Finding Aid for the S. Lane Faison Jr. Papers, 

1945-1986 (bulk 1945-1948)

 

 

Summary Information

Repository National Gallery of Art Archives

Sixth Street and Constitution Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20565 

archives@nga.gov

Title S. Lane Faison Jr. Papers

Identifier SC.014

Creator Faison, S. Lane (Samson Lane), 1907-2006

 

Date 1945-1986 (bulk 1945-1948)

Extent 1.5 cubic feet (3 boxes); approximately 10 digital files

Abstract This collection documents S. Lane Faison Jr.’s work for the United States 

Office of Strategic Services (OSS) immediately after World War II. Faison 

was assigned to the Art Looting Investigation Unit (ALIU) at Alt Aussee, 

Austria, to investigateNazi art looting activities. In 1950, the United States

Department of State appointed him to oversee the closing of American 

activity at the Central Collecting Point in Munich, Germany. Papers

primarily consist of OSS interrogation reports and include correspondence 

and photographs.

Biographical Note

 

November 16, 1907 Born, Washington, DC

1929 B.A., Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts

1930 M.A., Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

1932 M.F.A., Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

1932-1936 Art Instructor (later Assistant Professor), Yale University, New

Haven, Connecticut

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1936 Assistant Professor (later Professor of Art), Williams College

1940-1968 Chairman, Department of Art, Williams College

May 1945 Assigned to the Art Looting Investigation Unit (ALIU) of the

Office of Strategic Services (OSS)

circa 1945 Investigated and submitted Art Looting Investigation Unit report

about Hitler’s efforts to create a cultural center (Führermuseum) at

Linz, Austria

1947 Awarded Chevalier, Légion d’honneur, France

1948 Director, Williams College Museum of Art

1950-1951 Appointed by the United States Department of State to oversee the

closing of American activity at the Central Collecting Point in

Munich, Germany

1971 Honorary Litt.D., Williams College

1976 Retired from posts at Williams College

February 9, 2000 Presented lecture “How the Nazis Collected Art” at Assumption

College, Worcester, Massachusetts

November 11, 2006 Died, Williamstown, Massachusetts

Scope and Content

 

The collection documents Samson Lane Faison Jr.’s work for the United States Office of Strategic 

Services (OSS) in Germany during and after World War II. Faison was assigned to the

Art Looting Investigation Unit (ALIU) at Alt Aussee, Austria in the summer of 1945. As part of

the ALIU, Faison participated in a three-man team with Lieutenants James S. Plaut and Theodore 

Rousseau Jr. investigating Nazi art looting and related activities, including the Einsatzstab 

Reichsleitcher Rosenberg, Hermann Goering's collecting activities, and Adolf Hitler's efforts to 

create a cultural center at Linz, Austria. From 1950 to 1951, Faison supervised the closing of 

American activity at the Central Collecting Point in Munich, Germany.

Of note are copies of Consolidated Interrogation Reports (CIR) and Detailed Interrogation 

Reports (DIR) produced by the Art Looting Investigation Unit. A small group of files includes 

correspondence on art-looting related issues. In addition, there are lecture notes and

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correspondence relating to Faison's work with the ALIU. Of special interest are photographs of 

ALIU and other art restitution efforts with descriptive captions provided by Faison.

Arrangement 

Materials are arranged in the following series: 

Series 1 Art Restitution Subject Files, 1946-1986

Series 2 Interrogation Reports, 1945-1946

Series 3 Photographs, 1945 and undated

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Access This collection is open for research by appointment under 

the conditions of the National Gallery of Art Archives 

Access Policy. For all inquiries or to schedule an 

appointment, please contact archives@nga.gov. 

Preferred Citation National Gallery of Art Archives. S. Lane Faison Jr. Papers. 

Rights Status Copyright undetermined

Language English

Acquisition Information Gift of S. Lane Faison Jr., 1985

Processing Information Initially organized by National Gallery of Art Library staff 

before transfer to the National Gallery of Art Archives, 1999. 

Arranged and described by archives staff, 2007.

Related Archival Materials Resources Relating to World War II describes other WWIIrelated archival materials available at the National Gallery 

of Art.

S. Lane Faison papers, 1922-1981, bulk 1950-1976. Archives of 

American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Oral history interview with S. Lane Faison, 1981. Archives of 

American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

The National Archives and Records Administration of the 

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United States (NARA) holds official government records 

relating to the work of the Monuments, Fine Arts and 

Archives officers and the American Commission for the 

Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments 

in War Areas (Roberts Commission). 

 

Monuments Men Foundation Archives available at the 

National WWII Museum.

Series Descriptions

Series 1 Art Restitution Subject Files, 1946-1986 [box 1] 

Arranged alphabetically. This series consists of correspondence and notes gathered by Faison on 

issues associated with the looting of art in Europe before and during World War II. Of special 

interest are notes for a lecture given by Faison in 1986 at Williams College, Williamstown, 

Massachusetts, on Adolf Hitler’s proposed cultural center in Linz, Austria.

Series 2 Interrogation Reports, 1945-1946 [boxes 1-3]

Arranged by report number. This series contains Consolidated Interrogation Reports (CIR) and 

Detailed Interrogation Reports (DIR) prepared by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), Art 

Looting Investigation Unit (ALIU), summarizing the art-related activities of Nazi organizations 

and personnel. Reports were issued on three subjects: theactivity of the Einsatzstab Rosenberg in 

France, the Goering Collection, and Adolf Hitler’s museum and library at Linz, Austria. This series 

also consists of twelve reports prepared by the Office of Strategic Service (OSS), Art Looting

Investigation Unit (ALIU), documenting interrogations of fifteen individuals suspected of artrelated crimes, and a report and attachments prepared by Jan Vlug for the Fine Arts (Special 

Services) Dutch Restitution Committee on Kajetan Mühlmann.

Series 3 Photographs, 1945 and undated [box 3] 

This series consists of a small group of images documenting art restitution and Monuments Fine 

Arts and Archives officers in Europe. Photographs in this series have been digitized and are 

available to researchers.

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S. Lane Faison Jr. Papers

Series 1 Art Restitution Subject Files, 1945-1986

Box 1

Correspondence, 1947-1948

Relating to Karl Haberstock and the series of articles in The New Yorker: "The Spoils of War."

1-1

Correspondence, 1946, 1957

Relating to a Utrillo painting and Faison's lecture about Hitler's art collection.

1-2

Lecture notes, 1986 and undated

From Williams College regarding a cultural center in Linz, Austria.

1-3

1-4 Lohse case, 1948

Series 2 Art Looting Investigation Unit Interrogation Reports, 1945-1946

Box 1

CIR No. 1 Activity of the Einsatzstab Rosenberg in France. 15 August 1945. J.S. Plaut, Lieutenant,

USNR, Director (reference copy)

1-5

CIR No. 1 Activity of the Einsatzstab Rosenberg in France. 15 August 1945. J.S. Plaut, Lieutenant,

USNR, Director (fragile original)

1-6

CIR No. 2 The Goering Collection. 15 September 1945. Theodore Rousseau Jr., Lieutenant, USNR

(folder 1 of 2 - report) (reference copy)

1-7

CIR No. 2 The Goering Collection. 15 September 1945. Theodore Rousseau Jr., Lieutenant, USNR

(folder 1 of 2 - report) (fragile original)

1-8

CIR No. 2 The Goering Collection. 15 September 1945. Theodore Rousseau Jr., Lieutenant, USNR

(folder 2 of 2 - attachments and index) (reference copy)

1-9

Box 2

CIR No. 2 The Goering Collection. 15 September 1945. Theodore Rousseau Jr., Lieutenant, USNR

(folder 2 of 2 - attachments and index) (fragile original)

2-1

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S. Lane Faison Jr. Papers

CIR No. 4 Linz: Hitler's Museum and Library. 15 December 1945. S.L. Faison Jr., Lieutenant, USNR

(folder 1 of 2 - report and index) (reference copy)

2-2

CIR No. 4 Linz: Hitler's Museum and Library. 15 December 1945. S.L. Faison Jr., Lieutenant, USNR

(folder 1 of 2 - report and index) (fragile original)

2-3

CIR No. 4 Linz: Hitler's Museum and Library. 15 December 1945. S.L. Faison Jr., Lieutenant, USNR

(folder 2 of 2 - attachments and supplement) (reference copy)

2-4

CIR No. 4 Linz: Hitler's Museum and Library. 15 December 1945. S.L. Faison Jr., Lieutenant, USNR

(folder 2 of 2 - attachments and supplement) (fragile original)

2-5

Box 3

3-1 List of detailed interrogation reports (DIR) (reference copy and fragile original)

DIR No. 1 Heinrich Hoffmann. 1 July 1945. Theodore Rousseau Jr., Lieutenant, USNR (reference

copy and fragile original)

3-2

DIR No. 2 Ernst Buchner. 31 July 1945. Theodore Rousseau Jr., Lieutenant Commander, USNR

(reference copy and fragile original)

3-3

DIR No. 3 Robert Scholz. 15 August 1945. J.S. Plaut, Lieutenant, USNR, Director (reference copy and

fragile original)

3-4

DIR No. 4 Gustav Rochlitz. 15 August 1945. J.S. Plaut, Lieutenant, USNR, Director (reference copy

and fragile original)

3-5

DIR No. 5 Gunther Schiedlausky. 15 August 1945. J.S. Plaut, Lieutenant, USNR, Director (reference

copy and fragile original)

3-6

DIR No. 6 Bruno Lohse. 15 August 1945. J.S. Plaut, Lieutenant, USNR, Director (reference copy and

fragile original)

3-7

DIR No. 7 Gisela Limberger. 15 September 1945. Theodore Rousseau Jr., Lieutenant (reference copy

and fragile original)

3-8

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S. Lane Faison Jr. Papers

DIR No. 9 Walter Andreas Hofer. 15 September 1945. Theodore Rousseau Jr., Lieutenant, USNR

(reference copy and fragile original)

3-9

DIR No. 10 Karl Kress. 15 August 1945. J. S. Plaut, Lieutenant, USNR, Director (reference copy and

fragile original)

3-10

DIR No. 11 Walter Bornheim. 15 September 1945. Theodore Rousseau Jr., Lieutenant, USNR

(reference copy and fragile original)

3-11

DIR No. 12 Hermann Voss. 15 September 1945. S.L. Faison Jr., Lieutenant, USNR (reference copy

and fragile original)

3-12

DIR No. 13 Karl Haberstock. 1 May 1946. Theodore Rousseau Jr., Lieutenant Commander, USNR.

War Department, Office of the Assistant Secretary of War, Strategic Services Unit, Washington

(reference copy and fragile original)

3-13

Dutch Restitution Committee DIR No. 1 Kajetan Mühlmann and the Dienststelle Mühlmann. 25

December 1945. Jean Vlug, Drs. Captain, Royal Netherlands Army (report and attachments)

(reference copy)

3-14

Dutch Restitution Committee DIR No. 1 Kajetan Mühlmann and the Dienststelle Mühlmann. 25

December 1945. Jean Vlug, Drs, Captain, Royal Netherlands Army (report and attachments) (fragile

original)

3-15

Series 3 Photographs, 1945-1951

Box 3

Art restitution photographs

Digitized version(s) available.

3-16

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