The Spoils of World War II

"I wondered back then if there was one honest person left in the world." -Captain Howard A. Mackenzie, U.S. Army The readers of the first edition of this book filed a legal suit against the United States in Federal Court, Miami, Florida. In December 2005, the U.S. Government settled out of court for $25 million in favor of the reader's legal actions. This was based on the Hungarian Gold Train portion of this book.On January 31, 2006, the lead counsel wrote: "There is little question that this whole sorry episode would never have come to light had you [Kenneth D. Alford] not unearthed it. For that and for your generosity in sharing with us your time, your expertise and insights, and your files, I want to express deep gratitude on behalf of the lawyers and plaintiffs. You should be extremely proud of your role in helping to right this historic wrong."Van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece, Michelangelo's Madonna and Child, Van Dyke's Portrait of a Man With Neck Frill; what happened to these celebrated artworks and other treasures procured by the Third Reich during the thirties and forties?The Spoils of World War II answers that question while telling a remarkable story of greed and avarice, with war-torn Europe as its back? drop. More than fifty years of research and documentation have finally revealed the extent to which the German forces stole from the lands they occupied, and portrays the American military forces as both liberators ... and plunderers themselves. The Reich armies requisitioned everything from art treasures to porcelain, pottery, furniture, and even Austria's prized Lipizzaner stallions. But when the Reich finally fell, what happened to these priceless objects when the American troops located the vast storehouses of treasure, and what became of the possession of the various mansions and castles that la along the liberators' routes? This is the story of many of the individuals who did the "liberating." Names are named ... and the culprits range from lower-level staff officer to generals at the very top of the command chain. One captain, although ignorant of the German language, even took away leather bound copies of first-edition works by Goethe and Schiller. Part of this account of military thefts, investigations, courtroom hearings, and verdicts may not be attractive, but the overall experience of reliving those days is powerful and dramatic. The Spoils of World War II is a definitive record of events that have, for the most part, remained hidden for half a century.