RG 84: U.S. Delegation to the Inter-Allied Reparations Agency (IARA)
State Department and Foreign Affairs Records
Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the Department of State (RG 84)
Records of the U.S. Embassy in Brussels, Belgium
Files of the U.S. Delegation to the Inter-Allied Reparations Agency (IARA)
The governments of Albania, the United States of America, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Greece, India, Luxembourg, Norway, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, the Union of South Africa, and Yugoslavia, (Note 10) to obtain an equitable distribution among themselves of the total assets which had been agreed to at Potsdam on August 1, 1945, and at the Paris Agreement on Reparation From Germany of January 14, 1946, and other assets that may later have been declared to be available as reparation from Germany, established on January 14, 1946, an Inter- Allied Reparation Agency. This agency was mandated "to settle an equitable procedure for the restitution of monetary gold."
Part I of the Agreement set out the procedures for reparations. Key portions include:
Article I, "Shares in Reparation," provided that German reparation (exclusive of the funds to be allocated to "nonrepatriable victims of German action") should be divided into two categories: Category A, "which shall include all forms of German reparation except those included in Category B; Category B, which shall include industrial and other capital equipment removed from Germany, and merchant ships and inland water transport." Each Signatory Government would be entitled to the following percentage shares:
Article 6, "German External Assets," provided that each Signatory Government should "hold or dispose of Germany enemy assets within its jurisdiction in manners designed to preclude their return to German ownership or control and shall charge against its reparation share such assets." It also provided, in paragraph C:
German assets in those countries which remained neutral in the war against Germany shall be removed from German ownership or control and liquidated or disposed of in accordance with the authority of France, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, pursuant to arrangements to be negotiated with the neutrals by these countries. The net proceeds of liquidation of disposition shall be made available to the Inter-Allied Reparation Agency for distribution on reparation account.
Article 8, "Allocation of a Reparation Share to Nonrepatriable Victims of German Action," provided that "in recognition of the fact that large numbers of persons have suffered heavily at the hands of the Nazis and now stand in dire need of aid...but will be unable to claim the assistance of any Government receiving reparations from Germany" the United States Government, in conjunction with several other countries working in consultation with the Inter-Governmental Committee on Refugees, under the following guidelines to agreement regarding victims' share in the reparations: paragraph A provided that "a share of reparation consisting of all the non- monetary gold found by the Allied Armed Forces in Germany and in addition a sum not exceeding 25 million dollars shall be allocated for the rehabilitation and resettlement of non-repatriable victims of German action; paragraph B. The sum of 25 million dollars shall be met from a portion of the proceeds of German assets in neutral countries which are available for reparation.; paragraph C. governments of neutral countries shall be requested to make available for this purpose (in addition to the sum of 25 million dollars) assets in such countries of victims of Nazi action who have since died and left no heirs." Additionally, in paragraph F it was provided that "the non-monetary gold found in Germany shall be placed at the disposal of the Inter- Governmental Committee on Refugees as soon as a plan has been worked out as provided above."
Part II of the Agreement established the Inter-Allied Reparations Agency. Each signatory government was authorized to appoint a Delegate to the Agency and an alternate to act in the absence of the Delegate. The official functions of the Agency were to allocate German reparations among the Signatory Government in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement and of any other agreements in force among the Signatory Governments; serve as the medium through which the Signatory Governments receive information concerning, and express their wishes in regard to, items available as reparation; deal with all questions relating to the restitution to a Signatory Government of property situated in one of the Western Zones of Germany which may be referred to it by the Commander of that Zone (acting on behalf of his Government), in agreement with the claimant Signatory Government or Governments, without prejudice, however, to the settlement of such questions by the Signatory Governments concerned either by agreement or arbitration. The Agreement provided that the IARA would be based in Brussels, Belgium.
Part III of the Agreement, entitled "Restitution of Monetary Gold," provided that:
"A. All the monetary gold found in Germany by the Allied Forces and that referred to in paragraph G below (including gold coins, except those of numismatic or historical value, which shall be restored directly if identifiable) shall be pooled for distribution as restitution among the countries participating in the pool in proportion to their respective losses of gold through looting or by wrongful removal to Germany.
B. Without prejudice to claims by way of reparation for unrestored gold, the portion of monetary gold thus accruing to each country participating in the pool shall be accepted by that country in full satisfaction of all claims against Germany for restitution of monetary gold.
C. A proportional share of the gold shall be allocated to each country concerned which adheres to this arrangement for the restitution of monetary gold and which can establish that a definite amount of monetary gold belonging to it was looted by Germany or, at any time after March 12th, 1938, was wrongfully removed into German territory.
D. The question of the eventual participation of countries not represented at the Conference (other than Germany but not including Austria and Italy) in the above mentioned distribution shall be reserved, and the equivalent of the total shares which these countries would receive, if they were eventually admitted to participate, shall be set aside to be disposed of at a later date in such manner as may be decided by the Allied Governments concerned.
E. The various countries participating in the pool shall supply to the Governments of the United States of America, France, and the United Kingdom, as the occupying Powers concerned, detailed and verifiable data regarding the gold losses suffered through looting by, or removal to, Germany.
F. The Government of the United States of America, France and the United Kingdom shall take appropriate steps within the Zones of Germany occupied by them respectively to implement distribution in accordance with the foregoing provisions.
G. Any monetary gold which may be recoverable from a third country to which it was transferred from Germany shall be distributed in accordance with this arrangement for the restitution of monetary gold." (Note 11)
Correspondence Reports, General 1945-1951 (Entry 2113A)
Boxes 1-2
Plants & Other Industrial Capitol Equipment & Miscellaneous Subject Material (Entry 2113B)
Boxes 1-7
Shipping, 1945-1951, Classified General Records (Entry 2113C)
Box 1
Current Productions and Stocks, 1945-1950, Classified General Records (Entry 2113D)
Box 1
German External Assets, 1945-1955, IARA Records of James W. Angell (Entry 2113E)
Box 1
German External Assets, 1945-1955, Classified IARA Subject File (Entry 2113F)
Boxes 1-8
German External Assets, 1946-1953, Classified General Records (Entry 2113G)
Boxes 1-12
German External Assets, 1945-199, Classified IARA Chrono File (Entry 2113H)
Box 1
Industrial Property Rights, 1945-1951, Classified General Records (Entry 2113I)
Box 1
Captured Enemy Supplies 1945-1952, Classified and General Records (Entry 2113J)
Box 1
Reparations Accounting 1945-1949, Classified General Records (Entry 2113K)
Boxes 1-2
Tripartite Gold Commission, 1946-1956; Country Files (Entry 2113L)
Boxes 1-7
Tripartite Gold Commission, 1946-1954, Classified General Records (Entry 2113M)
Boxes 1-16
Tripartite Gold Commission, 1946-1950, Subject Files (Entry 2113N)
Boxes 1-7
Miscellaneous Reparation and Restitution Questions, 1943-1951, General Records (Entry 2113O)
Box 1
IARA Organization and Administration, 1945-1952, Classified General Records (Entry 2113P)
Boxes 1-2
Arbitration Proceedings, 1944-1949, Classified Records (Entry 2113Q)
Box 1
Press Material 1946-1951; Classified General Records (Entry 2113R)
Box 1
Reference Materials 1944-1951 (Entry 2113S)
Boxes 1-12
IARA Classified Subject File 1945-1961 (Entry 2113T)
Boxes 1-3
IARA Incoming/Outgoing Cables, 1945-1948, Classified General Records (Entry 2113U)
Boxes 1-4