<Blocked
by official authorities
Diplomats or bankers of the National Bank, nobody
wants to support Jewish interests of fortunes. Instead
of this there is sabotage and denunciation.
[Swiss people abroad only got diplomatic
support when it was pleasing Swiss Nazi government -
example ambassador Frölicher]
There were high obstacles, for smuggling, and for the
detection of the fortunes later. When someone had
smuggled fortunes to Switzerland, then there were harsh
measured in Switzerland not helping the Nazi victims
[which were mostly Jewish]. There was a strong
resistance helping them in Switzerland [in the Swiss
authorities]. And there were no exceptions. Even Jewish
Swiss people abroad first living in Germany and then in
the occupied territories suffering under Hitler's
terrorism [well wanted by criminal Zionists for driving
Jews to Palestine] these victims could not await any
help from Switzerland. Above all the official offices
were blocking the economic interests of their own
citizens with obstacles again and again. Concerning
Jewish questions Switzerland was "applying a mainstream
management not following the normal principle of
interests" ("eine fliessende Handhabung des von ihr
sonst vertretenen Interessenprinzips"), this writes
historian Jacques Picard in his book "Switzerland and
the Jews 1933-1945" ("Die Schweiz und die Juden
1933-1945"). In plain terms: For not provoking the new
representatives of power in Europe Swiss diplomacy was
leaving the Jewish Swiss citizens abroad many times
without help. According to Picard they were victims of a
combination of "political weakness, cautious tactics and
a mentality against the Jews".
[Swiss Nazi ambassador Hans Frölicher in Berlin - did
NOT help to Swiss people in Germany - Swiss man
marrying a German Jewish woman saving to Switzerland -
but the fortune has to remain in Germany - suspicion
of a pretended marriage]
Example number one: Mr. Hans Frölicher, the top diplomat
in Berlin [Swiss ambassador in Berlin].
This Swiss ambassador - today representing collaboration
of Switzerland with the Nazi regime - was among other
things not listening at all to the needs in financial
questions of Swiss Jews in Germany. Mr. Frölicher was
deliberately not acting when urgent interventions had
been needed or he was blocking everything from the
beginning. Mr. Frölicher was accepting German racial
laws as rules which had to be accepted [these rules
mainly came from Swiss citizen Ernst Rüdin] and when
these rules were not followed then Mr. Frölicher was
even denouncing Swiss people. There is the case of Ida
and Adolf Michel, two people who were suffering by the
iron hand of Frölicher. Saving Ida Arnold from her
almost sure death [p.65] the Jewish Swiss Adolf Michel
with his 78 years was marrying this German Jewish woman
in February 1939. Both could find a new domicile in
Zurich, but almost the whole fortune was in the Reich
and should be protected from the seizure of the Nazis.
Even the Swiss consulate in Stuttgart was supporting
this project bringing Frölicher to use his connections.
But he was the wrong address.
A letter was sent to Mr. Frölicher and he was reacting
on February 22, 1940 with a letter to his boss in Berne.
He made a summary about this matter describing the
couple as "two not Aryan persons having settled in
Switzerland":
Original in German:
"Herr Michel möchte eine auf seinem Grundstück
lastende und zur Rückzahlung gekündigte Schuld
mittels Aufnahme einer neuen Hypothek ablösen.
Ein Gesuch ist bei der Devisenstelle Stuttgart
hängig, doch es ist vorauszusehen, dass es
abgelehnt wird. Frau Michel besitzt in
Deutschland beträchtliche Vermögenswerte, hat
aber auch viele Verpflichtungen. Sie scheint
ihre Liegenschaft nur halten zu können, wenn
ihr entweder die V. Tranche der Judenabgabe
erlassen wird, oder wenn es ihr gelingt, eine
Hypothek aufzunehmen. Die Belastung ihres
Grundstückes ist ihr von der Devisenstelle
bereits abgeschlagen worden." |
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Translation:
"Mr. Michel would like to have a new mortgage
for paying back a dept on his territory. His
request is pendent at the exchange control
office in Stuttgart, but it can be foreseen
that the request will be rejected. Mrs. Michel
is owning considerable objects of value in
Germany, but also has many commitments. It
seems that she will only be able to keep her
property when either the fifth portion of
Jewish tax is canceled for her, or when she
can have another mortgage. The charge of her
property already was rejected by the exchange
control office."
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According to Mr. Frölicher the consulate
in Stuttgart required an approach of the Swiss embassy
in favor of Mr. and Mrs. Michel, otherwise there wold
be the danger that their possession had to be sold for
nothing and finally could be even costs for the home
community [of the Swiss man in Switzerland].
"Unfortunately the chances for an interventions don't
seem good to me. The charge of a property in Germany
by a foreigner is simply dependent on the approval of
the responsible exchange control office, and people
not being Aryans can hardly await any good will by the
embassy. At the other side concerning the Jewish tax
Mrs. Michel was a German woman at the deadline thus a
remission of the fifth part cannot be derived.
Additionally there is the suspicion of a pretended
marriage in the case of Mrs. Michel. In fact the
marriage was organized only in February 1939 and Mr.
Michel is 78 years old now. Both are living - as I am
informed in the right way - in a separated way",
Frölicher wrote.
[Spy wave against the Jewish couple Michel]
The ruthless indication of a possible pretended
marriage was not failing [p.66] it's effect. This
information by the Swiss ambassador was provoking a
spying eagerness within the Swiss authorities which
was like Gestapo. Swiss people were making propaganda
against the Jewish couple at any level, almost the
whole state's apparatus was working. First the
responsibles of the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs
were investigating the lawyer of the couple Michel and
tried to get details about private life of the fresh
married people. When this was not bringing many
results Swiss Ministry of Justice (Eidgenössisches
Justiz- und Polizeidepartement, EJPD) was informed.
EJPD now was holding a folder "Michel" with the order
organizing a comprehensive observation of both. The
remark was explicitly that there was a "non Aryan"
[and this was also a non Swiss additionally], and in
this way EJPD was giving the investigation to the
police command of Zurich [an racist extremist group
liking actions against Germans, being lead by Swiss
racist political party of SVP, in the population also
called ShitVP].
Cantonal spies were doing their work during weeks now.
Then EJPD had to state with an overtone of regret that
this marriage could not be canceled. Here is the
excerpt of the statement of Swiss Federal Police
Department (EPD) of May 21, 1940:
Original in German:
"In Beantwortung Ihres Schreibens vom 26.
April 1940 in Sachen Adolf und Ida
Michel-Arnold beehren wir uns, Ihnen in der
Beilage einen Rapport der Kantonspolizei
Zürich zu übermitteln. Es ergibt sich daraus,
dass die Eheleute Michel nach dem Eheschluss
immerhin einige Monate beieinander gewohnt
haben. Das Bundesgericht dürfte nach seiner
jetzigen Praxis (...) eine Bürgerrechtsehe
(Scheinehe) doch nur dann nichtig erklären,
wenn es der Frau überhaupt nicht auf die
Lebensgemeinschaft, sondern bloss auf den
Bürgerrechtserwerb ankam. Es scheint uns
daher, dass der Nachweis einer Scheinehe auf
Schwierigkeiten stossen würde; doch sind wir
bereit, die Angelegenheit weiter zu verfolgen,
wenn Sie uns neues Material unterbreiten
können. Wir müssen allerdings beifügen, dass
wir in Fällen, wo eine Scheinheirat
vorzuliegen scheint, nichts anderes tun
können, als die Akten dem Heimatkanton zu
überweisen, wobei es diesem freisteht, ob er
der Heimatgemeinde die Erhebung der
Ehenichtigkeitsklage nahelegen will." |
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Translation:
"Answering your letter from April 26, 1940,
concerning the matter of Adolf and Ida
Michel-Arnold, we can give you honestly the
annex with the report of Cantonal Police of
Zurich. There is the result that after the
marriage the married couple Michel after all
lived together for some months. According to
the practice of today the Federal Court of
Justice (...) would declare a marriage of
civil right (pretended marriage) as a non
valid marriage only when the women had no
interest at all living together with the man
but only was eager for the acquisition of the
civil right. Thus it seems that the proof of a
pretended marriage would be very difficult;
but we are ready to pursue the matter on when
you can present us new material. But we have
to add that in cases of pretended marriages we
cannot do anything more than handing out the
documents to the home canton. For the canton
it's up to him if he wants to suggest a
lawsuit for invalid marriage to the home
community." |
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At the end the couple Michel was lucky
under the circumstances. Whereas all involved
authorities had tried to block the Swiss couple the
practice of the National Federal Court was saving
them. Frölicher's subtle terrorism against Jews was
not reaching it's goal in this case.
"Therefore under these circumstances [p.67] we plead
to reopen the affair with the mortgage which should be
renewed" Mr. Robert Kohli wrote some days later to
Berlin, group leader of the juridical and fortune
interests department abroad.
This Michel case shows without mercy how the position
of official Switzerland had been in those times
against Nazi victims. [And most of them had not such a
luck].
[Invention of J stamp against
"Jewdification" of Switzerland]
[Mr. Heinrich Rothmund and the slogan of
"Jewdification of Switzerland" - over 30,000 Jewish
refugees rejected sent to the safe death]
Already two years before the boss of Federal Police
(Bundespolizei), Mr. Heinrich Rothmund, had protested
at the German embassy in Berne: He was claiming the
"flood" of Switzerland with Jews from Vienna. For
these persons Switzerland had no more use than
Germany, Mr. Rothmund claimed. A short time later
Swiss diplomats were also protesting in Berlin
defending their country against a "Jewdification".
[And also Jews in Switzerland did not want to have a
mass influx of Jews from abroad because they were
anxious of the formation of a Jewish proletariat].
After long negotiations mentioning a compulsive visa
regulation and mentioning the diplomatic principle of
mutual measures Berne was reaching an agreement which
was signed on September 29, 1938. Germans [wrong?
Swiss officials at the border] were committed marking
all passports of their Jews with a J stamp. The
consequence was that over 30,000 Jewish refugees were
rejected at the Swiss border and were sent to the safe
death.
This policy of a "full boat" [which was lead by racist
Swiss government member Von Steiger, member of right
wing extremist political party of SVP] was
unofficially also valid for the fortunes of the Jews.
Performing the actions against Jewish assets was not
only executed by Frölicher and his assists, but also
by Swiss National Bank.
[Fortunes of Swiss Jews in France in 1940 -
Swiss National Bank blocking the transfer]
[1940: Jewish Swiss fortunes in France -
aryanizations in France - discussion about 32 or 11
million French Franc]
In the documents about the fight against "hot money"
the Jews being hit hardly were not explicitly
mentioned at all. But at least in 1942 there was no
doubt any more about the fact that the supreme
monetary authorities wanted to hinder the shifting of
Jewish capital in some way. This intention is shown
with the case of Mr. Hérménegilde Snozzi, a Swiss
notary in Paris.
In June 1940 France had capitulated and it was only a
question of time that also the fortunes of local Jews
would be confiscated. The corresponding aryanization
and liquidation regulations did not wait for a long
time. No difference was made between French Jews and
Jews from neutral states, thus also about 160 affected
Swiss families were not sure about their fortunes. But
in an agreement with German military commanders Swiss
embassy reached a special agreement. German
regulations should be fulfilled completely but the
forced administration [p.68] of the Jewish fortunes
should be executed by a Swiss citizen. Mr.
Hérménegilde Snozzi was the man for rough operations.
According to the historian Picard Mr. Snozzi
considered to have the task "to contribute with a
Swiss interest to eliminate any Jewish influence in
the economic life of France." The notary in Paris was
working precisely. He had almost 300 orders for
aryanizations respectively liquidations of trading
companies, properties, commercial papers, and bank
accounts. By these forced sellings and confiscations
Mr. Snozzi was making a balance of about 32 million
French Francs at the end. This sum was much under the
real value of the sold position.
Germans had accepted the idea to transfer the money to
Switzerland. And now it Swiss National Bank was coming
into play. In August 1942 Mr. Snozzi had traveled to
Berne and Zurich the first time to evaluate the
variations of possible capital transfer. At this time
he was already administrating 11 million French
Francs. After a talk with the Swiss National Bank the
notary was meeting the responsibles of the clearing
office and finally with Mr. Robert Kohli from Federal
Department of Foreign Affairs (Eidgenössisches
Politisches Departement). The group of Mr. Kohli was
negotiating then with the responsible authorities of
the notorious Vichy Regime. French were agreeing that
11 million could be shifted on a special account
(compte spécial) of Swiss National Bank in the house
of Bank of France (Banque de France), and on this way
the money should be transferred to Switzerland. Thus
there was no obstacle any more for this transaction -
almost no one. Because in the Swiss National Bank the
plea of Kohli was provoking technical arguments
arguing against such a transfer. "The answer of Swiss
National Bank depends among other things from the fact
if and in what extent there is a use for the French
Francs in France there. If there would be no
extraordinary payments how they are sometimes executed
then it can be months until these 11 million French
Francs would be consumed. The other case would be if
such a fortune could be used for bigger transactions
(...)", this was the discussion in the directorate
according to the minutes of October 8, 1942.
[Hardliners in Swiss National Bank: Swiss Jewish
fortunes in France are not important - Swiss Jews
partly have gone to "U.S.A.]
Director Mr. Max Schwab of Swiss National Bank was
coming to the conclusion agreeing to the matter of Mr.
Kohli under certain circumstances, all other leaders
of Swiss National Bank were hardliners declaring
clearly that they did not want to take any measure
concerning the Jewish fortunes.
Original in Deutsch:
"Das III. Departement (S.69) empfiehlt, auf
die Sache nicht einzutreten, da noch
zahlreiche andere Fälle vorliegen, die eher
eine Berücksichtigung verdienen würden. Das
II. Departement stellt fest, dass es sich hier
um einen Fall handelt, der im Rahmen der
Hilfsaktion des Bundes für die Rückwanderer
behandelt werden sollte. Es wäre s.E. [seines
Erachtens] nicht ganz richtig, wenn für
einzelne Personen, die stets in Frankreich
gelebt haben, die Möglichkeit eröffnet würde,
über das Compte spécial [Spezialkonto]
Millionenbeträge in die Schweiz zu bringen.
Das Direktorium beschliesst hierauf
einstimmig, auf die Angelegenheit nicht
einzutreten. " |
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Translation in English:
"3d Department [p.69] is recommending not
dealing anything with this matter because
there are many other cases yet earning even
more attention. The 2d Department states that
this is a case which should be treated by the
Federal Administration of the government
within the cases of remigrants. According to
him it would not be absolutely right when for
single persons having lived always in France
would be opened the possibility for shifting
amounts of millions to Switzerland using a
special account [compte spécial]. Therefore
the directorate is taking the resolution by
common consent not dealing with this matter." |
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But Mr. Kohli was trying it again four
weeks later. This time the matter was about the part
of affected Jews who was not sure about safety in
Switzerland and had emigrated to the "U.S.A."
directly. They had left seven to eight million French
Francs in the hands of Mr. Snozzi. Mr. Kohli was
asking in a letter to Swiss National Bank on November
5, 1942 if thee Francs could be taken over for
dollars. And one more negative report again.
Notoriously anti-Jewish Swiss Frank cash producer had
the goal to block the French affair profoundly. After
having delayed the urgent affair by almost four months
they were making a summary on February 19, 1943 in
just one single sentence:
Original in German:
"Das Direktorium ist mit dem III. Departement
der Meinung, dass eine Übernahme der
französischen Franken selbst gegen Abtretung
von Dollars nicht in Betracht kommt." |
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Translation:
"Directorate is coinciding with the 3d
Department that a takeover of French Francs
even for dollars is not coming int
consideration." |
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There is no justification in the minutes.
This is not a surprise because Mr. Alfred Hirs, the
boss of the leading 3d Department was working much for
German interests and did not want to work for Jewish
requests. It was an open secret that Mr. Hirs had no
fear for being in a tight relation with the Nazis, and
he had no fear at all with their ideology.
[President of Swiss National Bank Mr. Hirs for gold
business: gold from Belgium - currency for Nazi
Germany - slogans of Hirs against Jews]
This [the friendly position to Nazi Germany] was
proved for example by the behavior with gold business
with the German Reichsbank. Knowing everything about
kind and origin he was permitting for example the
takeover of robbed gold bars after the occupation of
Belgium and by this was providing the currency needed
by the Third Reich in form of Swiss Francs. At the
other side Mr. Hirs did not leave out any opportunity
concerning the Jews to utter defaming remarks. And
there were enough opportunities:
"Four fifth of the concerning merchants are Jews",
he was commenting in 1943 to the Federal Police
Department (EPD) the fact that there was a vivid trade
in Switzerland during the war [p.70]
with bank notes of different currencies: Hirs was
stating that the Minister of Finance of provisional
French government, Mr. Pierre Mendès-France, would be
a "rich Jew", this was in an official report about the
cash market of the end of September 1944. And during
the negotiations after the war for the Washington
Agreement Mr. Hirs described the delegation of
"U.S.A." having a "Jewish character", and additionally
he was angry about "the Americans, above all the Jews
in the treasury" [and Mr. Hirs was right, this was the
criminal Zionist clique of Zionist Minister of Finance
Morgenthau]. The list of slogans could be prolonged
without difficulties. Mr. Hirs simply did not think
one moment to give help for Swiss Jews from France
transferring their fortunes to Switzerland.
[Mr. Hirs was not making any difference between Jews
and Zionists - this was his big fault].
[Transfer of Swiss Jewish fortunes by side ways]
At the end Mr. Snozzy had to find other ways. At the
end the fortunes were flowing to Switzerland mainly
-- by depots of consulates,
-- by statal clearing, or
-- by currency compensations in private companies.
At the end one part was saved by accounts of Swiss
National Bank. May be this was the result of constant
pressure from Berne [Mr. Kohli].
[Diplomatic representation for 43 states in
35 countries: example Argentina]
[Example of Swiss "work" in the German embassy of
Argentina - news about dead Jews who eventually have
fortunes in Germany - documents destroyed]
Official Swiss offices were not only blocking Jewish
interests of fortunes concerning the own country and
the own citizens. Concerning their good services
Switzerland was working as a protecting power by the
embassies abroad. Switzerland was guaranteeing a kind
of emergency contact between the enemies. On the top
of this work during the war Switzerland was
representing 43 states in 35 different countries.
Swiss embassies were organizing the coming home of
diplomatic staff after the breakdown of relations, was
watching the treatment of prisoners of war and of
interned civilists. Additionally Switzerland was also
assisting foreign citizens. As one can see with the
example of Argentina the ambassadors and their chiefs
in Berne were interpreting this humanitarian order
partly very unilaterally:
After the declaration of war of Hitler the Swiss
embassy in Buenos Aires was taking over the interest
and with this the embassy of the Third Reich in
Argentina. The ambassador Eduard Feer was working with
the German matters even with enthusiasm. Assist
payments for diplomats were treated so carefully as
also the requests of the two German financial
institutes [p.71] German Transatlantic Bank (Banco
Alemán Transatlántico) and Germanic Bank of South
America (Banco Germánico de la América del Sur). But
Swiss diplomats were working with even much more
difficult stuff. At one side they were administrating
the objects of value in the German embassy, and these
were objects of several Jews like Ferdinand Israel
Salberg from whom the Nazis had confiscated his
horn-rimmed glasses and his watch. At the other side
among the interests of the German was also the
enforcement of the 11th legislation of the Reich
Citizenship Law of 1941. According to this law a Jew
was loosing German citizenship when he was definitely
living abroad. And this meant with any consequence:
"The fortune of these Jews (...) falls to the Reich."
(orig. in German: "Das Vermögen dieser Juden (...)
verfällt dem Reich.")
How Swiss diplomats were managing these conditions can
be hardly be reconstructed because the corresponding
folder in the Swiss Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv) is
badly with missing documents. For example on March 10,
1944, the ambassador in Buenos Aires was sending a
telegram to Berne and was requesting an instruction if
official action for German Jews would be excluded on
the base of this 11th legislation of Reich Citizenship
Law. No written reaction from Berne could be found in
the folder of Buenos Aires.
Two months later the embassy got from Switzerland the
following order:
Original in German:
"Wir beehren uns, ihnen mitzuteilen, dass das
Auswärtige Amt in Berlin durch Vermittlung der
hiesigen Deutschen Gesandtschaft die Bitte
ausgesprochen hat, Sie möchten auch die
Todesfälle von Nicht-Ariern mitteilen, wenn
aus den bei Ihnen vorhandenen Vorgängen
ersichtlich ist, dass in Deutschland
befindliche Vermögenswerte hiervon berührt
werden. Wir bitten Sie, diesem Wunsche
nachzukommen, wobei wir uns allerdings den
Entscheid über die Bekanntgabe solcher
Todesfälle an die deutschen Behörden
vorbehalten." |
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Translation:
"We have the honor to communicate you that the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Berlin
(Auswärtiges Amt) ordered the request by the
mediation of the local German embassy that you
will also communicate the cases of death of
non Aryans when there are cases with affected
fortunes in Germany. We request to meet this
wish, but we are reserving the decision if the
cases of such deaths will be communicated to
the German authorities or not." |
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On June 30, Swiss embassy was
confirming the order. The responsibles will not miss to
meet the wish of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(Auswärtiges Amt) communicating such cases of death of
non Aryan people.
Thus one thing is sure: There were official acts or
death notes, but Swiss staff could interpret their
humanitarian order within a system of two classes.
Considering also Jewish persons was not at all
self-evident. Orders from Berlin were at least obeyed in
a first phase of time. From Argentina - for many
emigrants a destination of their flight - Berne was
getting regular news about dead Jews who had taken their
flight from Germany. What Berne had done with these
indications about dead Jews is an open question until
today. [p.72]
