This Day In History

On a bright May morning in 1944, while young Americans were dying on the Italian beachheads, Thomas Harrington McKittrick, American president of the Nazi-controlled Bank for International Settlements in Basle, Switzerland, arrived at his office to preside over a fourth annual meeting in time of war. This polished American gentleman sat down with his German, Japanese, Italian, British, and American executive staff to discuss such important matters as the $378 million in gold that had been sent to the Bank by the Nazi government after Pearl Harbor for use by its leaders after the war. Gold that had been looted from the national banks of Austria, Holland, Belgium, and Czechoslovakia, or melted down from the Reichsbank holdings of the teeth fillings, spectacle frames, cigarette cases and lighters, and wedding rings of the murdered Jews.
The Bank for International Settlements was a joint creation in 1930 of the world’s central banks, including the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Its existence was inspired by Hjalmar Horace Greeley Schacht, Nazi Minister of Economics and president of the Reichsbank, part of whose early upbringing was in Brooklyn, and who had powerful Wall Street connections. He was seconded by the all-important banker Emil Puhl, who continued under the regime of Schacht’s successor, Dr. Walther Funk.
Sensing Adolf Hitler’s lust for war and conquest, Schacht, even before Hitler rose to power in the Reichstag, pushed for an institution that would retain channels of communication and collusion between the world’s financial leaders even in the event of an international conflict. It was written into the Bank’s charter, concurred in by the respective governments, that the BIS should be immune from seizure, closure, or censure, whether or not its owners were at war. These owners included the Morgan-affiliated First National Bank of New York (among whose directors were Harold S. Vanderbilt and Wendell Willkie), the Bank of England, the Reichsbank, the Bank of Italy, the Bank of France, and other central banks. Established under the Morgan banker Owen D. Young’s so-called Young Plan, the BIS’s ostensible purpose was to provide the Allies with reparations to be paid by Germany for World War I. The Bank soon turned out to be the instrument of an opposite function. It was to be a money funnel for American and British funds to flow into Hitler’s coffers and to help Hitler build up his war machine.

From ‘Trading with the Enemy’
The Nazi – American Money Plot 1933-1949
by Charles Higham
Delacorte Press, 1983

Kev35,
There were several meglomaniacs involved in WW2! The Austrian Corporal was not on his own, and should not get the star prize. Stalin, Mussolini, Franco, Josip Broz amongst others (on this side of the world!). It seems highly likely that Stalin caused more deaths than Hitler!! There may well be others in Eurasia who’s exploits have, so far, remained undiscovered. What they were doing in the Far East is outwith my area of research.
Whether (or not!) there were meglomaniacs in the USA intent on transforming a (then) mainly agricultural state into a Superpower via WW2 remains to be seen. I suspect so.
HTH
Resmoroh

It was the evil and unbounded aggression which began 69 years and two days ago which began the wholesale and needless slaughter of millions throughout Europe and later the far East and Pacific.

The megalomania of one man and his henchmen wrought havoc and the deaths of so many who either stood before that enemy or were unable to flee. The beginning of six years of toil to rid the world of tyranny.

Yes, the first and third of September 1939 should be remembered, but not only on those days.

Regards,

kev35

Yes, I have today in my memory bank as the last day of WW2 ? Is that correct, or was it the last day of WW2 in europe, VE day, and not the total end to hostilities, which I assume was VJ day, the end of hostilities in the Japanesse area ?
Also one of my younger brothers birthdays (happy birthday to him) ! Keith.