A serious dispute broke out yesterday at the Gold Conference in London, between the three member countries, the US, Britain and France, on the question of the opening of the Gold Commission’s archives. The archives contain all the information regarding the division of gold looted by Germany, passed to the Commission after the war, and distributed by it to the former allies who won the war. The dispute deepened following the publication of a document by the World Jewish Congress, proving that tens of tons of gold divided between the countries was stolen from individuals, among them Holocaust victims.
US State Department Undersecretary Stuart Eizenstat called on the Commission to open the archives so that all the countries would know what happened, not only those involved in the gold’s division and receipt. The Jewish delegations joined in the call, supported by the Luxembourg and Italian representatives.
However, aggressive objections by Britain and France are preventing the opening of the archives at this stage. According to London and Paris, the archives should be opened only after the remaining 5.6 tons of gold are divided and the Commission completes its work.
The British delegation claimed that publication of the documents would lead to differences of opinion among the countries involved, and will delay the division of the remaining gold (which Britain and the US have asked to be donated to the new fund to aid Holocaust survivors). It is estimated that the documents will reveal the Commission went beyond its mandate and distributed gold looted from individuals (among them Holocaust victims), and altogether, the division was unjust, preference having been given to certain states over others. The preference may have been due to the fact that the gold reserves in the hands of the Commission accounted for 60% of the gold looted.