communities that have brought a diversity of perspectives

and views, but also a common commitment to address candidly these

immensely complex and sensitive issues. Our presenters, ranging from

historians to insurance regulators, from government officials to museum

directors, together with the delegates' responses, have made rich

contributions to our substantive agenda.

I also want to express my gratitude to the chairs of our plenary

sessions: New York Federal Reserve President McDonough on gold;

Ambassador Olson on insurance; Congressman Leach on art;

Congressman Gilman on communal property; and French Ambassador

Amigues on archives, books, and historical commissions.

Finally, of course, I want to thank Stuart Eizenstat and the State

Department, together with Miles Lerman and the U.S. Holocaust

Memorial Museum, for so ably hosting the Conference. I also want to

commend J.D. Bindenagel, the Conference Director, and his entire team

for their skillful management of this week's sessions and their

painstaking preparations over many months.

In her remarkable keynote address on Tuesday morning

Secretary Albright displayed a frankness and openness that set the tone

for the entire Conference. She called on our nations "to chart a course for
134 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

finishing the job of returning or providing compensation for stolen

Holocaust assets to survivors and the families of Holocaust victims." I

believe that together we have risen to the challenge.

We have made important advances in developing principles and

processes for addressing the complex issues relating to restitution for

confiscated insurance, art, and communal property assets in particular.

We have also made significant strides in identifying the specific

problems that must be surmounted in order to achieve the widest possible

openness and accessibility of relevant archives. We have also

emphasized the enduring importance of Holocaust education and

remembrance for future generations. I would like to add the personal

observation that throughout our deliberations, Conference delegates have

displayed a willingness to examine the historical record and to consider

the case for justice.

My purpose in this statement is two-fold: first, to summarize

highlights of the many presentations and discussions; and second, to

crystallize major areas of consensus around principles and processes

which I believe have been reached. Let me be clear: Consistent with the

terms of reference of the conference, these are areas of general

consensus, not formal agreement or binding commitment. I invite each

delegation to add any supplementary material to the conference record by

mid-January. The conference proceedings will be published in the spring

of 1999 and a second volume will be issued at the end of 1999

documenting further research and progress. Moreover, I believe that we

have achieved a basis for sustaining and accelerating the international

community's willingness to act.

Let me now turn to each of the substantive sections of the agenda

we have completed, proceeding in the order in which they were

addressed in plenary sessions.

LOOTED GOLD AND THE TRIPARTITE GOLD COMMISSION

The brief plenary session held on looted gold may be the final

large-scale discussion on the part of so many countries on this set of

issues. From the head of the U.S. delegation we heard an overview of the

major research completed on wartime gold transactions over the last year

since the London Conference by national historical commissions in

Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey, as well as by the

United States. Drawing on these and other previous reports, elements of

an historical consensus have now been established on looted gold.
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 135

France reported on its completion, together with Britain and the

United States, of their governments' collective responsibility as

custodians of the Tripartite Gold Commission over five decades. With

the opening of its archive and the actions of many countries in dealing

with remaining claims on gold, its mission has been completed with

dignity and justice.

The United Kingdom presented an encouraging report on the

progress of the Nazi Persecutee Relief Fund, a laudable effort by which

Tripartite Gold Commission claimant countries and others have now

pledged over $60 million to assist the neediest survivors of the

Holocaust. The mechanisms through which donations can be made and

projects implemented were described. A number of delegations --

including Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium -- shared details about

their previous pledges or contributions. We also heard from Spain that it

would channel its previously announced contribution through the Nazi

Persecutee Relief Fund. Slovenia and Croatia indicated their intention to

pledge to the Fund.

INSURANCE

I believe that this Conference has brought unprecedented

international focus on the wrenching history of Holocaust insurance

claims. We have learned that, through direct and indirect means, the Nazi

regime deliberately sought to confiscate the insurance assets of Jewish

victims. In recognition of this massive loss and injustice, the postwar

West German Government made an effort to compensate the victims.

According to the German delegation, after the war and as of January

1998, the German Government had paid out 102 billion deutsche marks

in compensation to victims of Nazi persecution. Over the next several

years, the German compensation program is expected to pay out another

24 billion deutsche marks (about $14 billion), including for the first time

direct payments to central and eastern European survivors.

Other delegates indicated that there is also a need to address

claims arising from assets and liabilities that were nationalized by former

communist regimes in central and eastern Europe.

By bringing together key parties on both sides of the Atlantic,

the International Commission offers the most effective vehicle for

resolving these issues swiftly and justly. The insurance firms Allianz and

Generali noted their commitment to pay all valid claims against their

companies and to participate fully in the Commission. The Commission
136 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

also will help forge a positive, cooperative approach that can avoid

transatlantic tensions of the kind that have at times arisen on other

Holocaust-era issues.

Delegates representing survivor organizations and American

insurance commissioners thanked those on the International Commission

for addressing their concerns, noting that the Commission is a voluntary

organization that includes, inter alia, six European insurers and two

European insurance regulators. Many delegates called for other

companies and countries to join the International Commission. The head

of the Czech Delegation reported on the activities of the Czech Working

Group on Holocaust Insurance and said that the Czech Government

supports the proper representation of the survivor communities in the

Czech Republic and other central and eastern European countries on the

International Commission. The Hungarian delegation indicated its

interest in cooperating with the International Commission.

The Chairman of the International Commission has assured us

that he will move quickly to press for expanded membership, an audit to

identify unpaid Holocaust-era insurance claims, and an expeditious

adjudication of claims, using relaxed standards of proof.

Moreover, a view was often expressed that a humanitarian relief

fund may provide swift means for compensating Holocaust survivors

promptly. In this regard, many welcomed the $90 million contribution by

insurance companies to the International Commission's fund for

humanitarian relief.

ART

On the topic of art, the conference was presented with the history

of how the Nazis confiscated art works of individuals as part of a

deliberate and premeditated program to enrich their leaders, finance their

military aggression, and exterminate an entire people. We were told how

post-war restitution policies were generally successful, but fell short of

restoring property to many individuals. We have reached a greater

understanding of why restitution issues were dormant for so many years

and why they have suddenly reappeared with renewed force, creating a

challenge to legal frameworks, all sectors of the art world, and concepts

of morality and justice.

Several delegations described what their countries are trying to

do in order to balance the claims of pre-war owners against the rights and

responsibilities of current owners, be they museums, galleries, or
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 137

individual collectors. Representatives of several museums emphasized

the challenges in establishing clear provenance of artworks caught in the

dislocation of the War and its aftermath. Delegates were also briefed on

the work being done with claimants to help them recall the nature and

circumstances of their loss with the specificity needed to make a viable

claim.

The work being done using new technologies to check claims

against catalogues and inventories has also helped expedite the process.

As we have heard, there is already a substantial effort to locate and

publicize missing art works, determine their provenance, and come to an

equitable resolution of ownership questions. The Russian delegation

indicated its willingness to search for confiscated art works, to help

create a database, and to entertain properly presented claims for the

return of looted art.

My sense from these discussions is that the nations represented

at this conference are willing to open their archives to facilitate research

leading to the identification and location of art confiscated during the

Holocaust. They welcome the development of computerized research

tools designed to aid this search by matching identified art with claims.

They look forward to the completion of central on-line repositories -- a

"digital collecting point" as one participant called it -- that would include

complete lists of missing and recovered art works and mechanisms for

filing claims.

The delegates' discussions during the conference helped develop

a set of principles to guide the international community toward a

consensus on Nazi-confiscated art. All countries want to contribute

toward a speedy resolution of all art claims, those of individuals as well

as those of nations, so that stability can be restored to the art market and

beneficial international cultural exchange will not be disrupted.

As Chairman, I am pleased to recognize one of the most

important accomplishments coming out of the discussion of this

conference: a consensus that, within the context of the national laws and

national judicial processes of the participating nations, the 11 principles

on art offer a means for addressing the major issues relating to Naziconfiscated art. Although they are non-binding, they will be a moral

force and guide for dealing with this issue.
138 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

COMMUNAL PROPERTY

Delegations discussed the varying and difficult circumstances

surrounding restitution of communal property and artifacts. Much of this

property is in run-down condition, owned by the government or currently

inhabited. One delegate made the point that at the end of the War and

during the communist period, the political and social environment for

Jews in central and eastern Europe was inhospitable and that emigration

was considered the main alternative. With new democratic governments,

religious life is reviving throughout the region for Jewish, Catholic, and

Protestant communities alike. Return of their property is essential.

Much has been done to return communal property, but historical

differences and current political realities have led each country to

proceed on restitution in its own way. The conference heard encouraging

reports indicating that the countries of eastern and central Europe have

perceived the need for communal property restitution and some have set

up legal structures to provide restitution or compensation. However,

obstacles remain, making the process of restitution very slow.

The Polish, Romanian, and Hungarian delegations shared their

national experiences in handling communal property restitution in their

countries, including the laws passed and the status of implementation.

Two speakers described the relative success of property restitution in

eastern Germany and expressed the hope that it would also be successful

elsewhere. Almost all affected countries have taken action to return

property or compensate religious groups for their confiscated property.

We also heard the perspectives of international organizations on the

progress and stumbling blocks to restitution, including the significance of

return and care for religious artifacts and cemeteries.

The United States described a set of principles to make the

process of restitution just and effective. To implement these principles,

"best practices" include: clear restitution policies implemented at the

national, regional and local levels and not limited to religious communal

property; transparent and simple procedures for legal claims; and, where

needed, establishment of foundations jointly managed by local

communities and international groups to assist with claims and

administration of restituted property. Lastly, governments should take

into account legitimate needs of current occupants of restituted property.

The Chair encourages governments to implement these principles.
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 139

ARCHIVES AND HISTORICAL COMMISSIONS

One of the central achievements of the London Conference was

to highlight the importance and urgency of greater openness and

accessibility of archives and records bearing on Holocaust-era assets.

Since London, we have had the occasion to applaud the immense

progress achieved on all Holocaust-era assets issues and to recognize that

it has only been possible as a result of the opening in so many countries

of the relevant historical archives. We have heard during this conference

of the great outpouring of important Holocaust research undertaken in

the last several years by 17 national historical commissions that have

been established to compile an accurate and final historical accounting of

Holocaust assets issues. These national commissions, with varying

mandates but with a common goal of examining wartime experiences

have done vital and courageous work examining the formerly hidden

aspects of a terrible period of history.

We heard yesterday from a broad range of commissions and

experts who described the current status of their individual projects and

the progress they have made and the problems they have encountered in

identifying and preserving records and making sense of them. The U.K.

delegation described to us the research at the Foreign and

Commonwealth Office on postwar British policies on reparations and

restitution. The U.S. delegation reviewed the great success of the

National Archives in Washington in quickly assembling more than 15

million pages of Holocaust-era records, devising a finding aid to those

records that now approaches 1000 pages in length, and making the

National Archives research room the center of international study of

these issues.

The German delegation reminded the conference of the

destructive impact of the Nazi German regime, the war, and the

dislocations of the postwar period on the critical historical records in

Germany, and pointed to the vital importance of accurate document

"provenance," in order to assure a properly preserved historical record

for any society. Finally, Switzerland gave us a summary of the wideranging mandate of the Swiss Independent Commission of Experts which

has already reported in great detail on wartime gold transactions and is

close now to publishing a final report on the treatment of refugees in

Switzerland before and during the war.

Break-out sessions yesterday heard many reports on the

problems and possibilities confronting archivists and commissions in

many countries. I cannot summarize here all that was discussed, but it
140 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

was important to hear of the issues facing the Netherlands as it

established its Commission on Jewish assets and of the Holocaust-era

archival projects undertaken by the Yad Vashem Institute, particularly

the list of lists with its 18 million entries thus far. I believe we all took

encouragement from the reports we heard about the diverse but critical

research underway or recently completed by the historical commissions

in Spain, Sweden, Turkey, and Argentina.

While we congratulate those countries that have worked to

identify and make available archives and other sources of information on

this period, many conference participants emphasized the importance of

full archival openness. The Task Force on International Cooperation on

Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research presented a

declaration encouraging all archives, both public and private, be made

more widely accessible and that all documentation bearing on the

Holocaust be available to researchers by a target date of December 31,

1999.

BOOKS

The conference was reminded of an issue thus far not fully

grasped in our consideration of Holocaust-era assets. We heard reports

from U.S. experts that will help define and deal with the despoliation of

libraries and private collections of books in occupied Europe and the

vital urgency of setting the book issue to rights. The delegate from the

U.S. Justice Department detailed how the American occupation

authorities in Germany rescued 3 million books looted from Jewish

individuals and communities and was able to return 2.5 million of these

books to their countries of origin or rightful owners by 1948. The

remainder of the books were distributed to appropriate recipients by

Jewish groups. Another delegate warned that a shortage of resources

threatened preservation activities and access to many invaluable books

and papers from the Holocaust era.

EDUCATION

A striking aspect of this conference, from the solemn ceremony

and eloquent speeches made on Monday evening at the Holocaust

Museum, to the statements we heard earlier in our closing plenary

session this morning, is the emphasis placed so forcefully by so many on
CONCLUDING STATEMENTS 141

the importance of Holocaust education and remembrance. Speaker after

speaker from country after country told us of their appreciation of the

importance of teaching future generations about the unique tragedy and

the lessons it can offer as this century comes to a close.

A remarkably rich series of break-out panels held yesterday at

the Holocaust Museum featured leading Holocaust educators from both

sides of the Atlantic, including both distinguished scholars and leaders of

non-governmental organizations. A number of materials on Holocaust

curricula and remembrance activities being undertaken by these

organizations and others, as well as by governments, were on display and

available for delegates.

The break-out sessions at the Museum and more briefly our

plenary session earlier today highlighted the Task Force for International

Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research.

Initiated by Sweden, currently chaired by the United States, and also

composed of the United Kingdom, Israel and Germany, the Task Force

presented a report describing its specific efforts underway to promote

international cooperation in these important areas. The Task Force report

includes a declaration committing the Task Force countries and calling

on others to strengthen or undertake new efforts on Holocaust education

and remembrance. France and the Netherlands have already expressed a

desire to participate in the Task Force, and it is likely that other countries

will join them.

As the conference drew to a close, the delegates looked forward

to other gatherings to continue the work of this historic meeting. The

Swedish delegation announced its intention to convene an international

conference on Holocaust education. The World Jewish Restitution

Organization suggested on behalf of many of the non-governmental

organizations that the important work of the conference should be

continued next year in Jerusalem. The U.K. delegation spoke in favor of

"satellite conferences" to address different issues. The head of the U.S.

delegation urged conference countries to use the historical record

established, the information shared, and the consensus reached in the past

3 days to galvanize our efforts in all areas.

CONCLUSION

Let me conclude by reaffirming my view that this conference has

added substantially to the historical record on these events, so terrible

and tragic for those involved, while strengthening the framework for
142 WASHINGTON CONFERENCE ON HOLOCAUST-ERA ASSETS

countries to work together to act on the difficult and painful issues of

restitution and justice.

The willingness of so many countries to confront the past is

enormously encouraging, especially after so many decades. I urge us all

to continue down this path, determined to meet our historic

responsibilities to address the unparalleled wrongs of this century as the

new millennium beckons.