Independent Commission of Experts Switzerland – Second World War (ICE)
The most important information at a glance
On 19 December 2001 the mandate of the ICE ended and the Commission was dissolved. On 22 March 2002 the final report as well as the last seven studies and research contributions were presented to the public. The ICE's homepage will be maintained under the direction of the Bundeskanzlei.
Requests and suggestions may be addressed to:
FDFA
Directorate of Political Affairs
Historical Unit
3003 Berne
Tél. 0041 (0)31 322 32 47
Fax. 0041 (0)31 324 90 61
e-mail: historischerdienst@eda.admin.ch
The most important information at a glance
Legal basis
The Commission was established in December 1996 by a unanimously approved
resolution of the Swiss federal assembly (parliament). Its mandate is
to investigate the volume and fate of assets moved to Switzerland before,
during and immediately after the Second World War from a historical and
legal point of view, and to present a final report by the end of the year
2001 at the latest.
Comprehensive
mandate
The Commission's mandate covers the gold trading and foreign currency
transactions conducted by the Swiss National Bank and by private commercial
banks. The objects of the investigation are all assets moved to Switzerland
including insurable values and cultural assets, both of the victims of
the Nazi regime as well as of its perpetrators and collaborators. The
relations of Swiss industrial and commercial companies with the National-Socialist
economy – especially regarding their involvement in "aryanization
measures" and the exploitation of forced labourers – are also examined.
Another key topic is Swiss refuge policy in connection with Switzerland's
economic and financial relations with the Axis powers and the Allies.
The study also includes the post-war period including government measures
for the return of unlawfully acquired assets (Washington Accord 1946,
Resolution the reporting of dormant accounts 1962).
International
composition
The Commission is an international body with a president, four Swiss and
four non-Swiss members (Britain, Israel, Poland and USA), all of whom
were appointed ad personam on account of their professional expertise.
Internationally
oriented investigation
The investigation centres around Switzerland, but does not concentrate
on the country as an isolated case. Instead it is understood to be part
of an international system shaped during the Second World War by the wartime
and looting economy as well as by the policy of extermination of the National-Socialist
regime. In line with its international orientation the Commission has
research teams working both in Switzerland and abroad. It develops the
topics to be dealt with and its methodology in the context of international
research discussions and maintains contacts with numerous research projects
in Switzerland and other countries.
No affiliation
with authorities and interest groups
The Commission does not number any representatives of Swiss authorities
or interest groups among its members. As such it is an independent body.
Its members carry out their research mandate in full academic autonomy.
The Swiss government is committed to publishing the Commission's reports
in their entirety.
Legal access
privileges
Special legal provisions apply in Switzerland for the Commission's work.
For instance, a general obligation to preserve documents and provide access
to files and documents was imposed, which extends to all files of both
individuals or legal entities deemed relevant to the Commission's research.
Legal and contractual obligations to maintain secrecy were waived with
regard to the Commission and its staff.
Human resources
The Commission employs around 30 research assistants in Switzerland. It
also has research teams in the USA, Germany and Poland. The Commission's
staff also inspect sources – over limited periods – in a number
of other countries.
Financial
resources
The Swiss parliament has allocated the Commission 22 million Swiss francs
(approx. 15 million US$) for its research purposes and for compilation
of its reports and final report.
Chronology of the ICE
A general chronology of important events on the issue of looted gold/dormant accounts can be found on the Internet page of the Swiss Federal Assembly.
13
December 1996
Federal Decree on the Historical and Legal Investigation into the Fate
of Assets which Reached Switzerland as a Result of the National-Socialist
Regime (Appointment of an Independent Commission of Experts). A sum of
5 million francs is granted for the investigation.
19
December 1996
Federal Council's Decree (Nomination of the members of the Commission
and of the Chairman; more detailed description of the Commission's research
mandate).
2
May 1997
The research team initiates its work in Bern und Zurich (research director:
Jacques Picard; scientific adviser: Marc Perrenoud; coordinator of the
research in private archives: Benedikt Hauser [until the end of 1999]).
Additional teams take up their work in Germany and in the USA.
20
June 1997
Parliamentary information workshop on the «Eizenstat Report»
(Papers presented by Jean-François Bergier and Daniel Thürer).
August
1997
A contact point is set up for eyewitnesses of the events of the time.
28/29
October 1997
International meeting of various historians and commissions of experts
with similar research missions is held in Ascona.
1
December 1997
Presentation of a statistical review with commentary on the gold transactions
conducted by Switzerland during the Second World War (in three languages).
2–4
December 1997
Participation of the ICE at the International Conference on Nazi Gold
held in London.
18
December 1997
Parliament grants an additional 17 million franc credit, thus placing
a total of 22 million francs at the disposal of the ICE.
25
May 1998
Presentation of the Interim Report «Switzerland and Gold Transactions
in the Second World War» (in four languages).
June
1998
Creation of the ICE homepage (www.uek.ch).
30
November–3 December 1998
Participation at the Washington Conference on Holocaust-Era Assets.
April
1999
Publication of the abbreviated version of the interim report on gold «Switzerland
and Nazi Gold» (in five languages).
May
1999
Linus von Castelmur stays on as Secretary General of the Independent Commission
of Experts and assumes additional responsibilities.
June
1999
Jacques Picard steps down as Research Director.
10
December 1999
Presentation of the report «Switzerland and Refugees in the Nazi
Era» (in four languages), together with annexed reports on the transit
of people through Switzerland, on the German ransom demands in occupied
Holland, on refugees as the subject of press coverage, and on the legal
aspects of refugee policy.
1
January 2000
Appointment of a troika responsible for the scientific project management
(Stefan Karlen, Martin Meier, Gregor Spuhler).
April
2000
Joseph Voyame steps down as member of the Commission. He is replaced by
Daniel Thürer.
16
October 2000
Commission member Sybil Milton passes away. She is replaced by Helen B.
Junz in February 2001.
1
December 2000
Publication of a supplementary report (to the Refugee Report) on the Swiss
policy towards «gypsies» during the Nazi era.
February
2001
Bettina Zeugin replaces Gregor Spuhler in the scientific project management
troika.
1
March 2001
Appointment of an editorial team for the Final Report (Editing supervision:
Mario König; Co-ordination: Bettina Zeugin).
20
March 2001
The contract of Linus von Castelmur as Secretary General is abrogated
with immediate effect. Myrtha Welti is named as new Secretary General
(beginning April 2001).
3
July 2001
The Federal Council decided that upon the conclusion of ICE's research,
all copies of files from archives of corporations and associations must
be returned upon the demand of the corporations and associations concerned.
The ICE fights against this decision.
30
August 2001
Presentation of the first eight studies: Flight Assets/Looted Assets,
Interhandel, Clearing, Transit, Electricity, Swiss Subsidiary Companies
in the «Third Reich» (2 Studies), Swiss Refugee and Foreign
Economic Policies as covered by the Press.
29
November 2001
Presentation of the next ten studies and research contributions: Camouflage/Transfer,
Transit, Trade with Securities, Dormant Accounts, Refugee Policy (reedited
with supplementary information), Research contributions on aspects of
private and public law, the Swiss Land Bank (Bodenkreditanstalt), Swiss-Italian
financial relations, Swiss policy regarding gypsies, and German ransom
demands, (the last two being unchanged re-editions of the complementary
studies which had already appeared as supplements to the Refugee Report).
7
December 2001
The Federal Council decides on a «Moratorium» with respect
to the issue of returning documents from archives: The copies are to be
placed in the Federal Archives in April 2002, and upon demand be returned
to corporations and associations until 31 December 2003. Until the end
of the 2003, a solution is also to be found on the issue on the disclosure
of the ICE's research files.
19
December 2001
Exactly five years after its appointment, the Commission is officially
received by the Federal Council and is dissolved. On this occasion, the
ICE symbolically presents Federal Councillor Ruth Dreifuss with a copy
of its Final Report.
31
December 2001
The five-year appointment of the ICE reaches its expiration date. A winding-up
team remains in place until the end of March 2002 to follow up the publication
of the Final Report in four languages and that of the remaining studies
and contributions, as well as to ensure the organization of the transfer
of working documents and files.
22
March 2002
Presentation of the Final Report in four languages, as well as of the
remaining seven research studies and contributions: Swiss foreign economic
policy, Armaments industry/trade in war material, Swiss insurance companies
in the Third Reich, the Swiss financial center, Gold transactions (supplemented
re-edition), Aryanization in Austria, and Franco-Swiss financial relations.
Exposition on the topics of the Final Report to be held in the «Politforum
Käfigturm» in Bern until 29 June 2002.
