This weekend marks the Fourth of July celebration, a moment marked by celebration, time with family, and relaxation. Parades, fireworks, barbeques….all are part of the composite profile we think of at this time of year. But it does have a more serious side to it (I know, leave it to me to point that out). July 4th, 1776, 232 years ago, Congress approved the Declaration of Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. John Adams stated “I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival.” And he was right although, one wonders sometimes if the celebrations are pausing for a moment to include the original intent of our Founding Fathers.

As you might expect, General George Washington spent the day with his troops and provided them a double ration of rum and an artillery salute in 1778. Of more recent interest, an independence day of another sort occurred: On July 4th, 1945, General Douglas MacArthur announced that the Philippines had been completely liberated!

(John Adams)

Two other fascinating events took place on this date in our nation’s history, one of which I didn’t know until I did a little research, courtesy of Wikipedia:
In 1941 the residents of Vicksburg, Mississippi, celebrated Independence Day for the first time since July 4th, 1863, when the Siege of Vicksburg ended with a Union victory during the Civil War. The other is almost too strange a coincidence to believe, but it is fact: Both John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson, two of the great thinkers and libertarians of our time, both Founding Fathers and the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence to become President of the United States, died on the same day, July 4th, 1826. Five years later, President Monroe died on July 4th, 1831.

(Thomas Jefferson)

My thoughts this holiday will be with our troops abroad who can’t be here to celebrate with their families. Every day, they make a huge sacrifice to protect us. These holidays are especially difficult for them because they bring into acute focus where they are—and where they are not but would like to be. It is to them that we say “thanks” for providing us a safe day to celebrate all those who came before them and helped build this great nation we too often take for granted.

Happy Fourth to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Lieutenant Charles Parkhurst, 1913-2008)

One of the greats, Charles Parkhurst, has died. He was 95 years of age.  Charles had an incredibly distinguished career as a museum director, curator, and art historian which spanned more than 50 years.  During those years he worked at the National Gallery of Art, The Baltimore Museum of Art, the Albright-Knox AA Gallery in Buffalo, and the Princeton University Art Museum, among others.  He was also an outstanding educator of art with teaching positions at Oberlin College and Williams College.

But we will forever remember and honor Chuck for his service not just to our nation as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy during World War ll, but his critically important work as a Monuments Officer.  Beginning in May 1945 Parkhurst served as the Deputy Chief of the Seventh Army MFAA section of the U.S. Military Government in Germany.  He helped coordinate the numerous tasks of the Monuments Men in post-war Germany centered on restitutions of the hundreds of thousand of stolen works of art and other cultural belongings stolen by Hitler and the Nazis and located by the Monuments Men. 

But Charles Parkhurst’s service was much greater. In addition to standing with his fellow Monuments Men on the principle that no works of art should be removed from Germany,  in the face of great controversy, he also played a key role in jump-starting cultural life in Germany after the war by creating exhibitions which allowed local citizens to see works of art even though German museums were closed due to damage during the war.

For his wartime efforts as a Monuments Officer, Charles was named a Chevalier, Legion of Honor by France.

(Photo taken on my visit with Charles Parkhurst in 2006.)

Charles was so fortunate to have a magnificent lady and art scholar in her own right, for his wife, Carol, and a wonderful family.  It was one of the personal highlights of my work these past 7 years having the opportunity to meet Chuck and Carol two years ago at their charming home in Amherst.  Knowing he was ill, and of course the age of all the Monuments Men and women, underscored the sense of urgency to our effort to seek Senate and the House of Representatives support for our Resolution honoring the men and women of the Monuments, Fine Art and Archives section. 

We will miss Charles Parkhurst, and all he stood for in the education, appreciation and protection of art and culture, enormously.  Our condolences go out to his family and numerous close friends.

What kind of men — many who were just boys — rushed the sandy beaches under artillery barrage and machine gun fire, certain that many among them would die? Who listened to and followed such orders? Why did so many challenge fate further just to save a wounded buddy?

The carnage and confusion of that early morning amphibious landing 64 years ago will forever remain the sina qua non act of bravery in my book. A general staked his career (and many of his men’s lives) on a decision to "go", clutching in his pocket the scripted remarks he had prepared in the event of failure; his commanders bristled at not being with their boys in the line of fire in the greatest of our nation’s military traditions; and the men followed their orders until they didn’t work, then improvised and overcame nearly impossible odds. Rent and watch the first 30 minutes of "Saving Private Ryan": you will have an idea of the bravery of which I speak. Where did we find such men?

Waiting in the wings were a few dozen men, mostly middle aged, who could never have imagined being soldiers under fire, for they were scholars, educators, artists. Yet they were there, awaiting their chance to land on the continent to do their job. They had everything to lose with careers established, families half-raised at home, life put on hold: yet they volunteered. It was a different type bravery than the men that landed on the Normandy beaches, but no less honorable. Where did we find such men?

A woman who serves her nation’s Congress does so out of duty, not financial gain. She takes a risk and speaks out for others too old and overlooked by history, men too humble to speak about their achievements of long ago. Two other women work 15 hour days, toiling in obscurity, constantly deferring credit for their work on another. Still, they work harder. Better paying jobs abound, but their remuneration comes in the form of eternal satisfaction and pride. They, too, are humble and seek not attention for themselves. Where do we find such women?

Our Nation is blessed in ways so abundant it makes for an embarrassment of riches. Yet too few pause to remember, to say "thanks", to wonder how they can do their part to perpetuate this remarkable legacy. Too few know that there are 9,387 American men and women whose spirits watch over those landing beaches in France. An appalling number of Americans don’t even know what "D-Day" is. Where do we find such citizens?

This is a day for praise, to give thanks, to let all veterans know they are a constant "thank you" in our collective memory. Help us change the "forgetting". Help us restore "remembering". Help others be the citizen of the past, the one who sacrificed, the one who toiled in the trenches, the one who said "thanks" over and again. Help us lead by example to restore the collective citizenship which was and remains the cornerstone of our democracy. And thank every veteran you can because they gave years of their lives to provide us with the chance to live ours quite differently.

(From left to right: Lieutenant Colonel McGarrity, Staff Sergeant Ramus, Staff Sergeant Rabe, Chief Warrant Officer 3 Martinez, Warrant Officer 1 Gochenauer,
Sergeant Hammontree, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Mullen, and Major Stinson
Kneeling: Staff Sergeant Torres and Master Sergeant Hunter - Bagdad, Iraq)

In case anyone doesn’t know, the men and women who protect our nation every day serve voluntarily. They could be doing a lot of different things with their time. Almost any of those choices would entail little or no risk which stands in stark contrast to the peril many face each day in uniform. Meanwhile, because of their sacrifice, those of us in the United States have the luxury of going about our day, enjoying life, seeing friends, building careers, raising families, and all too often having days pass with nary a thought about how lucky we are and who is making this luxury we too often take for granted possible. Ask yourself, when is the last time you stopped for a moment and thought about how lucky you are to have the freedom to do all the things you did yesterday?

I’ve had many great moments with military folks, more so with Veterans of World War II and than current soldiers, but on each occasion I have come away wondering how I can in some way do something that would say to them, “thanks” for all you have done to make our nation better and safe. To wit:  I was recently contacted by Chief Warrant Officer Ely Martinez, who is an Army man serving our nation in Baghdad. Ely had, somehow, heard about my book Rescuing Da Vinci, and wanted to know if he could get a signed copy as he was really moved to learn about the role of the Monuments Men during World War II. His email opened up a dialogue between us, which I have greatly enjoyed. One think lead to another, and in short order we sent him a gift of not one but twelve signed books, each inscribed to officers and fellow soldiers who were important to him and his life. To all readers: you can send a Fed Ex to Baghdad just as easy as you can to New York City (in fact, we used Media Mail due to the weight of the books), so don’t let that be an excuse for not contacting a veteran in theater.

A few weeks later I received confirmation from Ely that the books arrived safely and quite an expression of gratitude. He was happy; I was very happy to do something, anything, no matter how small, to say “thanks” to these remarkable young Americans. Hardly much a sacrifice on my part, but it made me feel good, plain and simple.

(Chief Warrant Officer 4 Greg Boen and Chief Warrant Officer 4 Curtis Harcus)

This morning I returned to my office after a long road trip of lectures and research to find a box sitting under my desk. In it was an American flag that was flown on the 25^th of March by Bravo Company, 603^rd Aviation Support Battalion, 3^rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3^rd Infantry Division, on a combat mission over Baghdad in my honor. They also gathered and sent me several photos holding my book….well, the photos speak for themselves as all good photos do. Talk about speechless….I never left my office or home to do this small gesture: these men and women haven’t seen their homes in months, in some cases longer. Still, I am SO grateful to Ely and his teammates for their thoughtful gift. I shall cherish it all my life.

To the brave men and women of Bravo Company, and all their compatriots, THANK YOU FOR “WALKING THE WALL”, FOR KEEPING US SAFE AT HOME. WE OWE YOU A DEBT WE CAN NEVER REPAY.

Yesterday I addressed an audience of about 150 people as part of a symposium entitled "Protecting the Past: the Fate of Cultural Property in Times of Armed Conflict". It was befitting that this event was held at the headquarters of the National Trust for the Historic Preservation. In addition to the important role that organization plays in the preservation of our nation’s cultural history, the building was once an elegant apartment for Andrew Mellon, in my view our nation’s most benevolent patron of the arts.

It was a great honor to join my friend Lynn Nicholas and other speakers who included András J. Riedlmayer, Bibliographer in Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture in Harvard’s Fine Arts Library, who discussed the destruction of cultural property during the Balkan Wars of the 1990’s, Hays Parks, U.S. Department of Defense, and a decorated Veteran himself, who made an excellent presentation on the 1954 Hague Convention, Corine Wegener, President, U.S. Committee of the Blue Shield, who served in Iraq in the aftermath of the looting of the National Museum and is herself a modern day "Monuments Man", John Russell, Professor, Massachusetts College of Art, who also served in Iraq as an advisor to the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, and Richard Jackson, a retired Army Colonel who is now the Special Assistant to the Judge Advocate General for Law of War Matters.

This great group of experts, brought together by The Lawyer’s Committee for Cultural Heritage Preservation, Andrews and Kurth law firm, and the George Washington University Museum Studies Program, put on a heck of a show. I took 18 pages of notes and learned much more detail about the pervasiveness of this problem in past and present conflicts. It was sad in so many ways to see how painfully expensive the cost to our nation and civilization as a whole for not heeding the lessons learned by the Monuments Men during World War II However, I remain hopeful because of the people I met who are deeply committed to seeing improvements in our performance as a nation and as a member of the global community in this vitally important area.

A copy of my remarks follows:

(Lynn Nicholas, Thomas Kline, and me)

THE MONUMENTS MEN: HEROES OF CIVILIZATION

Let it be said that the telling of history is a never-ending relay race run at inconsistent intervals. Each historian advances our knowledge of a particular subject. Someday, others follow and, building on that body of work, further the research and provide new insights and understanding. For those of us working in this arena of cultural property, we will always owe a debt of gratitude to Lynn Nicholas for her extraordinary achievement in researching and writing “The Rape of Europa."

President John F. Kennedy once said, “A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but the men it honors, the men it remembers.” We as a nation have done a very poor job honoring the accomplishments of the Monuments Men and women, and even worse when it comes to preserving and utilizing their rich legacy In these last few years our country has paid a horrible price. The wisdom of the ages tells us that those who ignore history are destined to relive it. Events in Iraq in April 2003 made sad proof of this timeless truth. How different it might have been!

Within weeks of the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, key American museum personnel, scholars, and other respected officials in the cultural world set in motion actions that within less than two years resulted in the creation of the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas, known as the “Roberts Commission”. Under their aegis a section was created known as the Monuments, Fine Art, and Archives, or MFAA. These “Monuments Men”, initially a part of the Civil Affairs Division, were later attached directly to the various individual Allied Armies in the field of battle.

This small group of museum directors, curators, art historians and educators volunteered for service to protect cultural monuments and works of art, and assist with temporary repairs when possible. With no more than a dozen or so men working in Italy, and another dozen in France by D-Day plus 30, their task was seemingly impossible. Hitchhiking was a common mode of transport as they had almost no vehicles. The resources available to them to do their job were pitiful. So much of what they accomplished occurred as a result of personal initiative and ingenuity.

As the war progressed and the full scope of Hitler and the Nazi’s greatest theft in history became known, the Monuments Men’s attention shifted to locating and rescuing tens of thousands of the most treasured works of art including paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Leonardo da Vinci, and sculpture by Donatello and Michelangelo to name but a few. In the closing months of the war these Monuments Men, by that time numbering no more than 50 or so American and British officers and soldiers, located in more than 1500 hiding places—salt and copper mines, castles, and other structures above and below ground—paintings, sculpture, church bells, Torah scrolls and other religious artifacts, stained glass, the great libraries of Europe, the entire contents of the Reichsbank including gold worth in today’s dollars about $5 billion, and even the trolley cars from the city of Amsterdam. It was the greatest treasure hunt in history, a hunt that continues to this day.

At war’s end, when most of the western Allied Forces were being demobilized and sent home, the Monuments Men’s work had just begun.Collecting Points were created almost overnight to house the hundreds of thousands of cultural items and art treasures being located and removed from repositories throughout Germany and northern Austria. The Monuments Men needed everything: research assistants, photographers, typists, packers and shippers to name just a few of their personnel needs. Within a few months their ranks rose to a total number of about 350 or so men and women from 13 nations of which about 70 percent were American. Restitutions began almost immediately. Paintings and sculpture belonging to the great museums of Florence made a triumphant entry into Piazza Signoria in July 1945. In northern Europe, returns initially focused on the iconic works of art stolen from the key Allied countries. The great Ghent Alterpiece was first, followed by the Bruges Madonna and then token restitutions of select paintings to France and the Netherlands. The restitutions that followed took years and in fact, occupied a few of the Monuments Men and women until 1951 when the final Collecting Point was closed. By that time, more than 5 million cultural items had been returned to the countries from which they had been stolen.

The actions of the Monuments Men were without precedent. It was the first time an army attempted to fight a war while mitigating damage to cultural treasures.Historic orders were issued on numerous occasions by the Supreme Allied Commander, General Eisenhower, stating that “We are bound to respect those monuments so far as war allows.” At the end of the war, the policy of the Western Allied nations was clearly announced to the world: to the victors do NOT belong the spoils of war. That which was stolen was ordered returned.

More orders were issued:General Bradley stated, “we are a conquering army, but we are not a pillaging army”. The statements of these leaders during World War II stand in stark contrast to comments we heard from the Secretary of Defense in the aftermath of the looting of the National Museum of Iraq:“Freedom’s untidy, and free people are free to make mistakes and commit crimes and do bad things…stuff happens.”

And lest you think all the attention of the Monuments Men was focused on Europe, consider that Monuments officer Langdon Warner, one of the world’s leading authorities on Asian art and a noted archaeologist, pleaded with the War Department to avoid bombing the key Japanese cities of Kyoto and Nara in the closing days of the war. He successfully made the case that destruction of these cultural centers would forever impair Japan from rebuilding. Today, in both cities, there stand shrines built by the citizens of those cities honoring Langdon Warner for his actions.

Several years ago an archeologist was interviewed about how Iraq’s treasures could have been better protected. In response to a suggestion from the reporter that perhaps such noted scholars could assist in the field, the archeologist demurred and said, “it is too dangerous; someone could be killed.” And during the fighting in World War II, two Monuments Men were killed: Major Ronald Balfour, a British officer who in civilian life was a noted Cambridge scholar; and Captain Walter Huchthausen, an accomplished American architect. Dangerous indeed. When asked ‘is art worth a life’, one of our 12 living Monuments Men, Lt. Bernie Taper, had the following to say:

In late 1945, in an act of ambition or ignorance, official word came from the United States ordering the removal from one of the Collecting Points in Germany to the National Gallery in Washington of 202 irreplaceable works of art formerly in the Kaiser-Friedrich Museum in Berlin on the grounds that the Monuments Men were not able to properly and safely protect these works of art. An outcry erupted. Perhaps the most eloquent words ever written on the subject of art looting and restitution were penned by a group of Monuments officers who then took the unprecedented step of signing this document under threat of court-martial and subsequently submitting it to their superior officer.

“no historical grievance will rankle so long, or be the cause of so much justified bitterness, as the removal, for any reason, of a part of the heritage of any nation, even if that heritage may be interpreted as a prize of war. And though this removal may be done with every intention of altruism, we are none the less convinced that it is our duty, individually and collectively, to protest against it, and that though our obligations are to the nation to which we owe allegiance, there are yet further obligations to common justice, decency and the establishment of the power of right, not of expediency or might, among civilized nations.”

Monuments Officer Captain Edith Standen would later write, “it is not enough to be virtuous, we must also appear so.” In time, all 202 works of art were returned to Germany.

I could extol the virtues of these brave men and women endlessly, and I fully intend to do so. Every time we walk into a museum, a church or library in Western Europe, we enjoy a timeless part of who we are as a civilization because of the sacrifices they made 63 years ago. They wrote the book on the protection of cultural property during armed conflict. They placed their lives and their careers at risk to stand on the principle that the cultural treasures of others should be protected and returned. They left us a legacy so replete with life affirming examples there can only be one action required of us: to find the courage to act.

My father, A. Ray Edsel, died Saturday afternoon. We had him with us for 81 wonderful years during which he touched thousands of lives with his positive attitude and good sense of humor.

He will be buried on Wednesday followed by a celebration of his great life at 11am at the Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas. I know the church will be filled with family and friends gathered to remember a man we all admired and loved.

After a battle of wills during my adolescent years, things between us calmed. We seemed to find common ground in our mutual interest in business, especially once my career in the oil and gas exploration business commenced. Dad always dreamed of being in that business, but much as he loved it, it was a close second to his affection for the stock market. Still, he lived through the experiences of my oil and gas company and the many sagas that my gifted brother, Jim, and I always seemed to encounter–and overcome.

The personal crises that regularly find us as we enter our thirties not surprisingly caused a strain between us. We each had strong beliefs in how matters of such an intimate nature should be handled. Still, with the passage of time those conflicts didn’t last long nor did they linger. Rather, a friendship evolved that allowed mutual respect. I admired his simple manner, his great attitude, his amazing sense of humor and perspective. It took me years of experiences to understand the achievement of those resilient qualities he possessed and honed. He admired my accomplishments at every milestone, none more so than those of the past seven years. But he equally cherished Jim’s business success and his remarkable family, and Anne’s role as a wife and mom.

The events of 2007, however, rose above all others and put us both in a wonderful place, so often together to savor the moment. None stands more meaningful than our trip to Washington for the Senate Ceremony to honor the Monuments Men on June 6th. The day before, we arranged for several buses to take our group of Monuments Men and their families to the World War II Memorial, a site Dad had not visited or seen. Because the trip involved alot of walking, we were able to persuade Dad to use a wheelchair. Even though it was warm and humid as you would expect in Washington that time of year, Dad wore his fedora and a cashmere jacket due to his perpetual battle with feeling cold as his illnesses progressed. It made for a very stylish statement, however, this kind looking man filled with enthusiasm experience this place of honor being wheeled around the Memorial on a beautiful, sunny, summer day.

It was a great day for me….almost a “Field of Dreams” experience, to be at the World War II Memorial with 4 Monuments Men and my father. But it was also a “work day” — a phrase Dad so wisely drilled into all of us — so I also had to make sure everyone was taken care of while conducting a newspaper interview and filming the whole scene including interviews of the Monuments Men.

As we were finishing, almost two hours into our visit, it occurred to me that inasmuch as I had the camera crew with me, I should interview Dad about his experience as a Marine in the Pacific. I pushed his chair south towards the Pacific side of the Memorial. On both the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the Memorial, there are water basins with the names of the major battles fought in each respective theater inscribed atop the low retaining wall. My Dad fought in many of them. As I pulled his chair backwards, with the camera crew in front of us filming him, he looked to his right and called out each place…Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, and so on…until the wheelchair was next to the names of the places where he landed and fought…Saipan, Okinawa, Japan. Then came the stories…stories of destruction, death, horror…and good fortune…that a simple man, born of few means, survived the greatest war in history and went on to lead a bountiful and rich life. It was a powerful and moving experience.

Other awards and events followed in 2007, but each occurred coincident with Dad’s increasing immobility, so he enjoyed those moments vicariously through my mother. And that was somehow fine with me because I knew that I had him with me for the one moment in time that meant the most to him…and to me. It was perfect.

So the circle of life does what it does, and we are all sad to know that Dad isn’t here to amuse us, lift us up, make us wonder how he was always so positive and resilient no matter how bad things at the time seemed…and yet we are so grateful to have known this loving man who always had a kind and funny word for anyone and everyone, who loved life more than anyone we have known. All those who met him much less knew him are better for the experience. Can there be a more meaningful definition of success?

I am often asked by friends and acquaintances “Where can we see your presentation?” Too often it seems the locations are quite a distance from Dallas. In fact, I have spoken recently in Vancouver, New York City on several occasions, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and most recently Chattanooga last Thursday evening. What a crowd we had in Chattanooga…more than 500 people attended my lecture at the University of Tennessee!

Fortunately, the fine people at the University Park United Methodist Church have invited me to speak at their great facility on October 28 beginning at 6:30pm. Unlike many of my other speaking engagements, the Church has generously made the evening free to all those who attend. We have worked with officials at UMC to customize a presentation that pays particular emphasis to Hitler and the Nazis’ looting and destruction of churches, synagogues, and other places of worship all as a lead into the telling of the story about civilizations’ heroes, the Monuments Men and women. I will be including several short excerpts from our documentary film, The Rape of Europa, as part of my presentation. It will be a special evening which I hope you can attend…and please bring a friend!

On Thursday I travel to Kansas City to speak at one of the world’s greatest museums, the Nelson-Atkins. This speaking engagement, part of their annual Mary Atkins Series, has sold out for the first time ever — more than 550 people are expected to attend. I am excited about speaking to audiences anywhere, especially groups this large. The Question and Answer portion of the evening always unearths interesting stories and contributes to the information we continue to gather about this important part of our world heritage.

I hope to see you at the University Park United Methodist Church on October 28. The address is 4024 Caruth Blvd at Preston Road (click here for map).

One year ago I typed my first blog entry. I barely knew what a “blog” was. Since then, my assistants inform me I have typed some 180 blog entries, or about one every two days. I am so touched when someone comes up to me or writes and says, “I love your blog entries; I keep up with you and the project by reading them.” These expressions of appreciation add alot of meaning to my life and further validate our project.

My first blog entry concerned “D-Day”. On the eve of another D-Day, I am in Washington, D.C. with four of the Monuments Men and their families, and about a dozen family members of Monuments Men who are no longer with us, as we prepare to visit Congress tomorrow and participate in a ceremony in which the United States of America will for the first time recognize and honor the contributions of the men and women of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section of all 13 nations. We expect the Ambassadors or other representatives of at least 10 of the 13 nations to be present.

This afternoon our group paid a visit to the World War II Memorial. It was a beautiful day in Washington made all the more wonderful by the palpable history we made taking these great heroes of civilization to this hallowed place of honor. We strolled the grounds, walked around the magnificent fountains, and enjoyed each others’ companionship. Additionally, the day had even more significance for me: my parents joined us. I not only had a chance for my mother and father to meet these heroes and get to know many of the people who have been so integral in the development of the project, but I also had the opportunity to share the experience with another World War II vet: my dad. I will never forget standing behind him as he looked at the names of Pacific Islands he landed on as a young Marine in 1944/1945. It was a very emotional experience for us all.

At a dinner this evening for these heroes and other friends of the project, I announced the creation of a new entity to safeguard and utilize the rich legacy of the Monuments Men: The Monuments Men Foundation for the Preservation of Art. I will formally announce the creation of The Foundation tomorrow at the Senate Ceremony. The Mission Statement for the Foundation and its Objectives can be found here. You may also visit the Foundation’s web site by clicking http://www.monumentsmenfoundation.org/

There will be much more to report from Washington in the days ahead about the Ceremony and other events. I hope you will stay tuned!!!

The end of the war in Europe, a war that consumed the lives of more than 50 million of people, was formally announced on this date 62 years ago. With the announcement came the terminus of the Third Reich and the rule of Hitler and the Nazis, and end to the nightmare that his 12 years of leadership wrought on Europe, Russia, and many other countries.

Several years ago I was able to purchase an important part of this momentous event: the actual teletype sent from General Eisenhower’s headquarters to General Marshall in Washington, D.C., informing him that the German generals who had succeeded Hitler had formally signed the documents of surrender. As one correspondent who witnessed this unforgettable scene later said, “They [the German High Command] formally surrendered the freedom they had already lost.” General Eisenhower was presented a problem however: the timing of the release of the news of this important event. His urgent teletype (for those in my younger audience, a teletype was similar to a text message sent like a fax) to General Marshall and the other Allied leaders sought their advice on when to make the formal announcement.

(This document summarizes the teletype text and explains in more detail the events leading up to General Eisenhower’s report.)

(Copy of the actual teletype sent by General Eisenhower from SHAEF Headquarters to Allied leaders)

The following document is a photograph of the following day’s armed forces newspaper, Stars and Stripes, announcing to the world the joyous news: the war in Europe was over. Note that our copy of this newspaper edition, printed in Marseilles, France, was at some point in time later signed by General Eisenhower. These irreplaceable documents are just a part of the archives we have assembled over the past 7 years of work on this amazing project — the telling of the greatest untold story of World War II and honoring the great heroes who won that war, in particular, the Monuments Men and women of the MFAA.

(Copy of the front page of the May 8, 1945 edition of the Star and Stripes newspaper, printed in Marseilles, France and later signed by General Eisenhower)

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