USA Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States This commission, established in 1998, was charged with conducting original research into the fate of assets taken from victims of the Holocaust that came into the possession of the U.S. federal government, reviewing the research done by others regarding assets that came to private collections and non–federal government organizations, and advising the President on policies that should be adopted to make restitution to the rightful owners of stolen property or their heirs. The commission finished its research and presented its final report, "Plunder and Restitution: Findings and Recommendations of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets in the United States and Staff Report," in December 2000. The final report may be found on the commission’s Web site at http://www.pcha.gov/PlunderRestitution.html/html/Home_Contents.html. U.S. Department of State The U.S. Department of State maintains a permanent electronic archive of documents and speeches related to Holocaust-era assets, including the proceedings of the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets. The archive may be found at http://www.state.gov/www/regions/eur/holocausthp.html. National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives Records Administration maintains an extensive collection of archives and has published finding aids to facilitate research on Holocaust-era assets. Contact: 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740-6001 USA http://www.archives.gov/research_room/holocaust_era_assets/ Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group The Nazi War Criminal Records Interagency Working Group was established by Public Law 105-246 in 1998 to identify, recommend for declassification, and provide public access to remaining classified U.S. government records related to Nazi war crimes, war criminals, persecution, and looting. Contact: Steven Garfinkel, Chair David Van Tassel, Staff Director Richard Breitman, Director of Historical Research National Archives and Records Administration 8601 Adelphi Road College Park, MD 20740 USA Telephone: +1 301 713 7230 ext. 231 Fax: +1 301 713 6907 Email: iwg@nara.gov http://www.archives.gov/iwg National Association of Insurance Commissioners The National Association of Insurance Commissioners maintains an International Holocaust Commission Task Force to work toward restituting unpaid insurance claims. It was also fundamental in the creation of the International Commission on Holocaust Era Insurance Claims. Contact: Executive Headquarters 2301 McGee, Suite 800 Kansas City, MO 64108-2604 USA Telephone: + 816 842 3600 http://www.naic.org Activities and organizations listed by individual states American Association of Museums The American Association of Museums (AAM) has established a guideline on ethical obligations of museums concerning the acquisition of Nazi-era objects. The AAM also maintains a Web site concerning Nazi-era provenance, including links to “Guidelines Concerning the Unlawful Appropriation of Objects During the Nazi Era,” issued in November 1999 and updated in April 2001; AAM Recommended Procedures for Providing Information to the Public about Objects Transferred in Europe during the Nazi Era; the Report of the AAM’s Task Force on the Spoliation of Art during the Nazi/World War II Era (1933–1945); and research by many museums about Nazi-era provenance of objects in their collections. This information may be found at http://www.aam-us.org/initiatives/nazi-era/index.cfm Contact: American Association of Museums 1575 Eye Street, NW, Suite 400 Washington, DC 20005 USA Telephone: + 1 202 289 1818 Fax: + 1 202 289 6578 http://www.aam-us.org American Jewish Committee In March 2002, the American Jewish Committee hosted a conference entitled “Anti-Semitism, Holocaust Memory, Property Restitution and Related Issues Confronting the Jewish Communities of Central and Eastern Europe” in Bucharest, Romania. Jewish leaders in NATO-aspirant nations in Eastern Europe offered observations on progress made in property restitution and other issues at the conference. The conference report may be found on the American Jewish Committee’s Web site at http://ajc.org/InTheMedia/Publications.asp?did=492&pid=1162. Contact: National Headquarters The American Jewish Committee Jacob Blaustein Building 165 East 56th Street New York, NY 10022 USA Telephone: +1 212 7514000 Fax: +1 212 838 2120 http://ajc.org Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) The Claims Conference works to secure compensation and restitution for survivors of the Holocaust and heirs of victims. Since 1951, working in partnership with the State of Israel, the conference has negotiated and distributed payments from Germany, Austria, other governments, and certain industries; recovered unclaimed German Jewish property; and funded programs to assist the neediest Jewish victims of Nazism. Contact: In the USA: 15 East 26th Street, Room 906 New York, NY 10010 USA Telephone: 1-212-696-4944 Fax: 1-212-679-2126 E-mail: info@claimscon.org In Israel: 18 Gruzenberg Street P.O.B. 29254 65251 Tel Aviv, Israel Telephone: 03-517-9247/48/49 Fax: 03-510-0906 E-mail: infodesk@claimscon.org.il In Austria: Desider Friedmann-Platz 1 A-1010 Vienna, Austria Telephone: 1-533-1622 Fax: 1-533-1623 E-mail: claims.conf.Vienna@solution.at In Germany: Sophienstrasse 26 60487 Frankfurt am Main, Germany Telephone: 69-970-7080 Fax: 69-9707-0811 E-mail: lange@claims-frankfurt.de http://www.claimscon.org/ Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal The Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal (NEPIP), created by the American Associations of Museums (AAM), is a searchable registry of objects of collections in US museums. This portal is free of charge and is designed to aid people in their search for lost or stolen objects during the Nazi era 1933 - 1945 from Continental Europe. The portal can be found at the following Web site: www.nepip.org Contact: Erik Ledbetter, Project Manager Nazi-Era Provenance Internet Portal American Association of Museums 1575 Eye St. NW Washington, DC 20005 Email: nepip@aam-us.org Telephone: +1 202-289-9121 Fax: +1 202-289-6578 The Simon Wiesenthal Center Established in 1977, the Simon Wiesenthal Center closely interacts on an ongoing basis with a variety of public and private agencies, meeting with elected officials, the U.S. and foreign governments, diplomats, and heads of state. The Simon Wiesenthal Center maintains a Web site relating to restitution of Holocaust assets, particularly in Swiss, Swedish, French, and British banks, and insurance claims, which may be found at http://www.wiesenthal.com/swiss/index.cfm. The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s searchable database of dormant Swiss bank accounts may be found at http://www.wiesenthal.com/swiss/swissquery.cfm. Contact: 1399 South Roxbury Drive Los Angeles, CA 90035 USA Telephone: + 310 553 9036 + 800 900 9036 (toll-free from within the U.S.) Fax: + 310 553 4521 Email: information@wiesenthal.net http://www.wiesenthal.com American Red Cross Holocaust and War Victims Tracing and Information Center Central Maryland Red Cross is the headquarters for a tracing service for the victims of the Holocaust and World War II. The Holocaust and War Victims Tracing and Information Center (HWVTIC) acts as a national clearinghouse for inquiries made by people separated from family and friends during the Nazi reign of terror in eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Volunteers and staff at the center coordinate with local Red Cross chapters throughout the country and with Red Cross societies throughout the world to help individuals looking for answers regarding the fate of lost loved ones and/or to obtain proof of internment necessary for reparations. The HWVTIC obtains its information from archives throughout the world, including the International Tracing Service in Arolsen, Germany. All services of the HWVTIC are free and strict confidentiality is maintained. Contact: Linda Cauthen Klein, Director 4700 Mount Hope Drive Baltimore, MD 21215 USA Telephone: +1 410 764 5311 Fax: +1 410 764 7664 Email: lklein@arc-cmc.org http://www.redcross-cmd.org/Chapter/holocaust.html B’nai B’rith International Headquarters B’nai B’rith has created an educational campaign for Holocaust compensation, provides assistance in completing claim forms, and provides representation to legislators on behalf of Holocaust claims or compensation recipients. Contact: 2020 K Street, NW, 7th floor Washington, DC 20006 USA Telephone: +1 202 857 6600 Fax: +1 202 857 1099 Legislative Activities of the 108th Congress Legislative Activities of the 107th Congress Legislative Activities of the 106th and 105th Congresses Information on bills introduced to Congress during their 105th and 106th sessions may be searched for on Legislative Search Service of the Library of Congress at http://thomas.loc.gov/. Conferences The United States participated in the London Conference on Nazi Gold. The United States participated in the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets. Proceedings of the Washington Conference may be found at http://www.state.gov/www/regions/eur/holocaust/heac.html. The United States participated in the Vilnius International Forum on Holocaust Era Looted Cultural Assets. Proceedings of the Vilnius Forum may be found at http://www.vilniusforum.lt/proceedings/index.htm.