Evening star., 1945-12-23
Army Deserves Credit
For Saving Pictures
Paintings From Berlin Reach
National Gallery Intact
BIZ James Waldo Faucett.


National Gallery Intact
By James Waldo Faucet.
The story of how 202 of the very
greatest works Of art in the world
came from Germany to the United
States during early December has been
told only in part. Perhaps it will be
many years before complete account
OF the whole salvaging operation will
be available. The rescue of the paint
ings now stored in conditioned
vaults in Washington is but fragment
OF an overall enterprise. 1t is for
this reason that the officers of the
State Department, the War Depart
ment and other agencies involved want
little publicity for their efforts at
present.
Details not given in the formal state
ment released for publication on Decem-
ber IA, however, have been disclosed.
The pictures, 1t has been revealed, were
discovered in the Merkers salt mine near
Mulhaus by American troops on April
| T. Gold bullion to the value of $780,
100000 was found in the same SUBJ
terranean depository. The paintings
are alleged to be worth as much in
terms of money and still more in terms
of their cultural significance.
President Truman set forth the pur-
pose OF the salvaging enterprise in a
statement released at the White House
on September 26, reading: The United
States Government is removing from
Germany to the continental United
States certain perishable German art
objects not readily identifable as looted
property, with the sole intention of
keeping such treasures safe and in
trust for the people of Germany or
the other rightful owners. - When
objects of art are definitely established
as being Of bona fide German owner
ship, they will be returned to Germany
when conditions there warrant"
The policy decisions necessary in the
circumstances were made by Secretary
OF State James F. Byrnes, Secretary of
war Robert P. Patterson and Chief
justice Harlan Fiske Stone, chairman
of the Board of Trustees of the Ma
tional Gallery-the huge marble mu-
scum building on Constitution avenue
between Fourth and Seventh streets
NV, where the German pictures now
are sheltered
Ii Gen, Lucius D. Clay, deputy
United States military governor for
Germany, had charge of the packing
and shipping of the paintings from
Weisosden. the town to which they were
transferred soon after their discovery
at the Merkers mine.
The pictures were moved from Ger
many to Havre on the coast of France
by train. They were packed in As
wooden cases and weighed between two
and three tons. Loaded on board the
United States transport James Parker.
they were brought across the Atlantic
IN the officers mess of that ship. No
space which otherwise could have been
used to accommodate soldiers homeward
bound was employed. The James Parker
sailed from Havre on November 20 and
arrived in New York Harbor on De-
cember 7. Army trucks conveyed the
paintings to Washington the following
day.
When the shipment reached the
National Gallery, it was checked with
scrupuious care. Nothing was damaged
In transit. Every picture finished the
long journey in the same condition as
1t started it. Before the paintings left
Germany they were photographed and
q standard file of reproductions thus
developed.
No public exhibition of the pictures
Is contemplated, though it is possible
that they may be placed on display
before they are sent back to Germany.
The date of such return naturally
will depend upon a suitable gallery
building being provided in the former
Reich for their reception. AS the White
House announcement of September 26
explained, for many of these art objects
there are not adequate housing facil-
tiles in Germany"
All but two or three of the paintings
came from the Kaiser Friedrich Gallery
in Berlin, blasted into rubble during the
last disastrous months of Nazi resistance
Not every picture salvaged at Merkers
was considered important enough to
bring to America. What was selected
to be stored here is the relatively small
number of truly precious works which
would constitute nucleus of a new
national gallery in a Germany reborn
from catastrophe.
AS might be expected, the 202 paint
ings selected for transportation to
Washington include many distinguished
examples OF German. Dutch and Flem-
ish genius. Five pictures by Albrecht
Durer head the list-the celebrated Ma
donna With the Gold Finch" the "Por-
trait of Young Woman" with Durer's
initials embroidered on the neckband OF
her dress, and the magnificent portrait of
Hieronynus Holzschuher among the lot
Hans Holbein the younger is represented
by the ever-popular Kaufman Gisze"
believed to have been created simply to
demonstrate his marvellous skill for
exactness in detail; fine Portrait of a
Young Man" and still nobler Portrait
OF Man" whose age is introduced into
the composition as 54 One of the two
achievements of Peter Bruegel is a rich
ly characteristic chronicle of the busy
daily life of village community en-
titled Dutch Proverbs Joos van
Cleve's single work chosen, a portrait
of youth with sword and gloves is
a miracle of draughtsmanship. Five
pictures by Jan van Eyck deserve the
same observation. The best of them is