PRELIMINARY INVENTORY OF THE RECORDS OF THE AMERICAN COMMISSION FOR THE PROTECTION AND SALVAGE OF ARTISTIC AND HISTORIC MOMMENTS IN WAR AREAS (RECORD GROUP 239)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP93B01194R001300100008-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 26, 2001
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: August 1, 1965
• Content Type: SUMMARY

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NC-121
GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION
NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS SERVICE
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
Preliminary Inventory of the Records
of the
Anerican Commission for the Protection
and Salvage of Artistic and Historic
Momiments in C?Iar Areas
(Record Group 239)
Compiled by H. Stephen Helton
and Philip C. Brooks
Revised by William J. Leseuro
August 1965
This inventory has been reproduced in this form by the Office of Civil
Archives in order to make it readily available for staff use. It has
not been distributed as a National Archives publication.
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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
R.G. 239, Records of the American Commission
for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic
and Historic Monuments in War Areas
n:.YLyC
Inventory: NC-124 (Aug. 1965)
Security-classified correspondence, memorandums, and reports
including numerous field investigation, interrogation, and
special reports on people, places, and property prepared
by OSS's Art Looting Investigation Unit.
1943-46
44 cu.ft.
75% classified
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CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Inventory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Administrative records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Px'einvasion research records . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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INTRODUCTION
The establishment of the American Commission for the Protection
and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in Europe was announced
by the Secretary of State on August 20, 19143. It was created to pro-
tect and conserve works of art, artistic and historic monuments, and
valuable records in Europe, as well as to salvage and to restore to
their lawful owners objects seized by the Axis Powers or their agents.
In 1944 the Commission was renamed the American Commission for the
Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War
Areas.
The President recognized the need for such an organization
operating under the auspices of the Government; and on June 23, 1943,
he approved a plan submitted by the Secretary of State. This plan
was suggested by leaders in the fields of art, archeology, and ar-
chitecture and in particular by two private groups, the American
Defense-Harvard Group and the Committee on the Protection of Cultural
Treasures in War Areas, a committee of the American Council of Learned
Societies. Under this plan the following functions were assigned to
the Commission:
During the war.-.-(1) To work with the appropriate branch of the
United States Army, for the purpose of furnishing information to the
General Staff of the Army, museum officials, and art historians so
that, so far as was consistent with military necessity, works of cul-
tural value could be protected in countries occupied by armies of the
United Nations. (2) To compile, through the assistance of refugee
librarians and historians of art, lists of property appropriated by
the Axis invading forces, by representatives of Axis governments, and
by private citizens of Axis countries.
At the time of the armistice.--41) To urge that the armistice terms
include the restitution of public property appropriated by the Axis
Powers. When it was not possible to restore such property, either be-
cause it had been destroyed or could not be found, restitution in kind
was to be made by the Axis Powers to the countries from which the
property had been taken. In such cases, the Commission recommended
a list of equivalent works of art or historic documents that should
be transferred to the invaded countries from Axis museums or from the
private collections of Axis leaders. (2) To urge that restitution
be made of private property appropriated by the Axis nations.
The members of the Commission, who were appointed by the President,
were as follows: Owen J. Roberts, Associate Justice of the Supreme
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Court of the United States, Chairman; David E. Finley, Director of the
National Gallery of Art, Vice Chairman; Huntington Gairns, Secretary-
Treasurer of the Gallery, Secretary-Treasurer; Herbert Lehman, Direc-
tor of Foreign Relief and Rehabilitation Operations; Archibald MacLeish,
Librarian of Congress; William Bell Dinsmoor, President of the Archeo-
logical. Institute of America; Francis Henry Taylor, Director of the
Metropolitan Museum in New York and President of the Association of
Art Museum Directors; and Paul J. Sachs, Associate Director of the
Fogg Museum of Fine Arts of Harvard University. All members were ap-
pointed for 3-year terms and they served without compensation.
The Commission's main work throughout its 3 years'of existence
consisted of advising the Civil Affairs Division of the War Department
on the establishment of a Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Program;
providing maps and handbooks for that Division; recommending persons to
serve as Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Officers; and receiving
reports on the location, ownership, and condition of. cultural treasures
and making that information available to other Government agencies and
to scholars. The Commission spent much time in the investigation of
art looting and in aiding in the restitution of looted material. These
activities involved cooperation with analagous British and Allied organi-
sations and with the State and Treasury Departments, the Office of
Strategic Services, the Office of Censorship, and the Foreign Economic
Administration. It had committees on Definition of Works of Cultural
Value and Property; Administration; Books, Manuscripts, and Other
Printed and Written Material of Cultural Value; Collection of Maps,
Information, and Description of Art Objects; Personnel; Art Instruction
in Military Government Schools; and Axis-Appropriated Property. The
work of the Commission was highly centralized, however, and among its
records only a few folders are identified with the work of the committees.
The American Defense-Harvard Group and the Committee on the Protec-
tion of Cultural Treasures in War Areas continued to assist the Commis-
sion. The former prepared lists of monuments meriting protection and
a manual on protective measures and aided the Commission in the selec-
tion of competent personnel to work in the field. The latter prepared
lists of cultural treasures and maps showing their locations and
financed the arrangement of a collection of photographs showing cul-
tural monuments and war damage. It also gave its research data arid,
working materials to the Commission and they were incorporated into the
Commission's records.
The Co'Lmnission and its small staff had offices in the National
Gallery of Art. A sum sufficient to meet clerical and other necessary
expenses during the first year of the Commission's existence was al-
located from the President's emergency fund. Thereafter appropriations
were made by Congress to the Commission as an independent executive
agency.
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The last meeting of the Commission was held on June 20, 19146.
Shortly thereafter its records were transferred to the custody of the
Archivist. Those functions of the Commission that involved location,
recovery, and restoration of cultural treasures, particularly works
of art, were taken over by the Office of International Information and
Cultural Affairs of the Department of State, and the Commission pro-
vided that its business records and so-called special files, which
included histories of the relations of the Commission with agencies
of tN_c Un>.ted States and Yrith foreign agencies, should be charged by
the National Archives to the Department of State for the Department's
use as long as it required -'i,hem.
A complete account of the background, organization, and activities
of the Commission may be found in its Report (Washington, 19146. 237 p.),
which includes information on its records and reproductions of a number
of the photographs that it collected.
The records described in this inventory are those of the American
Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic
Monuments in War Areas that were in the National Archives on August 16,
1965. They amount to 38 cubic feet and are designated as Record
Group 239.
The entry for cartographic records was supplied by Charlotte M.
Ashby.
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RECORDS OF THE AMERICAN COMMISSION FOR
THE PROTECTION AND SALVAGE OF
ARTISTIC AND HISTORIC MONUMENTS IN WAR AREAS
Administrative Records
MINUTES OF MEETINGS OF THE 001/MISSION. Aug. 25, 1943-June 20, 1916.
5 in. 1
Copies of the minutes and verbatim transcripts of meetings, with
related reports, memoranda, and notices. Arranged chronologically.
GENERAL RECORDS. 1943-46. 2 ft.
Chiefly applications and letters of recoimnendation. Arranged
alphabetically by name of applicant.
C01/ MISSIONER. 1942.,1+6. 2 ft.
RECORDS OF PAUL SACKS
,
Copies of minutes of the Commission and correspondence and memo-
randa relating to personnel matters.
FISCAL AND ACCOUNTING RECORDS. 1913-47. 5 in.
Pay cards, budget reports, statements of balances, summaries of
allotment ledger, monthly summaries of status of appropriations,
and related correspondence with the General Accounting Office and
other Government agencies. Arranged alphabetically by subject.
Preinvasion Research Records
MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS ACCUMULATED BY THE AMERICAN COUNCIL OF LEARNED
SOCIETIES. 1913-15. 1 ft.
Lists of art personnel, private collections, and cultural objects
in Europe, which were compiled from varied sources. Arranged alpha-
betically by name of country and thereunder by name of city.
AR CARDS PROVTDIua INFORMATION FOR HANDBOOKS AND ATLASES
MIN Y
rannI
6
1913-~45. 28 ft.
Cards (4" x 6") containing data on cultural treasures and indicat-
ing their locations, their character, and the officials in charge.
Several subseries relate to such classes of treasures as archives
and private collections. Arranged alphabetically by name of country
and thereunder by name of city.
HANDBOOKS ON CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS OF EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. 1913-1E5, 7
2 ft.
Handbooks, prepared for the use of the Army Service Forces, con..
taming lists of and information concerning museums, monuments,
libraries, archival establish,nents, and other cultural institutions
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of European countries. Included are miscellaneous lists, drafts,
abstracts from reference works, and notes used in the preparation of
the handbooks.
QUESTIONNAIRES SUBMIT ED BY EXPERTS. 19143..45. 2 in.
Printed forms used by the American Council of Learned Societies`
and filled in by scholars, indicating their knowledge of cultural
treasures in various regions abroad and giving information on their
travels and their private collections of research data. These forms
were used to locate sources of information for the preparation of
maps and handbooks (see entry 9 ).
GENERAL CARTOGRAPHIC RECORDS. 1943-46. 1 ft. 1,1.89 items.
During World War II a major activitiy of the Commission was the
compilation of maps showing locations of areas or sites in enemy or
enemy-occupied areas that were to be spared destruction, if possible.
Base maps of provinces, regions, and sites were acquired; and tissue
overlays were made on which numbers were placed indicating these
areas or sites. Photocopies were then made of the base maps and
accompanying overlays. Lists identifying each site or area shown were
typed. The records consist of a set of instructions for the propara-.
tion of maps, lists of maps prepared, and a set of. these photoprocessed
maps and accompanying identification lists. In a few instances a
base map with a manuscript overlay substitutes for a photocopy. The
countries for which there are records are as follows: Albania,
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Corsica, Czechoslovakia, Dalmatia, Den-
mark, France, Germany, Hungary, Indochina, Italy, Japan, Java, Korea,
the Netherlands, Norwray; tho Philippine Islands, Rumania, Sardinia,
Sicily, and Yugoslavia. Arranged by continent, -thereunder alphabeti?-
cally by name of country, and thereunder alphabetically by name of
city or province.
GSA.-WASH DC 66-3999
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