Gregg Rickman - Swiss Banks and Jewish Souls

Gregg J. Rickman

First published 1999 by Transaction Publishers

Published 2017 by Routledge
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Copyright 1999 by Taylor & Francis

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Library of Congress Catalog Number: 99-17332

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Rickman, Gregg J.

Swiss banks and Jewish souls / Gregg J. Rickman,

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 1-56000-426-6 (alk. paper)

1. Banks and bankingCorrupt practicesSwitzerlandHistory20th century. 2. Foreign bank accountsSwitzerlandHistory20th century. 3. Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945) 4. Jewish propertySwitzerland. 5. JewsEuropeClaims. I. Title.

HG3204.R53 1999

940.53494dc2199-17332

CIP

ISBN 13: 978-1-56000-426-4 (hbk)

The idea for this book took shape just as the Swiss bank drama began to develop into a full-blown scandal. Along the way there was much that occured due to the many who joined this effort simply out of a belief in the cause. It was these people who provided me with the input, advice, and encouragement that carried me through to the end.

In this vein, I would especially like to thank former United States Senator Alfonse M. DAmato, for whom I have had the pleasure and honor not only to work for, but work with, for seven years. His trust in me and his encouragement to do this book is greatly appreciated.

Numerous others must be mentioned as well. Stan Turesky has been a quiet, yet guiding force not only in the ongoing investigations of the Swiss banks, but in support and help to me during the entire process of this book. Miriam Kleiman, for whom two weeks work has turned into a vocation, encouraged, cheered, and helped me along with important materials. Her investigative work and committment to this cause is heroic. Willi Korte, quiet and unyielding, has stuck by me as well as the rest of us throughout this long process, long after his assignment to the cause was to have ended. B.J. Moravek was something akin to a bull in a china shop. He never stopped the search and his interest continued well beyond his reassignment in the Secret Service. Brian Hufker, also reassigned to the Pentagon, still calls to check on the issue. His hard work and long hours provided us with information we could never have gotten without his understanding. Marc Isser, our first intern at the National Archives also went on to work for us and deservedly so for all of his fine research efforts.

I also want to thank Phil Bechtel of the Senators staff on the Banking Committee for his concern, dedication and help over the years as well as his help to me during the writing of this book.

At the National Archives, Dr. Greg Bradsher, whose name I have finally learned to spell correctly, found documents and sources there no one else could have found and assembled a finding guide for documents in the Archives second to none. He also was of immeasurable help in the finishing process of this book. Along with Greg, others from the National Archives deserving of thanks are Calvin Jefferson who has provided us with every appropriate extension of help with regard to use of the Textual Reference Room, Clarence Lyons for his help in the overall effort, Cary Conn for his help in declassifying hundreds of boxes of documents, and John Taylor for his wisdom and guidance. In addition to these fine and dedicated people, I would like to thank the following for their help: Rich Boylan, Rebecca Collier, David Giordano, Milt Gustafson, Ken Heger, Marty McGann, Wil Mahoney, William Deutscher, Robert Coren, Tim Nenninger, David Pfieiffer, Fred Ramanski, Ken Schlessinger, Amy Schmidt, Donald Singer, Marilyn Stachelczyk, Carolyn Powell, Dr. Michael Kurz, R. Michael McReynolds, Peter Jefferies, and Lee Rose.

No acknowledgment can be complete without mentioning the role of the World Jewish Congress, particularly Edgar Bronfman, WJC Secretary General Israel Singer, Elan Steinberg, and Doug Bloomfield. Despite some disputes, they made this all an amazing experience.

I cannot ignore the help and kindness of Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat as well as his staff, Bennet Freeman and Judith Barnett. Others helping in the State Department were Vic Comras, Dan Nehr, and Felix Hernandez. In the Justice Department, Eli Rosenbaum and Barry White played an important role as did Francine Barber and David Joy of the Treasury Department.

There were also a great number of researchers without whom the banks would have escaped justice. I would like to thank Charles Borden, Rick Crowley, Polly Crozier, Joshua Cypress, Mary Helen Dupree, Ben Fallon, Aaron Field, David Ganz, Avi Glazer, Jessica Hammer, Anantha Hans, Miriam Haus, Olivia Joly, Mary McCleery, Daniel Renna, Adam Sonfield, Hannah Trooboff, Kevin Vinger, and Brian Wahl. Hannah Trooboff especially, did excellent work with her research at the various research archives in and around New York City, all while attending Columbia University. She now works for the Bergier Commission.

Marc Mazurovsky has been an inspiration and supplier of useful hints and direction in the research, as was Sid Zabludoff. Cees Wiebus of Holland provided hints as well to unknown sources.

Michael Hausfeld and Marty Mendelsohn were of special help both in their guidance and their undying devotion to truth and justice. They fought and won a battle of historic proportion.

Lord Greville Janner and Janice Lopatkin, Tom Bower, Helen Junz, Gisela Blau, Rico Carish, Sharon White of the British Embassy, and Christoph Meili whose courage has become legendary, were all my foreign contacts. They were indispensable to the inquiry and to me personally. I also benefitted greatly from the help of Sybil Milton, Irwin Nack, Neil Levin, Greg Wierzynsky, and Bob Fink.

I cannot forget my late grandfather Isadore Levinsky who instilled in me the thirst for knowledge, a sense of history, and unfortunately a sense of tragedy as well. His experiences in the pogroms of 1920s in Ukraine, in which he lost nearly his entire family, scarred him in untold ways but impressed upon me the need to try to right a wrong, in whatever fashion or degree possible.

Finally, I want to thank my dear wife Sonia. She endured the endless days on the computer, the same computer she wished to use to pay the bills, and she graced me with time to write while entertaining the kids for a few hours out of the house. She is my best friend, my partner, and my lifelong companion.

There were six shipments of gold worth $19,441,233. Sent from Switzerland to New York during February and March 1940, they came from the Swiss Bank Corporation in Zurich raising the suspicions of L.W. Knoke, Vice President of the New York Federal Reserve. By this time the Federal Reserve was tracking the flow of gold into the New York branches of the Swiss Bank Corporation. They were suspicious of the golds origin and suspicious of the intent of the Swiss bankers for whom secrecy was as important as their jobs.