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{
    "localId": "7583533",
    "label": "Monthly Report of Military Governor, U.S. Zone, No. 2: Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives",
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    "id": "7583533",
    "sourceUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7583533",
    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Monthly Report of Military Governor, U.S. Zone, No. 2: Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/7583533",
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        "Eisenhower, Dwight D: Papers, Pre-Presidential",
        "Principal Files"
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    "productionDates": [
        {
            "day": 20,
            "logicalDate": "1945-09-20",
            "month": 9,
            "year": 1945
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    "seq": 1,
    "pageIndex": 0,
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    "ocrText": "RESTRICTED\nM. F. A. & A.\nUnilateral restitution of looted cultural materials held in the U. S.\nZone of Germany will be carried out,\n&. Looted cultural materials will be returned to the governments of pre-war\nownership and not to private individuals. In consequence such materials will be\nreturned as they are identified under United States supervision. This will not\npreclude submission of claims by the governments or, through such governments, by\nindividuals claiming to be pre-war owners.\nb. In general looted cultural materials will be returned to the accredited\nrepresentatives of the governments of the countries of pre-war ownership at the\npoint at which they are held in the Unite States Zone. The governments concern-\ned will be responsible for packin₹ and transport.\nc. The United States Military Government will exercise all reasonable care\nin the protection and handling of looted cultural materials which fall under its\ncontrol but disclaims any responsibility for deterioration suffered by such ob-\njects while under its control or while in the hands of the Germans. Furthermore,\nany payments made by the Germans to the governments or individuals of pre-war\nownership may be credited against the reparations claims of the government con-\ncerned.\nRestitution of these looted objects of art was begun when the famous\nalterpiece of the Adoration of the Lamb by the brothers, Van Eyck, was flown by\nspecial plane from Munich to Brussels. On 22 August 1945 it was delivered to\nrepresentatives of the Belgium Government. This great work of art had been stalen\nby the Germans from France, where it had been placed by the Belgium Government\nfor safe keeping. The Germans had intended it to be one of the chief master-\npieces in the collection which was being assembled for Hitler and which was to\nhave formed the Fuehrer Museum at Linz. Similar restitutions of important works\nwill shortly be made to France and Poland.\nA procedure by which unmistakable loot can be quickly returned to its\ncountry of origin has been worked out, but much remains to be done in discovering\nand identifing these stolen works of art. Interrogation of German Art dealers\nand other art personalities with Nazi connections continues and sheds much light\non the business of art transactions in the Third Reich.\nArchives.\nLittle further progress can be reported in the salvage of archives. A\ncollecting point for books and archives is being organized at Freising.\nEIGHTON\nAUGUST 1945\nRESTRICTED\nAGPD 500/9-45/1076\n3"
}