862.403/9–1745
The British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (Bevin) to the Secretary of State
Dear Mr. Byrnes: In your letter of 1st August,47 which you wrote to me from Potsdam, you mentioned, among other things, that it was contemplated that works of art, in the United States Zone of Germany, which were the bona fide property of German citizens or institutions, would be shipped as rapidly as possible to the United States for care and safe keeping, for which adequate facilities do not exist in Germany.
I very much hope that you will be willing to reconsider this suggestion. It seems to me open to a number of important objections. In particular—
- (1)
- The removal of German art treasures to an allied country in this way would be likely to arouse quite unnecessary ill feeling among Germans and make the task of the Controlling Authorities more difficult.
- (2)
- The allied countries might also feel resentful, since, although there is no agreed allied policy on the matter, they are counting on obtaining some of these art objects as replacement in kind for some of their own looted art treasures which cannot be found.
- (3)
- The transport of these art objects overseas and their subsequent return would seriously endanger them and might result in the deterioration of many.
I note that you say there are no adequate facilities in Germany for their safe-keeping. I am bound to say, however, that this does not accord with my information and I suggest that the matter should be [Page 950] very carefully investigated before any action of the kind you mention is taken. Indeed I should have thought that this was a matter of such importance that it ought to be the subject of agreement in the Control Council before the policy is put into effect.
Yours sincerely,