RESOLUTION

Whereas in all civilized countries one of the most significant public reactions during the recent war was the horrified indignation caused by the surreptitious or brazen looting of works of art by German officials in countries they had conquered;

And Whereas that indignation and abhorrence on the part of free peoples was a powerful ingredient in the ardor and unanimity of their support of the war effort of democratically governed states in which the private opinions of citizens are the source and controlling directive of official action;

And Whereas two hundred important and valuable pictures belonging to the Kaiser Friedrich and other Berlin museums have been removed from Germany and sent to this country on the still unestablished ground of ensuring their safety;

And Whereas it is apparent that disinterested and intelligent people believe that this action cannot be justified on technical, political or moral grounds and that many, including the Germans themselves, may find it hard to distinguish between the resultant situation and the “protective custody” used by the Nazis as a camouflage for the sequestration of the artistic treasures of other countries;

Be It Therefore Resolved that we, the undersigned, respectfully request the President to order the immediate safe return to Germany of the aforesaid paintings, the cancellation of any plans that may have been made to exhibit them in this country and the countermanding without delay of any further shipments of the kind that may have been contemplated.

This resolution was signed by:

Dr. Clapp and Mrs. Force subsequently announced that they had received eight additional signatures which arrived too late to be affixed to the original copy of the resolution. They included: Frances A. Comstock, Donald Drew Egbert, Henry A. Judd, Sherley W. Morgan, Richard Stillwell—all of Princeton University; Robert Tyler Davis, Portland Museum, Portland, Maine; Frederick Hartt, Acting Director, Smith College Museum of Art; and George Rowley, Princeton Museum of Historic Art.

Statement by the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas, Owen J. Roberts, Chairman.