VON RIBBENTROP: The German Embassy in Paris, that is, the Ambassador to
the Vichy Government, naturally received orders from me.
M. FAURE: French Document RF-1061 has already been read to the Tribunal
and in this document you defined the functions of Ambassador Abetz. It
is 3614-PS.
In this document, which has already been read to you twice here, I would
remind you that you commissioned Abetz to put in a safe place the public
and private art treasures, particularly those belonging to Jews, on the
basis of special instructions mentioned here. Abetz executed this
mission by pillaging art collections in France.
VON RIBBENTROP: It is not true.
M. FAURE: I would ask that you be shown Document 3766-PS, which has not
yet been produced, and to which I should like to give the French Exhibit
Number RF-1505. I will go over merely a few lines of this document with
you. It is a report from the military administration, which was
distributed in 700 copies. It is entitled: “Report on the Removal of
French Works of Art by the German Embassy and the Einsatzstab Rosenberg
in France.”
If you will look at Page 3, you will see that the title in the margin is
very significant: “German-Embassy: Attempt to remove paintings from the
Louvre.”
Page 4, I will read the first sentence at the top of the page...
VON RIBBENTROP: When may I refer to the individual points? Not at all,
or here and now?
M. FAURE: When I ask you a question you will answer. I am reading a
passage to you:
“Ambassador Abetz, disregarding the prohibition pronounced by
the military administration, undertook to send to Germany a
series of works of art from the Louvre which had been placed in
safety.”
Were you informed of this?
VON RIBBENTROP: I declare that this is absolutely untrue. Not a single
work of art was taken out of the Louvre by Ambassador Abetz. That would
have been contrary to the express orders of the Führer, who had strictly
forbidden it. The report is incorrect.
May I mention that on one occasion the French Government wanted to
present me with a work of art from the Louvre, a painting by Boucher. I
returned this picture to the Louvre. I do not possess anything, and the
Foreign Office never even saw a single work of art, from the Louvre.