[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 81 (Wednesday, June 5, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Page S5791]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SWISS BANKS, JEWISH DEPOSITS, AND PLUNDERED JEWISH ASSETS
Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, I rise today to speak again on the role
of Swiss banks during the war in relation to their continued retention
of Jewish assets as well as looted Jewish assets.
During the course of our ongoing inquiry into these important
subjects, we continue to find documents which detail the alleged use of
Swiss banks by the Nazis for illicit purposes. One such declassified
intelligence document, dated June 12, 1945, from the U.S. Legation in
Bern, Switzerland, entitled ``Interim Report on Johann Wehrli & Co.,
Zurich,'' details the use of a special account set up at what was then
called the Wehrli Bank in Zurich under the name of the ``Trustee
Account Gustloff Stiftung.''
I want to quote the relevant section of this document to further
explain this point.
The payments to the Germans of the Hirtenbergerwerke
([Fritz] Mandl's munitions factory in Austria) assets, which
were under Mandl's control in 1938, were effected through the
Wehrli Bank to an account known as Trustee Account Gustloff
Stiftung. The examiner, who has a personal knowledge
concerning the background of this trust as a result of his
many years residence in Germany before the war, described the
Gustloff Stiftung as a ``fund'' in which were placed the
assets and titles of property taken by the Nazis from Jewish
businessmen in Germany and the occupied countries. Gustloff,
the head of the Nazi party in Switzerland, was murdered in
1935 by one Frankfurter. In accordance with the prevailing
practice at the time, Gustloff was selected by the Nazis as
one of their ``martyrs'' and many statues were erected to
perpetuate his name. The name of the trust, therefore, seems
to have no further significance. The only record of Gustloff
Stiftung on the books of Wehrli is in connection with the
sale of the Hirtenbergerwerke properties.
This revelation, if true, seems very disturbing, in that a Swiss bank
had a specific account set up to hold plundered assets of European
Jews. From other documents, we have information that leads us to
believe that the Wehrli Bank was also used to transfer assets of
Germans to Argentina, near the end of World War II and after. This begs
the question, were assets from the Gustloff Stiftung also transferred
to South America or other locations.
Of particular concern is the further question of whether there were
other accounts like the Gustloff Stiftung in other Swiss banks. While
we cannot yet verify this, it is entirely possible that if one such
account existed, others did also.
On the topic of Jewish assets in Swiss banks, I would like to comment
that the answers that we are receiving to questions we are asking the
Swiss Bankers Association are wholly insufficient. They are evasive and
they continue to deny any knowledge of impropriety. They continue to
dodge questions as to where these assets might be, or if they even
existed.
We have very clear information that suggests that Swiss banks have
continued to maintain this myth now for over one-half of a century. In
this vein, I would like to submit for the record, evidence of this
claim.
Therefore, I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record, at
this point, three documents detailing a request for information on
their account in the Swiss Bank Corporation, from July 1939, made on
behalf of an Austrian Jewish couple by the names of Anny and Kurt
Kadisch. One is a letter to the State Department from Congressman
Robert L. Rodgers regarding this request, the second is a letter to the
Swiss Bank Corporation from the Kadisch's attorney to the bank, and the
third is the answer from the Swiss Bank Corporation to the Kadisch's
attorney.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Congress of the United States,
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC, July 7, 1939.
Office of the Adviser on International Economic Affairs,
Department of State,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Livesey: On June 27th my office contacted you
relative to the proper procedure to be followed to ascertain
the status of an account in a bank in Switzerland. The
information which was given to me by the constituent making
the inquiry was not sufficient to enable the Department of
State to give any difinite instructions, and your office
suggested we make further inquiry of my correspondent.
In today's mail my constituent, Mr. Roberts, advised me
further in the matter--as will be noted in the inclosed
letters (copies).
What Anny and Kurt Kadisch really desire is to effect the
transfer of the funds to the credit of Account 61879 to this
country. They also want to know the status of the account at
the persent time and the best course to follow to have these
funds transferred to the United States.
Any information your office can furnish, or advice as to
procedure for Mr. Roberts or his clients, Anny and Kurt
Kadisch, will be personally appreciated. I am well acquainted
with Mr. Roberts, who is a capable and reliable attorney.
Very respectfully,
R.L. Rodgers.
____
Samuel J. Roberts,
Attorney at Law,
Erie, PA, May 23, 1939.
Albert Marti, Director,
Schweizer Bankverein,
Zuerich, Rudolfspletz, Switzerland.
Dear Director Marti: We have been requested by Anny and
Kurt Kadisch, formerly of Graz, Austria, to determine the
present status of Account No. 61879, which consists of the
purchase of Two Thousand (2000) pounds British War Assented
Loan 3\1/2\%.
Will you please be kind enough to give us whatever
information you have concerning this Account and forward to
us forms, or documents, which may be necessary to prepare an
order to effect a transfer of said Account?
You are assured that we shall greatly appreciate any
information which you can give us concerning this matter.
Very truly yours,
Samuel J. Roberts.
____
Swiss Bank Corporation,
Zurich, Switzerland.
Basle St. Gall Geneva Lausanne,
La Chaux-de-Fonds Neuchatel, Schaffhausen London E.C., 2, 99
Gresham St., Bienne Chlasso Herisau Le Locle Nyon, Algle
Bischofszell Morges Rorschach Zofingen.
Fully paid-up capital and reserves Fr. 194,000,000.
Telegrams: Suisbanque.
Samuel J. Roberts, Esq.,
Attorney at Law,
Erie, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
____
Zurich, June 2, 1939.
Dear Sir: We are in receipt of your letter of May 23rd and
regret being unable to give you the information desired.
Yours faithfully
Swiss Bank Corporation.
Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, as one can read, the Kadisch's attorney
requested help for them from Congressman Rodgers, who then wrote to the
State Department on their behalf. Their attorney also wrote on their
behalf to the bank in question. The Kadisch's were checking on the
status of their account, of which unlike other claimants, they had the
account number.
As we have found to be the case after the war, the Swiss bank denied
them any information about the account. As of yet, we do not know what
was the fate of this account. This is, however, disturbing, especially
since the Kadisch's had the bank's name as well as the account number.
This document only brings up more questions for the Swiss banks to
answer.
I hope that we will be able to obtain answers to these and other
questions in the coming months. Right now, however, I am very
disappointed in the lack of cooperation by the Swiss Bankers
Association and their continued denial of knowledge regarding these
accounts as well as the fate of plundered Jewish assets.
____________________