A Right to Plunder

by Brendan O'Neill

  Madelaine remembered Otto Abetz for different reasons. He had assisted in the plundering of her beloved Paris of priceless works of art and other artefacts which were all shipped back to Berlin by train. He was also a highly regarded diplomat in the German foreign office, and he held the rank of Standartfuhrer in the SS. He sought full collaboration from the French but she remembered him primarily for the seizure and looting of paintings and sculpture together with the issuing of false propaganda. Abetz had very close communication with the Gestapo and was instrumental in arranging deportation of Jews to Drancy, knowing that this action led to their annihilation. She continued, “One of our functions is to assist in the relocation of displaced persons who seek assistance in tracing their forfeited possessions and personal data. As you will understand, this is a very demanding and onerous task in these days of confusion in relation to those requests received from Austrian sources”. His response was immediately forthcoming. “I am only too pleased to proffer whatever guidance I can extend to my fellow Austrians through your offices when required”. Sensing that the conversation was going in the right direction, she said, “Occasionally we receive requests from ex-servicemen with Austrian backgrounds who seek our support and wish to avoid any confusion that may arise with the new authorities”. “I understand perfectly”. Hudal responded. Madelaine continued speaking in a general fashion and wanted to ask the question about the whereabouts of Brunner but no such opportunity arose in the conversation and in any case, she felt that he would not disclose whether or not he had received any communication. Finally, she was about to terminate the call when a glimmer of hope came unexpectedly. “I will pass your information and details to my Secretariat which is headed by Sister Marte, who is also Austrian by birth, and she will be most helpful to you in all respects”. With that, Hudal thanked her for telephoning and hung up.

  Madelaine thought deeply about what was said and mentally she promised herself to be more direct when she spoke to Sister Marte the next day. She hoped that it would not be too late.

  THIRTY THREE

  HAMBURG: 1945

  The journey from Southern Germany to Hamburg had been a combination of hitchhiking in trucks of all descriptions, exhaustive walking, and short train journeys when available. Coming through the outskirts of Berlin had not been their choice but they had been offered a lift in a lorry convoy manned by SS all the way from Leipzig directly to the capital. The convoy had stopped many times on that tiring journey. Occasionally, the heavily armed soldiers dismounted from the lorries and on the side of the road accosted dishevelled soldiers and peremptorily shot some of them on the spot. Maria and Anna soon learned from the stilted conversations that these soldiers were a killing squad of an SS unit ordered to execute on sight anyone deserting or fleeing their posts. These were battle hardened soldiers and their conversations were mixed with references to their exploits on the Russian front and the Armageddon that faced them when the Red Army reached Berlin. They still believed in their Führer and would honour their loyalty oath with their lives. They were constantly on the lookout for ‘fahnenfluchtigen’, deserters, whom they executed without a thought; they were fanatical. They laughed when someone mentioned die endlosung der Judenfrage, the ‘final solution to the Jewish question’. It was becoming obvious to Maria that these Waffen SS men were members of the Einsatzgruppen, killer squads which she had heard her brother Reinhardt often speak about. He had said that their mission was the most difficult as they were to come into the conquered territories after the Wehrmacht and expunge the partisan civilian population. No mercy was to be shown and a systematic cleansing of ‘undesirables’ was to be ruthlessly carried out. Even among the other ranks of the SS, their excesses were talked about. There were occasions, sitting in the lorry surrounded by these SS men, that Maria was tempted to disclose her real surname. How they would react, she wondered. But as she thought about it, she began to relive the terror that had made her flee Berlin in the first place. The message from an SS source had been very clear: her life was in mortal danger which she just could not comprehend. It had been transmitted to her with impeccable SS credentials, so there was no doubt as to its authenticity. Now, returning to Berlin, the fear and terror resurfaced. She wanted to put the city behind her as quickly as possible.

  The back of the canvas-covered lorry was uncomfortable but the soldiers had proffered up the best corner seats for the mother and daughter. They had even given them a great-coat to shield against the cold chill April air. They were dropped at the outskirts of Berlin, on the North Western suburbs, with hastened goodbyes and Heil Hitler salutes. This was fortunate as it was on their direction for Hamburg. The SS had given them some food rations but by the time they arrived at the address in Hamburg they were at the end of human endurance.

  Alois Brunner watched her open the door from his vantage point across the street. He had waited a long time for this moment and had kept a lonely fixed vigil and only succumbing to snatches of sleep. He noted that she looked a lot like Heydrich, tall and fair-skinned and, even in shabby clothing, she retained a certain stature. He turned from the window to pour himself a drink and thought, I will give her a few hours to settle in, relax and then I will kill her, he smiled to himself. If he had stayed at the window observing Maria for one minute longer, he would have seen Anna following her into the building.

  THIRTY FOUR

  BASEL: 1946

  When Alois Brunner stood outside the anonymous-looking six-storey building in Centralbahnplatz, Basel, he was surprised to find that this was the headquarters of the Bank for International Settlements. A former hotel (Savoy Hotel Univers) its grey dull exterior gave no hint of financial power within. There was no nameplate or other identifying features to disclose that this small building, on its second floor, housed the Central Bank for all Central banks in Europe. This was one of the most powerful financial institutions in the world.

  The Bank for International Settlements was founded in 1930 and during the pre-war and war years had been totally sympathetic to Hitler’s regime. The Board of Directors reflected a heavy Nazi representation. One director was also on the board of I.G. Farben, the company that had supplied Zyklon B gas for the annihilation of the Jews in Auschwitz. There was a suspicion in banking circles that the bank had accepted plundered loot from occupied Europe and had also promoted close corporate liaisons with American industrialists.

  Its Chairman was an American, Thomas McKittrick, a Harvard graduate, who had strong links with espionage and diplomatic stations throughout Europe. Some of the gold reserves of Czechoslovakia and Austria, when those countries were annexed by Germany, had been lodged with the Bank. Under Swiss law, the bank could not be sued, nor could Swiss officials even enter the building. The bank was suspected of being a conduit for the German Reichsbank to accept looted gold and other treasures confiscated from prisoners. A spider's web of intrigue connected this bank with the odious activities of the Third Reich. Brunner knew that the head of the Reichsbank, Walter Puhl, was also a director of the Bank for International Settlements. He had financed the SS in their requirements for building concentration camps and had also toured and inspected these camps to ensure their completion.

  Brunner had aged considerably in the previous eighteen months. Gone was the arrogant swagger so accustomed to high-ranking uniformed officers, replaced by a furtive shuffle acquired by evading the new triumphant forces and their documentation requirements throughout Germany. He had carefully stayed within the Western Allies zone and avoided the Russian areas at any cost. He had criss-crossed the defeated Reich many times dressed in shabby civilian clothing, managing to elude inspection on several occasions. Surviving on food scraps and keeping in the shadows, his appearance had lost the strong rugged features so notable on his SS file. Now a semi balding, hunched figure of medium build with pale skin, he was virtually unidentifiable from the recent past. Only the cold brown eyes betrayed the inner soul of relentless steel.

  The capture of the Reich Führer SS, Heinr
ich Himmler in northern Germany and his subsequent suicide, had unnerved Brunner, as had the Nuremberg Trials which were attracting enormous publicity throughout Germany and internationally. Also, the German foreign minister, Joachim Von Ribbentrop, had been captured in Hamburg, confirming the relentless pursuit by the Allies of former National Socialists. The detritus of humanity emerging from concentration camps and their revelations left him in no doubt as to his fate if he should fall into the victor’s clutches.

  As he looked across the road from the railway station at this decrepit building, he saw that the entrance was through a small doorway marked ‘Frey's Chocolate Shop'. Never could he have thought that this was the headquarters of one of the most powerful financial institutions in Europe. Here, they made decisions affecting international currencies, the price of gold, and could also influence interest rates. Monetary policies were primary concerns and decisions on national levels regarding foreign exchange reserves were often the aim for consensus agreement among the directors. Swiss banks were notoriously secretive and he knew from SS colleagues that they were used as depositaries for plundered riches. Their deviant silence and non communication regarding their assets provided sanctuary for stolen loot and booty.

  He took a deep breath and clutching the SS emblazoned leather folder containing the secrets of Heydrich’s ambition, he slowly and apprehensively approached the building across the empty street.

  THIRTY FIVE

  HAMBURG: 1946

  Radio Hamburg was the only radio station functioning in Germany after the war. The Hamburg Radio Orchestra was being formed with the initiative coming from the British occupation forces, spearheaded by Major Jim Herrin. He was convinced that Anna was a prodigy in the musical world. She had grown in confidence ever since that fateful evening when Hans had brought her to the barracks and she had enthralled the assembled crew. She had a mature appreciation for the works of Bruckner, Beethoven and Liszt. Her long elegant fingers seemed to be intuitively in time with the composition she was playing on the violin. Her interpretation of the complexity of Richard Wagner's operatic harmonies seemed to come effortlessly and when Major Herrin came to formulating the orchestra, he considered her to be an automatic choice as one of the leading violinists.

  Her guardian, Hans, was immensely proud of her and when he got the news that she had been selected as a member of the newly formed orchestra which was to give its first recital in November, he celebrated by giving her a hug and calling her mein schatzchen, my treasure – she was now the daughter he never had.

  Over the past months, as he got to know her better, he gently probed about her background but she seemed to have no recollection of her mother’s gruesome death or the circumstances leading to it. She had spoken of the arduous journey, which had seemed endless, across Germany and the associated terror-filled days and nights. Sometimes when she practised playing the violin at home, she mentioned her uncle Rheini who had obviously taught her all she knew, but Hans never bothered to enquire as to uncle Rheini surname, which if known would have added to the mystery.

  The British forces acted with urgency to get the Hamburg radio station functioning again. They saw it as part of a denazification and re-education policy as they broadcast light music and relayed messages for displaced persons. It was also broadcast that the renowned Yehudi Menuhin would play in November as a soloist. Anna’s star was in the ascendency.

  THIRTY SIX

  ROME: 1946

  About the time that Alois Brunner was crossing the road into the chocolate shop that fronted the entrance to the Bank for International Settlements in Basel, Madeleine Bridon was finishing her telephone conversation with Sister Marte in the Vatican. She had periodically kept in touch with Bishop Hudal's secretary knowing that Brunner would inevitably make contact again in an attempt to secure emigration papers. Since the cessation of hostilities, she had continued her civic work in Paris and had also joined an organisation named UNRRA, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. This was a humanitarian agency representing forty four Allied Nations to help the millions of concentration camp refugees who were starving and dispossessed.

  Because of her work with UNRRA, Madelaine travelled extensively throughout France and the fractured remains of Germany. The rancid smell of decaying humanity hung like a pall over defeated Germany. The challenge to provide medicine and food supplies seemed hopelessly overwhelming as the destroyed cities seethed with the skeletal images of displaced persons thrusting registration cards to struggling soup kitchen helpers. Europe was a continent of nomads and cemeteries where personal safety was perilous. Madeleine had to be exceptionally careful as plunder and rape were evident everywhere, trust was nonexistent with self preservation being prominent in everyone’s thoughts.

  The newsreel films showing the liberating troops of American and British soldiers being greeted by adoring, relieved crowds obscured a reality that these troops brought with them further hardships in the form of disease, incidents of violation and criminal behaviour. To the majority of citizens the liberation was often another type of forced occupation. Millions of soldiers from the retreating to the advancing armies had drained the population of the occupied countries. Whole factories and industrial units had been dismantled and sent to Germany, and the labour force totally depleted. Makeshift camps had sprung up to house displaced persons having minimal survival rations. Madelaine encountered thousands of Jewish survivors of the camps and ghettoes, confused, angry but grateful to have escaped the genocide. Most were reluctant to go back to their homelands but nurtured a desire to travel to British controlled Palestine where they had been promised a national homeland under the ‘Balfour Declaration’ in 1917. But this aspiration proved elusive as Britain feared Arab hostility in the region that would upset their fragile colonial hold. So, for them the shadow world of deprivation was set to continue.

  She had just finished speaking to Sister Marte when she received a telephone call at her Paris office from the training headquarters of UNRRA based in Granville, Normandy, telling her that she was required in Rome as soon as possible. Humanitarian aid was considered the preserve of women and someone of Madelaine’s calibre and experience was always in demand.

  Italy was one of UNRRA’s major aid recipients having received some 420 million U.S. dollars in aid during 1946, and having over 4,000 staff alone in the country. The Italian economy was as catastrophic as Germany's with widespread disease, particularly dysentery and tuberculosis from lack of medical supplies. Transport was a major problem as roads, bridges and railroads were all but unusable. It was into this maelstrom of chaos that Madelaine was sent and expected to apply her administration talents. But her agenda had an added dimension, she welcomed the assignment to Rome as it enabled her to make close contact with The Vatican and hopefully a connection with the whereabouts of Alois Brunner. Her aide put a note on her desk advising that the heavily laden transport plane which was to take her to Rome was being prepared at Orly airport and she would have to leave immediately.

  The city of Rome had been declared an open city on August 14th 1943. This status accepted that the city was defenceless. Consequently, it was spared the bombing annihilation of other cities and retained its historical fabric and architectural heritage. Italy subsequently withdrew from the war on Sept. 8th 1943, changing sides and incurring the disdain of both the Allies and Germans.

  Madelaine hurriedly put some medical requisition forms into a bag to bring with her. The new ‘wonder drug’ was penicillin and anticipating the casualty list awaiting her in Rome, she intended to procure sufficient quantities to distribute. She thought how ironic it was that if penicillin had been available as an antibiotic in May 1942 it would most likely have saved the life of Reinhardt Heydrich.

  THIRTY SEVEN

  BASEL: 1946

  When Alois Brunner was brought up the narrow stairway to the first floor of the shabby building that housed the Bank of International Settlements, the pert young female secretary that escorted him
was unsure whether she should permit access to this somewhat dishevelled figure. However his courteous manner and distinctive German with Austrian accent overtones allayed her initial caution. She ushered him into a sunlit waiting room, commodiously but comfortably furnished, and announced that the executive manager would attend to him shortly.

  Brunner had done his research on this Bank. He knew that its sympathies were with the National Socialist Regime during the war. Its prominent directors had been Walter Funk and Emil Puhl, both leading figures in the Third Reich. Also on the Board of Directors was Hermann Schmitz who was associated with I.G. Farben, in fact he was the Chief Executive Officer who oversaw the supply of Zyklon B gas for the extermination camps. In addition, he had met briefly in 1941, Baron Von Schroder, another Director, a very influential figure who had facilitated the banking activities of the Gestapo. The present manager was French and he knew that his loyalty had been with the Nazi regime. He also knew that the bank had been the beneficiary of 23 tons of gold plundered from Czechoslovakia after the invasion by the Reich. They had also accepted ‘remelted gold', the source being the ghettos and death camps. Heydrich had chosen well. This bank was untouchable, outside the legal jurisdictions of all states. In this atmosphere, he permitted himself to relax and trust his instincts.