Oral history in the project

During recent research trip to the USA (5–26 July 2025), I conducted a series of interviews with individuals who contributed to clarifying Switzerland’s role during World War II.

The second half of the 1990s was the final stage of the Tripartite Commission for the Restitution of Monetary Gold. The activities of American politicians and Jewish organisations contributed to the revision of the existing myth of Switzerland’s neutrality during the war. An important topic of research and international negotiations was the content of the gold pool at the Commission’s disposal, which included resources transferred by Switzerland. In order to examine the American perspective, interviews were conducted with participants in those events. They were:

• Gregg J. Rickman – former legal assistant to Senator Alfonse D’Amato
• Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat – American diplomat and politician coordinating US efforts to secure compensation for Holocaust victims
• Miriam Kleiman – researcher who contributed to proving the responsibility of Swiss banks in laundering gold and other looted assets

The recordings will be processed and transcribed.