In the News - Swiss Museum Vows to Return Works in Nazi Trove

At the end of March, I reviewed The Monuments Men, which is a movie based upon a book of the same name by Robert M. Edsel. It is the story of an unlikely World War II platoon tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from the Nazis and returning them to their rightful owners.

I absolutely loved this movie, so I read with great interest the article I found in The Wall Street Journal on Friday, May 9, 2014 regarding the Swiss museum, who inherited the collection of Cornelius Gurlitt, the late son of one of Hitler's art dealers. Though as of the writing of the article, the museum had not yet accepted the collection, the director of Kunstmuseum Bern, Matthias Frehner, stated the trustees would decide within the next six months whether to accept Mr. Gurlitt's will bequeathing the entire estate to the museum. If it does, the museum would return any looted art or compensate their original owners as per the 1998 agreement knows as the "Washington Principles."

There is a great deal more information on this story in The Wall Street Journal article. You can read it at http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB20001424052702304655304579549880169810884

The World Wars Three-Night Event Starts Tonight on History Channel

The World Wars™ Three-Night Event begins at 9/8C on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26 on History Channel.

Adolf Hitler. Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Benito Mussolini. Winston Churchill. Charles de Gaulle. George Patton. Before they were the giants of WWII, they were infantrymen and privates in WWI, the “war to end all wars.” The World Wars™ from HISTORY® and H2® brings you the story of the devastating three decades of 20th-century world war through the eyes of the men whose characters were forged in the trenches before they commanded a world on the brink of disaster. See how, from Ypres and the Somme to the Battle of the Bulge and the invasion of Normandy, the iconic figures of WWII became synonymous with either battlefield glory or murderous fascism.

May 26 - Episode 1: Trial By Fire

An assassin’s bullet sparks a global conflict that quickly evolves into the deadliest war humanity has ever seen. In the chaos, a new generation of soldier emerges, including a group of men who would become the most infamous leaders of the 20th century. Jeremy Renner narrates.

May 27 - Episode 2: A Rising Threat

The fighting may have stopped, but tensions around the world continue to simmer just beneath the surface.

May 28 - Episode 3: Never Surrender

A new generation of world leaders is called to action as war inevitably breaks out again.

If you visit The World Wars Store, you can pre-order the DVD, which will be released in September.


I have not been paid to promote this series, but my nephew is Vice President of Development for Stephen David Entertainment who was involved in the production of this series for History Channel.