Five minutes later, a small respectable middle-aged balding man entered and introduced himself as Claude de Rosenschild. Brunner was instantly on the alert; he had seen enough Jews to recognise familiar features. Herr de Rosenschild displayed all of the physical features of the loathed Jewish race: dark hair, prominent nose under heavy eyelids, a treacherous mouth guarded by thick lips. Surprisingly, he clicked his heels simultaneously with an outstretched hand in greeting. Speaking in German that revealed a French influence, he said, "Welcome to our little bank here in Basel. We pride ourselves on anonymity but our influence is extensive. We have an international dimension and we exercise a pivotal role in foreign exchange policies’’.
Brunner had left his black leather holdall casually on the nearby table and was now apprehensive that the manager could not miss the prominent SS markings. As if to put the visitor at his ease, de Rosenschild continued, “I must offer you some sustenance – perhaps a cognac– as I am sure that you are fatigued after your travels”. Brunner gratefully accepted and decided to tease out the loyalty of this man, “How did you endure the war?” he enquired. A banker’s caution was evident in the reply. “Being a neutral country here in Switzerland, we nevertheless found fortitude in favouring Germany. I am of course speaking from the perspective of the Bank as our Board of Directors’ sympathies were very much with the Reich. This fact has emerged with the consensus of the well informed press’’. Brunner sipped his brandy and decided to reveal his true purpose. “I am here to fulfil an ambition and destiny bestowed upon me as custodian of an SS heritage”. Anxiously awaiting de Rosenschild’s response, he was comforted by the considered reply, “I was one of the Mitgleider and an active supporter of all sponsoring causes”. He went on to say that he received each month a magazine called FM – Zeitschrift which was produced by the high command. “I have a ring given to me by the Freundeskreis Reichführer SS of which I am very proud but unfortunately can’t wear any more”. Brunner instantly knew that devious dialogue was no longer necessary. He was familiar with this recruiting agency which showed support for the SS by sponsoring members and by their financial contributions. He knew that at least 350,000 of their sponsoring members were a lucrative source of advancement for the National Socialist ideal. De Rosenschild went on, “I was also a member of the Reicharbeitdienst which as you know, Herr Brunner, was a work programme to advance the ideals and objects of the Reich. I did volunteer my services but was not called upon.” Seated in a soft cloth covered armchair, Brunner observed the banker and mentally revised his initial sceptical impression. Speaking softly, he said, “I have personally endured very harsh times during these past months, eluding captivity and fortunately avoiding detection by both the Russians and the Western Allies. It has been difficult and the completion of this mission with the bank here in Basel has given me the energy and determination to continue’’.
The bank executive looked at Brunner’s lean figure and observed a settled disposition despite living a horrid existence. He knew that this man had taken great care to avoid capture and with enormous purpose had arrived into Basle to complete a personal agenda.
“Have you a reference number?” He enquired. Standing up, Brunner extracted from the black leather folder, an official SS document and handed it over. Perusing it quickly, de Rosenschild said, ‘’ Come, follow me”. Walking down the corridor, they descended a narrow staircase that led to a circular basement area incorporating six heavy steel doors displaying large exterior bolt locks. One uniformed guard sat at a desk and was instantly alert and stood officiously erect awaiting instructions from the bank official. The conversation that followed was in French and it was obvious to Brunner that the Guard was being ordered to facilitate him in every way. De Rosenschild then turned and clicked his heels and said, “I will now leave you to enter the vault; I have to return to my office upstairs, but please come to me when you have completed your business”.
The guard then opened one of the heavy steel doors to reveal a brightly lit small room stacked high with locked metal boxes. Checking the documentation he was given, the guard went unwaveringly to select a box bearing corresponding numbers and handed it to Brunner. The dark green metal box measured some two feet in length and nine inches in depth. The guard inserted the key into the lock and motioned that he would now leave him alone to peruse the contents.
There was a small table and chair in the corner of the vault and alone, Brunner sat down and opened the metal box. The document inside ran to several pages and was phrased in legalistic German relating to the transfer of title to the Nordhav Corporation and the cash assets. The bulky document revealed many signatures and witnesses but more importantly, a wax seal with a thumbprint impression. Brunner smiled knowingly to himself when he saw the expected waxen image. Searching in the black satchel in an inner zipped pocket, he took out a small plastic package that contained a right-hand female thumb that he had soaked in a mixture of formaldehyde and methanol. Examining it carefully, he was reassured to note that it was in a remarkable state of preservation. Taking out a small wax container, he gently heated the wax and with great exactness, he imprinted the preserved thumb into the space allocated in the document, and with a sigh of relief, he looked with satisfaction at what was, to his eye, two exact matching thumbprints. He then prepared to go to the bank official upstairs to present the documentation and acquire the riches of plundered inheritance.
THIRTY EIGHT
ROME: 1946
When Madelaine Bridon arrived in Rome during the hot summer, the city and its inhabitants were recovering from the dual nightmares of German occupation and the fascist rule of Benito Mussolini. The Italian Dictator and his mistress, Clara Petacci, had been shot and hung upside down in Milan as a warning to would-be followers. The loathed German military had disappeared and the atrocity of the Ardeatine Cave Massacre under SS Lt.Col.Herbert Keppler, police chief in Rome, who had killed over 300 Italians in a reprisal action for the partisan attack on the Via Resella was still a very raw memory. Despite their deprivations, the population was collectively relieved that their ordeal was over and there was a sense of la dolce vita to come. Rome had been under Fascist rule for twenty one years and was now rejoicing in its liberation. General Mark Clark, Commander of the American 5th army had been greeted by the population like conquering heroes when entering the city. Their arrival ushered in a period of rejoicing and unrestrained celebration after the dark years of German suppression.
Madelaine intended to visit Sister Marte in the Vatican and in the certainty that Brunner would have made contact and reveal his whereabouts, her instincts would be confirmed. She made her way along the Via dei Babbuino leading to the Piazza del Popolo. She marvelled at this famous street with its historical significance. It was home at one time to the feted Baroque painter, Salvator Rosa and more recently to the great German composer Franz Liszt.
The UNRRA program in Rome had been significantly expanded to combat the residual terror of disease and food shortages. Medical supplies were at crisis levels and essential equipment like generators and surgical instruments were marketable like gold dust. As she walked along the expansive roadway, she was struck by the number of times she was approached to buy black market goods. It seemed to her that Rome was a maelstrom of black market profiteers, displaced persons and refugees all seeking to obtain a foothold in the post-war economy. In such an environment, it would be easy for a man like Brunner to evade detection. She quickened her pace and with determination hastened towards the Austro-German church and seminary at the Santa Maria dell’Anima on the Via della Pace, near the Piazza Navona and home of Bishop Alois Hudal. She had no doubt that Hudal was a dangerous man to trust or expect support from, as she had seen an earlier report written by the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), a U.S. intelligence agency, which described him as ‘a renegade in the full sense of the word, he belongs to the worst category of priests who dabble in politics, being unscrupulous and without character’. In addition, he had been appointed a repr
esentative ‘to visit the German-speaking civil internees in Italy’. This was an ideal cover for Hudal to camouflage his allocation of false identity papers to Nazis in internment camps.
Madelaine was certain her path would soon cross with Brunner. Her instincts never failed her.
THIRTY NINE
LYON: 1946
Emil sat at an outside table on a quiet pavement drinking coffee in the early morning sunlight. Located in the ‘old city’ of Lyon, in the 5th arrondissement, this was his favourite place of retreat. Access to a nearby traboule had given him additional comfort during the previous three fraught years since his undercover arrival in Lyon. Laterally, these traboules had been used extensively by the Resistance to escape Gestapo raids and Emil had avoided detection on many occasions thanks to their dark passage interiors. As he sat there gazing across the rutted roadways of the old city, he reminisced on his good fortune of the past three years. He had no doubt that his family of twin brother Maurice, parents Samuel and Flora had all perished after leaving Drancy camp. The newspaper coverage was full of the Nazi atrocities and the Allies seeking retribution for the war crimes. Emil had retained his Jewish faith inbred in him from an early age by his parents. Every day he managed to read a passage from the Torah which he fundamentally believed was given to Moses directly from God. He gave thanks for his guardian, the Arab Rafik and for his saviour, Madeleine, who had spirited him out of Drancy camp to Lyon. He knew that his escape route had been via the ‘O'Leary Line', a network of safe houses and routes through occupied France which had brought him to Lyon. He prayed daily for these unknown people who had risked their lives.
Emil had joined the Conservatoire de Lyon, the prestigious music body with an international reputation. Founded in 1872, enjoying widespread acclaim for excellence, its membership was covertly sought. Regarded as their shining star even among a glittering array of talent, he was selected for promotion, enabling him to express his considerable talent with the violin. His range of playing ability embraced the classical and contemporary and he knew his future was assured. Always in the shadows for the past three years, he had had many alarming moments. The most dangerous time being when the Vichy regime introduced compulsory labour service, Service du Travail Obligatoire, which was a system made to work in the Reich as an alternative to military service. There was, as a result, a constant hunt for refractaires, evaders, throwing suspicion on all young men and forcing Emil further into the shadows.
As he sat at the pavement café, the sun was higher and the shadows shorter when he saw a familiar figure approaching. It was his elderly tutor who seemed to have an extra spring in his step as he approached. “Greetings Emil, I have great news! You have been selected to play in Rome in the first string section in the summer orchestra… I rushed over to tell you… you are famous!”
Emil was dumbfounded. The old man went on to tell him that he would be playing in theTeatro dell Opera where presentations had been made by Richard Strauss and Stravinsky. It was the pinnacle of many great musicians to be afforded the opportunity to play at this venue. At nineteen years of age, to feature in this ‘Holy of Holies’ of the music world was a gift rarely bestowed. Standing up, he thanked his elderly tutor who embraced him, saying, “What a great honour. I have great joy for you in reflected glory but the talent and achievement are yours alone and the world awaits”.
Emil had seen photos of the imposing theatre and he was familiar with its rich history of classical performances and now filled with anticipation, he vowed that this performance would be the zenith of his achievements.
He was not to know that a greater destiny awaited him in the old city.
FORTY
HAMBURG: 1946
Anna Krantz was emerging from the darkness. It had taken over a year. In that time her only comfort and solace was the violin. She played with aggression and with tenderness. There was still a great amount of confusion in her. Sometimes feelings of anger, others of remorse and always anxiety, reflected in her music. Major Jim, who had noticed her special talent, had become her mentor. She had joined the Radio Orchestra as a permanent member and taken part in their first concert recital the previous November. The other musicians came mostly from the old Nazi-controlled Grosses Rundfunkorchester des Reichssenders in Hamburg, and performed classical and romantic repertoires. Radio Hamburg devoted much of its broadcasting to the orchestra, so it became very popular in a short space of time. Anna had grown tall, and with a natural elegance and reserved demeanour, she proved to be popular with her fellow musicians. Her self-appointed guardian, the elderly Hans, had given her freedom and treated her with patience, enabling her to overcome the physical and emotional ordeal she had suffered. He had indulged with the little money he had and he observed her growing in confidence and taking pride in her appearance. He was not to know that she was a ‘younger mirror image' of her murdered mother. She was tall and slim, with straight blond hair and blue eyes that enhanced her fine features. With the limited resources and fashion selections available to her, she managed to turn young male heads effortlessly. The months and seasons free from the torment of bombing were slowly rebuilding their city and the lives of a devasted and humiliated nation.
Hans occasionally gently probed into Anna’s past, enquiring about her mother’s odyssey across Germany during the dying days of the war. He was circumspect in his approach and she responded helpfully. She did not recall any detail of her mother’s death, other than to relate that the killer had a small tattoo on his arm. Hans wondered at this revelation, as he recalled hearing that the SS tattooed their members’ blood group identification. Occasionally she talked freely about her school days in Berlin which to Hans sounded quite exclusive, and she spoke with a distinctive higher class Berlin accent. One evening after rehearsal, she was more talkative than usual and Hans decided to ask her about her time in Prague, which she had spoken about affectionately but briefly previously.
“My Aunt Lina had a beautiful chateau on the outskirts of the city, with land for orchards and horses to ride.” Hans was intrigued. “How did Lina get such a beautiful property?” "Oh, she was married to a General who was very powerful." Anna looked vacantly away as if remembering good times. She continued on, "He was my uncle Rheini and he taught me the violin. He loved musical evenings and had a deep emotional feeling as he played with great sensitivity. He was a very special person’’.
“What was his surname?” enquired Hans.
“Heydrich, he was Reinhardt Heydrich”.
FORTY ONE
BASEL 1946
“This should not take too long, Herr Brunner”, Claude de Rosenschild was seated behind a large office desk in front of Alois Brunner. The file had been given to a bank executive for approval, in order to release the funds to a new account controlled by Brunner. “How safe is this bank?” The question posed by Brunner took de Rosenschild off guard. Shuffling uncomfortably in his seat, he responded, “There is a proposal currently to liquidate the bank. There is disagreement between the American and British delegations but we Germans still have much power and I do not foresee dissolution. Let me assure you that when your account is opened here, you will be a most valued customer and I will personally ensure your needs are best catered for at all times".
Brunner nodded. “I merely mention this issue to try to keep well informed and I am referring to the Breton Woods Conference in July 1944 which resulted in an agenda to liquidate the bank”. “You are indeed well informed Hauptsturmführer”, de Rosenschild replied. “We are a very powerful bank and we dominate political systems through financial controls. We are the bank who corralled all the financial assets of the occupied countries and effectively provided the means for the Reich to build up its military base’’. Brunner smiled in acknowledgement of his SS rank and knew that de Rosenschild had carried out his own research on him since he had presented to the bank. Cognac was again offered which Brunner accepted and the conversation turned to war.
“Europe is in chaos, we are fortunate he
re in neutral Switzerland that we escaped the devastation of most European cities”. Brunner nodded in agreement and said, “I enforced state policy by ensuring the evacuation of labour from occupied territories to the East. This was crucial to servicing our war production. The pressure to fill and send the trains was impossibly demanding. I always had to try to satisfy Berlin who constantly exerted pressure with more and more timetables. The system supplied by Dehomag, the IBM company, was crucial in enabling the efficient tabulating of all rail traffic and transportation of labour, Jews and other dissidents to the camps”.
Knowing he had de Rosenschild’s rapt attention, he continued, “Eichmann was the overseer of the Jewish Evacuation Department, or IVA46 as it was known. We were both Austrian and had a strong personal bond and understanding, but the acceleration of the Reich policy of transporting and coordinating systems to satisfy a Führer order became overwhelming”.
A Right to Plunder Page 16
