Holocaust-Era Assets

Civilian Agency Records RG 239

State Department and Foreign Affairs Records

Records of the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas (The Roberts Commission), 1943–1946 (RG 239)

The American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas, also known as the Roberts Commission, was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 23, 1943, when he appointed Associate Justice Owen J. Roberts to chair the Commission. The Commission cooperated with the U.S. Army in protecting cultural treasures and gathered information about war damage to such treasurers, and compiled data on cultural property appropriated by the Axis Powers and encouraged is restitution. It was abolished on June 30, 1946 [Note 14]. Researchers interested in matters relating to art/cultural restitution matters will find many useful documents in this Record Group.

In 1942, various civilian groups began to make plans to protect Europe’s cultural monuments when the areas in which they were located should subject to Allied occupation. that fall, the President of the Archaeological Institute of America, the President of the College Art Association, and the Directors of New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and Washington’s National Gallery of Art approached Harlan F. Stone, Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, with a proposal to establish a government commission to protect and salvage European artistic and historical monuments. These individuals also contacted the Chief of the War Department’s Civil Affairs Division, as well as the Army Air Intelligence Service, to enlist their support.

On December 8, 1942, Chief Justice Stone wrote President Roosevelt to ask his support for a plan to establish a government body that would protect and conserve artworks, historic monuments, and important papers in Europe, as well as making restitution of such works to their lawful owners. Stone also suggested that the British and Soviet governments be requested to consider the establishment of similar bodies. Roosevelt wrote Stone on December 28 th that he had referred the proposal to the appropriate agencies for study. In a second letter, dated April 23, 1943, Roosevelt informed Stone that the proposal had won the support of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and approaches were being made to the British and Soviet governments.

On June 21, 1943, Secretary of State Cordell Hull wrote to the President, reporting that a special section had been set up in the School of Military Government to train certain officer-specialist who could be assigned to army staffs to advise commanding officers regarding cultural monuments and historic artworks in war zones. Hell also suggested the appointment of “The American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in Europe” to advise and work with the School of Military Government, and included a list of prospective members. During the war, the Commission was to work with the Army to protect works of cultural value in Allied-occupied areas, and to compile lists of property appropriated by the Axis powers. After the war, the Commission was to urge that restitution in kind be made by the Axis powers for such works as might have been destroyed, to compile a list of equivalent works in Axis countries that could be used as compensation, and to urge that property appropriated by Axis powers be returned. The Commission would be quartered in the National Gallery of Art in order to facilitate contact with the Departments of War and State. Roosevelt approved the creation of the Commission on June 23, 1943.

On August 20, 1943, the Department of State announced the establishment of the Commission, with Owen J. Roberts, a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, as chairman; David E. Finley, Director of the National Gallery of Art and a member of the Commission of Fine Arts, as vice-chairman; and Huntington Cairns, Secretary-Treasurer of the National Gallery, as secretary-treasurer. The other original members of the Commission were Herbert H. Lehman, Director of the Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation Operations, which became the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA); Archibald MacLeish, Librarian of Congress; William Bell Dinsmoor, President of the Archaeological Institute of America; Dr. Francis Henry Taylor, Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and President of the Association of Art Museum Directors; Dr. Paul J. Sachs, Associate Director of Harvard University's Fogg Museum of Fine Arts; and the Honorable Alfred E. Smith of New York. Smith was succeeded upon his death by Archbishop (later Cardinal) Francis J. Spellman of New York. MacLeish resigned from the Commission upon his appointment as Assistant Secretary of State in January 1945.

As a result of Navy Department requests that the Commission prepare maps and lists of areas in the Far East containing cultural and historic monuments, the Commission officially changed its name to “The American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas.”

Special advisers and many volunteers assisted the Commission from the beginning. John Walker, chief Curator of the National gallery of Art, was named Special Adviser to the Commission upon its creation. Dr. Sumner McK. Crosby of Yale University served in that capacity from September 1944. Horace H.F. Jayne of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York was appointed Special Adviser on matters concerning the Far East in April 1945. Rensselaer W. Smith of Smith College and the Institute for Advance Study, Princeton, New Jersey, was appointed Consultant of the Commission in May 1945, and worked with it in Washington until July of that year. John A Gilmore served as the Commission’s Administrative Officer and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer from September 1943 to June 1945; Charles H. Sawyer from July to December 1945; Charles Seymour, Jr., from December 1945 to February 1946; and Lamont Moore from February to June 1946.

During the war, the Commission was instrumental in the establishment by the War Department of a Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives program to protect cultural materials in war areas, under the Civil Affairs Division. It recommended to the War Department men already in the armed forces who had the training and experience to carry out the formulated plans. Working through the American Defense-Harvard Group [Note 15] and the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas of the American Council of Learned Societies [Note 16] (two independent civilian groups established before its creation), the Commission supplied the armed forces with over 700 maps of the important cultural centers and regions of Allied and enemy countries, both in Europe and the Far East, on which artistic and historic monuments and cultural deposits had been located and described in accompanying lists. The Commission also prepared and distributed lists and handbooks to Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) officers in the field to aid them in preparing official lists of sites and monuments to be protected. Commission members gave lectures on the care and preservation of artworks, monuments, and records for Civil Affairs officers during the early days of Military Government schools. The Commission’s staff correlated all reports from Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives officers and made the information derived from them available to government agencies, scholars, and students. The Commission also gathered information on available qualified civilian personnel to replace military personnel when Military Governments was transferred to civilian hands.

The American Commission cooperated with Commissions established in the Allied countries for analogous purposes and with the Department of State in considering problems relating to the restitution of cultural materials. It was instrumental in effecting the restitution of identifiable looted public artworks found in the American Zone in Germany to the owner governments. The Commission cooperated in the formation of a special unit within the Office of Strategic Services specifically concerned with the investigation of enemy personnel suspected of participating in art looting activities. The Commission cooperated with several other federal agencies in investigating German assets abroad, insofar as these assets involved cultural materials, and enemy art looting activities in Europe and their relationship to enemy activities in the Western Hemisphere. the Commission recommended to the Treasury Department the establishment of a system of customs controls to prevent looted art from being imported into the United States, and examined the special licenses required for the importation of cultural material.

In April 1944, the Inter-Allied Commission for the Protection and Restitution of Cultural Material (Vaucher Commission) was established under the chairmanship of Prof. Paul Vaucher as a subcommission of the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education. Composed of representatives of the varied Allied governments, the Vaucher Commission had as its purpose the study of problems relating to protection, restitution, and reparations and the collection and organization of information relating to looting for the eventual use of SHAEF and particularly of its Civil Affairs Section. This was the agency with the Commission’s representatives abroad were at first chiefly concerned. The secretariat of the Vaucher Commission functioned as a central bureau for information on looted objects supplied by the different national commissions and issued lists of looted objects for the use of Monuments officers until its dissolution in November 1945.

The British Committee on Preservation and Restitution of Works of Art, Archives, and Other Material in Enemy Hands, generally known as the McMillan Committee after its chairman, Lord McMillan, was established in May 1944, as a counterpart to the American Commission. It differed from the latter chiefly in that its terms of reference limited its interest primarily to problems of restitution and reparation, leaving the question of protection solely to the military authorities. French, Belgian, and Dutch Commissions were formed in the wake of their countries liberation from German occupation.

The final meeting of the American Commission was held on June 20, 1946, in the Morris Building in Philadelphia. The Commission’s activities were brought to a close by providing for continuation of its work by the offices for Germany-Austria and for Japan-Korea of the Occupied Areas Division (ADO) of the Office of International and Cultural Affairs (OIC) of the Department of State.

GOVERNMENT PRINTED SOURCES

American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas. Report of the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas. Washington D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1946.

Foreign Relations of the United States [a publication of the State Department that serves as a key finding aid because the documents selected for printing include the source file designation].

FRUS, 1944, Vol. II, pp. 1031–1068 “Interest of the United States in measures for the protection and salvage of artistic and historic monuments in war areas.”

FRUS, 1945, Vol. II, pp. 933–957 “Interest of the United States in measures for the protection and salvage of artistic and historic monuments in war areas.”

RECORDS

GENERAL RECORDS OF THE ROBERTS COMMISSION, 1942–1946 [M1944, Rolls 1–55]

Administrative Records, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 1) [M1944, Rolls 1–2]

Unarranged.

This series consists of correspondence, pay cards, budget reports, statements of balances, summaries of allotment ledgers, purchase orders, reports on the status of appropriations, time and attendance records, oaths of office, personnel action reports, job descriptions, and personnel folders.

Budget Records, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 2) [M1944, Rolls 2–4]

Arranged in roughly descending chronological order by year.

This series consists of budget estimates, budgets for the years 1944–1946, records of expenditures, budget circulars, copies of Public Law 375 (having to do with appropriations for 1944 and 1945), and supporting documents for appropriations requests.

Certifying Officers’ Bonds, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 3) [M1944, Roll 4]

Unarranged.

This series consists of bonds, which the U.S. Government requires for officials authorized to disburse government monies, for E. Roy Bergholz, Huntington Cairns, and John A. Gilmore, together with papers authorizing the issuance of the bonds and certifying the function of the individuals in question.

Correspondence Relating to Personnel, 1945–1946 (A1, Entry 4) [M1944, Rolls 4–5]

Arranged by subject (e.g., personnel available, personnel requests).

This series consists of letters requesting employment and information from the Commission, curricula vitae, notes on personnel available and not available, and requests for additional personnel. Included are personnel lists, as well as Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) organization charts.

Minutes of Meetings, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 5) [M1944, Rolls 5–6]

Arranged chronologically.

This series consists of copies of the minutes and verbatim transcripts of meetings held by the Commission and related reports, memoranda, and notices. The minutes contain recommendations for the selection of Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) officers; the definition of looted art objects; postwar restitution problems; and cooperation and exchange of information with the British Committee for the Preservation and Restitution of Works of Art, Archives, and Other Material in Enemy Hands (the Macmillan Committee) and the Inter-Allied Commission for the Protection and Restitution of Cultural Material (the Vaucher Commission).

Reports, 1944–1946 (A1, Entry 6) [M1944, Rolls 6–9]

Arranged in loose alphabetical order by subject (e.g., Liaison, Looting, OSS).

This series consists of reports, correspondence, mail intercepts, notes, telegrams, and photographs. Included are reports on Commission staff visits to Europe; material on art looting and restitution; and lists of German archives, library, and university personnel.


Roll # File Title
6 Allied
  V/48/0 Art Project Cases
  V/48/0 Art Project Cases M–Z
  Bunjes [Note 17] Papers: “German Administration of the Fine Arts in the Paris Area During the First Year of the Occupation,” February 1945
  73.11c: Status of Collecting Point Munich: Transportation Lists France I
  73.11c: Status of Collecting Point Munich: Transportation Lists France II
  73.11c: Status of Collecting Point Munich: Transportation Lists France III
7 73.11c: Status of Collecting Point Munich: Transportation Lists France IV
  Office of Censorship (Confidential Reports)
  CI 1–CI 49
  CI 50–CI 89
  CI 90–CI 119
  CI 120–CI 149
  CI 150–CI 191
  Customs
  Report of Sumner McK. Crosby: Special Advisor: Report of Documents
  Foreign Funds Control
  France
  Germany: Harvard List: File Copy: Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives; SHAEF Lists of Protected Monuments in Germany
  Germany: Harvard List: Copy 1: German Section Annotated: American Defense-Harvard Group, Committee on the Protection of Monuments: List of Monuments in Germany
  Germany: Harvard List: Copy 6: German County Unit: Unannotated: American Defense-Harvard Group, Committee on the Protection of Monuments: List of Monuments in Germany
  Material to be sent to J. Walker: Germany
8 [“Civil Affairs Guide: General List of Archives in Western Germany”]
  [“Civil Affairs Guide: General List of Archives in Berlin Area: 1945”]
  [“Civil Affairs Guide: Military Government Information Guide: Information on German Records, 3 February 1945”]
  Kajetan Muehlmann and The Dienststelle Muehlmann: D.I.R. (1)
  Disentstelle Muehlmann: D.I.R #1 (2)
  Liaison: British
  Liaison: Dutch
  Liaison: French
  Liaison: MFA&A (U.S.)
  Liaison: Roberts Commission
  Lists: T.S.
9 Looting: Miscellaneous
  Miscellaneous
  OSS: Reports of Direction Generale des Etudes et Recherches (39 Special)
  Reports
  Report File: Looted Art
  Restitution: Background Material
  Sachs, Paul J.
  Salvage
  SHAEF, G-5: MFA&A: I
  SHAEF, G-5: MFA&A: II
  Vaucher-Gros Commission

Correspondence, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 7) [M1944, Rolls 10–18]

Arranged alphabetically by name or subject.

This series consists of the Roberts Commission correspondence with Commission members and personnel, with other Government and Allied agencies and departments, and with private individuals. Subjects of interest include art looting activities in Europe and Russia’s intentions with respect to the exaction of reparations for war damages to cultural objects. The correspondence may include copies of records from other series such as Office of Strategic Services (OSS) reports.


Roll #File Title
10 American Arbitration Association
  (American Commission): Miss Hall [Ardelia Hall]
  American Commission: Memorandum to Members of the Commission
  American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic, etc.: Organization
  American Commission: Requests for Copies of Report
  American Council for Learned Societies
  American Institute of Architects
  Archives, Transfer of
  Army and Navy Personnel (Theaters in Which Serving and General Information)
  Art Commission: The American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in Europe
  Art Looting Activities in Europe (Western Hemisphere Implications)
  Art Exportation Control (Safehaven, State Department, Alien Property Custodian)
  Axis Victims League, Inc.
  “A” Miscellaneous
  British Commission Establishment
  British Embassy
  Brown, John Nicholas
  “B” Miscellaneous
11 Cairns, Huntington
  Civil Service Commission (United States): Regular Correspondence
  Claims for Recovery of Looted Art Objects: American
  Claims for Recovery of Looted Art Objects: Other Than American
  Comptroller General of the United States
  Constable, W.G.
  Cook, Professor Walter W. S.
  Cott, Lt. Perry B.
  Crosby, Sumner McK.
  Crosby, Sumner McK.: Appointment and Trip 1944: 1st Trip, 1944
  Crosby, Sumner McK.: 2nd Trip, 1945
12 Sumner Crosby: Personal
  “C” Miscellaneous
  Decorations
  Dinsmoor, Dr. Wm. Bell
  Dinsmoor, Dr. William B. (London Trip)
  Dinsmoor, Dr. Wm. B. (Rome Travel)
  “D” Miscelleous
  Educational and Cultural Conference in London, November 1945
  Exhibition: Life Magazine
  Exhibition (Requests to AC for Material, etc.)
  “E” Miscellaneous
  Far East: Chinese Commission
  Far East Maps and Lists
  Far East (Personnel)
  Far East: Restitution
13 Far East: Stout, George L. (Correspondence)
  Finley, David E.
  Foreign Economic Administration: Clearing Office for Foreign Accounts and Reports
  Foreign Economic Administration (Regular Correspondence)
  Foreign Funds Control
  Foreign Funds Control: Applications for Release of Shipments from Customs Custody
14 French Ministry of Information
  “F” Miscellaneous
  General Accounting Office
  Guide Books: German (Purchased for MFA&A Officers)
  “G” Miscellaneous
  Hammond, Mason, Lt. Col. [Note 18]
  Harper’s Magazine
  Horan, Francis H. (Webster and Garside)
  “H” Miscellaneous
  Importation by Members of Armed Forces: Memorandum to Museums about Questionable Importations of Art Objects
  Importations by Members of the Armed Forces
  Inter-Office Memoranda
  “I” Miscellaneous
  Jayne, Mr. Horace: Special Advisor: Chungking
  Justification for Continuation of Funds
  “J” Miscellaneous
  Keller, Deane (Captain)
  Kuhn, Charles L., Lt.
  “K” Miscellaneous
  League of Nations: Draft of International Agreement to Protect Arts and Monuments in Time of War
  Lecture: Military Government School
  Lee, Rennselaer W. (c/o Frick Art Reference Library)
  Lehman, Herbert H. (Hon.)
15 Len-Art Varityping Service
  Libraries: Requests for Copies of Maps, Handbooks, Leaflets, etc.
  “L” Miscellaneous
  MacLeish, Archibald (Hon.)
  McCloy, John J.
  Metropolitan Museum of Art
  Military Government School Lectures
  Mongan, Agnes
  Mull, Jane A.: Employment and Trip
  Myers, Denys P.
  “M” Miscellaneous
  National Archives
  National Catholic Walfare Conference
  Navy Department: Bureau of Naval Personnel
  Navy Department: Office of the Chief of Naval Operations
  (Navy) Personnel
  Netherlands Embassy (Dr. H.N. Boon)
  Newton, Colonel Henry C.
  Newton, Colonel Henry C. (Personnel Letters to Cairns)
  “N” Miscellaneous
16 Office of War Information
  Office of War Information (Pamphlet)
  Office of War Information: Background Release
  Office of War Information: Security Regulations
  The American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in Europe: Personnel: General
  Photographic Equipment for AMG Officers
  Photostat Machine (Proposed Purchase)
  Post Office Department
  Posner, Ernst M.
  Press Releases
  Private Collections: Lists by Countries
  “P” Miscellaneous
  Ritchie, Andrew C.
  Ross, Marvin C. (Capt.: USMC)
  Russia’s Intentions with Respect to the Exaction of Reparations for War Damages to Cultural Objects: OSS: R&A [Research and Analysis] No. 2555
  “R” Miscellaneous
  Sachs, Dr. Paul J.
  Sawyer, Charles H.
17 Scarff, John H.
  Scarff, John H. (London Trip)
  Shipman, Fred W.
  Shoemaker, Lt. Col. James H.
  Sizer, Major Theodore
  Smith, Alfred E., Governor
  Spellman, Archbishop Francis Joseph
  State Department
  State Department: Incoming and Outgoing Cables
  State Department: Organization as of 12-20-44
  State Department: Letters Transmitting Outgoing Cables
  State Department: Extra Copies: Cables Via State Department
  “S” Miscellaneous
18 Taylor, Francis Henry
  Taylor, Francis H. (London Trip)
  Taylor-Cairns Cables
  Telephone Conversations
  Travel: Advance of Funds, Authorizations
  Typewriters, Procurement
  “T” Miscellaneous
  “U” Miscellaneous
  Vaucher Committee
  “V” Miscellaneous
  Walker, John
  Walker, John (London Trip)
  War Department: Adjutant General’s Office
  War Department: Air Staff Intelligence
  War Department: Civil Affairs Division
  War Department: Definitions of “Top Secret,” “Secret,”, “Confidential,” and “Restricted”
  War Department: Office of Chief of Transportation: International Division: Importation of Works of Art, Army Examination of Baggage
  War Department: Office of Provost Marshal General
  War Department (Miscellaneous Divisions)
  Wooley, Lt. Col. Sir L.
  “W” Miscellaneous
  Yiddish Scientific Institute: Yivo
  “Z” Miscellaneous

General Correspondence, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 8) [M1944, Rolls 18–19]

Unarranged.

This series consists of the correspondence of the Roberts Commission staff regarding personnel, status and protection of monuments and cultural institutions in Europe, artwork suspected to have been looted, and requests for copies of the Commission’s final report.

Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1942–1945 (A1, Entry 9) [M1944, Rolls 19–20]

Arranged alphabetically by name.

This series consists primarily of correspondence with applicants for Commission staff or Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) positions, some of which is contained in the miscellaneous correspondence. The miscellaneous correspondence also includes inquiries regarding the current status of private collections, artworks and monuments, in addition to the use of the Roberts Commission files for research and commission business.

Also included are two artifacts of salaries and expenses rubber hand stamps for the years 1945 and 1946.

General Records, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 10) [M1944, Rolls 21–24]

Unarranged.

This series consists of reports, memoranda, copies of correspondence and cables, as well as summaries of the situation in various countries and regions. These materials cover subjects such German-Swedish economic relations, enemy looting, and war damage.


Roll # File Title
21 Accredited Agencies
  ACLS [American Council of Learned Societies] Committee
  Attendance Report
  Baedekers
  British Information Services
  France: Private Collections
  War Office Report on Greece
  Crosby Transmission from London
  First Aid Protection for Art Treasures and Monuments
  Conditions of Monuments in France, November 1944
  German Economic Penetration in Switzerland
  German-Swedish Creditor-Debtor Position
  Reports from England and France by Francis Henry Taylor
  List from OSS of 21 Enemy Personnel Connected with Looting
  Private Collections: Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Netherlands; Libraries in [Germany]
  London Embassy: Four Documents/Letters Relating to Commission for the Protection and Restitution of Cultural Material
  Protection, Restitution and Reparation of Objects d’Art and Other Cultural Objects: Richard A. Johnson
  Italian Reports
  Letters from [Maj. Ernest] DeWald to [Professor Rufus] Morey Regarding Conditions of Monuments in N. Italy [17 December 1944]
  OSS: German Report on Archives in the Military Government of France, 1940–1944
22 Goudstikker Firm: Dutch Museums: Looting by Germans
  OSS: Consolidated Interrogation Report No. 4: Linz: Hitler’s Museum and Library
  17th Meeting of Commission for Protection and Restitution of Cultural Material: London, June 1945
  Summary of Postal Intercepts Relating to Nicholas A. Karger by Mrs. Shapley and Others
  Major Mason Hammond’s Report on MFA&A in Italy: Lecture at Cincinnati
  Appreciation of Enemy Methods of Looting Works of Art in Occupied Territory, March 1945
  Goudstikker Collection of Pictures: Standing Procedure No. #12: C.A. [Civil Affairs]
  First Press Conference: SHAEF on MFA&A in France by Miss Jane [Mull]: American Commission in London
  OSS: Art Looting Investigation Unit: Final Report
  OSS: Works of Art, etc., Stolen in France, Undated and Dated
  OSS: Personnel: Italian, German, Austrian Works of Art Ref. Göring, 1943–1944
  OSS: Miscellaneous, Dated and Undated
 OWI [Office of War Information]
23 Reports: MFA&A: MTO, ETO: From Dr. Wm. B. Dinsmoor
  ETO Report: MFA&A for April 1945: Duplicate of AMG-15
  Scarff: London Embassy, August 1945
  Scarff: London Embassy, September 1945
  War Office Summaries: Greece, Holland, Venetian Regions, Belgium, Luxembourg
  Letter from 1st Lieutenant Frederick Hartt to Professor Walter Cook Giving Account of War Damage in Tuscany
  State Department: Miscellaneous
  State Department Cable on Return of Isted Lion to Denmark
  Clearance of Van Hook Talk January 21, 1945; Telephone Conversation with Maj. Minard
  Telegram: Crosby to Cairns Re Inter-Allied Body
  Report on Visit to Strasbourg, December 10–17, 1944–January 4, 1945
  Booklet: “Works of Art in Italy: Losses and Survivals in the War: Part I: South of Bologna” (The MacMillian Committee)
  Swedish-German Creditor-Debtor Positions
  Mr. Walker: Reports from Europe
24 Interview with Dr. Zipfel, Director of Reichsarchiv and Prussian State Archives
  Vaucher Miscellaneous
  Miscellaneous Material II

Handbooks on Cultural Institutions of European Countries, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 11) [M1944, Rolls 25–31]

Arranged alphabetically by country or region.

This series consists of handbooks listing museums, monuments, libraries, archives, and other cultural institutions. Included are drafts, abstracts from reference works, and notes used in the preparation of the handbooks. General folders at the beginning of the series contain copies of weekly information bulletins published by the Office of Military Government for Germany (U.S) (OMGUS) in 1946, correspondence, wartime broadcast transcripts, reports, articles, and handwritten notes of some of the index cards that make up the Geographical Working Files, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 83).

See also A1, Entries 24, 79, and 80 for more information concerning the handbooks and A1, Entries 82, 82A, and 92 for additional information about the geographical working files.


Roll #File Title
25 General
  Austria
26 Belgium
  Bulgaria
  China
  Denmark
  France
27 France [cont.]
  Germany
  Holland
28 Italy
29 Italy [cont.]
30 Italy [cont.]
  Japan
  Korea
  Luxembourg
  Norway
31 Philippines
  Poland
  Rumania
  Tunisia
  Yugoslavia

London Files, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 12) [M1944, Rolls 32–3]

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

This series consists of cables, correspondence, memoranda, and reports received by the Commission through the American Embassy in London. The subjects include British Element, Control Council (Bunjes Papers, etc.); cables; Commission official communications; Sumner McK.Crosby correspondence; Economic Warfare Division, American Embassy; German personnel lists; German repositories of works of art; Macmillan Committee; MFA&A (Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives) military directives; MFA&A planning documents; Mull correspondence; OWI (Office of War Information); restitution background material; restitution in London EAC discussions, etc.; John Scarff and John Walker correspondence; U.S. Group CC (Control Council); and war damage. The correspondence reflects communication with the London office of a government agency or an Allied committee; in other cases they represent correspondence with or reports by Commission personnel in London.


Roll # File Title
32 British Element, CC: Bunjes Papers, etc. [December 1944–April 1945]
  Cables [September 1944–September 1945]
  Commission Official Communications [September 1944–January 1945]
  Crosby, S. McK.: Correspondence [October 1944–June 1945]
  Economic Warfare Division: American Embassy [October 1944–May 1945]
  [German Personnel Lists: December 12, 1944]
  Germany: Repositories of Works of Art [February 1945–April 1945]
  MacMillan Committee [November 1944]
  MFA&A: Military Directives
  MFA&A: Planning Documents [May 1944–December 1944]
  Mull Correspondence [October 1944–June 1945]
  OWI [Office of War Information] [August 1943–April 1945]
33 Restitution: Background Material [April 1943–February 1945] [Includes Records of the Axis Victims League, Inc.]
  Restitution: London, 1944–1945: EAC Discussion, etc. [November 1944–October 1945]
  Scarff and Walker: Correspondence (July–September 1945)
  U.S. Group CC [September 1944–May 1945]
  War Damage [July 1944–May 1945]

Reports from Advisors Overseas, 1944–1945 (A1, Entry 13) [M1944, Rolls 33–34]

Arranged roughly in chronological order.

This series consists of reports submitted to the Commission by advisers and Commission personnel who were or had been on assignment in Europe. There are reports from Sumner McK. Crosby, Jane A. Mull, John H. Scarff, and John Walker, as well as communications from Col. Henry C. Newton and Maj. Mason Hammond. The reports relate the activities of Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) officers and of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Art Looting Investigation Unit, and evaluate the work done in protecting and restoring cultural material in war areas.

Records Relating to Restitution of Cultural Materials, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 14) [M1944, Rolls 35–38][

Unarranged.

This series consists of various proposals and reports on matters relating to the restitution of cultural materials looted by Germany; correspondence between the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) personnel and Commission members, as well as OSS reports on problems connected with restitution of looted cultural materials; and miscellaneous correspondence, reports, and memoranda on various aspects of the restitution of cultural materials.


Roll # File Title
35 United Nations Declaration (Looting of Property by Axis), January 1943
  United Nations Monetary Conference, Bretton Woods, N.H., July 1944: Final Act
  Dinsmoor Report: “Restitution of Art Objects and Other Cultural Materials”: (State)
  Vaucher Committee: Harvey Proposals (Spring 1944)
  Books and Archives: Restitution Plan of Committee on Libraries and Archives
  W.G. Constable’s Report on Restitution
  Mr. Taylor’s Report of September 6, 1944, with Annexes (Original)
  Restitution After the War of 1914–1918
  Study on Restitution of Works of Art after World I (State Department)
  Formation of a Restitution Commission: Exchange of Letters Between State Department and American Commission (From July 1944 Forward)
  J.H Scarff’s Proposal and Chart of Organization for Inter-Allied Arts and Records Agency
  Preliminary Drafts of Conference of Allied Ministers of Education (Dr. Turner’s Material)
  “Allies Safeguard Europe’s Treasures”
  American Cultural Resources Protection Handbook
  “Art in the War Areas of Europe”: Article by Miss Katherine Fuguet
  Copies of Mr. Taylor’s Report of 9/6/44
  Vaucher Committee Scheme (August 1944)
  International Cooperation in Educational and Cultural Reconstruction: Kefauver Report, October 1944
36 Harvey’s Explanatory Note, Dated November 1944
  Report of Subcommittee on Axis-Appropriated Property: Mr. Walker Presented at January 18, 1945, AAC Meeting
  State Department Conferences: January 22 and 23, 25, 1945
  Military Government: Germany: Law No. 52 on Blocking and Control of Property
  Statement by Foreign Office Representative Regarding Creation of Restitution Commission; Existence of French Commission
  Material for Preliminary Meeting (Mr. Walker)
  Conference in Lt. Col. Brown’s Office, January 26, 1945, Regarding Prisoner of War Interrogation
  AAC drafts and Working Papers; Lawyers Committee Meeting, September 20, 1944
  State-War-Navy Coordinating Committee: Memorandum for Information #9: Looted Works of Art
  Material for Preliminary Meeting (Mr. Cairns)
  Ed Pauley
  Drafts of February 3, 1945, Letter to MacLeish
  Principles Documents, 1944–1945
  Material for Preliminary Meeting (Mr. Gilmore)
  Removal of German Art by Russians
  Goudstikker Collection
  Secret: Loot and Damage Information: See Also the OSS File
  Restitution of Actual Objects
  Restitution of Cultural Objects: Military Directives
  OSS Press Clippings
  Office of Strategic Services: Special Reports: Art Unit
37 Office of Strategic Services (OSS): Special Reports: Art Unit
  Miscellaneous Reports
38 Miscellaneous Reports [cont.]
  Inquiries
  Crosby, Sumner McK.
  Congressional Directory
  Excerpts from AMG Reports
  Far East
  Lee, R.W.: Personal
  Memos to Commission Members
  Newspapers
  Order Blanks
  Office of War Information
  Princeton University Press
  Telegraph Blanks
  War Department: Air Forces
  K.S. [Kathryn Springer]: Personal

Galleys and Page Proofs, 1946 [Note 19] (A1, Entry 15) [M1944, Rolls 38–39]

Unarranged.

This series consists of proofs and printing corrections for the final published report of the Commission entitled “Report of The American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas.”

Press Releases, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 16) [M1944, Roll 39]

Arranged alphabetically by country.

This series consists of press releases and a few periodical publications regarding the status of artworks and cultural institutions in European and Asian countries. Includes drafts of a list of monuments for France regarding that country’s art, archaeology and monuments. Also see A1, Entries 79 and 80 for additional information.

Newspaper Clippings, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 17) [M1944, Rolls 39–40]

Arranged chronologically.

This series consists of excerpts from newspapers concerning cultural treasures in enemy-held or Allied-occupied areas as well as other war news.

Miscellaneous Press Clippings, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 18) [M1944, Roll 40]

Unarranged.

This series consists of a propaganda manual citing references for German admissions of war-guilt; clippings from American newspapers (provided by the Romeike clipping service) on Commission activities; and clippings on damaged European cultural monuments and on Monument, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) activities.

Published Works Relating to Cultural Materials in War Areas, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 19) [M1944, Rolls 40–41]

Arranged alphabetically by title of article or book.

This series consists of articles, notes, reports, and publications devoted to the protection and restoration of cultural materials, particularly artworks and historic buildings, in European war areas. Many of these mention the Commission and the work of Monument, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) officers.


Roll # File Title
40 Art Exhibit in Rome: Publication Entitled Photo Review (Restricted)
  Art in War Areas Being Protected and Salvaged by the Allied Armies: Radio Broadcast by Theodore Sizer
  “Art Works from Florence Safe”: Article Released to the Press 9/8/44 by Metropolitan Museum of Art
  “Bombas Sôbre a Cultura Europeia” (Postives)
  “Bombas Sôbre a Cultura Europeia” (Negatives)
  Bordeaux
  Notes On Destruction and Losses of Cultural Objects in Europe (Prepared by Miss Jose Meyer)
  “The Effect of the War on Renaissance and Baroque Art in Italy”: Rensselaer Lee
  “The Esthetics of Bombing”: Article Published in Politics, October 1944, by Bernard Lemann
  “Europe’s Art Must be Saved”: Article by Prof. Morey for Dutch Edition of U.S.A
  Florentine Institute: Report on the Institute sent in by Ulrich Middledorf of the Department of Art: University of Chicago
  “France’s Great Cultural Monuments Largely Spared According to Survey”
  “French Art Treasures”: Article Appearing in Manchester Guardian
  German and Italian Attitude Towards Destruction of Art Treasures as Reported in Enemy Controlled and Neutral Broadcasts, January–March 1944
  Italy: Destruction of Works of Art and Historic Buildings by the Germans
  Konst i Spillror
  Kunst dem Volk
  “Looted Treasure”: Book by George Mihan (“Germany’s Raid on Art”)
  “Mapping Europe’s Art”: Article Appearing in Newsweek
  Memo on the Organization and Functions of Staff to Administer the Reports from AMG and Other Sources Dealing with War Damage, Claims, Reparation, etc.
  “Museum Men in the Theaters of Operation,” by David E. Finley: Article Appearing in the Museum News, November 1, 1944
  Museum News: Published by the American Association of Museums
  “Netherlands Art Treasures Since the German Occupation”
  Norway (Museums and Collections)
41 Parliamentary Debates: Discussion of Formation of British Commission
  Photo Review: “Historic Landmarks are Preserved”
  Article on Polish Art (In Magazine The Polish Review)
  Memo: “Protection and Salvage of Cultural Objects and Records in War Areas”: American Committee on Learned Societies
  “The Question We Asked”: Article on Information of Destruction in Sicily and South Italy by C.G. Paulding in The Commonweal, September 15, 1944
  “The Rape of Europa”: Article by Francis Henry Taylor
  “Saving Europe’s Art” (Articles I and II), by Charles Rufus Morey in Journal of the American Institute of Architects
  “U.S. Commission Performs Vital Role in Safeguarding Europe’s Landmarks by Charting Precision Bombing”: Article by James Waldo Fawcett: Evening Star
  “The War and Classical Romans in Italy”: Article Appearing in Antiquity
  “War Damage to the Historic Monuments of South Italy”
  War Damage to Libraries and Archives in Europe and the Far East (Prepared by Crosby)

Questionnaires, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 20) [M1944, Roll 41]

Unarranged.

This series consists of forms from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) filled out by scholars indicating knowledge of cultural materials in various overseas areas, travels to these areas, and fields of expertise. These scholars were potential sources of information for the ACLS in the preparation of maps and handbooks.

See also A1, Entry 77.

List of Repositories of Works of Art and Archives in Germany and Austria, 1945 (A1, Entry 21) [M1944, Roll 41]

Arranged by region, thereunder alphabetically by town or city.

This series consists of a list of the names of towns and cities, each accompanied by an identifying code number, and a description of the cultural material known to be deposited there. The regions include Tyrol and Czecho-Slovakia.

List of Carillons in Europe in 1939, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 22) [M1944, Roll 41]

Unarranged.

This series consists of a list of carillons on the continent of Europe in 1939 as prepared by Percival Price. Information contained in this list includes the location of the carillons such as the country, city, and building; details about the carillons such as the number of bells, weight, and founder; references to the carillons in photographs, correspondence, and printed matter; and remarks about the carillons as well as a bibliography. Also included is a map of Belgium and two maps of the Netherlands showing the locations of carillons in those countries.

Miscellaneous Records, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 23) [M1944, Rolls 41–42]

Unarranged.

This series consists of reports, drafts, copies of published parliamentary debates, pamphlets, correspondence, and background data on the protection of artworks and monuments in war areas. Included is information obtained from prisoners of war and pertains to the cooperation between the Commission and the War Crimes Branch of the Army Judge Advocate General’s Office. There is also material on the Commission’s involvement with the Safehaven Project which was an Allied effort to frustrate enemy transfers of economic assets to neutral countries. Other records include an Allied Military Government (AMG) report on its Cultural Works Committee, drafts of an Office of War Information (OWI) booklet on art and culture prepared for Allied soldiers, and a list of paintings belonging to Dutch art dealer J. Goudstikker.


Roll # File Title
41 A32 DRDR Cultural Works Committee
42 Java Lists
  Prisoner of War Interrogation
  War Crimes Office
  Safehaven Project: Basic Description
  Information on Pictures in the Goudstikker Collection
  Full Draft Text for OWI Booklet by William Burke, 5-26-45
  Philippines: Facts and Figures About
  Guy Jones Report [Includes Additional Reports]
  “The Libraries of Poland”; “The Situation of Education and Culture in Poland”

Miscellaneous Geographical Records, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 24) [M1944, Roll 42]

Arranged alphabetically by country.

This series consists of lists of churches, cultural institutions, monuments, palaces, and houses with accompanying regional and city maps showing their locations, as well as personnel. Contained in some files are accounts of looting or wartime devastation. Italy material includes architectural drawings of the Santa Trinità bridge in Florence.

See also A1, Entries 11, 79, and 80.


Roll # File Title
42 Balkans
  Belgium
  China
  Czechoslovakia
  Denmark
  Dutch East Indies
  France
  Greece
  Italy (Greece)
  Japan
  Netherlands
  Poland

Personnel Cards, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 25) [M1944, Roll 43]

Arranged alphabetically by name.

This series consists of a card file that includes the names, addresses, present activities, professions, and political affiliations of various specialists that advised members of the Roberts Commission about cultural materials and the whereabouts of looted materials; the names of those who looted, plundered, and destroyed cultural and scientific materials in German-occupied countries; those who worked to historically “prove” German origins and/or influence in other cultures and countries (Germanization); and those who aided the Germans in locating Jewish collections.

Card File on Art-Looting Suspects, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 26) [M1944, Rolls 44–49]

Arranged alphabetically by name.

This series consists of a card file in which each card may contain some or all of the following information regarding art-looting suspects and those who aided them: name, address, date of birth or age, occupation, and summary of activities. Included in this series are cards for government and private organizations and private businesses which looted, confiscated, transported, sold, or stored collections. Also included are the names of private collections and businesses which were looted or seized and, in some cases, information on the suspected looters. Finally, there are cards containing the names of individuals supplying information on art-looting suspects and at least one organization, Artists Executive (Bildendo Kunstneres Styre), which attempted to prevent the auctioning of confiscated artwork.

Geographical Card File on Possible Art-Looting Subjects, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 27) [M1944, Rolls 50–51]

Arranged alphabetically by geographical region or country and thereunder alphabetically by name.

This series consists of a card file in which each card may contain some or all of the following information: name, address, date of birth, education, occupation, summary or direct quotation regarding activities, and sources. Organizations and cultural institutions are also included and are inter-filed with the other cards.

Card File on Looted Art Objects, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 28) [M1944, Roll 51]

Arranged alphabetically by artist’s name.

This series consists of a card file in which each card may contain the artist’s name and the title and/or description of the artwork. Included is information on the removal and disposition of the artwork and, in some instances, sources for this information.

Card File on Repositories, Collections, and Collectors Suspected of Receiving or Storing Looted Art Objects, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 29) [M1944, Roll 51]

Arranged alphabetically by name, owner, or location of repository (country or city).

This series consists of a card file in which each card may contain some or all of the following information: repositories where collections were deposited, repositories or cities from which collections were removed, address or location of repositories, brief description of art objects, and dates regarding the movement of collections. At the end of the series are two cards labeled “Personnel”, one of which lists museum officials with knowledge of the removal of their museum’s collections.

Card File on Prisoners of War Suspected of Art Looting, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 30) [M1944, Roll 51]

Arranged alphabetically by name.

This series consists of a card file in which each card may contain some or all of the following information: name, address, occupation or military assignment, and brief account of activities regarding art objects.

Card File on Deceased Art-Looting Suspects, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 31) [M1944, Roll 52]

Arranged alphabetically by name.

This series consists of a card file in which each card may contain some or all of the following information: name, address, occupation, and synopsis of activities in the art world.

Guide to Goering Papers, 1945 (A1, Entry 32) [M1944, Roll 52]

Arranged alphabetically by name.

This series consists of a card file that serves as a reference guide to art objects in the Göring Papers, Nos. 1–475. These references include lists of artworks Göring purchased, exchanged, or wished to acquire. Also included are references to communications Göring had with Haberstock, Hofer, Kornatzki, Limberger, Muehlmann, Pannwitz, Zantop, and others, regarding these artworks.

Card File of European Specialists in Fine Arts, Books, and Manuscripts, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 33) [M1944, Roll 52]

Arranged alphabetically by name.

This series consists of a card file in which each card may contain some or all of the following information: name, address, date of birth, education, occupation, employer, information on political and/or ideological views, and wartime activities.

Card File on Art-Looting Suspects in France and Germany, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 34) [M1944, Rolls 52–54]

Arranged by country (France and Germany) and thereunder alphabetically by name.

This series consists of a card file in which each card may contain some or all of the following information: name, address, education, wartime employment or activities, employer, photograph, and sources. Included in this card file are repositories and organizations such as Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR) and Kunstschutz.

Card File on European Artists and Art Specialists, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 35) [M1944, Roll 54]

Arranged by nationality and thereunder alphabetically by name.

This series consists of card file in which each card may contain some or all of the following information: name, address, education, wartime employment or activities, employer, and sources.

Card File on Firms Involved in Art Looting, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 36) [M1944, Roll 54]

Arranged alphabetically by name of firm.

This series consists of card file in which each card may contain some or all of the following information: owner, address, brief history, wartime activities, and sources.

Card File on Looted Cultural Materials, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 37) [M1944, Rolls 54]

Arranged alphabetically by category such as archives, objets d’art, paintings, repositories, scientific material, and sculpture.

This series consists of a card file in which each card may contain some or all of the following information: description and/or photograph, facts regarding removal of object, and sources. Books and manuscripts are includes under the archives category.

Card File on Historic Buildings and Structures, 1944–1945 (A1, Entry 38) [M1944, Roll 54]

Arranged by country and thereunder alphabetically by city or town.

This series consists of a card file in which each card may contain some or all of the following information: name of city or town, owner, notes on contents, condition, history of military occupation, and sources. The countries represented are Belgium, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

Card File on Links with Neutral Countries, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 39) [M1944, Rolls 54–55]

Arranged alphabetically by name of individual, name of firm, or name of institution.

This series consists of a card file in which each card contains the name of an individual, firm, or institution and a cross-reference. Many of the cross-references appear to refer to cards contained in Card File On Art-Looting Suspects, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 26), Geographical Card File on Possible Art-Looting Subjects, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 27), Card File on Prisoners of War Suspected of Art Looting, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 30), and Card File on Art-Looting Suspects in France and Germany, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 34). Other cross-references are to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Allied Military Government (AMG) reports. Included at the beginning of file are American liaisons for departments such as G-2, G-5, Naval Censorship, and Office of Strategic Services.

Code Identification File, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 40) [M1944, Roll 55]

Arranged by an alphabetical or alphanumeric code designation (JRX, JZX, LSX, RX, X, XL, XX, XX-001, XX1) and thereunder numerically. Four cards are arranged numerically (132234–134935).

This series consists of a card file in which each card may contain some or all of the following information: alphabetical, alphanumeric, or numeric code designator; how and date the material arrived such as “London Pouch XX 005-622 – 22 June 1945”; file where material may be found; and disposal of the material.

Miscellaneous Personnel Cards, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 41) [M1944, Roll 55]

Arranged in two parts. The first part is arranged alphabetically (G–K only) and second part is arranged by date of incoming and outgoing messages.

This series consists of a card file that is divided into two parts. The first part contains some or all of the following information: name, address, category to which the name belongs (e.g., individual, collection, or repository, in addition to the country), and cross-references. Many of the names may also be found in Card File On Art-Looting Suspects, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 26), Geographical Card File on Possible Art-Looting Subjects, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 27), Card File on Prisoners of War Suspected of Art Looting, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 30), and Card File on Art-Looting Suspects in France and Germany, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 34).

The second part of the card file includes sender and recipient by name or code name, date, and a brief message. The messages were received and sent by Monument, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) officers in the field.

RECORDS OF THE ROBERTS COMMISSION’S SUBCOMMITTEES, 1942–1946 [M1944, Rolls 56–62]

At the Commission’s first meeting on August 25, 1943, it was resolved to appoint seven subcommittees with specific duties and membership. The Committee on Definition of Works of Cultural Value and Property, under David E. Finley, undertook to define more concretely those general terms which had appeared in the letter from the Secretary of State outlining the Commission’s functions. The Committee on Administration, composed of Mr. Finley and Huntington Cairns, considered and reported to the Commission on its administrative organization. The Committee on Books, Manuscripts, and Other Printed and Written material of Cultural Value was appointed to consider and report on the classes of these specific items with which the Commission should concern itself. Chaired by Archibald MacLeish, its Advisors were Solon J. Buck, Waldo G. Leland, Henry M. Lydenberg, A.S.W. Rosenbach, and Lewis Hanke.

The Commission requested the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Committee on the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas and the American Defense-Harvard Group to channel their work through the Commission for distribution to the appropriate government agencies. The Committee on Collection of Maps, Information, and Description of Art Objects was established to implement this policy under the co-chairmanship of William B. Dinsmoor and Paul J. Sachs, with Charles R. Morey, Sumner McK. Crosby, and William L.M. Burke as Advisers.

The Committee on Personnel, headed by Paul J. Sachs with W.G. Constable as Adviser, submitted to the War Department names of personnel serving in the armed forces who were qualified for appointment to the Civil Affairs Division for service in its Museum, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) Section. After the war, it submitted the names of qualified civilians willing to carry on the work begun by the military and civilian employees of the War Department. Closely connected with this committee was the Committee on Art Instruction in Military Government schools, under David E. Finley, appointed to confer with the officials of the Provost Marshal general’s Office and to supply the names of qualified volunteers to instruct on the subject of protection and salvage of cultural and historic monuments.

The Committee on Axis-Appropriated Property was established to compile from all available sources a record of enemy looting. Francis Henry Taylor served as chairman, John Walker as Special Adviser. The other committee members were Daniel C. Rich and Robert Woods Bliss. This committee held a special meeting on April 15, 1944, at the National Gallery of Art, in order to primarily to consider steps to be recommended for the customs control of looted art objects entering this country, and to review the Commission’s policy with regard to receiving claims from private individuals for looted art objects.

General Records, 1943–1944 (A1, Entry 42) [M1944, Roll 56]

Unarranged.

This series consists correspondence, memoranda, lists, resolutions, proposals, recommendations, reports, and notes from various subcommittees.

Records of David E. Finley

David E. Finley, Director of the National Gallery of Art and a member of the Commission of Fine Arts, was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Roberts Commission on August 20, 1943. He had been intimately involved in the Commission’s establishment, and his files contain correspondence of this process. He served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Definition of Works of Cultural Value and Property and of the Subcommittee on Art Instruction in Military Government Schools, and with Huntington Cairns composed the Subcommittee on Administration. Finley took part in the day-to-day functioning of the Commission staff throughout its existence, but the records preserved here relate primarily to the Commission’s establishment and the appointment of personnel.

Correspondence and Memoranda, 1943–1944 (A1, Entry 43) [M1944, Roll 56]

Unarranged.

This series consists of correspondence, memoranda, telegrams, and notes.

Correspondence with Henry C. Newton, 1944 (A1, Entry 44) [M1944, Roll 56]

Arranged chronologically.

This series consists of correspondence, memoranda, telegrams, and notes with, or regarding, Brigadier General Henry C. Newton, who was appointed by the War Department at the Commission’s recommendation to take charge of and coordinate the activities of Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) officers in the field with the Commission’s program.

Applications, 1943–1944 (A1, Entry 45) [M1944, Roll 56]

Arranged alphabetically by name.

This series consists of applications for positions with the Commission and includes David E. Finley’s letters in response to those applications.

Records of Paul J. Sachs

Paul J. Sachs, the Associate Director Harvard University’s Fogg Museum of Fine Arts, was a member of the Roberts Commission throughout its existence. He served as chairman of the Subcommittee on Personnel, which submitted to the War Department the names of personnel serving in the armed forces who were qualified for appointment to its Civil Affairs Division to serve in its Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Section. After the war, the subcommittee submitted the names of qualified civilians who were willing to carry on the wok begun by the military as civilian employees of the War Department. Sachs and William B. Dinsmoor were co-chairmen of the Subcommittee on Collection of Maps, Information, and Description of Art Objects, which was established to channel the work of the ACLS Committee on the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas and the American Defense-Harvard Group to the appropriate government agencies.

General Correspondence, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 46) [M1944, Rolls 57–58]

Arranged roughly alphabetically by name.

This series consists of correspondence, telegrams, and notes to and from government officials, military officers, and private individuals interested in Commission affairs. Topics include employment prospects of applicants for work with the Commission or one of the related Government and military offices, evaluations of Commission work, and publicity for the Commission.

Correspondence with Commission Members and Personnel, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 47) [M1944, Rolls 57–58]

Arranged roughly alphabetically by name.

This series consists of correspondence and telegrams to and from Charles Butler, Huntington Cairns, W.G. Constable, William B. Dinsmoor, William Emerson, David Finley, John Gilmore, John H. Scarff, Henry C. Newton, Charles Sawyer, and Francis Henry Taylor. Other individuals are also referenced throughout the correspondence.

Correspondence with Related Committees and Institutions, 1942–1943 (A1, Entry 48) [M1944, Roll 58]

Arranged in roughly chronological order.

This series consists of correspondence, memoranda, reports, and telegrams to and from government officials, military officers, and members of groups such as the American Defense-Harvard Group and the Committee of the American Council of Learned Societies on the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas.

Personnel Correspondence, 1943–1944 (A1, Entry 49) [M1944, Roll 59]

Arranged alphabetically by name.

This series consists of correspondence regarding applications from military personnel and private individuals seeking employment with the Commission or as Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) officers. Included are curricula vitae and letters of reference.

Minutes of Commission Meetings, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 50) [M1944, Roll 60]

Arranged chronologically by date.

This series consists of the minutes of meetings of the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas. Included are meeting agendas and handwritten notes.

Memoranda, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 51) [M1944, Roll 60]

Unarranged.

This series consists of memoranda, correspondence, reports, news releases, and notes by Commission members and personnel; Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) officers; and concerned individuals on matters related to Commission work. Topics include personnel assignments, identification of looted art objects, restoration and/or preservation work, the decision to bring some German art objects to the United States for restoration and/or safekeeping, and the work of the American Defense-Harvard Group. The final report of the American Defense-Harvard Group, dated June 1940 to June 1945, is also included.

Personnel Data, 1943 (A1, Entry 52) [M1944, Roll 60]

Arranged alphabetically by name.

This series consists of brief curricula vitae of individuals under consideration for work with the Commission due to their education and experience in areas such as art, architecture, and languages. Almost all of them were in the armed services. A few work for the United States government or in the private sector.

Personnel Lists, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 53) [M1944, Roll 60]

Unarranged.

This series consists of lists and correspondence regarding military personnel and civilians under consideration for work with the Commission due to their education and experience in areas such as architecture, library science, and archives. Included are lists of Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) officers working abroad and correspondence regarding recommendations for an overseas Director.

Personnel Cards, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 54) [M1944, Roll 61]

Arranged alphabetically by name.

This series consists of a card file in which each card contains some or all of the following information: name, present employment, education/experience, languages, travel, address, and remarks about military personnel and a small number of civilians under consideration for work with the Commission. Included are various brief lists of names sent to the secretary of the Commission.

Commission Accounts, 1943–1944 (A1, Entry 55) [M1944, Roll 61]

Unarranged.

This series consists of purchase requisitions, invoices, handwritten account entries, and notes regarding travel expenses and office supplies.

General Lists and Master Lists, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 56) [M1944, Roll 61]

Unarranged.

This series consists of lists of Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) personnel, armed forces personnel, civilians with assimilated rank, civilians for assistant positions, and women under consideration for work with the Commission.

Materials Concerning the Subcommission for Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (Italy), 1944 (A1, Entry 57) [M1944, Roll 61]

Unarranged.

This series consists of reports, memoranda, and newspaper articles regarding the condition of monuments and works of art in Italy. Includes lists of monuments, general orders, and instructions to United States military personnel regarding the protection of monuments and works of art. Under the direction of the Sub-commission, the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) officers surveyed damage to cultural monuments in war areas and directed efforts to restore and protect them.

Scheme for the Restitution of Objects d’Art, Scientific Equipment, Books, and Archives, 1944 (A1, Entry 58) [M1944, Roll 61]

Unarranged.

This series consists of a draft scheme by the Books and Periodicals Commission of the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education with related memoranda; reports and memoranda on the activities of Monument, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) officers in Italy; revised schemes as of August 1944; transcriptions of radio talks regarding the condition of churches and monuments in Sicily; and documents such as draft policy directives and ordinances regarding post-hostility planning.

Miscellaneous Material, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 59) [M1944, Roll 62]

Unarranged.

This series consists of reports, lists, handbooks, and memoranda regarding monuments and works of art in Italy. Includes a soldier’s guide to Naples, transcripts of a hearing for an appropriations bill on Commission funding for fiscal year 1945, transcripts of Parliamentary debates in the House of Lords regarding bombing policy and preservation of historical and art treasures, and draft minutes of the first through fifth meetings of the Vaucher Committee.

RECORDS RELATING TO THE MONUMENTS, FINE ARTS, AND ARCHIVES SECTION OF THE WAR DEPARTMENT’S CIVIL AFFAIRS DIVISION, 1943–1946 [M1944, Rolls 62–84]

The Roberts Commission’s original terms of reference included providing advice to the War Department regarding the appointment of specialists for services with the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Section. Accordingly, a regular liaison was maintained between the Commission and the Civil Affairs Division of the War Department. As part of this cooperation, the Commission received MFA&A field reports from the War Department.

Records Concerning Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Offices (MFA&A), 1945 (A1, Entry 60) [M1944, Roll 62]

Arranged by subject.

This series consists of reports, lists, and memoranda presented by Major Mason Hammond, an army officer who frequently acted as liaison between the Commission and the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) Section of the Civil Affairs Division of the War Department’s Military Government Branch. Much of this material concerns personnel issues and reparation, restitution, and disposition policies, mainly regarding Germany. Also includes an official list of protected monuments in France, a report on monuments and works of art in Greece, memoranda regarding military government planning in the Far East, and assignment of United States and British MFA&A officers in Europe.


Roll # File Title
62 Documents Brought to ACC by MFA&A Major Hammond on 17 February 1945
  Hammond Proposal
  Hammond Report (Washington), Dated 27 February 1945
  Hammond Report (Field), Dated 16 March 1945
  Organization for Far East: Plan
  Personnel in ETO

MFA&A Tables of Organization, 1945–1946 (A1, Entry 61) [M1944, Roll 62]

Unarranged.

This series consists of two Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) tables of organization for the United States Zone in Germany. The first table is for November 21, 1945, through March 1, 1946, and includes personnel distribution; the second table is a proposed table of organization for March 1, 1946, through June 30, 1946, and includes personnel requirements.

MFA&A Field Reports, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 62) [M1944, Roll 62–81]

Arranged numerically by field report number (1–389).

This series consists of field reports and memoranda relating primarily to war damage to cultural and historic monuments in the European Theater of Operations, and to measures taken for their immediate protection and eventual restoration. Includes material on the Central Collecting Points, as well as correspondence, newspaper articles, publications, posters, maps, photographs, and policies and directives from the Civil Affairs Division for Operation Overlord. These reports are labeled AMG-1 through AMG-389.


Roll #File Title
62 AMG-1: Eastern Sicily
  AMG-2: Report on Trip 30 September–3 October, 1943, by Capt. M. Hammond in Sicily
  AMG-3: Reports from AMG on Arts and Monuments Work Submitted with General Hilldring’s Letter of 1-22-44
  AMG-4: Reports from AMG on Arts and Monuments Work Submitted with General Hilldring’s Letter of 12-6-43
  AMG-5: First Monthly Report: Sicily
  AMG-6: Letter from General Hilldring, Dated 1-10-44, Submitting General Orders No.68 and Eisenhower Statement
  AMG-7: Elboli, Italy: Soldiers Monument
  AMG-8: AMG Annex: Administrative Instruction No. 10
  AMG-9 : Third Monthly Report: Complete File Report by AMG Offices in the Italian Theater, Submitted by General Hilldring as of 3-13-44
  AMG-10 : Fifth Monthly Report: Regions
  AMG-11: Collier Report: Damage Alleged to Have Been Caused to Real and Personal Property of Historical and Educational Importance in Italy
63 AMG-11a: “Preservation of Works of Art in Italy”: Pamphlet for Distribution to Troops
  AMG-12: Colonel H.C. Newton
  AMG-13: Sixth and Seventh Monthly Reports
  AMG-14: Report by Lt. Col. G.F. Webb (Br.) Submitted with General Hilldring Letter of July 28, 1944
  AMG-15
  AMG-16: Letter from Headquarters 5th Army on Conduct of 5th Army Troops in Rome
  AMG-17: Pamphlet: “Preservation of Works of Art in Italy”
  AMG-18: Colonel Henry C. Newton (Report on Status on Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives in the European Theater) 6-13-44
  AMG-19: Letter from Hilldring Quoting from Newton of June 19
  AMG-20: “Soldiers Guide to Rome,” Submitted with a Letter Dated 12 July 1944 from General Hilldring
  AMG-21: Report from France: Bayeux, Caen, Chateau de Benouville
  AMG-22: “Monuments of Central Italy”, from British War Office
  AMG-23: Eighth Monthly Report
  AMG-24: Ninth Monthly: Report July 1944
  AMG-25: Two Letters from Colonel Henry C. Newton: 1) Exhibition in Rome; 2) Situation in Florence with Depositories
64 AMG-26: Italy: Lists of Protected Monuments, Royal Palace of Naples, etc., and “Soldier’s Guide to Italy”
  AMG-27: Report from France and Works of Art in Florence
  AMG-28: Report of Bombing of Benevento
  AMG-29: Report on Status of MFA&A in MTO by Col. H.C. Newton
  AMG-30: Order to CinC MTO; Damage to Vire; Report on Bombing of San Lorenzo
  AMG-31: Report on Deposits of Art in Tuscany
  AMG-32: Various Letter re Protection of Monuments; Memo on Protection of Italian Archives; Map of Environs of Florence Showing Depositories
  AMG-33: Report from AMG-Italy on Arts and Monument Works in Florence with Hilldring Letter of 8-26-44
  AMG-34: Report on Rehabilitation of Neapolitan Churches
  AMG-35: Tenth Monthly Report, August 1944
  AMG-35(a): Report: MFA&A: Damages to Rennes; Louvre Collections at Chateau Brissac; Glass from Beauvais at Chateau Carrouges
  AMG-36: Memo on Archives in Rome; Report of Archives Officer in Rome; List of Places in Northern Italy Containing Ministerial Roman Archives
65 AMG-37: Report of Visit of MFA&A Advisor to France, August 1944
  AMG-37(a): Monuments of Rouen
  AMG-38: Report of Conditions in Small Cities South and Southeast of Rome by Col. Newton
  AMG-39: Report on Exhibition of Masterpieces of European Paintings in Rome by Col. Newton
  AMG-40: Report on Damage to Pisa; Report on Cases of Sculpture Deposited in Florence
  AMG-41: Report on Collections in Paris, Versailles and Rouen
  AMG-42: Three Documents Dealing with German Transactions in Art Objects; Lists of German Personnel
  AMG-43: Report of Damages to Fiesole and Pisa
  AMG-44: Report on Conditions in Cities North of Rome by Col. Newton
  AMG-45: Report on Damages to Marseilles
  AMG-46: Report of Damages to Arles, Avignon, Chalons-sur-Marne, Marseilles; Archives of Moselle
  AMG-47: Miscellaneous Documents: MFA&A: French, German, Norwegian Lists; French Museums, Archives, etc.
  [Miscellaneous Enclosures]
  AMG-48: Report on Damages to Pistoia
  AMG-49: Report on German and Italian Activities in Italy Prior to Occupation of Rome; Report on MFA&A Officers in Normandy
  321.6: General Mark W. Clark: Bombing of Cassino
  AMG-50: Condition of Monuments of Troyes, Bruges, Brussels, St. Petersburg
  AMG-51: Works of Art Stolen by Germans in Italy from Naples, Florence, and Venice
  AMG-52: German Loot and Vandalism: Compilation of Data in AMG Reports
  AMG-53: Report of Areas West of the Seine; Also Verdun, Florence, Nimes, Montpellier, Carcassonne, Toulouse, Albi, etc.
  AMG-54: Interview with Mr. Ernst von Mohnen on German Art Collecting in France
66 AMG-55: List of Protected Monuments in Germany; Works of Art in Greece; List of Photographs of Loreto, Palestrina, Pisa, Tarquinia, Viterbo; Report on Marseilles, Italy, and France
  AMG-56: Eleventh Monthly Report: Campania, Lazio, Umbria, Abruzzi, Marche, Toscana, Emilia, Villas near Florence
  AMG-57: Report: MFA&A: Condition in Southern France
  AMG-58: German Loot from Italy; Destruction in France; Brussels; Dutch Paintings
  AMG-59: Special Report: MFA&A: Arles, Avignon and Vicinity; Departments: Vaucluse, Herault, Ardeche, Lozere, Tarn, Cantal
  AMG-60: Florentine Works of Art Stolen by the Germans
  AMG-61: Removal of German Libraries from Rome
  AMG-62: Works of Art Transported to Germany [from Italy]; MFA&A: Conditions in France, Belgium, Germany; German Policy re F.A.: Works of Art Transported
  1936–1937
  AMG-63: Letter from Col. Newton re MFA&A Officers in AFHQ of the MTO; MFA&A: British Personnel: Present Distribution
  AMG-64: Report on MFA&A to October 1944; Belgium, Germany, Eastern France, Paris; Lists for Germany; Technical Notes; Archives
  AMG-65: Twelfth Monthly Report: Sicilia, Southern Region, Lazio-Umbria, Abruzzzi, Marche, Toscana, Emilia; Vatican Publications; Articles
67 AMG-66: First through Fifth Monthly Reports
  AMG-67: Reports on Deposits of Art Treasures in Tuscany
  AMG-68: Deposits of Art in N. Italy: Indications of Movement; Cesare Fasola
  AMG-69: Preliminary Reports on Damage to Monuments in Ravenna
  AMG-70: Excerpts from MFA&A Reports: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy
  AMG-71: Progress Reports from Military Liaison Headquarters (Greece)
  AMG-72: 13 Photographs of Organized Deposits of Art Around Florence; Report on Deposits of Art in Lazio
  AMG-73: Reports, Memo, Gatherings, MFA&A (Lists), 22 August–25 November 1944 by Major Mason Hammond
  AMG-74: 48 Photos of Restorations in Naples, Benevento, Pompeii, etc.; Miscellaneous Reports of Conditions in Greece, Italy, and Belgium
  AMG-75: C.A. Summary: SHAEF, MFA&A Conditions in Luxembourg and Germany
  AMG-76: Conditions in Greece; Colonial Exhibit in Naples, 1940; Italy (Recovery of Loot)
  AMG-77: Building Terms in Germany; Heimat Museums in Germany; Present State of Monuments in Germany; Two Lists of German MFA&A Personnel
68 AMG-78: C.A. Summary: Strasboury, Domremy, Luxemboug
  AMG-78 [sic]: Major Scammell Paper on the Duties of MFA&A Officers
  AMG-80: Thirteenth Monthly Report: MTO
  AMG-81: Capt. Marvin C. Ross visit to Strasbourg, 10–17 December 1944
  AMG-82: Minutes of the 25th Meeting of the Executive Bureau of the Conference of the Allied Ministers of Education; Greek Museums
  AMG-83: Report: MFA&A: Section G-5, SHAEF, to December 1944
  AMG-84: 7 Lists: German MFA&A Personnel; Posters: Metz, Antwerp, Aachen
  AMG-85: Lists of Monuments of French Indo-China: 26 Maps; Removal of Art from Netherlands During Occupation
  AMG-86: AMG Lists 9 to 85 Inclusive
  AMG-87: Status Report of MFA&A in N. ETO by Col. H.C.Newton, 12 October–20 December 1944
  AMG-88: Status Report of MFA&A in Metz by Capt. Posey
  AMG-89: Report on MFA&A in Greece, January 4–11, 1945
  AMG-90: Fourteenth Monthly Report; German Guidebook to Bordeaux; C.A. Public Safety Manual on Procedures in Liberated Territories re MFA&A
69 AMG-91: Reports on MFA&A ETO, December 1944; German Archivists in France; Relief and Rehabilitation in Greece
  AMG-92: Isenheim Altarpiece; Castle of Haut-Koeningsburg; Cathedral at Thann
  AMG-93: Progress Report from Military Liaison, Greece; C.A. Excerpts for Thann and Masevaux
  AMG-94: 27 photos: Rimini, Ravenna, Rome, Florence; Repositories in Germany; Documents from Strasbourg; Available MFA&A Information in Germany
  AMG-95: 5 Posters Used in Protection of Historic Monuments
  AMG-96: Relief and Rehabilitation of Greece; Excerpts on the Acropolis, Church of Kaisarlani, and the Theater of Dionysos
  AMG-97: Directives, Handbooks, Lists, MFA&A, for Belguim, Luxembourg and Netherlands
  AMG-98: Works of Art Acquired and Seized by the Germans in France
  AMG-99: Fifteenth Monthly Report
  AMG-100: Some Cases of Wanton Destruction Caused by the Germans in Italy.
  AMG-101: List of Important Sites in French Indochina with 17 Maps
  AMG-102: Captured German Documents and POW Material
  AMG-103: Monthly Report for December 1944: HQCC; Weekly Civil Affairs Summary #37
  AMG-104: Various Reports: Greece, France, Belgium, Holland, Germany
  AMG-105: SHAEF Monthly Report for January 1944: Belgium, Netherlands, France
  AMG-106: Progress of Reconstruction: Luxembourg, Germany, Boeotia, Florence, Arezzo, Siena, Pisa, Livorno, Lucca, Ravenna
  AMG-107: Bunjes Paper: Kunstschutz for Strasbourg
  AMG-108: Kolmar; Athens; Boeotia
  AMG-109: German Methods of Looting Works of Art in Occupied Territories
  AMG-110: MFA&A in Bonn, Köln, etc.
  AMG-111: MFA&A in Greece
  AMG-112: Documents Issued by G-5, SHAEF
  AMG-113: Appreciation of Enemy Methods of Looting Works of Art in Occupied Territory
  AMG-114: White List of German Personnel; Movable Works of Art in N.W. Rheinprovinz; the Einsatzstab Rosenberg
  AMG-115: War Office Documents
  AMG-116: War Office Documents
70 AMG-117: First Report from MFA&A Office, 15th U.S. Army (Belgium)
  AMG-119: Report on Tour of Temporary Duty by Major Mason Hammond
  AMG-120: Exhibition at Palazzo Venezia; Ambleve; Aachen
  AMG-121: Sixteenth Monthly Report
  AMG-122: “Third Edition of Repositories of Works of Art and Archives in Germany”
  AMG-123: Report on MFA&A Section G-5, SHAEF, February 1945
  AMG-124: Two Press Releases: Four Florence Towers; Ancona Treasury
  AMG-125: MFA&A in Germany: Aachen, Köln, Schloss Brühl
  AMG-126: Schloss Augustusburg: Brühl, Germany
  AMG-127: Addendum I to the “Third Edition of Repositories of Works of Art and Archives in Germany”
  AMG-128: 72 Photos: Series F: The Marche and Emilia
  AMG-129: CA-MG Weekly Report April 7–11, 1945, G-5, SHAEF; First Report J.N Brown March–April 1945
  AMG-130: Displaced Works of Art: Italy; Montecassino Deposit
  AMG-131: Thailand (Siam) and Indo-China: Official Lists of Protected Monuments Prepared by War Office
  AMG-132: CA-MG Weekly Field Report: G-5, SHAEF: Archives of Luxemburg and German Cities; Rembrandt Etchings at Hoya
  AMG-133: Addendum II to the “Third Edition of Repositories of Works of Art and Archives in Germany”
  AMG-134: [Seventeenth Monthly Report]
  AMG-135: Addendum III to the “Third Edition of Repositories of Works of Art and Archives in Germany”
  AMG-136: CA-MG Weekly Field Reports: G-5, SHAEF: Depositories in Western Germany
  AMG-137: Genoa, Turin, Pavia
  AMG-138: MFA&A: Conditions in Aachen, Arnhem, Berlin, and Dortmund
  AMG-139: MFA&A Florence, Arezzo, Ancona, Faenza; Contents of the Salt Mine at Graslebe
  AMG-140: 88 Photographs of Emilia, Lazio, Toscana, Umbria
  AMG-141: Looted Art in Occupied Territories, Neutral Countries and Latin America
  AMG-142: Deposit Found at Schloss Freudenberg; Check-list: Displaced Art in Italy; Museum in Ostia
71 AMG-143: Eighteenth Monthly Report
  AMG-144: “Fourth Edition of Repositories of Works of Art and Archives in Germany”
  AMG-145: Special Report on German Repositories; Report of MFA&A to March 1945; ETO Interrogations of Göring on French Art
 

AMG-146: Austria: Klagenfurt, Villach, Tanzenberg, Karlsberg, Lussnitz; Italy: Ravenna, Rimini, Ancona, Rome, Siena, and Bari

  AMG-147: Italy: Interim Reports on Repairs, Recovery, etc; Austria: Klagenfurt, Gurk, Linz, St. Paul, St. Vith, and Villach Repositories
  AMG-148: Four German Libraries in Italy: Preliminary Report on Legal Position
  AMG-149: Addendum I to “Fourth Edition of Repositories of Works of Art and Archives in Germany”
  AMG-150: MFA&A: ETO: April 1945: Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Holland, Norway
  AMG-151: MFA&A for May–June 1945
  AMG-152: MFA&A: Report on the German Kunstschutz in Italy 1943–1945
72 AMG-153: 19th Monthly Report: MTO: Lazio, Umbria, Marche, Toscana, Emilia, Piemonte, Liguria, Lambardia, Venezia
  AMG-154: 53 Photographs of Towns in Emilia, Veneto, and Venezia Tridentina
  AMG-155: “Record of War Damage to Monuments in Italy”, Prepared by the Directorate General of the Fine Arts of the Fascist Republican Government (69 cities) and Supplement
  AMG-156: Displaced Works of Art: Italy: Works Missing from Montagnana, Poppi, Contini-Bonacossi Collection, Villa Von Marle, and Villa Tocchi
  AMG-157: ETO: Report on Reichsarchiv, Preussiches Geheimes Staatsarchiv, Reichsgerichtsarchiv
  AMG-158: “Record on War Damage to Monuments in Italy,” Prepared by the Directorate General of Fine Arts of the Fascist Republican Government, Supplement to March 1945
  AMG-159: ETO: Monthly Reports for May and June
  AMG-160: MTO HQ Letter on Works of Art Stolen from Monte Cassino; MTO Report on German Activities in Adriatic Coastal Zone
  AMG-161: ETO Military Government: Weekly Information Bulletin #2, August 4, 1945
73 AMG-162: MFA&A: MTO Report for June 1945
  AMG-163: MTO: Reports on Repositories at S. Leonardo and Campo Tures; Interrogations of Kunstschutz Personnel
  AMG-164: Memo on Tranzenberg, Klagenfurt
  AMG-165: 12 Photos of Ponte Scaligero and Ponte della Pietra at Verona; Letter of Kesselring
  AMG-166: Looted Art in Occupied Territories, Neutral Countries and Latin America: Revised
  AMG-167: Official Belgian Receipt of Transfer of Ghent Altarpiece of the Lamb by Van Eyck
  AMG-168: 50 Photos of Repositiories at Dicomano, Campo Tures and S. Leonardo in Passiria
74 AMG-169: MTO: 21st Monthly Report
  AMG-170: German Seizure of Works of Art: Collection Ilona Caterina Tocchi Van Marle
  AMG-171: MTO Interim Reports on ZARA, Missing Paintings from Vipiteno (Sterzing), and MTO 21st Monthly Report
  AMG-172: Monthly Report of Military Governor, U.S. Zone, Germany: MFA&A, 20 September 1945, No. 2
  AMG-173: U.S. Group CC (Germany) on Recent Status of Four German Libraries in Italy
  AMG-174: MTO: Report on Missing Works of Art from Italy: 1) Deposit from Forli at San Giorgio; 2) Collection Loeser; 3) Villa Reich at Barberino di Mugello
  AMG-175: MTO: 22nd Monthly Report, August 1945
  AMG-176: Monthly Report of Military Governor, U.S. Zone Germany: MFA&A, 20 August 1945, No. 1
  AMG-177: MTO: Final Reports for Apulia, Calabria, Abruzzi, Molise, Tuscany, Emilia, and Lombardia
  AMG-178: MTO: 23rd Monthly Report, September 1945
  AMG-179: ETO: Weekly Information Bulletin, 3 November 1945
75 AMG-180: MTO: Final Reports for Sicily, Campania, Umbria, Le Marche, Liguria, Piemonte
  AMG-181: ETO: Extract: Regalia Returned to Vienna
  AMG-182: MTO: Final Reports: 14 Regions, General, and Archives
  AMG-183: MTO: Final Reports: O General; 4 Lazio; 13 Veneto and Venezia Tridentina; 14 Sardinia and Venezia Giulia
  AMG-184: Report of the General Board, United States Forces, European Theater
76 AMG-184A: ETO: MFA&A Field Reports, July–September 1945
  AMG-184B: U.S. Forces, European Theater, Office of Military Government (U.S. Zone) [Field Reports for October 1945]
  AMG-184C: U.S. Forces, European Theater, Office of Military Government (U.S.Zone) [Field Reports for November 1945]
  AMG-184D: ETO: MFA&A: Field Reports for December 1945
  AMG-185: 14 Photographs: Hoogstraeten Church (Pre-War), Kalkar, Nikolaikirche (Georgsalter, Hochalter)
  AMG-185A: ETO: 26 Photographic Prints by J.N.Brown, Germany (June–July 1945)
  AMG-186: ETO: Negative Films (and Index): Series I-G to I-R (January 28–June 1): Captain Hancock (Belgium and Luxembourg)
  AMG-187: ETO: Photographic Prints of Series I-G through I-N by Captain Hancock and S/C Photos of Stavelot, La Gleize, Malmedy
  AMG-188: ETO: 84 Photographic Prints (Germany)
  AMG-189: ETO: 114 Photographic Prints: Series III-C–III-J (December 1944–February 1945) (France, Belgium, Luxembourg)
  AMG-190: ETO: 321 Negative Film Strip Frames (Huchthausen); 222 Negative Frames of Various Monuments: Belgian, German, Luxembourgeois, French
  AMG-191: ETO: 84 Photographic Prints: Luxembourg, and Belgium (November 1944–January 1945), Series I-D–I-F
  AMG-192: ETO: 177 Negative Film Frames on 5 Rolls, Called A through E, with Identification Lists [Germany, Holland]
  AMG-193: ETO: 114 Negative Film Frames (Unidentified) Called, Rolls 1–4
  AMG-194: ETO: 39 Photos, Chateau Chamerolles, Wewelsberg Castle/Gut Boddegen, Osnabruck Museum, Bernterode Resository
  AMG-195: ETO: 230 Photographic Prints from SHAEF Files: France A–C
  AMG-196: ETO: 235 Photographic Prints from SHAEF Files: France D–M
  AMG-197: ETO: 426 Photographic Prints from SHAEF Files: France N–V
  AMG-198: ETO: 130 Photographic Prints from SHAEF Files: Belgium A–W
  AMG-199: ETO: 116 Photographic Prints from SHAEF Files: Luxembourg and Holland
  AMG-200: ETO: 69 Photographic Prints from SHAEF Files: Germany
  AMG-201: ETO: 139 Photographic Prints from SHAEF Files: France, Germany and Austria: J.J. Rorimer
  AMG-202: ETO: 107 Photographic Prints of Pre-War Condition of Certain Monuments in Germany
  AMG-203: ETO: SHAEF Office Files through January 30, 1945 [Index of SHAEF Files]
  AMG-325: 222.01: Official P.I.D List [Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg]
  AMG-326: 233.19: Denmark, Copenhagen
77 AMG-329B: Policies and Directives for “Overlord”
  AMG-330: Official Civil Affairs List of Monuments for France
  AMG-331: 400.03
  AMG-332: 501.01: 21 Army Group HQ
  AMG-334: FA&M [Fine Arts and Monuments]: Correspondence File; First Army Old Files
  AMG-335: Special Reports
  AMG-336: Repositories of German-Owned Works of Art at Ambleve and Waismes, Belgium: First U.S. Army
  AMG-337: First U.S. Army: [Semi-]Monthly Report [Includes Final Report, 15 May 1945]
78 AMG-338: German-English Dictionary of German Administrative Terms
  AMG-339: ABC of German Administration and Public Service
  AMG-340: Interpretation Report (Air Photographs of Bomb Damage)
  AMG-341: Target List of German Personnel; White List of German Personnel
  AMG-342: Führer Museum, Linz
  AMG-343: List of Belgian Chateaux Furnished by Ministre de l’Instruction Publique; List of Netherlands Chateaux Furnished by Netherlands Authorities
  AMG-344: Report on Collection of Fine Art at Wewelsburg, Westphalia
  AMG-345: Sample [Inventory] Cards from Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Branch
  AMG-346: Repositories
  AMG-347
  AMG-348: Lewis: Personal File [MFA&A Reports, Personnel, etc.]
  AMG-349: Bunjes Report, 1940
  AMG-350: MTO 24th and 25th Monthly Reports, October–November 1945: 14 December 1945
  AMG-351: MTO: Missing Works of Art: Italy, 19 January, 1946; Works of Art Exported to Germany by Fascists; Collection Van Marle, S. Marco di Perugia
  AMG-352: ETO: Military Government Weekly Information Bulletin #25, January 19, 1946
  AMG-353: ETO: Arrangements: NSDAP and Rooms in Neuschwanstein; Lease [by] NSDAP for Schloss Kogl: 26 March, 1946
  AMG-354: ETO: Final Report of J.N, Brown; Report of Lt. Colonel Mason Hammond: 7 September, 1945
  AMG-355: ETO: Negative Microfilm Strips (4) of Report on Damaged Monuments in Cologne, May 1945: 25 September 1945
  AMG-356: “Jagdschloss Grunewald”, March 1946
  AMG-357: “Military Government: Austria” (No. 1, November 1945) [Report of the United States Commissioner]
79 AMG-358: “Military Government: Austria” (No. 2, December 1945) [Report of the United States Commissioner]
  AMG-359: “Military Government: Austria” (No. 4, February 1946) [Report of the United States Commissioner]
  AMG-360: Military Government: Weekly Information Bulletin (No.34, 23 March 1946)
  AMG-361: Military Government: Weekly Information Bulletin (No.35, 1 April 1946)
  AMG-362: ETO: Raczynski Botticelli Tondo, “Madonna with Child and Singing Angels”
  AMG-363: ETO: Andriesse Collection
  AMG-364: ETO: U.S. Group CC Germany: Report (M. Hammond) for Period November 25, 1944–October 4, 1945
  AMG-365: ETO: Monthly Reports of Military Governor on Reparations and Restitutions, No. 3 (20 October), No. 4 (20 November), No. 5 (20 December)
  AMG-366: Goudstikker Firm; MFA&A Supplemental Report on Western Holland
  AMG-367: ETO: Photographs
  AMG-368: OMG (Berlin District) Report: MFA&A for November
  AMG-369: ETO: Photographs [Offenbach Collecting Point]
  AMG-370: Photographs: Wiesbaden Collecting Point
  AMG-371: Der Bogen, Vol. I, No. 6
  AMG-372: “Sichergestellte Kunstwerke im Generalgouvernement” [Catalog of Artwork Seized in Poland]
  AMG-373: “TheDevelopment of the Picture Gallery of the Wallraf-Richartz Museum from 1933–1944,” by Otto H. Foerster
80 AMG-374: Castle Seisenegg, Frankfurt am Main
  AGM-375: Reports on the Munich Central Collecting Point by [Craig Hugh] Smyth, July 1945–February 1946
  AMG-376: ETO: 1st U.S. Army Reports, 16 April 1945 and 15 May 1945
  AMG-377: ETO: Photographs [Includes Photographs of Einsatzstab Rosenberg Loot]
  AMG-377 [sic]: ETO: Photographs [Includes War Damage in Baden: A Selection of Photographs]
  AMG-378: ETO: Photographs [War Damage in Württemberg]
  SHAEF, G-5: “Functional Manual Containing Technical Instructions for the Use of Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Specialist Officers in Germany,” August 1944
  [“Aus Württemberg”]
  Netherlands and Luxembourg
  AMG-379: Organization Charts for Wiesbaden Central Collecting Point; Kassel Gallery and Exhibition
  AMG-380: List of Photographs of Objects at Wiesbaden Central Collecting Point, October 1945–February 1946
  AMG-381: Frankfurt am Main Reports on Cultural Objects, the Archival Depot, Collecting Points, and Consolidated Field Reports
  AMG-382: ETO: Marburg Central Collecting Point Reports, 3 May 1946 and 3 March 1946
  AMG-383: Office of Military Government: Württemberg-Baden, February [1946]: Archival Monthly Reports and Monthly Consolidated Field Reports for February, March and April [1946]
  [Miscellaneous: Restitution; Personnel]
  AMG-384: ETO: Office of Military Government: Land Greater Hesse: Offenbach Archival Depot: Monthly Reports for March and April 1946
  AMG-385: ETO: Wiesbaden Reports: Status of Collecting Point and Consolidated Field Reports for March [1946]
81 AMG-386: ETO: Bavaria: Reports for December 1945 [Includes Reports for January, March, and April 1946]
  AMG-387: ETO: Bavaria: Monthly District Summary Report, January 1946 [Through April 1946]
  [Reports for Germany Prepared by American Defense-Harvard Group: Committee on the Protection of Monuments]
  AMG-388: ETO: Bavaria: Monthly Reports, March–April 1946
  AMG Reports [Draft Correspondence]
  AMG-389: ETO: Nuremberg: Survey of Monuments
  White List of German Personnel
  Italian Report for November 1944: Tuscany, 1944
  AMG Reports: Miscellaneous

Index to Allied Military Government (AMG) Reports, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 63) [M1944, Roll 81]

Arranged numerically 1–389.

This series consists of a card file that contains the AMG report number, date of the report, and a description or listing of the report contents.

Captions to Photographs in AMG Reports, 1944–1945 (A1, Entry 64) [M1944, Rolls 81–82]

Arranged alphabetically by country; thereunder by city, town or building; thereunder by Allied Military Government (AMG) report number.

This series consists of a card file that contains an Allied Military Government (AMG) report number and captions for photographs submitted with the report.

See also A1, Entries 64A and 69.

Control Card File for Borrowed Photographs of Cultural Institutions and Artwork in Europe and Other War Areas, 1944–1946 (A1, Entry 64A) [M1944, Rolls 82–83]

Arranged alphabetically by country, and thereunder by region, city, town, or building.

This series consists of a card file in which each card contains some or all of the following information: country name, name of region/city/town/building, photograph caption or description, sources, ETO (European Theater of Operations) or SC (Signal Corps) number, borrower, and date of loan. Includes a miscellaneous section at the end of the series regarding borrowers and lists of SC numbers.

See also A1, Entries 64 and 69.

Special Files, 1944–1945 (A1, Entry 65) [M1944, Roll 84]

Arranged numerically 1–50.

This series consists of a card file containing information such as reports, correspondence, meeting minutes, publications, interviews, telegrams, and summaries relating to Monument, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) work, most of which are drawn from sources other than the Allied Military Government (AMG) reports.

Summary cards Relating to Allied Millitary Government (AMG) Reports, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 65A) [M1944, Roll 84]

Arranged numerically.

This series consists of a card file containing an AMG (Allied Military Government) report number along with the dates and subject matter of items in that report. There are cards for selected reports numbered 4 through 134, and for number 305.

See also A1, Entry 63.

Card File of Japanese Works, Collections, Sites, and Installations Requiring Protection, 1946 (A1, Entry 72) [A3383, Rolls 1–9]

Arranged in two parts. The first is arranged alphabetically by region, thereunder alphabetically by prefecture, and thereunder by city or village, except for the Chugoku Region, which was placed at the end of the second roll. The second part is arranged by prefecture and thereunder by city or village.

This series consists of records microfilmed by the Education Ministry of the Imperial Japanese Government in 1946 and contain information on cultural and historic works and sites in Japan requiring protection. The first part consists of two rolls of card files. Each card lists the location, name, ownership, and current physical condition of the work or site, plus a short description or history. The second part consists of seven rolls that originally were duplicated on eight rolls of 35 mm microfilm. Two rolls are combined for economy of space. The records consist of booklets that are unbound, and the handwritten or typed pages are adhered to card stock. Each “card” lists the location, name, ownership, and current physical condition of the work or site, plus a short description or history. The records originally were filmed in reverse order. Therefore, in order for the “cards” or pages to be viewed in ascending order, the microfilm should be fast-forwarded to the end of the roll and read from right to left. The lists of prefectures reflect the order of the records from the end to the beginning of the roll. The original records filmed are not now part of RG 239.

RECORDS RELATING TO THE ART LOOTING INVESTIGATION UNIT OF THE OFFICE OF STRATEGIC SERVICES, 1940–1946 [M1944, Rolls 84–94]

Art Looting Investigation Unit

The formation of an art looting investigation unit under the Office of Strategic Services was authorized by an inter-branch directive dated November 21, 1944. The primary mission of unit was “to collect and disseminate such information bearing on the looting, confiscation and transfer by the enemy of art properties in Europe, and on individuals or organizations involved in such operations or transactions, as will be of direct aid to the United States agencies empowered to effect restitution of such properties and prosecution of war criminals.” The unit maintained an active liaison with the Roberts Commission throughout the war and in the immediate postwar period.

The Washington headquarters had primary responsibility for the administration of the Unit, maintenance of its permanent records, procurement and training of personnel, and integration of field activities. In addition, it maintained direct liaison with The American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas (Roberts Commission); the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Branch of the Civil Affairs Division, G-5, War Department; the Economic Security Controls Division of the State Department; The Foreign Economic Administration; the Captured Materials and Personnel Branch, G-2, War Department; and, the Foreign Funds Control, Treasury Department.

The Unit was composed of 10 field representatives and analysts. Field headquarters was established in London in January 1945. The London office assumed responsibility for the planning of all field operations, the reception and collation of material submitted by field representatives and the transmission of such material, as well as maintenance of the operational files of the project. It maintained direct liaison with the following allied agencies: The Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Branches of G-5, SHAEF, USFET, US Group Control Commission (Germany), G-5 AFHQ, Allied Control Commission (Italy), G-5 US Forces (Austria), and the British Element (Control Commission, Germany); the US Chief of Counsel (Nurnberg); the Economic Warfare Division (US Embassy, London); the Ministry of Economic Warfare; the Commission de Recuperation Artistique (France); the Netherlands Ryjksbureau voor de Monumentenzord; the British Committee on Preservation and Restitution of Works of Art, Archives, and Other Material in Enemy Hands (McMillan Committee); and the Inter-Allied Commission for Protection and Restitution of Cultural Material (Vaucher-Gros Commission).

Field Operations of Art Looting Investigation Unit

Spain and Portugal

An investigation of aspects of German art looting activities in the Iberian peninsula in the form of German-owned property present in Spain and Portugal was initiated by the Operations Officer of the Unit late in January 1945. This operation was continued intermittently through May 8, 1945. One case of major importance was developed by the Operations Officer during this period: namely, that of the art holdings of Alois Miedl, a German banker, speculator, and financial agent of Hermann Göring. The Operations Officer interrogated Miedl over an extended period of time and in great detail, and, with the intervention of the U.S. and Dutch diplomatic missions in Madrid, secured the permission of the Spanish Government to examine personally the 22 works of art placed in Miedl’s name in the Free Port of Bilbao. Not only did the Miedl case become the keystone in subsequent investigations by the Unit of German art looting in Holland, but the Miedl-owned paintings were sequestered by the Spanish Government and placed at the disposition of the Dutch Minister as a result of information presented by the Operations Officer to the Spanish Government.

Italy

The Director of the Unit proceeded to Italy on March 10, 1945, to conduct a survey of art looting problems in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations, and to supervise the interrogation, at Rome, of Wilhelm Mohnen, German espionage agent and minor participant in German official art looting activities in France. The Italian operation continued through May 1, 1945. Such German looting as had been conducted in Italy was investigated thoroughly by the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives (MFA&A) Branch of Allied Forces Headquarters and of the Allied Control Commission. Continuing liaison was established with these agencies, and the Director of the Unit was able to advise MFA&A officers on outstanding problems. The detailed interrogation of Mohnen revealed little new information concerning German art looting, and was chiefly productive for broad intelligence purposes.

Subsequent to V-E Day, the Unit was requested by AFHQ to dispatch one of its members to Italy to conduct interrogations of leading members of the German Kunstschutz [Note 20] organization who had been captured in the fighting in the North. Because of the Unit’s operation impending in Germany, a member of the parallel British unit undertook this mission at the suggestion of the Director.

England

From January 15, 1945, through V-E Day, the Unit was active in London compiling a master file comprising information on over 2,000 individuals believed to have been active in some degree in German art looting. Close liaison was established and maintained with British, Dutch, and French officials working on the same problem, and the London offices of the Unit became the central repository and clearing house for all information in Allied hands on this subject. Immediately after V-E Day, the Unit issued to all Allied intelligence teams on the Continent, a “high priority” personnel target list carrying the names of 21 individuals considered to be the most prominent figures involved in the German operations and wanted urgently for interrogation and subsequent prosecution.

France

Contact with the French authorities was made initially in Paris early in June 1945. The Unit made available to the French Government all information gained during the German operation, and from other sources, bearing on German art looting in France and affecting French interests. The Operations Officer maintained close liaison from September 1945 through February 1946, with representatives of the Commission de Recuperation Artistique, the Ministry of Justice, and the French intelligence agencies, and acted as informal technical advisor to the French Government in art looting problems. Apart from the material amount of information given to the French agencies, the Unit was directly responsible for the return to France of a number of individual works of art and for the delivery into French custody of several of the Germans most conspicuously involved in the French depredations.

Switzerland

The Unit conducted investigations in Switzerland from November 20, 1945 through January 10, 1946, under the aegis of the Economic Counselor to the American Legation at Bern. The chief problem under consideration was the flow to Switzerland, and the concealment there, of works of art looted by the Germans in the occupied countries. The Director and the Operations Officer conducted interrogations of German and Swiss nationals who had been active in the official German interest, and collaborated with U.S. diplomatic representatives in endeavoring to persuade the Swiss Federal Government to make available to the Allies all information bearing on the subject. Pertinent information gained in the course of the German operation was presented to the Swiss federal political department for use of the federal customs and Office of Compensation. The detailed results of the Swiss operation are incorporated in State Department Safehaven Reports No. 148 and No. 229.

The German Operation

Three members of the Unit, James Plaut [Note 21], Theodore Rousseau, and Lane Faison, proceeded to Germany on May 20, 1945, to undertake the interrogation of enemy art looting personnel captured subsequent to the submission of the Unit’s high priority list to field intelligence agencies. [Note 22 ] Authority was received from G-5, Headquarters, 12th Army Group, for members of the Unit to proceed to the Third U.S. Army area to engage as technical advisers in an investigation of German art looting being conducted by the Judge Advocate, Third U.S. Army, on behalf of the Judge Advocate (War Crimes), 12th Army Group. On June 10, 1945, a special interrogation center was established by the Unit at Alt Aussee, Austria, in conjunction with the Judge Advocate, Third U.S. Army, and was operated from this date through October 1, 1945, under joint command. Detailed interrogation of the 20 enemy officials most prominent in German art looting was conducted during this period.

After months of investigation Plaut, Rousseau, Faison, and their Dutch colleague Jan Vlug, produced three “Consolidated Interrogation Reports” and a separate Report on the Dienststelle Muhlmann.

Subject File, 1940–1946 (A1, Entry 73) [M1944, Rolls 84–93]

Arranged roughly alphabetically by subject.

This series consists of lists, reports, correspondence, photographs, mail intercepts, and copies of captured German documents relating to cultural materials in Europe. Subjects pertain to art looting in various countries, Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR), German personnel lists including some names connected with art looting, Göring’s art acquisitions, repositories in Germany, activities of the German Kunstschutz and various art dealers, and the final report of the Art Looting Investigation Unit (ALIU).


Roll # File Title
84 Angerer, Josef
  G-1.1 : Art Looting in Germany, Europe
  Bachstitz, Walter (Göring)
  Beltrand, Jacques
  Bernheim
  Bornheim, Walter
  Bucher, Ernst
  Bunjes
  Confiscated Collections
  Dealers: France
  Dearles: Germany and Austria
  Dealers: Holland
  Dealers: Intercepts
  Dealers: Miscellaneous
  Dealers: New York
85 Einsatzstab Rosenberg
  ERR: Interrogation Reports (Carbon Copy)
  Einsatzstab Rosenberg, 15 August 1945: OSS Report
  ERR Documents
  Negatives of Einsatzstab Rosenberg
  Europe, Mission to
  Esther Tapestries, Story of
86 FEA Report on Looted Art
  Fischer, Galerie
  French Documents: Miscellaneous
  Looting: France: Personnel
  German Letters on Confiscation [Göring Collection]
  German Personnel Lists
  Göring
87 Göring [cont.]
  Göring: Art Inventories
  Göring: Miscellaneous Bills
  Göring: Kunstfonds (Art Payments)
88 CIR #2: The Göring Collection
  Contini-Bonacossi: Göring
  Göring Papers
  Göring File: Paul Gouvert
  Haberstock, Karl
89 Hauke, Charles Mange, de
  Hofer, Walter Andreas
  Hoffmann, Heinrich
  Italy: Looting
  Knox, Henry H.
  Kress, Karl
  Kunstschutz
  Lange, Hans W.
  Limberger, Gisela
  Loewenisch [Loevenich]
90 Lohse, Bruno
  Menten, H.W.
  Miedl Reports by Orion
  Miedl, Alois
  Mohnen, Wilhelm Jakob
  Netherlands: Reports
  Personalities: Miscellaneous
  Press
  Primer
  PW [Prisoner of War] Papers (CSDIC)
91 Reber, Gottlieb F.
  Repositories
  Rochlitz, Gustav
  Rosenberg, Paul
  Schenker Papers: Secret
92 Schenker Reports
  Schiedlausky, Günther
  Schilling Dossier
  Scholz, Robert
  Spain
  Sweden
  Swiss Reports
  Switzerland: Looting
  Voss, Hermann
  Wendland, Hans
93 Western Hemisphere: F.B.I. Reports
  Western Hemisphere Study
  Wildenstein & Cie
  Wilkinson, Tudor
  Wuester, Adolf
  List of Fine Arts and Archival Personnel of Germany
  Art Looting Investigation Unit: Final Mission to Europe
  Art Looting Investigation Unit: Final Report

Detailed Interrogation Reports, 1945–1946 (A1, Entry 74) [M1944, Roll 94]

Arranged numerically by report number (1–7, 9–13).

This series consists of reports dealing with the activities of various agents employed by Hitler, Göring, and Rosenberg to acquire artworks for them in Axis-occupied countries. Includes correspondence from the Art Looting Investigation Unit (ALIU) regarding detailed and consolidated interrogation reports. Detailed Interrogation Report No. 8 on Kajetan Muehlmann was not issued. Detailed Interrogation Report No.14 on the activities of Maria Dietrich was planned. It was not issued, but a full accounting of her activities was incorporated into Consolidated Interrogation Report No. 4. Also, a Detailed Interrogation Report No. 15 on Rose Bauer, Muehlmann’s secretary, was contemplated but not issued.

Consolidated Interrogation Reports, 1945 (A1, Entry 75) [M1944, Rolls 94–95]

Arranged numerically by report number (1–2, 4).

This series consists of reports dealing with the art-looting activities of Göring and Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR), and with Hitler’s Museum and Library in Linz. Subject indexes are included with the reports. Consolidated Interrogation Report No. 3 on German methods of acquisition was planned but not issued.

RECORDS OF THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LEARNED SOCIETIES COMMITTEE FOR THE PROTECTION OF CULTURAL TREASURES IN WAR AREAS, 1943–1946 [M1944, Rolls 95–154]

In the course of 1941, there was much private discussion among American educators and museum officials regarding the dangers which the war presented to European artworks and cultural monuments. On January 29, 1943, at the initiative of Waldo G. Leland, the Director of the American Council of Learned Societies, the ACLS Executive Committee appointed William B. Dinsmoor, President of the Archaeological Institute of America, to chair the ACLS Committee for the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas. With the assistance of Charles R. Morey, Dinsmoor co-opted additional members to the committee, including Sumner McK. Crosby (Executive Secretary), Paul J. Sachs, Francis H. Taylor, John Walker, and others who later became involved in the work of the Roberts Commission. Together with the American Defense- Harvard Group, an ad hoc body of scholars with a similar goal, the ACLS Committee was instrumental in securing the formation of the Roberts Commission. The ACLS Committee’s principal activity thereafter was the production of maps and handbooks identifying cultural materials in war areas, as well as the compiling of lists of monuments and artworks in areas likely to be occupied by elements of the United States armed forces. These materials were channeled to the War Department’s Museum, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) Section through the Roberts Commission, with which the ACLS Committee remained closely associated throughout the war.

Reports, 1943–1944 (A1, Entry 76) [M1944, Roll 95]

Unarranged.

This series consists of reports and correspondence plus meeting agendas and minutes of the Committee of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) on Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas which describe some of the Committee’s objectives and activities. Includes a notice on the formation of the League for the Protection of the Inheritance of Civilization by a group of Argentine intellectuals in Buenos Aires and a magazine clipping regarding Titian’s Danae which was sent to Monte Cassino for safekeeping, but subsequently may have been acquired by Göring.

Personnel Questionnaires, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 77) [M1944, Roll 95]

Unarranged.

This series consists for the most part of printed questionnaires submitted to the Committee by individuals volunteering to work on cultural preservation projects in war areas. Information requested in the questionnaires included the individual’s knowledge of cultural materials in various overseas areas, travels to these areas, and fields of expertise.

See also A1, Entry 20.

Notes on Safeguarding and Conserving Cultural Material in the Field, 1943 (A1, Entry 78) [M1944, Roll 95]

Unarranged.

This series consists of copies of “Notes on Safeguarding and Conserving Cultural Material in the Field” in two parts. This manual was produced for the instruction of Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) personnel by the American Defense-Harvard Group Committee on Protection of Monuments.

Handbooks and Lists of Monuments, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 79) [M1944, Rolls 95–99]

Arranged alphabetically by country.

This series consists of handbooks and lists of monuments produced by the War Department’s Civil Affairs Division for the use of Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) personnel on the basis of information supplied by the American Council of Learned Societies Committee (ACLS).

See also A1, Entries 11, 79, and 80.


Roll # File Title
95 Albania [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Albania [“List of Monuments”]
  Austria [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Austria [“List of Monuments”]
  Belgium [“Civil Affairs Handbook: Belgium: Section 17: Cultural Institutions”]
  Belgium, Holland, and Denmark [“Civil Affairs Handbook: Atlas on Churches, Museums, Libraries and Other Cultural Institutions in Belgium, Holland, and Denmark”]
  Belgium and Luxembourg [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Belgium and Luxembourg [“List of Monuments”]
  Bulgaria [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Bulgaria [“List of Monuments”]
96 China [“List of Monuments”]
  Czechoslovakia [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Czechoslovakia [“List of Monuments”]
  Denmark [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Denmark [“List of Monuments”]
  Denmark [“Civil Affairs Handbook: Denmark: Section 17: Cultural Institutions”]
  France [“Short List of Monuments”]
  France [“List of Monuments”]
  France [“Civil Affairs Handbook: France: Section 17A: Cultural Institutions: Supplementary Atlas on Churches, Museums, Libraries and Other Cultural Institutions in France”]
  France [“Civil Affairs Handbook: France: Section 17B: Cultural Institutions”]
97 France [“Civil Affairs Handbook: France: Section 17C: Cultural Institutions: Central and Southern France”]
  Germany [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Germany [“List of Monuments”]
  Germany [“List of National Art Treasures”]
  Germany [“General List of Archives in Western Germany”]
  Germany [“Civil Affairs Handbook: Germany: Atlas on Churches, Museums, Libraries and Other Cultural Institutions in Germany”]
  Germany [“Civil Affairs Guide: Archival Repositories in Germany”]
  Germany [“Military Government Handbook: Germany: Section 5: Money and Banking”]
98 Greece [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Greece [“List of Monuments”]
  Holland [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Holland [“List of Monuments”]
  Holland [“Civil Affairs Handbook: The Netherlands: Section 17C: Cultural Institutions”]
  Hungary [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Hungary [“List of Monuments”]
  Indo-China [“List of Monuments”]
  Italy [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Italy [“List of Monuments”]
  Italy [“Archival Repositories in Italy”]
  Italy [“Civil Affairs Handbooks: Italy: Section 17: Supplement on Cultural Institution, Supplementary Atlas on Churches, Museums, Libraries and Cultural Institutions in Italy”]
99 Italy [“Civil Affairs Handbrooks: Italy 17A: Cultural Institutions: Central Italy”]
  Italy [“Civil Affairs Handbooks: Italy: Section 17B: Cultural Institutions”]
  Japan [“List of Monuments”]
  Japan [“Report of the United States Education Mission to Japan”]
  Japan [“Civil Affairs Handbook: Japan: Section 17: Cultural Institutions”]
  Japan [“Civil Affairs Handbook: Japan: Section 17A: Cultural Institutions”]
  Japan [“Civil Affairs Handbook: Japan: Section 17S: Special Maps”]
  Japan, Korea, and Japanese-Occupied China [“Archival Repositories in Japan, Korea, and Japanese-Occupied China”]
  Japan, Korea, and Japanese-Occupied China [“Report of the United States Education Mission to Japan”]
  Jugoslavia [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Jugoslavia [“List of Monuments”]
  Korea [“List of Monuments”]
  Netherlands East Indies [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Norway [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Norway [“List of Monuments”]
  Norway [“Civil Affairs Handbook: Norway: Section 17: Cultural Institutions”]
  Philippine Islands, The Netherlands Indies, French Indo-China and Thailand [“Archival Repositories in the Philippine Islands, The Netherlands Indies, French Indo-China, and Thailand”]
  Rumania [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Rumania [“List of Monuments”]
  Siam (Thailand) [“List of Monuments”]
  Taiwan (Formosa) [“Civil Affairs Handbook: Taiwan (Formosa): Tainan Province”]
  Tunisia [“Short List of Monuments”]
  Tunisia [“List of Monuments”]

Draft Guide to the Cultural Treasures of France, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 80) [M1944, Roll 100]

Arranged by geographical areas, Northern, Central, and Southern; thereunder alphabetically by region; thereunder alphabetically by department; and thereunder alphabetically by city or town.

This series consists of copy proofs of two Civil Affairs handbooks titled M352-17B for northern France and M352-17C for central and southern France. For each town or city, there is a list of churches, houses, monuments, and institutions of major cultural significance, together with a brief description.

See also A1, Entries 11, 24, and 79.

Archives Card File, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 81) [M1944, Rolls 100–101]

Arranged by two regions, Europe and Pacific Areas; thereunder alphabetically by country; and thereunder alphabetically by city or town.

This series consists of a card file containing some or all of the following information: country, city or town, name of archives, address, official head, description of holdings, building information, and sources.

Analytical Working File, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 82) [M1944, Rolls 102–104]

Arranged alphabetically by country and thereunder alphabetically by city, town, or building name.

This series consists of a card file containing country of origin; name of city, town, or building; and one or more Roman numeral-letter combination. These Roman numeral-letter combinations, or secondaries, range from II-A through II-E. At least one of the secondaries has a number below it indicating how many cards for that secondary are to be found in the Geographical Working Files, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 83).

See also A1, Entries 11, 82A, 83, and 92 for related major and/or secondary records.

Name Indexes to the Geographical Working Files, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 82A) [M1944, Rolls 105–108]

Arranged by categories I-A through I-D, in which I-A stands for artists, I-B indicates art dealers, I-C means the owners or donors of the art work, and I-D signifies art historian personnel; and thereunder alphabetically by name.

This series consists of a card file containing names of individuals, galleries, cities, and artist attribution, such as School of Cimabue, within categories I-A through I-D. Each card includes references to another Roman numeral-letter combination to be found in the Geographical Working Files, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 83).

See also A1, Entries 11, 82, 83, and 92 for related major and/or secondary records.

Geographical Working Files, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 83) [M1944, Rolls 109–128]

Arranged in three parts, thereunder alphabetically by country, and thereunder alphabetically by city or town. Part 1 includes a Roman numeral-letter combination ranging from II-A through II-E; Part 2 is designated by Roman numeral II; and Part 3 includes Roman numerals III through V.

This series consists of a card file with each card containing a summary of available information on cultural monuments and works of art. The material in this series includes auctions of art work; condition of buildings, such as bomb damage; and repository locations. Similar information is found on the cards for Part 2. Cards for Part 3 include categories such as objects, propaganda, and publications, with a miscellaneous section at the beginning of the file. The Roman numeral-letter combinations appearing on the cards for Part 1 indicate that these cards are secondaries to the major cards to be found in the Name Indexes to the Geographical Working Files, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 82A).

See also A1, Entries 11, 82, 82A, and 92 for related major and/or secondary records.

Country Card File, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 84) [M1944, Rolls 128–151]

Arranged alphabetically by country; thereunder alphabetically by province, county for some countries, or island group such as for Greece; and thereunder alphabetically by city or town.

This series consists of a card file containing some or all of the following information: country, province or county, city or town, monument, address, official head, holdings, building information, and sources. Includes many cards relating to various archives, such as state and municipal, which are identical to those found in the Archives Card File, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 81).

French Private Collections File, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 85) [M1944, Rolls 152–153]

Arranged by category such as sales, dealers, private collections now public, and private collections; and thereunder alphabetically by name.

This series consists of a card file containing some or all of the following information: country, city or town, name, address, holdings, and sources.

Italian Private Collections File, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 86) [M1944, Roll 153]

Arranged by category such as miscellaneous sources, memoranda on file, not considered private collections, and private collections in Italy; and thereunder, alphabetically by name of institution, building, or individual for the last two categories.

This series consists of a card file containing some or all of the following information: country, city or town, name, address, holdings, building information, and sources.

Miscellaneous French and Italian Private Art Collections File, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 87) [M1944, Roll 154]

Arranged alphabetically by city or town.

This series consists of a card file containing some or all of the following information: city or town, name of collection or owner, and country or region.

Card Index to European Personnel, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 88) [M1944, Roll 154]

Arranged alphanumerically by identification number.

This series consists of a card file containing an alphanumeric identification number, such as I 210, and the name of the individual. Additional information for many of the names in this index can be found in the Card File on European Personnel, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 89).

Card File on European Personnel, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 89) [M1944, Roll 154]

Arranged alphabetically by name.

This series consists of a card file containing some or all of the following information: name; identification number; address; date of birth; physical description; education; employment history; professional and political associations, such as being a member of the Nazi party; war-time activities; and sources. There is a miscellaneous section at the end of the file that includes keys to source citations.

RECORDS OF THE INTER-ALLIED COMMISSION FOR THE PROTECTION AND RESTITUTION OF CULTURAL MATERIALS (THE VAUCHER COMMISSION), 1944–1945 [M1944, Roll 154]

The Inter-Allied Commission for the Protection and Restitution of Cultural Material (Vaucher Commission) was established in April 1944, under the chairmanship of Professor Paul Vaucher as a subcommission of the Conference of Allied Ministers of Education. Composed of representatives of the various Allied governments, the Vaucher Commission had as its purpose the study of problems relating to protection, restitution, and reparations, as well as the collection and organization of information relating to looting, for the eventual use of SHAEF and particularly of its Civil Affairs Section. The Vaucher Commission was the body with which the Roberts Commission’s representatives abroad were at first chiefly concerned. The Vaucher Commission’s secretariat functioned as a central bureau for information on looted objects for the use of Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives officers until its dissolution in November 1945. Professor Andre Gros replaced Professor Paul Vaucher as the Commission’s chairman in June 1945.

Minutes, 1944–1945 (A1, Entry 90) [M1944, Roll 154]

Arranged chronologically.

This series consists of the draft minutes of Vaucher Commission meetings from the first meeting held on April 25, 1944, through the eighteenth meeting convened on July 6, 1945. Includes a folder entitled “Vaucher Commission – All Meetings: Miscellaneous” that contains correspondence concerning Vaucher Commission business. That same folder also includes a document which lists the names of individuals who were detained because of associations with the Nazis and art-looting activities.

Records of the Secretariat, 1945 (A1, Entry 91) [M1944, Roll 154]

Unarranged.

This series consists of proposals, correspondence, memoranda, and notes for establishing a Secretariat to coordinate information relating to the looting of works of art by Germany; creating indexes; and organizing files. Includes copies of “The New Pallas Art and Archaeology News Bulletin.”

Miscellaneous Records, 1945 (A1, Entry 92) [M1944, Roll 154]

Unarranged.

This series consists of a summary report, notes, and index cards. The summary report, written by John Walker and sent to the Commission, expresses his concern for the safekeeping of captured German inventories of material looted in France, Belgium, and Holland; and the need for additional clerk-typists to assist Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives officers in Europe. The index cards duplicate those located in Geographical Working Files, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 83), and the Card File on European Personnel, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 89).

MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS, 1943–1946

Microfilm Copies of Reports from the Mediterranean and European Theaters of Operations Received from the Allied Military Government, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 93) [A3380, Rolls 1–3]

Arranged in four sections: The first section is arranged by date of film order request; the second section is arranged roughly alphabetically by name; the third section is unarranged; and the fourth section is arranged alphabetically by the name of private collections in Belgium and France, and is unarranged for the remainder of the materials.

The original 23 rolls in this series were filmed for reference purposes by the Roberts Commission and may contain as few as five frames on a roll. For convenience, the frames from those rolls were spliced together into 3 rolls for the public to use.

Section 1 consists of selected pages extracted from the first 134 Allied Military Government (AMG) reports produced between September 1943 and June 1945. They originally were duplicated on 10 rolls of 35 mm microfilm as the first step toward creating several index-card files between March and June 1945. From the microfilm negatives, over 2,400 enlarged photographic prints were produced, clipped apart, and pasted onto 4- by 6-inch index cards. The resulting card files, known as the Geographical Working Files, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 83), were organized alphabetically by country and are available on Microfilm Publication M1944, rolls 109–128. The AMG reports appear in full within the series MFA&A Field Reports, 1943–1946 (A1, Entry 62), which is available on microfilm publication M1944, rolls 62–81. An index to the AMG reports is available on M1944, roll 81.

Section 2 consists of index cards describing damage to archives, churches, museums, and other cultural institutions, and includes proposals for repairing the damage.

Section 3 consists of index cards summarizing available information on cultural monuments and works of art. The material in this series includes auctions of art work; condition of buildings, such as bomb damage; and repository locations. This information was extracted from the Geographical Working Files, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 83). Other cards in this section contain some or all of the following information: name; identification number; address; date of birth; physical description; education; employment history; professional and political affiliations, such as being a member of the Nazi party; war-time activities; and sources. This material may be found in the Card File on European Personnel, 1943–1945 (A1, Entry 89), which is available on microfilm publication M1944, roll 154.

Section 4 consists of lists of public and private art collections. Includes lists for the Nathaniel von Rothschild collection, the Alphons Rothschild collection, the Heeresmuseum für Kunst und Industrie, private art collections in Belgium and France, and three lists which are unidentified.

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