Records of the Internal and External Finance Group and Its Predecessors (RG 260) [Theaters of Operations Records]


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View a note on military records arrangement
Records of Predecessor Branches

Correspondence and Related Records of the Foreign Exchange Policy Group 1945-48
                    Boxes 265-267 location: 390/46/6/01

Foreign Exchange and Blocking Control Branch

The Foreign Exchange and Blocking Control Branch had as its responsibilities the blocking, administering, and disposing of certain categories of property within Germany, and of controlling the use of foreign exchange assets. In order to achieve the financial controls necessary for the attainment of Allied objectives in Germany, two basic laws were imposed upon the occupied areas of Germany and made effective as of the day of such occupation. These were Military Government Law No. 52 (Blocking Control Law) and Military Government Law No. 53 (Foreign Exchange Control Law). Having been in effect throughout the SHAEF occupation period, they remained in force in the US Zone as well as the British and French Zones. Similar controls implemented by somewhat parallel laws were in effect in the Russian Zone.

The controls were put into effect to ensure German firms and individuals could not participate in international cartels or other restrictive contracts and arrangements. Military Government Law No. 53 prohibited any financial transactions involving persons inside Germany with any persons outside Germany, provided for the declaration of all German external claims, provided for the delivery and surrender of all foreign exchange assets to the various local Reichsbanks which in turn furnished full information concerning such assets to the Military Government, and prohibited the importation of all currency and foreign exchange assets into Germany and the exportation of all values from Germany. The law also contained provisions for the licensing of prohibited transactions, thus offering the possibility for a resumption of normal foreign exchange transactions, insofar as they were in accord with the objectives of the Military Government.

Military Government Law No. 52 was promulgated upon the occupation of Germany. This law blocked all property owned or controlled directly or indirectly in whole or in part by the Reich or any political subdivision or agency thereof, the Nazi Party and affiliated organizations, all persons who were high in the political and economic life of Germany, and persons residing outside of Germany. Moreover, property which had been the subject of transfer under duress or wrongful acts and confiscation was also blocked. The Law not only blocked the property but also gave to the Military Government the right to seize, take title to, and manage or control any such property. Another provision of the Law prohibited all transactions in blocked property except as licensed by the Military Government.

Records of the Foreign Exchange and Blocking Control Branch of the Foreign Exchange  Policy Group 1945-48 

        Boxes 268-294 location: 390/46/6/01
        Box #  File Title or Subject
        268  Absentee Ownership-Military Government Law 52
                                Absentee Ownership
                Accounts Blocked under Military Government Law 52
                Accounts Blocked under Military Government Law 53
location: 390/46/6/01
        269  Administration of Military Government in U.S. Zone
                American Insurance in Foreign Countries
                Assets, Allied, in Germany location: 390/46/6/01
        270  Austrian Securities
                Bank Accounts (2 folders)
                Bank Decentralization (2 folders)
                Bank Deutsche Laender
                Bank Land Control location: 390/46/6/01
        271  Bank of England Account
                Banking
                Banks and Financial Institutions (2 folders) location: 390/46/6/01
        272  Belgium
                Blocked Accounts (2 folders)
                Blocking-Unblocking location: 390/46/6/02
        273  Blocking Procedures
                Blocking and Unblocking of Funds and Property
                Business Interests in Germany location: 390/46/6/02
        274  Cables (3 folders)
                Canada
                Cartels
                Censorship location: 390/46/6/02
        275  Claims (2 folders)
                Chron. File-Secret and Confidential 1947 location: 390/46/6/02
        276  Confiscation
                Control Council
                Conferences
                Credit Instruments
                CROWCASS{Note 1} location: 390/46/6/02
        277  Currency Section (5 folders)
                Currencies and Securities
                Customs Studies
                Cutlery of F.W. Engles
                Czechoslovakia location: 390/46/6/02
        278  Daily Reports
                Decentralization
                Denazification (2 folders)
                Deportees
                Devisen (Foreign Exchange Laws in Germany)
                Digest for Germany and Austria
                Directives, Laws, Misc. location: 390/46/6/02
        279  Distribution of Foreign Currency
                Enemy Property Custodian
                Enforcement
                Displaced Persons
                Disposal of Blocked Assets location: 390/46/6/03
        280  Expelles
                Export-Import (3 folders)
                External Assets
                I.G. Farben (2 folders) location: 390/46/6/03
        281  Federal Reserve Bank (Fusion Agreement)
                Finance Bulletins and Ordinances
                Finance Directorate-General
                Foreign Exchange and Blocking Control Branch Finance Reports
                Finance and Property Control Section [monthly reports]
location: 390/46/6/03
        282  Financial Personalities [included is information from or about Dr.  Sigfried Arndt, Freiherr Schenk zu Schweinsberg(Von  Schenk), Dr. Schone, Wilhelm Keding, Kurt Schmieder,  Gerhard Knitter, J.H. Stein Bankhaus, Kurt von Schroeder,  Friedrich Flick, Herman Roechling, Alfred Krupp von  Bohlen und Halbach, Hjalmer Schacht, Walther Funk,  Albert Speer, Fritz Sauckel, Paul Korner, Dr. Karl Blessing,  Dr. Friedrich Ernst, Dr. Otto Schniewind, and Herman  Schmitz.
                Financial Reports
                Foreign Exchange and Blocking Control History
                Foreign Exchange
                France
                Foreign Exchange Depository-Frankfurt
                Foreign Exchange Assets (2 folders) location: 390/46/6/03
        283  Funds
                German Debt
                German External Assets
                German External Property Commission (5 folders)
                German Intelligence Reports on Selected Subjects [included are  Relations Between the Reichsbank and Private Banks,  Notes on the Personalities and Work of the Higher Officials  in the Reichsfinanzminsterium, Notes on Further Aspects of  German Banking, The Reichsbank and its Relations With  Other Institutions, Social Insurance in Germany,  Reichsgruppe Banken, War Damage Compensation in  Germany, Detail Interrogation Report: Conditions in  Germany (includes financial assets in Argentina), and  Reinhardt Letter No. 10 for Revenue Officers] 
        284  Germany
                Germany-Basic Policies
                Germany-Foreign Exchange Law
                Goldcup
                History of Foreign Exchange and Blocking Control Branch
                Hungary
                Hungary-National Bank
                Import-Export Problems location: 390/46/6/03
        285  Insurance
                Internal Restitutions
                Intergovernmental Committee on Refugees
                Interpretations
                Interrogations (2 folders; one folder contains a 112pp. transcript of  record of financial interrogations of Herman Goering,  Walther Funk, Schwerin von Krosigk, and Hans Lammers;  and, the other contains numerous interrogations, including  various interrogations of Emil Puhl during July and August  1945 and various interrogations of Herman Goering during  June and July 1945). location: 390/46/6/03
        286  Investigations
                Investments in Germany
                JCS 1067 location: 390/46/6/04
        287-288  Licenses and Licensing location: 390/46/6/04
        288  Luxembourg
                MGAF location: 390/46/6/04
        289  Military Government Directives
                Military Government Law No. 8
                Military Government Law 52 (2 folders)
                Military Government Law 53 (3 folders)
                Military Government Law 63 location: 390/46/6/04
        290  Military Government Ordinances and Functions
                Military Government Regulations
                Ministerial Control
                Ministry of Economics-Dept. IV location: 390/46/6/04
        291  Miscellaneous Reports location: 390/46/6/04
        292  Monthly Bulletin (Financial)
                OSS Documents
                Paris Conference Act
                Patents
                Property Control, Blocking and Freezing
                Reports-Military Government
                Securities location: 390/46/6/04
        293  Spain location: 390/46/6/05
        294  12th Army Group-Reports-Germany
                US Group Control Council (5 folders)
                Vesting Programs
                Welfare Agencies-Nazi Party location: 390/46/6/05


Footnotes

{1}Return to text Central Registry of War Criminals and Security Suspects


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