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Holocaust Assets and Swiss Banks March 8, 1996 United States Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, has begun an inquiry into the status of assets of European Jews and others, held by Swiss banks since their deposit there in the years preceding World War II and the Holocaust. Numerous sources have questioned the validity of the 1995 search. Moreover, serious questions arise as to the scope and nature of the search. According to the Swiss Bankers Association, a total of 893 accounts, holding $32 million were found. These accounts have been dormant for at least ten years and were opened before 1945. These numbers have been criticized as vastly too small. The inquiry will examine the procedures by which Swiss banks calculated the amount of assets in their possession. In searches conducted immediately after the war, in 1962-63, and most recently in 1995, the Swiss banks used different criteria to conduct their examinations. Therefore, the Banking Committee will evaluate how the banks searched their accounts, and what kind of accounts might have been missed. The Committee will try to discern if the searches were comprehensive enough to find all assets and if an independent and impartial audit is a better answer. If there are people with information that can aid this inquiry or who have made claims and were turned down, please contact Senator D'Amato's office (include your name, mailing address and daytime telephone number) by e-mail at: senator_al@damato.senate.gov or by mail at: Senator Alfonse D'Amato |