Hitler's Silent Partners: Swiss Banks, Nazi Gold, And The Pursuit Of Justice - Hardcover

Vincent, Isabel

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0688154255 ISBN 13: 9780688154257

Publisher: William Morrow, 1997

Synopsis

Vienna, 1939: "If anything happens to us, I have money in Switzerland."

These were among the last words that sixteen-year-old Renie Lang's grandfather said to her before he perished in the Holocaust. Fifty years later, Renee and thousands like her are trying to find their rightful inheritances in Swiss banks -- and the world faces appalling revelations that "neutral" Switzerland acted as secret banker to the Nazis, abetting the German war against the Jewish people.

Award-winning journalist Isabel Vincent unravels the labyrinthine story behind the headlines: how desperate men and women tried to secure their families' futures by opening bank accounts in Switzerland; how the Nazis laundered, through Swiss banks, gold seized from the treasuries of occupied countries, much of it looted from the Jews; how the demands of international business, Swiss bank secrecy, and greed have conspired to prevent the truth from being disclosed for over half a century and still prevent restitution.

Balanced, rigorous, and often heartbreaking, this major work also gives a human face to the statistics: a crusading Toronto lawyer; Edgar Bronfman, the passionate head of the World Jewish Congress; a Swiss parliamentarian determined to discover her country's past; and Renie, a survivor waiting in the shadows for some small justice, already a little too late.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Award-winning journalist Isabel Vincent unravels the labyrinthine story behind the headlines by taking us through the life of survivor Renée Appel, who found refuge in Canada. With her, we come to understand what it means to wait for justice: how, on the eve of war, desperate men and women entrusted their life savings to Swiss banks; how Nazis laundered gold looted from Jewish families; how the demands of international business, Swiss bank secrecy, and greed kept the truth hidden for over half a century and still prevent restitution from being made. Hitler's Silent Partners is a rigorous and often heartbreaking look at statistics seldom given a human face.

From the Back Cover:

"Gripping.... A story of unbelievable courage, creativity [and] determination." -The Globe and Mail

"One of the best [books] of its kind...rigorously researched and lucidly told." -The Canadian Jewish News

"Hitler's Silent Partners stands on its own as a compelling, well-researched and sympathetic look at a terrible tragedy." -The Financial Post

"Isabel Vincent shows how Renée's story is one of so many that got lost in the shuffle.... A thoroughly gripping tale." -The Toronto Star

"A stirring saga of one family's struggle to survive." -Publishers Weekly

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0688154255
• ISBN 13: 9780688154257
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 352