Finally, he returned to the section of the file that disclosed the vast amount of money in Chase bank under the control of Samuel Darius. Heydrich had given much thought as to how he would secure control of this wealth without alerting scrutiny of the ethics code employed by the SS. Even though the SS was a murderous organisation, it was recorded as a breach of their standard personal integrity to aggrandise at the expense of the greater Reich. Always, an individual of unwavering self-belief and instant decision making, he wrote a further order directing that the Chase Bank contents be transferred to the ‘Nordhav’ foundation which was an SS organisation under his personal control. This was a clever tactic, as any perusal of the file subsequently would only reveal the benefits to the Reich and Fatherland. The ‘Nordhav’ foundation held its account in the Rockefeller-dominated Chase Bank in occupied Paris. This American bank assisted the German war effort by laundering extorted finance and facilitated the plundering of French treasures. Jewish assets were not secure in this financial institution.
The Nordhav Foundation was the brainchild of Heydrich himself. Established in 1932, its official purpose was to acquire real estate for the SS. However, Heydrich intended to use this organisation to enrich himself. He had already acquired a farm called Katharinenhof on the island of Fehmarn in the Baltic Sea, where his wife Lina and her family were from.
With the assistance of Chase Bank, he intended to deviously transfer the considerable monetary assets of the Darius family, to his sister Marie Krantz, who would act as his nominee beneficiary, thereby distancing himself from evidence in the acquisition of plunder. The foundation had also acquired the magnificent villa on Lake Wannsee outside Berlin where the infamous Wannsee Conference had taken place and he had intimated to some fellow officers that when the war ended with victory for the Reich, he intended to live in this villa. He signed the order in duplicate and stamped it decisively. He then pressed the intercom button and gave the instructions to the attentive orderly, and so in the space of one hour ended two generations of work, effort, commitment and goodwill of the Darius family.
That night, he would be staying in the Ritz Hotel at 15 Place Vendome, the most luxurious hotel in Paris. Under the management of Claude Auzello, the hotel had decided to stay open during the German occupation and played host to a coterie of wealthy socialites, writers and assorted glitterati who mingled and collaborated with the high ranking German military staying in the renowned building. The royalty of Europe regarded the Ritz as their second home. The highly publicised couple, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (he had renounced the throne of England for the former Wallis Simpson, the American socialite) had only very recently vacated their palatial rooms. It was also frequented by the Reichmarschall, Hermann Goring, who demanded and was given the ‘Imperial Suite’, the best and most opulent. The long-time guest, Coco Chanel and her German lover, Hans Gunther von Dincklage occupied top rooms in the hotel. She was long suspected of being a German sympathiser and had a background as a ‘Femme Grandes Horizontal’.
That evening, Champagne and oysters would be available at the Ritz; the twenty per cent of the Parisian population who were starving were of no concern to Heydrich. Looking at his watch, he noted that his sister Maria and her daughter Anna would be arriving in about three hours’ time from Berlin. She was the final and essential component necessary to complete the personal transaction.
SEVEN
PARIS: 1942
Sitting back in the comfortable leather office chair emblazoned with the SS symbol on the back, Heydrich looked from the fourth floor of 84 Avenue Foch out over the elegant skyline of the city of Paris. He lifted the telephone which was instantly responded to by a nervous switchboard operator. He instructed her to connect him with the Paris Branch of the Chase Bank, specifically requesting that he talk with the manager, Carlos Niedermann. In what appeared to be instantly, the phone receiver rang and he was connected to the manager.
“What a great pleasure to hear from you and welcome you to Paris, Mein General”, Niedermann beamed his cordial greeting and confirmed that all services of the Chase Bank were at his disposal. Niedermann had never met Reinhardt Heydrich but his reputation was fearsome and his very name tinged terror on all proceedings. Heydrich’s voice was very calm. He exchanged pleasantries and suggested that he would like a meeting to take place in the Bank the next day at 11 a.m. “I will be accompanied by my sister Maria and I will require your co-operation and assistance to transact some important personal business”, he said. “I look forward to seeing you and rest assured all efforts will be made to facilitate you,” Niedermann replied. The conversation ended with both exclaiming, “Heil Hitler”.
Niedermann was puzzled. Why was Heydrich bringing his sister to the meeting? He shrugged his shoulders, as he was not the one to question the motives of the Gestapo chief. In his many years as manager of Chase, he had assisted the German Ambassador, Otto Abetz and his embassy staff move millions of French francs through the Bank to finance the military government and the Gestapo High Command. The Embassy account was used for directing Nazi funds to international accounts and financing various anti-semitic activities. Chase had been one of the very few international banks that remained open in occupied Paris and had facilitated the plundering of Jewish art treasures through the German embassy account.
Even though the United States was officially at war with Germany since late 1941, the Directors of Chase Bank cultivated and encouraged Nazi policies in occupied France. A pattern of behaviour was pursued by the Paris branch of Chase to appease and collaborate with German ideals. Carlos Niedermann was applauded by his head office in New York for his vigorous enforcing of restrictions against Jewish property and refusing to release funds belonging to Jews and in all matters complying with the wishes of the occupying authorities. In 1942 Chase Bank was the richest and most powerful financial institution in the United States (if not in the world) and cultivated and valued its intricate connections with Nazi Germany. Through financial transactions and commissions, the bank had earned enormous amounts by amassing finance from Jewish emigres fleeing the Nazi regime. The plunder was facilitated through the Chase network using South America as a conduit for the finance to be re-routed to Germany.
As manager of Chase, Carlos Niedermann, in his mid-thirties, was young to have such a position. He was a career banker and although born in Belgium, he loved living in Paris, and with his French wife he was part of a new social set that fraternised with the German High Command. He enjoyed evenings at either the Ritz or Majestic hotels, also Le Maurice on the Rue de Rivoli, all sequestered for use by the Reich military officers. Here, with his easy charm and obvious power base in Chase Bank, he was sought out as an affable companion and host. Tall and dark haired with a sallow complexion, he always dressed in expensively tailored fashionable suits and with an engaging manner he exuded a natural confidence. His employers in the New York head office were well pleased with his achievements. Following the Heydrich phone call, he sat back and looked out the long windowed view that permitted a glimpse of the Arc de Triumph, from his third floor sanctuary. The door to his office was usually open and he called out to his secretary in the small adjoining room. Madelaine Bridon was a pretty blonde girl of twenty three years of age, above average height, born in France but educated in Munich Germany. She had a business degree in economics, obtained with distinction, and was fluent in English, French and German. She was a highly respected and indispensable executive of the Bank and her boss Niedermann, relied on her to deal with detailed documentation and all secretarial issues. He had full confidence in her ability to support him in the most intricate negotiations. She was admired by the German clientele and her Nordic good looks and flawless German, spoken with a hint of a Bavarian accent endeared her to many of the officers. She was constantly in demand for social engagements and activities but managed to use her charm to politely refuse approaches without offence. Madelaine was a frequent visitor to the Cafe Voisin on the Rue Cambon which was a favourite restau
rant frequented by German officers. She mingled effortlessly with the uniformed occupiers and cultivated their admiration.
Upon entering the manager’s office he motioned to her to be seated. He told her of the impending visit of the SS Chief Heydrich the next morning and he requested that she advise all staff to be sharper than usual and he also told her to attend the meeting in order to lend support when necessary, as he relied on her judgement and business acumen. He told her that he had no idea what the SS Chief had in mind or what business he intended to transact.
Neither did he know that Madelaine was one of the leading members of a French Resistance Group with strong ties to Liberation Nord, involved in sabotage, subterfuge and armed resistance.
EIGHT
PARIS: 1942
At this early morning hour, the Parisian streets were all but deserted. Samuel and his family sat on interfacing wooden seats in the open top military lorry, uncomfortably close to the guarding heavily armed SS soldiers he faced across from Flora and the twin boys, who were ashen faced. The surrounding silence from the stoic SS soldiers added to the intimidation and no reference was made as to their destination. Samuel noted some familiar streets as they sped past. It was a blue sky morning with a slight breeze promising another glorious day, but he was impervious to this comfort. They seemed to be travelling North East and he hoped that they were not bound for Drancy. He had heard of a roundup taking place the previous August when a number of his friends had disappeared, rumoured to have gone to Drancy.
Approximately forty five minutes later, his fears were confirmed. The soldiers quickly dismounted the open truck after it entered the U shaped compound of the Drancy camp. They roughly pulled Flora and the twin boys down onto the dusty ground, Samuel wanting to protect, but knowing this would be useless and merely provoke further violence. The camp was originally designed to hold seven hundred. It was overflowing with more than five thousand by the time the Darius family and their workers arrived mid-morning on the 6th of May. Drancy was under the police control of the French Guards, who instead of showing some level of compassion and understanding to their fellow countrymen, their brutality became legendary. Into this heaving throng of squalid humanity, the Darius family were quickly and roughly deposited. Samuel had tried to reassure Flora during the roundup and on the journey, that these measures were only temporary and that the Germans would eventually, once again, regard their work as an important requirement of the war effort. Deep down, however, he did not believe it, he had no answers for what was happening or why German policy had changed towards his business and family.
Amidst the aimless wandering of the dispossessed in the open courtyard, Samuel sought to keep his family unit together. Finally, he found a small sheltered corner where some solace and comfort could be found. It was now nearly noon and the sweltering heat encouraged the myriad flies to add to their agony. He made a makeshift sun shade from a shirt which he had brought with him and tried to console Flora who was silently weeping. The boys were numbly silent. Maurice, the more athletic of the two, looked challengingly and thought of revenge. Emil sat motionless on his small suitcase containing his violin.
Adjusting to their surroundings, they became aware of the nightmare thrust upon them. Wandering children covered with open sores, suffering from dysentery and diarrhoea, clutching pathetic bundles of clothes and mementoes. Scavenging dogs competed for any discarded scraps. Men and women from all different backgrounds and ages were constantly shifting and moving, seeking out loved ones in shrill and hopeful voices but getting no response. Open sewers ran through the courtyard, and straw bedding was jealously guarded provoking a vicious repulse from any attempted acquisition.
Samuel searched through the meagre possessions which he had hastily grabbed before leaving the factory and was grateful to find some fresh bread and water. He was also relieved to find that he had brought their passports, three in total, one for himself, one for Flora and one for the twin boys Emil and Maurice, as it covered both of their registrations. He was not to know how crucial this was at the time. Samuel knew how much importance and emphasis the German authorities placed upon personal papers and documentation. Still observing the human horror unfolding in front of his eyes, he sat down in the over powering heat with his back to the wall for support and tried to understand how events had escalated and deteriorated so quickly. He remembered when Britain had declared war on 3rd, September 1939 in response to Germany’s invasion of Poland by endorsing its guarantee to that country it had all seemed so far away from peaceful Paris. Even when Hitler was making threatening noises of expansion towards the west, and introducing anti-Semitic legislation, Samuel and his workers were not concerned. The French army was strong and would overcome any attempted invasion. After all, they were told by the French authorities that there was no threat to France and they had the Maginot line to protect them. This was a line of major concrete and steel fortifications together with outposts which France had constructed along its border with Germany to resist and obstruct any possible invasion from the east. Hailed as a marvel of engineering security, it would prove to be an expensively fallacious barrier.
As he now sat in despair in the camp at Drancy, he sighed deeply at the folly of believing that the Maginot line could offer resistance to the German Blitzkreig and the fearsome Panzer tank regiments, which overran France in a matter of weeks and culminated with the occupation of Paris on the 14th of June 1940. The following two years of German rule had seen a gradual erosion of liberties for the Jewish population and he now knew that rumours of re-settlement and liquidation of Jews, was a reality. Even the media and radio reports were confirming that atrocities were taking place in the east.
He heard a harsh voice on a crackling loudspeaker system announce a roll call. This would be the first of many on a daily basis. He slowly got to his feet and helped Flora and the boys join the lines of human detainees to be counted. The roll call was quick and efficient and supervised by the French Police. But as the Darius family returned to their corner, Samuel was mystified because they had not called out Emil’s name. Sitting down, he wondered because there was only one passport for the twins, were they not aware of Emil’s existence?
NINE
PARIS: 1942
Madelaine Bridon was born on Friday 4th of March 1919 in Lyon, south-west France. Her parents were ultra-national and expressed strong views compatible with Christian ideology. Madelaine was the youngest of a family of five and table talk in her formative years was about the state of the nation and general economic issues. She grew up on a diet of political discussion and stories of nationalist influence. The Bridon family were well to do and her father was held in high esteem in business circles, being a prominent silk merchant in the city of Lyon with its proud tradition in that industry.
At an early age, she displayed an aptitude for business and academic achievement. She was encouraged to pursue an economic qualification with a view to entering the family business when completed. She enrolled in the prestigious Ecole de Management de Lyon which was founded in 1872 and was regarded as one of the leading French business schools. Madelaine completed her degree in economics with distinction and she was then offered a two-year executive programme with an accredited college in Germany, the elite Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, which she readily accepted. In Munich, she was a very popular student and she took part in the various forums and social activities where her strong and forthright personality began developing into mature expression. Her time in Munich coincided with the expansion of power of the Nationalist Socialist party who had governed Germany since 1933. The university was a hotbed of political debate where Madelaine found that she was opposed to all of the ideals expressed by the Führer, Adolf Hitler. Being of high principles and passionately believing in a righteous society, she abhorred the fascist propaganda and the thugs that had brought Hitler to power. She founded a small group of like-minded students who clandestinely described Hitler as the most contemptible of tyrants and encourage
d others to oppose his odious policies. This small mixture of radical people developed into an underground movement and they began distributing leaflets which called upon the citizenry of Munich to resist the expansionary policies. Leaflets proclaiming the later sentiments of Sophie Scholl and her brother, subsequent founders of the ‘White Rose’ resistant movement were circulated.
"Civil liberties are being eroded, Jews are non-persons. The Nuremberg laws of 1935 are an outrage to human dignity by you the German people slumbering, you are encouraging these fascist criminals. You will not be exonerated from collective guilt and your conscience will be stained". (Founders of The White Rose movement were executed ).
In the German wave of nationalistic fervour that was sweeping the country at the time and particularly the Bavarian city of Munich, which was the embryonic heart of the Nazi movement, these sentiments were treasonable. It was therefore fortuitous that her academic term was finally completed, once again with distinction and she returned to Lyon and the safety of her family. In the interim period, the family business had expanded and her father had many contacts on a national basis. He had continued to be a man of influence in financial circles and he had gone on monthly trips to Paris where his reputation was copper-fastened as being a man of considerable acumen and wealth. Returning from one of his Parisian trips, he suggested to Madelaine that she gain more experience by securing an executive position in a major bank. She found instant appeal in the possibility of working in Paris, a city she had never visited but had been regaled by the romantic tales and interludes of her contemporaries. It had the lure of enchantment, ’the city of light’, the beacon of fashion excellence merged with the artistic bohemia of the left bank. Encouraged by her positive reaction, he said, “Tomorrow, I will phone my friend Carlos Niedermann, manager of Chase Bank in Paris, and arrange an interview for you. I have transacted much business with him and I am sure that he will be able to secure a place for you’.
A Right to Plunder Page 4