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As the Safehaven program developed, especially as its instrumentation came to depend upon the negotiation of treaties between the Government of the United States and individual neutrals, or between the British and American Governments and the neutrals, the American Embassy in London became the chief center of the program's activities in Europe.
The Economic Warfare Division of the Embassy was organized in March 1942, "to establish a more intimate liaison between the manifold economic warfare activities centered in the Ministry of Economic Warfare (BEW) and comparable activities in the United States Government." {Note 1} The division developed as an operating agency, taking active part in programs, after the termination of the war, became of special significance in the Safehaven program. For example, the division assisted in the formulation of the Blockade program, its personnel being represented on the Blockade Committee on equal terms with the British. This committee dealt with the concrete job of handling permits and of defining contraband. The work of its membership based on data furnished by other agencies of government resulted in the Proclaimed Lists--important themselves for Safehaven program purposes.
The division worked with MEW in planning new war trade agreements. As early as 1942 the British and Americans started conversations with Sweden and Switzerland relative to re-negotiating purchase-supply contracts on the basis of Allied war needs and war aims.
The division also had a Pre-Emptive Committee, {Note 2} its chief concern being to watch matters pertaining to the preclusive purchase program undertaken by the United States Commercial Company, and the United Kingdom Commercial Corporation in Spain, Portugal, Turkey, and the Near East. {Note 3}
The Division's Enemy Objectives Unit, staffed with Office of Economic Warfare and Office of Strategic Services personnel, was responsible for procuring, analyzing, and distributing economic intelligence procurable in Great Britain and in Europe and desired by processing and operating agencies in Washington, DC.
When the Safehaven program began to operate in a practical way--intelligence gathering in neutral Europe and trade negotiations with neutrals for Safehaven objectives, the American Embassy in London became the clearing house between the United States and its operators in Europe. Cables for agents in the neutral countries and from them, clearing through the Embassy. The staff there acted in both directive and advisory capacities. With the end of the war, the Embassy became the focal point for negotiations between civilian operating agencies of the United States and the American Military Government of Germany and Italy. {Note 4}
General Records 1936-1945, 1948-1954; 1955 (Entry 2599A)
Boxes 1-491 location: 350/58/17/04
Box 324A location: 350/58/27/05 (labeled as Entry 2599B)
Boxes 1-491 location: 350/58/17/04
1942
Box # File # File Title or Subject
219 711.2 Economic Warfare General
711.2 Diamond Committee
711.2 Jewelry Control
711.3 Economic Warfare
711.3 Private Property of US Citizens
711.3 Trading With Enemy location: 350/58/22/01
220 711.6 General
711.6 Jewish Atrocities location: 350/58/22/01
220-221 800 Political Reports location: 350/58/22/01
233 850 Economic Matters (9 folders)
location: 350/58/22/03
235 850.6 Insurance location: 350/58/22/03
238 851.51 Portuguese Exchange
851.6 Bank for International Settlements
851.7 Bearer Securities location: 350/58/22/03
1943
Box # File # File Title or Subject
257 711 UNRRA location: 350/58/22/06
258 711 Sweden
711.1 Neutrality, Neutrals
711.2 Neutral Commerce (2 folders)
711.3 General location: 350/58/22/01
262-265 800 Political Reports location: 350/58/22/06
268 840.3 Fine Arts location: 350/58/23/01
269 848 Relief, Refugees location: 350/58/23/01
270 850 Economic Matters location: 350/58/23/01
271 850.31 American-Owned Property, Census of in Foreign Countries location: 350/58/23/01
272 850.6 Insurance
851 Financial Conditions location: 350/58/23/01
274 851.6 Banking location: 350/58/23/02
1944
Box # File # File Title or Subject
278 121.8 Mission Re Flight of Axis Capital
location: 350/58/23/02
281 690 Industrial Diamonds and Diamond Committee
700 General location: 350/58/23/03
284 711 Political Intelligence Summary (Foreign Office)
711.1 Neutrality
711.1 Ireland (Erie)
711.2 General File location: 350/58/23/03
285 711.3 Trading With Enemy location: 350/58/23/03
286 711.6 War Crimes (2 folders) location: 350/58/23/03
286-290 800 Political Reports location: 350/58/23/03
294 840.3 Preservation of Works of Art location: 350/58/23/04
295-296 848 Relief, Refugees location: 350/58/23/05
296-297 850 Economic Matters location: 350/58/23/05
297 850 Germany-Economic Policy Towards
850.31 Census of American-Owned Property
location: 350/58/23/05
299 851.5 Bretton Woods Monetary Agreement
851.5 Gold Purchases location: 350/58/23/05
304 891 Censorship location: 350/58/23/06
1945
Box # File # File Title or Subject
312-313 690 Industrial Diamonds location: 350/58/23/07
313 710 Arab-Jewish Relations location: 350/58/23/07
319 711.3 Custodian of Enemy Property
location: 350/58/24/01
319-321 711.3 Safehaven location: 350/58/24/01
325-330 800 Political Reports location: 350/58/24/02
337 824 Argentina
840.3 Fine Arts location: 350/58/24/04
339 848 Relief Measures
848 Refugees location: 350/58/24/04
340 848 UNRRA location: 350/58/24/04
340-343 850 Economic Matters location: 350/58/24/04
343 850 Currie Mission location: 350/58/24/04
345-347 851 Financial Conditions location: 350/58/24/05
348 851.5 Exchange (Financial)
851.6 Bank for International Settlements
851.6 Portugal
854 Patents-Copyrights location: 350/58/24/05
349 860.2 Cartels location: 350/58/24/05
353 871 Mail Censorship
873 Censorship location: 350/58/24/06
1948
Box # File # File Title or Subject
381 840.3 Looted Art, et al
848 Displaced Persons (2 folders) location: 350/58/25/03
382 848 UNRRA location: 350/58/25/03
387 850 Reparations (5 folders) location: 350/58/25/04
Classified General Records (Confidential File) 1937-1954 (Entry 2600A)
Boxes 1-351 location: 350/58/28/04
1941
Box # File # File Title or Subject
6 820.2 Nazi Activities in Latin America
820.2 Nazi Activities in Uruguay
820.2 Czech Refugees location: 350/58/28/04
1942
Box # File # File Title or Subject
7 631 Britain-Turkey
701 Spanish Diplomats and Axis Powers
711 French North Africa (3 folders) location: 350/58/28/04
8 711 Political Warfare Directives
800 Germany
800 France (Vichy) location: 350/58/28/05
10 871 Censorship [including intercepts] (3 folders) location: 350/58/28/05
1943
Box # File # File Title or Subject
12 121.8 OSS (General)
711 Political Intelligence (OSS)
711 Stockholm Cables
711 Joint Intelligence Committee
820.2 American Intelligence Committee location: 350/58/28/05
14 820.2 Anglo-American Emergency Committee location: 350/58/28/05
16 871 Postal Intercepts location: 350/58/28/05
1944
Box # File # File Title or Subject
17 703 American Interests
710 Arab-Jewish Relations
710 Portugal location: 350/58/28/06
19 711 Political Warfare Directives
711 Stockholm Cables
711.1 Eire [Ireland]
711.2 Switzerland
711.2 Swedish War Trade Agreement location: 350/58/28/06
20-21 800 Political Reports location: 350/58/28/06
21 811.1 Safe Conduct: German Embassy to Holy See
location: 350/58/28/06
22 824 Strategic Materials (Switzerland)
840.1 Jewry
840.3 Preservation of Works of Art location: 350/58/28/07
23 848 Refugees
850 Economic Activities of International Cartels
850 Executive Committee on Economic Foreign Policy
850 Economic Mission (Mitchell-Jackson)
850 Economic Mission
850 Germany-Economic Policy Towards location: 350/58/28/07
24 850 Support Purchase Program for Turkey
850.1 Economic Surveys
879.6 Lufthansa
879.6 Portuguese location: 350/58/28/07
1945
Box # File # File Title or Subject
26 710 Allied Control Commission for Germany location: 350/58/28/07
27 710 Britain-Spain
710 Britain-Germany, Hungary, Italy location: 350/58/28/07
28 711.1 Switzerland
711.3 Safehaven (3 folders) location: 350/58/28/07
30 711.6 War Crimes
800 German Documents
800 Germany
800 Hungary location: 350/58/29/01
30-31 800 Political Reports location: 350/58/29/01
31 840.3 Preservation of Works of Art
850 European Neutrals Committee
32 850 Reparations and Restitution
850 Support Purchase Program-Turkey
850 Article VII-Cartels and Monopolies location: 350/58/29/01
33 871 Postal Intercepts location: 350/58/29/01
1946
Box # File # File Title or Subject
34 124.6 War History Reports location: 350/58/29/01
38 500 UNO Refugees location: 350/58/29/02
44 711 Political Warfare
711 British Political Intelligence Summary (3 folders)
711 Political Directives
711.3 Safehaven (2 folders) location: 350/58/29/03
44-47 711.3 Safehaven location: 350/58/29/03
47-49 711.6 War Criminals location: 350/58/29/03
50-58 800 Political Reports location: 350/58/29/04
63 840.1 Jews
848 Displaced Persons location: 350/58/29/05
64 848 Refugees (2 folders)
848 Relief
848 UNRRA location: 350/58/29/06
64-67 850 Economic Matters location: 350/58/29/06
67 850 Reparations
850 copy of "Final Report on the Paris Conference on Reparation, November 9, 1945-December 21, 1945, submitted to the Secretary of State by James W. Angell, U.S. Representative, Allied Commission on Reparation- Germany, February 18, 1946 location: 350/58/29/06
68 850 Reparations (4 folders) location: 350/58/29/06
1947
Box # File # File Title or Subject
97 711 Political Intelligence (2 folders)
711.3 Trading With Enemy-Safehaven
711.3 Safehaven [all on Henkel and CIE, GmbH]
location: 350/58/30/03
98-99 711.6 War Crimes location: 350/58/30/03
116 840.3 Looted Art location: 350/58/30/06
118-120 848 Relief, Refugees location: 350/58/30/06
124-125 850 Reparations location: 350/58/30/07
125-128 850 Reparations-Safehaven location: 350/58/30/07
133 851.6 Exchange, banks
854 Patents (3 folders) location: 350/58/31/01
1948
Box # File # File Title or Subject
156-157 711 Political Intelligence location: 350/58/31/05
170 840.3 Looted Art
848 Relief, Refugees location: 350/58/31/07
174-175 850 Reparations location: 350/58/31/07
176 854 Patents (2 folders) location: 350/58/32/01
Security-Classified General Records 1945 (Entry 2600C)
Boxes 323-324 location: 350/58/35/05
Secret General Records 1937-1955 (Entry 2601)
Box 1A location: 350/59/1/03
Top Secret General Records 1948-1955 (Entry 2602)
Box 1 location: 350/59/1/03
Top Secret Subject File 1946-1947 (Entry 2602A)
Boxes 1-2 location: 350/59/3/05
Records Maintained by Ambassador John G. Winant 1938-1946 (Entry 2603)
John Gilbert Winant served as the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain in 1941, and served in that capacity until 1946.
Boxes 1-8 location: 350/59/1/03
Box # File Title
1 Economic Matters
2 Germany
3 Jews
5 Palestine
5 Portugal
6 Refugees
8 World Jewish Congress
{1}Return to text Clarke, "Safehaven Study," p. 106. The division was headed first by Winfield Riefler and then by William T. Stone, both of the Foreign Economic Administration (FEA), and it was staffed by FEA, State Department, and Office of Strategic Services personnel. ibid., p. 106n.65.
{2}Return to text According to Margaret Clarke "Since the preclusive files were later to yield rich clues to Germany's post-war penetration plans, the work of the committee with regard to preclusion was of considerable long-range significance." Clarke, "Safehaven Study," pp. 107-108.
{3}Return to text Besides a blockade the British took measures to restrict the flow of good into Germany by means of control at the source. Exports from the Commonwealth and Empire were subject to licensing control from early in the war and in January 1940 the United Kingdom Commercial Corporation was established to make pre-emptive purchases of strategic goods to prevent them from falling into enemy hands and this practice was greatly extended from the summer of 1940. The United Kingdom Commercial Corporation handled the purchase and sale of goods from neutral countries, particularly Turkey, Spain, and Portugal. The United States Government would take similar measure once it entered the war, with the United States Commercial Company and other companies.
{4}Return to text Clarke, "Safehaven Study," pp. 108-109.
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