Reichsleiter Rosenberg Taskforce

On the 40 rolls of this microfilm publication, M1943, are reproduced the card file, interpositives 1 , and photographic prints from the Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR), 1940–1945. The card file and photographic materials are part of the Records of United States Occupation Headquarters, World War II, Record Group (RG) 260. The Einsatzstab Reichsleiter Rosenberg (ERR), was a Nazi Party organization established in 1940 under the direction of Alfred Rosenberg. Its activities included the confiscation of designated cultural treasures and private art collections in Nazi-occupied territories. With its headquarters in Berlin, the ERR became the chief Reich agency for the spoliation of artistic and intellectual resources in areas occupied by Nazi Germany. From November 1940 through mid-1944, the ERR activities in occupied France and the Low Countries involved the seizure of artworks and cultural artifacts from Jews and others deemed by the Nazis to have lost their property rights. The majority of the items confiscated were scheduled for transfer to Germany for safekeeping and ultimate disposition by an official directly responsible to Hitler. The looted works of art were intended for division among private collections for Hitler and Hermann Göring, art collections at German museums, and those suitable for sale at auction. It was reported that between March 1941 and July 1944 the ERR plundered 21,903 art objects, mainly from 203 private Jewish collections. These objects included 10,890 paintings; 5,825 handmade objects, including antiques and renaissance jewelry; 583 textiles; 1,286 East Asiatic objects; and 2,477 pieces of 17th- and 18th-century furniture. 2 Once stolen pieces were acquired, they were inventoried. During the inventory process, the ERR staff created a card file and assigned each piece an alphanumeric designator. The alpha component of the designator refers to the original collection (e.g., R for Rothschild) and is followed by a sequentially increasing number. Then the cards were arranged alphabetically by the designator. Black-and-white photographs were taken of the inventoried items to provide a visual image of what the card described. Additionally, the ERR prepared special photographic albums that depicted many of the looted works of art and artifacts. 1 Interpositives are any positive duplicates of film that are used for further printing. 2 OSS Art Looting Investigation Unit, Consolidated Interrogation Report (CIR) No. 1, “Activity of the Einsatzstab Rosenberg in France, August 1945,” page 20, OSS Art Looting Investigation Unit Reports, 1945–46 (National Archives Microfilm Publication M1782), Records of the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas, Record Group (RG) 239. American soldiers in 1945 seized many of the ERR records, including the card file and photographs. These records were turned over to the custody of the Office of Military Government, U.S. Zone (Germany) [OMGUS]. OMGUS, successor to the U.S. Group Control Council, Germany (USGCC), was established on October 1, 1945. It was responsible for administering the U.S. zone of occupation and U.S. sector of Berlin, and for functioning as U.S. element of organizations comprising the Allied Control Authority, the name given to the four-power occupation control system. Within OMGUS, the records came under the control of the Property Division. The primary responsibility of the Property Division was to formulate and implement policies required in the fields of property control, German external assets, internal and external restitution, and reparations. The basic authority for taking custody of property in Germany was contained in Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) Directive 1067/6, which directed the Zone Commander to “impound or block” certain specified categories of property, including those of the German Reich; the Nazi Party and affiliated organizations and their prominent members; and absentee ow