Chasing Gold: The Incredible Story of How the Nazis Stole Europe's Bullion (69 page)

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Authors: George M. Taber

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, p. 392.
21.
  Any more now:
Ibid
., p. 393.
22.
  Good thing Mein Führer:
Ibid
.
23.
  The Nazi regime:
Ibid
.
24.
  As Reich Minister: IMT EC-397.
25.
  Reorganization of Reichsbank: U.S. Berlin Embassy cable to Washington, January 20, 1939. NACP RG 59.
26.
  Shoot me yet:
Time
magazine, January 30, 1939.
27.
  Message with Heil Hitler: GFA, Reichsbank folder. Bestand R 25.01.
28.
  Out of all this: Ulrich von Hassell,
The Ulrich von Hassell Diaries
, p. 33.
29.
  In the east: Hugh Trevor-Roper,
Hitler’s War Directives
, pp. 37-40.
CHAPTER TEN: POLAND’S LONG ODYSSEY
1.
    First suitable opportunity: IMT L-79.
2.
    Military might at Poland: IMT EC-28.
The German Campaign in Poland
, U.S. Chief of Staff Report, March 21, 1942, pp. 1-10.
3.
    Long-delayed economic treaty: William Shirer,
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
, pp. 513-530.
4.
    Lay our hands: IMT PC-699.
5.
    The latter date: Shirer,
The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
, pp. 536-542.
6.
    Poland to September 1:
Ibid
. pp. 540-544.
7.
    With a red pencil: Hugh Trevor-Roper,
Hitler’s War Directives
, pp. 38-40.
8.
    The alleged victims: David G. Williamson,
Poland Betrayed
, pp. 63-75.
9.
    War with Germany: BBC Archives.
The Transcript of Neville Chamberlain’s Declaration of War
. Shirer,
Berlin Diary
, p. 201.
10.
  Société de Banque Suisse. Wojciech Rojek,
Odyseja skarbu Rzeczypospolitej
, p. 28.
11.
  The Reichsbank’s holdings: Col. William Brey
Report on Captured Gold
, NACP RG 260, Box 397, NND 775057. Zygmunt Karpi
ski.
Histoire de l’Or Polonais Pendant la Deuxieme Guerre Mondiale
.
12.
  Comfortable 256.7 tons:
Bergier Commission Final Report
, p. 39, table 1.
13.
  Waited for instructions: Eugeniusz Romiszewski,
An Epic Tale of Polish Argonauts
. Zygmunt Karpi
ski,
Histoire de l’Or Polonais Pendant la Deuxieme Guerre Mondiale
, pp. 2-5.
14.
  Bar is left inside: Janusz Mierzwa,
Pułkownik Adam Koc
. pp. 15-45.
15.
  Warsaw’s Handlowy Bank:
Ibid
., Eugeniusz Romiszewski,
An Epic Tale of Polish Argonauts
, pp. 2-10.
16.
  Ready to be shipped: Wojciech Rojek,
Odyseja skarbu Rzeczypospolitej
, p. 32.
17.
  And small toddlers: David G. Williamson,
Poland Betrayed
, p. 61.
18.
  Bank office there:
Report of the Management Board of the Bank of Poland on Deployment of the Gold reserves of the Bank of Poland Before the War and on the Bank’s Evacuative Transports Made in September 1939
. Hoover Institution Archives, Polish Collection, 2272/VI.
19.
  Getting it to France: Wojciech Rojek,
Odyseja skarbu Rzeczypospolitej
, pp. 40-41.
20.
  Leadership of Floyar-Rajchman: Matuszewski papers, Piłsudski Institute, New York, N.Y.
21.
  The Romanian side: Wojciech Rojek,
Odyseja skarbu Rzeczypospolitej
, p. 43.
22.
  Had recently passed:
Ibid
. p. 44.
23.
  Leave Romanian borders:
Encrypted correspondence between Reichs Ministry of Foreign Affairs and German Embassies in Bucharest and Istanbul
. Hoover Institution Archives, Polish Collection, 2272/VI.
24.
  On short notice:
Report of the Management Board of the Bank of Poland on Deployment of the Gold reserves of the Bank of Poland Before the War and on the Bank’s Evacuative Transports Made in September 193
. Stanford University, Hoover Institution Archives, Polish Collection Letter from K.H.M. Duke, British Eastern European Section, Joint Research Department to J. Weinstein in Hoover Collection.
25.
  Would be attacked: Eugeniusz Romiszweski,
An Epic Tale of Polish Argonauts
.
26.
  Confiscated and secured: Hoover Institution Archives, Polish Collection, 2000C71, Eugeniusz Romiszewski,
An Epic Tale of Polish Argonauts
.
27.
  Him out a receipt: Zygmunt Karpi
ski,
O Wielkopolsce, złocie i dalekich podró ach
, p. 204.
28.
  Take the gold:
Ibid
.
29.
  Took three hours: Adolphe Leportier,
La Bataille de l’Or
, pp. 32-42.
30.
  Toulon on October 6:
Ibid
.
31.
  Run its operations: Gérard Cornu,
L’Or Polonais
, Cahiers anecdotiques de la Banque de France, #13. TCA Poland, p. 3. NACP RG59/62D115 Box 22.
CHAPTER ELEVEN: NORTHERN LIGHTS GO OUT
1.
    Bank for International Settlements: RGAE, Fond 5, op. 1, file 2761, Cit in Elena Osokina, Zolotodlya Industrializatsii: Torgsin, Moskva: Rosspan, 2009, Tablitsa 2, s. 524. Elena Osokina, Gold for Industrialization: Torgsin, Moscow: Rosspan, 2009, Table 2, p. 524.
2.
    Spheres of influence: Fordham University, fordham.edu, Modern History Sourcebook. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, 1939.
3.
    More of Poland: Gerhard L. Weinberg,
A World at Arms
, pp. 60-64.
4.
    Troops in each country:
Ibid
.
5.
    Accepted their applications:
Ibid
.
6.
    Soviet state bank: RGAE, Fond 7733. The People’s Commissariat of Finance (Narcomfin-NKF) of the UR
SS
, 1918-1946. The Ministry of Finance of the URSS, 1946-1991, RGAE op. 26 (1941), file 1455.
7.
    Our account subsequently: New York Federal Reserve Latvia folder 261.
8.
    Gold to Moscow: U.S. Federal Register, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Executive Order 8484.
9.
    Of that action: RGAE, 2324-26-2685, p. 50.
10.
  And Polish bullion: Pierre Arnoult,
Les Finances de la France
(1940-44), p. 225.
11.
  His board members:
Thomas H. McKittrick Papers 1889-1970
, Harvard Business School, Carton 5, f.24.
12.
  The Baltic States: RGAE, 2324-26-2690.
13.
  Countries held abroad: RGAE, 2324-26-2779.
14.
  Protect their independence: Thomas H. McKittrick Interview, Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University.
15.
  All their debts: RGAE, 2324-26-2776, p. 149.
16.
  Was well underway: GARF, Fond R-6822.
17.
  Bank for International Settlements: Antti Kuusterä and Juha Tarkka,
Bank of Finland 200 Years
, pp. 62-64.
18.
  Finns would obey: Nikita Khrushchev and Strobe Talbott,
Khrushchev Remembers
, p.154.
19.
  On the table: Nikita Khrushchev and Strobe Talbott,
Khrushchev Remembers
, p. 154.
20.
  Washington’s wartime regulations: NYFED, Folder 261 Finland.
CHAPTER TWELVE: THE WORLD’S FORT KNOX
1.
    Even more harm: Henry Morgenthau III,
Mostly Morgenthaus
, pp. 152-172.
2.
    But Congress refused: Douglas Brinkley,
World War II: The Axis Assault, 1939-1942
, pp. 99-106. Gianni Toniolo,
Central Bank Cooperation at the Bank for International Settlements 1930-1973
, p. 671.
3.
    Accommodation with Berlin: HM 219: 23-26.
4.
    Daily gold operations: Liaquat Ahamed,
Lords of Finance
, pp. 298-320.
5.
    Can stop.it: HM 55:330-331.
6.
    Or the coffeepot: HM 54:125-127 and 303-304.
7.
    Federal Reserve: NYFED Shipping Records 1938-1939, SZ1-SZ32.
Gold Team Report
, p. 9.
8.
    British Purchasing Commission: Warren F. Kimball,
The Most Sordid Act
, p. 20.
9.
    This job well: HM 385:204.
10.
  None for Europe: HM 219:23-35.
11.
  The risks involved: NYFED, 1939 shipping, SZ1-SZ32.
12.
  Nearly $2 million:
Ibid
.
13.
  Make preparations beforehand: NYFED England File 261.
14.
  In lower Manhattan: NYFED, 1939 financial register.
15.
  War machine running: HM 176:269-284.
16.
  Do the job: HM 206:223-477.
17.
  Bullion in gold: HM 239:207-211.
18.
  Fed’s gold policy: HM 276:295.
19.
  Securities were $112 million: Blum II pp. 106-107.
20.
  For the worst: NYFED, Folder 261 Sweden Correspondence.
21.
  Percent in 1929: Peter L. Bernstein,
The Power of Gold

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