“Wiesbaden Manifesto,” 7 November 1945 facsimile reproduction, images courtesy of the U.S. National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.

Audio Description

This exhibit is a facsimile reproduction of the “Wiesbaden Manifesto,” dated 7 November 1945. It is provided courtesy of the U.S. National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.

This is a four-page typescript document. Some letters are faint, and the pages appear dog-eared and discolored. The text reads:

“U.S. Forces, European Theater Germany

7 November 1945

1. We, the undersigned, Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Specialist Officers of the Armed Forces of the United States, wish to make known our convictions regarding the transportation to the United States of works of art, the property of German institutions or nationals, for purposes of protective custody.

2. a. We are unanimously agreed that the transportation of these works of art, undertaken by the United States Army, upon direction from the highest national authority, establishes a precedent which is neither morally tenable nor trustworthy.

b. Since the beginning of United States participation in the war, it has been the declared policy of the Allied Forces, so far as military necessity would permit, to protect and preserve from deterioration consequent upon the processes of war, all monuments, documents or other objects of historic, artistic, cultural or archaeological value. The war is at an end, and no doctrine of “military necessity” can now be invoked for the further protection of the objects to be moved, for the reason that depots and personnel, both fully competent for their protection, have been inaugurated and are functioning.

c. The Allied Nations are at present preparing to prosecute individuals for the crime of sequestering, under the pretext of “protective custody”, the cultural treasures of German-occupied countries. A major part of the indictment follows upon the reasoning that even though these individuals were acting under military orders, the dictates of a higher ethical law made encumbent upon them to refuse to take part in, or countenance, the fulfillment of these orders. We, the undersigned, feel it is our duty to point out that, though as members of the Armed Forces we will carry out the orders we receive, we are thus put before any candid eyes as no less culpable than those whose prosecution we affect to sanction.

3. We wish to state that from our own knowledge, no historical grievance will rankle so long, or be the cause of so much justified bitterness, as the removal, for any reason, of a part of the heritage of any nation, even if that heritage may be interpreted as a prize of war. And though this removal may be done with every intention of altruism, we are none the less convinced that it is our duty, individually and collectively, to protest against it, and that though our obligations are to the nation to which we owe allegiance, there are yet further obligation to common justice, decency, and the establishment of the power of right, not of expediency or might, among civilized nations.”

Following this text are the names, ranks and assignments of 24 signatories, including Walter I. Farmer, Edith A. Standen, Sheldon W. Keck, Charles P. Parkhurst, and Lamont Moore.

Then three officers are listed with the caveat that “The following officers have expressed agreement with the sentiments of this paper but do not feel at liberty to sign any statement.” The officers include James J. Rorimer.

Then five officers are listed with the caveat that “The following officers have expressed similar sentiments by means of separate letters to Major LB. La Farge.” The officers include Craigh H. Smyth.

The document concludes with the following three sentences:

“The names listed above include 32 of the 35 MFA&A Specialist Officers now in Europe assigned to headquarters in Germany. No contact has been possible with the remaining three officers owing to the shortage of time and the distances involved.

It may also be noted that, while no attempt has been made to ascertain the opinion of the enlisted men and civilians in the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives organization, nor of the personnel of American Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives organizations outside of Germany, all the individuals in these categories who have read this paper have expressed complete agreement with its sentiments.”

Label Copy

This exhibit is a facsimile reproduction of the “Wiesbaden Manifesto,” dated 7 November 1945. It is provided courtesy of the U.S. National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.

In early November 1945, an order to ship to the United States “at least 200 German works of art of greatest importance” for protective custody was disseminated among various divisions of the Office of Military Government, U.S. Zone (OMGUS) and the U.S. Army. The action had been discussed as early as July of that year at the Potsdam Conference, and was the subject of a White House press release in September.

Walter Farmer, director of the Wiesbaden CCP, the repository for German-owned works of art, received the order with dismay. He summoned all available Monuments Men in Germany to meet and discuss the order, which met with universal resistance and resulted in the drafting of this document. In it, the officers strongly oppose, on ethical grounds, the transfer of the paintings, and argue that it runs counter to the policy of the Allied Forces since the beginning of the war.

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