Bergier commission

The Bergier commission in Bern was formed by the Swiss government on 12 December 1996. It is also known as the ICE ("Independent Commission of Experts").

It was established by the Swiss Parliament and headed by Jean-François Bergier, an economic historian. Made up of Polish, American, Israeli and Swiss historians, the Commission's mandate was to investigate the volume and fate of assets moved to Switzerland before, during, and immediately after the Second World War. The investigation was to be made from a historical and legal point of view; with a particular emphasis on the links between the Nazi regime and Swiss banks. The mandate covers almost every type of asset, including gold, currency and cultural assets.

In March 2002, the Commission presented its final report.

The commission included:
*Jean-François Bergier, Zug, (President)
*Władysław Bartoszewski, Warsaw
*Saul Friedländer, Jerusalem
*Harold James, Princeton (USA)
*Georg Kreis, Basel
*Sybil Milton, Washington, died in October 2000, replaced in February 2001 by Helen B. Junz
*Jacques Picard, Berne
*Jakob Tanner, Bielefeld, Zurich
*Joseph Voyame, Saint Brais (JU), resigned in April 2000, replaced by Daniel Thürer

ee also

*Volcker Commission
*Eisenstat Report
*Struma
*Switzerland during the World Wars

External links

* [http://www.uek.ch/en/index.htm Independent Commission of Experts Switzerland – Second World War (ICE)] - Official website with intermediary and final reports
* [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/nazis/etc/status.html PBS Frontline article on Bergier Commission]