By Marc Roland. Recently a Hollywood movie was released, purporting to tell the truth about the Nazi acquisition of European art treasures accumulated by the likes of Herman Goering, Adolf Hitler and others.
Of course the movie depicted the Germans as evil thieves who lined their pockets by looting the museums and private residences of the European capitals German troops were occupying. Naturally, the U.S. officers were depicted as avenging angels who did the world a service by locating and returning, for the most part, priceless treasures.
But the truth of the matter is not forthcoming in the movie “The Monuments Men.” In fact, it was U.S. troops and their commanding officers who seized the greatest art treasures of Europe to satisfy their own avarice. . . .[Read the entire article as PDF…]
The Barnes Review, November/December 2014: America’s First Christmas