Nestle of Switzerland, today Osem’s controlling shareholder, confirmed before the German authorities in occupied France that all members of the board of directors at Nestles’ French subsidiary were "pure Aryan." Similar statements were made regarding the parent company itself, reveals historian Prof. Michael Bar-Zohar in a investigation published today in "People" magazine.
Bar-Zohar uncovered a series of documents at the French national archives, including a 1941 correspondence between Nestle’s management, the French subsidiary, the Swiss and German authorities and others. According to Bar-Zohar, the "pure Aryan descent" statements for senior management of the French company were prepared forms. This fact is proof, in his opinion, that the Swiss government granted similar statements in other cases.
In October 1941, the German occupying forces discovered that part of Nestle-France’s shares were held by the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk company and suspected the company was British-owned. By request of Nestle, Bar-Zohar says, the Swiss government confirmed to the German government that the company was completely Swiss-owned, and no English partners were involved.
In response to the "People" report, Nestle said: "the accusations negate the truth." The company says that in order to prevent the French subsidiary’s assets from confiscation it had to prove the Swiss character of the parent company.
"Nestle has never shown any interest in examining the religious affiliation of its employees, and never provided confirmation of "a complete lack of Jews," among its staff. This sort of statement goes against the truth and Nestle’s character as a company."