Declassified per Executive Order  2958. Section 3.5
NND Project Number: NND 750l68 By: NND Date: ¡975

Von Ribbentroo is reoorted to have been more of an art connoisseur than
his colleagues, though the services of }erman art experts were used to -
select works for exnort to Germany. The Nazis on the whole scught wmksly Ganan
Dutch 2nd Fl rish hastors, and hnd no twst. for rrdorn Fr.nch nrt except
far its mñrk t vnluo. This led dCTICTS 1nd priVfith collectors in France
to irpcrt euccnd-r't- "Gx r nic" pwintings fron Switzcrlnnd, ono tc
export Y"r nch pnintinps which h"d o fer grr”tnr fin-ncial vvluc by
nvrnnl nfirkct rntinp. This r"? ccrpliC“tc th- problem of r COVCTY of
lcot,d ürt in ncutrñl countrius, "s thrsc dcflls “oro not noccssnrily
rado by Nozis, find in snr' Cnsos rn? hñv0 brrn twcitly “PDTOVFd by the

l pitimwtn rrnors.

lt should also bc notud thñt in 1940 find 19/1, bufora our entry into
the wnr, flttCPDtS war: nodo tc tr"nspcrt “Crks of nrt through Spain
and Portupol, for sale in thc United Stotcs and the Latin nroric1n
countries.

The most fñrous incidont was thht cf the United Stflt s ship 8.5.
TXCHLIBUF, out of Lisbon, Which wds stopp d by thu Contrnbdnd Contrcl,
"nd which hnd nbonrd e ccllection of SOO pictur.s find n caso of rrrc
books which Ware said tc h"Vu como fron the estete of thu loto ¿rbrcisc
Vhllrrd. Among thoso paintings Wero 270 by Fencir, 30 by Coznnne, 12
by Gauguin, 7 by thñs, nnd rth rs by Nan t, Honot und Picasso. lt

is not known, cf crursr, how succcssful rny h'VD bean lstor nttempts

to srurglo loot H nrt rcrcvs tho “tlrntic.

Th's prolirin"ry surv y uns roda tr flttcrrin tha Gerrrn pclicy with

r gnrd tc "rt trt"sur.s in rccupind tarritrri's, th, sccpc cf thr
10rtinr, ind thu txt nt tr vhich susprct rr lcot d "rt objects npp0"red
for sale in nou rnl countri s, rr vere Shin? hold fcr thcir Nózi owners
in bdnks, privnto gñll rios, "nd vhrohrus s.

Tr detri, nsidc: frrn thr= (¡cudstikkcr p'wintinrs disccvorad in Spain, the
lñrg st "rount of 1vottd tr nsur s=ers t< b hald in SwitZurlñnd,
‘.'h«.r st  hhv: bi en t";ka tr hnvv it id ,ntif'i d ".nd "f‘rczcn" p ‘nding
furthur ónnñrchns bw thu inter st-d Governhnnts.

GFRHLN POLICY lN FFGAFD TC ¿PT lN (CCUPIFD TÚPPITOFIVS

The general Germán pclicv in rogdrd tc Honurcnts, Fine Arts dnd Archivos
in the Cccupjud Countrirs Svers tc h"vw bo:n bosod rn two principl:s:

1. floral nnd material enrichmnnt of the Gorrnn nntion.

2. Material onrichmnnt of individual anis, prodominantly Party
bossns. '