[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 90 (Tuesday, June 18, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6414-S6416]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                SWISS BANKS AND GOLD LOOTED BY THE NAZIS

 Mr. D'AMATO. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss the role 
of Swiss banks and their handling of gold looted by the Nazis.
  On May 25, 1946, the Allies and Switzerland agreed to a treaty 
liquidating German property in Switzerland. In section II, paragraph 2 
of the treaty, Switzerland agreed to pay the Allies $250 million in 
Swiss francs payable on demand, in gold in New York. This treaty was 
the culmination of a very difficult negotiation with the Swiss,

[[Page S6415]]

who long refused to deal with the problem of their banks, essentially, 
laundering gold looted from all over Europe by the Nazis.
  Yet, while the Swiss agreed to pay this sum, there was clearly more 
gold deposited in Switzerland by the Nazis during the war. As a 
February 5, 1946 State Department document clearly states, the amount 
agreed to in this treaty was far lower than the true amount. At this 
time, I ask that this document be printed in the Record.
  The document follows:

          Allied Claim Against Swiss for Return of Looted Gold

       1. It has been determined from available ledgers of the 
     German Reichsbank that a total of at least 398 million 
     dollars worth of gold was shipped to Switzerland by the 
     German Reichsbank during the war. This figure does not 
     include the following which, when verified and amounts 
     definitely determined, should also be taken up with the 
     Swiss:
       (a) One additional shipment known to have taken place after 
     these books were closed and evacuated from Berlin.
       (b) Other shipments believed to have taken place early in 
     the war and to have been recorded in earlier ledgers of the 
     German Reichsbank which are not now available;
       (c) An amount approximately 12 million dollars worth of 
     gold which the Germans seized when they looted the Italian 
     gold but delivered directly to the Swiss.
       2. It is perfectly possible that the entire amount of 398 
     million dollars (or more) worth of gold received by the Swiss 
     from the German Reichsbank was looted gold because of the 
     following facts:
       (a) The large amounts of gold known to have been looted by 
     the Germans from the countries which they occupied in Europe 
     before and during the course of the war. It is known that at 
     least 579 million dollars worth of gold was looted by the 
     Germans and made available to the German Reichsbank. This 
     figure represents a conservative tabulation based upon the 
     estimates of the countries from which gold was looted and 
     upon a careful examination of the records of the Germans.
       (b) The relatively small amounts of legitimate gold 
     available to them.
       (c) The very small proportion of the looted gold which 
     appears to have remained in Germany at the end of the war or 
     to have been disposed of in countries other than Switzerland. 
     The amount of such looted gold now identified as being in 
     Germany at the end of the war or disposed of to foreign 
     countries other than Switzerland is only 169 million dollars. 
     These figures have been derived for a complete inventory of 
     the gold found in Germany at the end of the war and a 
     thorough examination of the records of the Reichsbank, 
     including a detailed tracing of the processing and 
     disposition of more than half of the gold originally looted.
       Subtraction of the loot thus traced to German war-end 
     stocks and to third countries (169) from the total loot (579) 
     leaves 410 million dollars worth of loot or more than the 
     entire amount of the known shipments to Switzerland still to 
     be accounted for.
       3. Even if one makes the assumption, which is quite 
     unrealistic but presents the most favorable possible case for 
     the Swiss, that the shipments which they received included 
     all of the non-looted gold available to the Germans during 
     the war, there still remains an absolute minimum of 185 
     million dollars of the gold taken by the Swiss from the 
     German Reichsbank which must have been looted.
       (a) A thorough examination of the records of the German 
     Reichsbank and intensive interrogations in Germany of high 
     Reichsbank officials in a position to know the true facts 
     have determined the amount of hidden reserves of gold held by 
     the Reichsbank before and during the war in addition to the 
     published reserves which were known to the world.
       (b) For the purpose at hand June 30, 1940 has been chosen 
     as the base date in order to make the case as favorable as 
     possible to the Swiss and eliminate any uncertainty as to 
     legitimate acquisitions of gold by the Germans prior to their 
     attack on the low countries. The Reichsbank's total gold 
     holdings on that date were 232 million dollars.
       (c) From the holdings shown above (232 million dollars), 
     there must be subtracted an amount of 49 million dollars 
     worth of loot accumulated by the Reichsbank in the preceding 
     year, which gives a total of 183 million dollars worth of 
     non-looted gold stocks held on June 30, 1940.
       (d) The only significant source of legitimate gold still 
     open to the Germans after June 1940 was Russia. German 
     records show that the total amount of gold received from 
     Russia between the outbreak of war with Poland and the attack 
     on Russia was 23 million dollars. Although it is clear that 
     much of the gold was received prior to June 30, 1940 and, 
     therefore, is undoubtedly included in the German gold reserve 
     figure for that date (183 million dollars), we are making the 
     assumption most favorable to the Swiss and assuming that all 
     23 million was acquired after June 30, 1940 and is, 
     therefore, to be added to the gold reserve shown on that date 
     as additional legitimate gold. The resultant total of 206 
     million dollars is the maximum possible amount of non-looted 
     gold available to the German Reichsbank at any time after 
     June 1940.
       (e) Subtracting from the total known shipments to 
     Switzerland (398) the portion of those shipments which took 
     place prior to the end of June 1940 (7 million) leaves an 
     amount of at least 391 million dollars worth of gold received 
     by the Swiss thereafter, and the difference between this 
     amount and the maximum possible amount of non-loot available 
     to the Germans in the same period (206) is 185 million 
     dollars.
       4. On the fairest assumptions the amount of loot taken by 
     the Swiss from Germany can be estimated at 289 million 
     dollars.
       (a) It is unreal to assume, as was done above, in 
     calculating the absolute minimum figure of looted gold 
     received by the Swiss from Germany that every ounce of non-
     looted gold available to the Germans was sent to Switzerland.
       (b) It is more realistic to assume that the ratio of loot 
     to total gold available to the Germans was reflected in all 
     German gold shipments including those to Switzerland. The 
     total amount of gold available to the Germans after June 30, 
     1940, as shown above, was 785 million dollars of which 579 
     million dollars or 74 percent was loot. Applying this 
     percentage to the total amounts received by the Swiss it 
     would appear likely that at least 289 million thereof was 
     loot.


        allied policies for negotiations of looted gold question

       It is definitely known that the Swiss received at least 398 
     million dollars worth of gold from Germany during the course 
     of the war. Of this amount the absolute minimum which is to 
     be classified as loot is 185 million dollars. In arriving at 
     this calculation every doubt has been resolved in favor of 
     the Swiss. A more realistic approach indicates that the 
     amount of looted gold taken by the Swiss is closer to 289 
     million dollars, and there is a possibility that all gold 
     received by the Swiss from Germany was looted.
       With these facts in mind, the Allied Governments should 
     insist that the Swiss hand over immediately 185 million 
     dollars worth of gold. Any bargaining between the Allies and 
     Switzerland should only be with respect to the difference 
     between 185 million and 398 million. As to this, the Allies 
     should take the position that such difference should be 
     turned over unless the Swiss are able to prove that such gold 
     was either included in Germany's non-looted pre-war stocks or 
     legitimatedly acquired after the beginning of the war.
       It is possible that Switzerland will ask to see the data 
     upon which the figure representing the minimum loot was 
     based. If so, the Allied negotiators should agree to this 
     concession upon the condition that the Swiss make available 
     to Allied experts books, records and other documents in their 
     possession relating to their gold stocks acquired from 
     Germany and the disposition of such gold. However to avoid 
     delays, such concessions should only be made after the Swiss 
     have agreed to turn over the initial 185 million dollars 
     worth of gold.
       In taking the above position the Allied negotiators should 
     make it clear to the Swiss officials that the fact that 
     specific looted gold is no longer in Swiss possession does 
     not operate to defeat the Allied claim or hinder or impede 
     the handing over of an equivalent amount of gold. The Swiss 
     should be advised that in cases where the original looted 
     gold has passed from Switzerland to another country and the 
     Swiss Government has made the equivalent amount of such gold 
     available to the three named Allied powers, those powers 
     will, insofar as is feasible, lend their assistance to the 
     Swiss in obtaining the return of the specific gold or an 
     equivalent. However, such offer of assistance is not to be 
     understood or construed as a guarantee on the part of the 
     three governments named.
       In the event that the Swiss Government should indicate its 
     preference to settle the gold question by paying over a flat 
     sum rather than assume the burden of proof as is indicated 
     herein above, any compromise figure between 185 and 398 
     million which is agreed to by all of the Allied negotiators 
     could be accepted. It would seem that 289 million would 
     represent a reasonable settlement.


                    German gold movements (estimate)

                     [From April 1938 to May 1945]

        Income                                                  Million
Germany started the war with estimated gold reserves of (Published gold 
  reserves were only 29.)..........................................$100
Taken over from:
  Austria..........................................................46.0
  Czechoslovakia...................................................16.0
  Danzig............................................................4.0
  Poland...........................................................12.0
  Holland.........................................................168.0
  Belgium.........................................................223.0
  Yugoslavia.......................................................25.0
  Luxembourg........................................................5.0
  France...........................................................53.0
  Italy............................................................64.0
  Hungary..........................................................32.0
                                                       ________________

    Total.........................................................748.0
                                                       ================

        Outgo                                                   Million
Sold to Swiss National Bank...............................$275 to 282.0
Possibly sold to Swiss Commercial Banks before 1942................20.0
Washed through Swiss National Bank depot account and eventually 
  reported to Portugal and Spain (larger part by far to Portugal).100.0

[[Page S6416]]

Rumania............................................................32.5
Sweden.............................................................18.5
Found in Germany (including 64 earmarked for Italy and 32 earmarked for 
  Hungary)........................................................293.0
Sold to or used in Balkan countries and Middle East--mainly Turkey.10.0
                                                       ________________
                                                                  752.0
                                                       ================



            Swiss Gold Movements (Swiss official statement)

                [From January 1, 1939 to June 30, 1945]

Purchased from:
  Germany........................................................$282.9
  Portugal.........................................................12.7
  Sweden...........................................................17.0
Sold to:
  Germany...........................................................4.9
  Portugal........................................................116.6
  Spain............................................................42.6
  Turkey............................................................3.5

       Conclusions: (1) All gold that Germany sold after a certain 
     date, probably from early 1943 on, was looted gold, since her 
     own reserves, including hidden reserves with which she 
     started the war, were exhausted by that time; (2) out of 
     $278,000,000-worth of gold that Switzerland purchased from 
     Germany, the larger part was looted gold; in addition, 
     Switzerland has taken $100,000,000 looted gold in deposit, 
     which later on was re-exported to Spain and Portugal for 
     German account; (3) among the gold that the Swiss sold during 
     the war to Portugal, Spain, and Turkey, there could have been 
     looted German gold; (4) the gold that Switzerland bought from 
     Sweden during the war could theoretically be German looted 
     gold; monetary experts all over the world (Switzerland has 
     monetary experts at her disposal) knew, or ought to have 
     known, roughly the figures and movements as contained in the 
     above estimate--certainly they knew the gold holdings and 
     gold reserves of the German Reichsbank. Switzerland therefore 
     was lacking good faith. In addition, she was warned that all 
     Germany's own pre-war gold stocks had been used up by mid-
     1943 at the latest and therefore all the gold then in the 
     possession of Germany must be presumed to be looted gold.

  Mr. D'AMATO. As one can see, the amount of gold, estimated by this 
report is said to be $398 million, $148 million more than the treaty 
amount. A possible reason for the difference can be laid upon the Swiss 
because they would not agree to give up more than $250 million.
  I would like to know what happened to the other $148 million, or 
more, that apparently was kept by the Swiss. I am quite sure that the 
other nations of Europe who had their gold looted from them by the 
Nazis and sent to Switzerland, not to mention the individual citizens 
who had gold taken from them, would like to know where that gold is 
today. Only the Swiss know and they aren't talking.

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