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Copy of a Report by Mr Garro-Jones on the Problem of Restitution, sent to Lt-General...

Catalogue reference: FO 371/45761/5

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This record is about the Copy of a Report by Mr Garro-Jones on the Problem of Restitution, sent to Lt-General... dating from 1945 August 16 in the series Foreign Office: Political Departments: General Correspondence from 1906-1966. It is held at The National Archives, Kew.

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Full description and record details

Reference
FO 371/45761/5
Date
1945 August 16
Description
Copy of a Report by Mr Garro-Jones on the Problem of Restitution, sent to Lt-General Weeks on 16 August 1945. Part I of the Report deals with 'Works of Art and the like', stating: 'The problem of Restitution of works of art and like property of historic or public sentimental value divides itself into two parts, namely 1) easily identifiable public property or property belonging to institutions such as the Church or Museums 2) Private property'. Mr Carro-Jones further writes: 'I can give no useful estimate in money value of the order of magnitude of this problem. Indeed the value of much of it in terms of money is incalculable or beyond price. But the loot is large and widely dispersed in about 600 repositories in Germany. It is believed that these repositories contain as much as 90% of the material in this category taken out of France Belgium and Holland - France having by far the greatest share. In both these named categories the position is complicated by the various means by which they were acquired varying from sheer theft to purchase of various degrees of validity. I do not propose to encumber my report by a study of the validity of these purchases. Such a study would be interminable and could lead to no effective conclusion. Had it not been for the German invasions, and for all the economic and even sterner pressures under which such so called purchases were made, it can be assumed that the articles concerned would have remained in the countries from which they were taken and to those countries they must, as I submit, be returned. It may well be that in some cases real value was given and restitution in such cases to individuals without repayment by them would give an undue benefit to the recipient. But seeing that in no case do I recommend restitution except to or through Governments, the complexities of assessment and repayment of any purchase price can properly be left to be settled between each Government and its nationals'. The Report continues by providing further suggestions for the categories of Public and Institutional Property and Private Property. No specific cultural property is mentioned in the Report.
Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
English
Closure status
Open Document, Open Description
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C13370067/

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Series information

FO 371

Foreign Office: Political Departments: General Correspondence from 1906-1966

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Within the series: FO 371

Foreign Office: Political Departments: General Correspondence from 1906-1966

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Within the piece: FO 371/45761

Economic obligations to be imposed on Germany: Restitution Commission: disarmament...

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Copy of a Report by Mr Garro-Jones on the Problem of Restitution, sent to Lt-General...

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