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Old 04-08-2008, 04:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Slartibartfas View Post
Well I do not really see how this adresses the point that Switzerland was one of the major war profiteers. It had not really a damage but could sack a lot of lost Nazi money. When no one is left to claim it and no one knows anything the money remained where it was at the large Swiss banks.

The Swiss did not do much harm to anyone, but the vastly profitated from the cruelties and crimes of WWII.
Some private companies and banks did collude with the Nazis, but they did so without government knowledge. Meanwhile, many private Swiss citizens also opened bank accounts for Jews in order to help them protect their money from confiscation by the Nazis. Yes, there were many instances when Jews were turned away, but there were also many instances where they were given sanctuary. Switzerland wasn't a poster child for perfection during World War 2, but they certainly behaved more civilized than most other countries who were killing people by the millions.

"World War II - Swiss secrecy helped persecuted Jews hide money from the Nazis"

swiss banks change (27.4.82, updated 30.1.08)

I haven't seen anyone able to provide credible proof that the Swiss policy for Jewish refugees was more strict than for other races. Therefore, one cannot condemn them for that. Europe was engrossed in war and they had to use every means possible to survive. That includes limiting the number of refugees. Would you want your country to accept 200,000 people during a war if you knew it would drain your resources to the point that they would be invaded and defeated? Again, if the Jews will not stand up and fight for themselves, people should criticize them first instead of condemning other people for not saving them when they won't even fight for their own lives. That's the real issue.

Regardless, many private Swiss citizens did help numerous Jews escape from the Nazis:

"Carl LUTZ (1964)
Gertrud LUTZ, née FRANKHAUSER (1964)
Carl Lutz (1895-1975) deserves very particular mention. As the first Swiss national who was elevated to the rank of Righteous among the Nations in 1964, he – aided by his wife and his helpers – saved about 62,000 Hungarian Jews after the German occupation of March 1944.

Jeanne LAVERGNAT (1998)
Arthur LAVERGNAT (1998)
Arthur and Jeanne Lavergnat let numerous groups of Jewish children and other refugees use their market-gardening farm near the French/Swiss border as a half-way house during their escape."

The list continues at:

The "Righteous among the Nations" of Swiss Nationality. Switzerland Task Force.

Here's another one. Most of the Jews on this list found safety in Switzerland:

"They also arranged the release of children from internment camps, and then smuggled them to safety in Switzerland or Spain. On a local level in France, similar activities were carried out by the Comite rue Amelot, the Jewish Communist "Solidarite" organization in Paris, the Service Andres group in Marseille, and the Groupe Maurice Cachoud in Nice, which specialized in secretly transporting children to refuge in Switzerland. Thanks to these efforts, as many as 12,000-15,000 Jewish children were saved from deportation and almost certain death."

Rest of the info at:

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php...uleId=10005519

And how much did the trade and profit from private American business exchanges and the U.S. government contribute to the Nazis being able to murder more people? We'll likely never know... Don't forget, Roosevelt was freely trading with Hitler's Germany up until Pearl Harbor.
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