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Part VII includes 19 attachments. Attachment 1 is a letter from General Keitel, Commander-in-Chief...

Catalogue reference: T 209/29/10

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This record is about the Part VII includes 19 attachments. Attachment 1 is a letter from General Keitel, Commander-in-Chief... dating from 1945 in the series British Committee on the Preservation and Restitution of Works of Art, Archives and.... It is held at The National Archives, Kew.

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Reference
T 209/29/10
Date
1945
Description
<p>Part VII includes 19 attachments. Attachment 1 is a letter from General Keitel, Commander-in-Chief of the Wehrmacht, to the German Military Commander of France ordering him 'to render all assistance to the Rosenberg organization for the implementation of its mission', dated September 1940. Attachment 2 comprises Goering's order formally extending the ERR's authority 'to include the confiscation of "ownerless" Jewish art collections', altering 'the emphasis of the Einsatzstab mission so as to make such activity its primary function', dated November 1940. Attachment 3 includes Hitler's order [Vorbehalt] that 'all confiscated works of art were to be brought to Germany and placed at his personal disposal, and that all matters relating thereto were to be the responsibility of the Director of the Dresden Gallery, Dr Posse', signed by Lammers and dated November 1940. Attachment 4 is a letter from Scholz to Hanssen relating to Rosenberg's order 'to obtain official clarification from Hitler's headquarters as to the desired disposition of confiscated objects', dated December 1940. Attachment 5 and 6 include Rosenberg's memorandum for Hitler, recommending 'the seizure of furnishings in "ownerless" Jewish residences in the Western Occupied Territories for the use of Party officials in the bombed-out areas of the East', dated December 1941, with Lammers's reply on behalf of Hitler. Attachment 7 includes Utikal's internal ERR administrative order 'delineating the authority of the Leiter [Director] of Hauptabteilung III', dated July 1943. Attachment 8 is a letter from Rosenberg to Goering informing him that 'it would no longer be possible for the Einsatzstab to make available works of art for Goering's personal selection. Rosenberg emphasized that he was grateful both for the personal support which Goering had given the undertaking, and for his material assistance in having supplied transport and personnel. He stated that the professional art historians employed by the Einsatzstab would remain at Goering's disposal for all questions of consultation and advice, and that it would be entirely in order for Goering to retain Lohse and his assistants for "special duties"', dated June 1942. Attachment 9 comprises Bunjes's report [in German] entitled 'French protests against the Safeguarding of Ownerless Jewish Art Properties in Occupied France' including a description of the measures taken by the Germans, a detailed analysis of French protests and recommendations for the 'refutation of the French argument', dated August 1942. Includes an extract from article 46 of the Hague Convention of 18 October 1907 on the 'rules of land warfare' sanctioning 'the inviolability, among other things, of private property'. Attachment 10 provides a comprehensive list of the collections confiscated by the ERR 'with accompanying code symbols', for a total of around 206 collections. Attachment 11 comprises a list of 53 confiscated works of art, mainly from the Rothschild collections, selected for Hitler in February 1941 and including Rubens's 'Family portrait' and 'Portrait of a woman' and Vermeer's 'The Astronomer'. Attachments 12 and 13 comprise the translation and originals of two letters between Posse and Scholz regarding paintings missing from those which had been ordered to be sent over from the Jeu de Paume to Munich, dated July 1941. Attachments 14 and 15 include the translation of two letters from Utikal to Rosenberg and Scholz regarding the availability on the market of 'a very good Titian which would be likely to interest the Fuehrer personally', dated February 1941. Attachment 16 [in German with English translation] comprises an ERR exchange contract of 9 July 1941 between the ERR and Rochlitz for 18 paintings including two Degas, two Renoirs, and two Sisleys together with works by Cezanne, Monet, Matisse, Toulouse-Lautrec, Utrillo and Picasso in exchange for a 16th century Italian 'Portrait of a Young Lady' [Lavinia, Titian's daughter], unsigned. Attachment 17 provides an appraisal list for four paintings including Matisse's 'Woman in a red dress' and 'Woman with red hair', Modigliani's 'Portrait of a Woman' and Renoir's 'Portrait of a girl', signed by Prof Jacques Beltrand and dated March 1942. Attachment 18 includes the translation and German original of an ERR file memorandum regarding the exchange with Dr Lohse of four Matisse paintings for Jan Breughel's 'Harbour of Antwerp', dated December 1941. Attachment 19 is a letter [in German with English translation] from antique dealer Alfred Boedecker to Lohse informing him of the time and place set for the exchange of several works of art including paintings by Matisse and Renoir, dated March 1943. </p>
Held by
The National Archives, Kew
Legal status
Public Record(s)
Language
English
Closure status
Open Document, Open Description
Subjects
Topics
Art, architecture and design
Clothing
Trade and commerce
Religions
Treaties and alliances
Europe and Russia
Conflict
Children
Record URL
https://beta.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/id/C11645686/

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T 209

British Committee on the Preservation and Restitution of Works of Art, Archives and...

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Over 27 million records

This record is held at The National Archives, Kew

326,763 records

Within the department: T

Records created or inherited by HM Treasury

101 records

Within the series: T 209

British Committee on the Preservation and Restitution of Works of Art, Archives and...

18 records

Within the piece: T 209/29

Interrogation reports of collectors of looted works of art. (Described at item level).

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Part VII includes 19 attachments. Attachment 1 is a letter from General Keitel, Commander-in-Chief...

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