Looting

At war’s end, all Allied nations looted Germany to the bones: all patents were taken by the Americans; the British, French and Russians dismantled almost the entire industry, leaving the German people with nothing with which to earn a living. (In the long run, though, the latter misdeed backfired, as the Germans simply built a new, more modern industry, which could easily outdo its conquerors.)

The Looting of Germany after World War II

By John Wear ∙ December 14, 2020

The devastation of Germany by total warfare during World War II cast serious doubt on Germany’s postwar ability to survive. Never before in history had a nation’s life-sustaining resources been so thoroughly demolished. Despite soothing words from Allied leaders at the Yalta and Potsdam Conferences, it soon became evident that the Allies did not arrive as liberators. Instead, the Allies arrived as vengeful, greedy conquerors. This article documents the plundering and destruction of Germany that continued after the end of World War II.

Kennedy’s 1945 Visit to Germany

By Mark Weber ∙ October 20, 1999

A youthful John F. Kennedy In late July and early August 1945, just weeks after the end of the war in Europe, the 28-year-old John F. Kennedy visited war-devastated Germany. Accompanying him on this tour was US Navy Secretary James Forrestal (whom President Truman later appointed as the first Secretary of Defense). Kennedy recorded his…

After the Reich: The Brutal History of the Allied Occupation

By Joseph Bishop ∙ August 1, 2009

After the Reich: The Brutal History of the Allied Occupation, by Giles MacDonogh. Basic Books, New York, 2007. 618pp., illustrated, with notes, bibliography, indexed. A recent work with some refreshing angles on the post-WW2 occupation of defeated Germany is always welcome, minimally at least as a small antidote to the continued appearance of Holocaust-related works…

The Marshall Plan Hoax

By Karl Baßler ∙ May 1, 2004

Marshall Plan Benefits for West Germany Within the framework of the so-called Marshall Plan, a credit(!) of approximately 1.4 billion US Dollars (6.4 billion DM) was given to West Germany for the years 1949 to 1952. Under the terms of the London Debt Agreement of February 1953, this credit(!) was to be repaid by 1962…

The Morgenthau Plan and the Problem of Policy Perversion

By Anthony Kubek ∙ October 1, 1989

The Morgenthau Diaries consist of 900 volumes located at Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, New York. As a consultant to the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee, I was assigned to examine all documents dealing with Germany, particularly ones related to the Morgenthau Plan for the destruction of Germany following the Second World War. The Subcommittee was…

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