740.00119 EW/9–1145: Telegram
The Acting Secretary of State to the United States Political Adviser for Germany (Murphy)
496. Urtel 499 Sept ll.49 Dept appreciates your efforts re return to Belgium of Van Eyck triptych50 and arrangements for initiating similar restitution to other liberated Allied countries. Arrangements approved for admission American zone of French, Belgian, Dutch and Russian fine art representatives and Dept supports your advice to MFASA that Polish and Czech representatives be invited since program for cultural restitution should be expanded as possible to include all interested United Nations.
Also concur in policy of making former belligerents “wait in line” for return of removed art objects until program for liberated Allied countries sufficiently developed. Until time when return of cultural objects to these countries begun, restitution should be limited to objects having mainly religious Significance or use, such as Holy Right Hand of St. Stephen which recently returned to Budapest. Dept believes no return of imperial regalia should now be made to Hungary or Austria, nor should bodies mentioned urtel be handed to Germans.
Devolution of responsibility for handling art objects on representatives of receiving governments and absolution AMG51 from any claim for deterioration or otherwise approved. Dept, however, does not concur in inclusion in receipts of proviso that any sum paid by Germans for returned art objects will be credited against reparation claim of receiving government. Resolution of this question can more appropriately be made coincident with examination and discussion of reparations claims to be submitted by invited governments.
- Not printed.↩
- The Ghent Altarpiece, “The Adoration of the Lamb”, from the Church of St. Bavon, was discovered at the large Austrian underground repository, the Salzbergbau at Alt-Aussee. For a description of the return of this item to Belgium, see Roberts Commission Report, pp. 140–141, 147–149.↩
- Allied Military Government.↩