The Victim's Fortune: Inside the Epic Battle over the Debts of the Holocaust [9780060936877]

Overview

“Imagine a book with the narrative force and the behind-the-scenes revelations of Barbarians at the Gate. Now imagine that what’s at stake isn’t just which rich investment banker gets richer, but rather is one of the great moral issues of our time, restitution for Holocaust survivors. Imagine no more, because John Authers and Richard Wolffe have written just such a book in The Victim’s Fortune.”— Samuel G. Freedman, author of Jew vs. Jew

A riveting account of what went wrong in the battle over compensation for Holocaust survivors

Fifty years after World War II, a small group of Americans launched a campaign to confront the world with the fact that many assets looted by the Nazis had never been returned to their owners. Backed by class-action lawsuits and threats of economic sanctions, they mounted a vigorous challenge against some of the world's largest corporations and governments to demand billions of dollars. But what began as a moral crusade soon became a bare-knuckle battle that opened up painful debates about whether money can ever compensate for the horrors of the Holocaust.

John Authers and Richard Wolffe offer a spellbinding investigative account of this momentous international struggle. The Victim's Fortune captures the personalities, ruthless tactics, and moral dilemmas surrounding the fight over compensation -- all unfolding against the backdrop of one of the darkest moments in human history.

The Victim’s Fortune goes behind the headlines to uncover the real story of the fight for Holocaust restitution:

• Swiss Banks and Secrecy: An inside look at the decades-long stonewalling by Switzerland’s most powerful financial institutions and the campaign that finally forced them to open their vaults.
• A High-Stakes Legal Battle: Follow the masterminds, from the World Jewish Congress to aggressive American lawyers, as they deploy threats of economic sanctions and massive lawsuits to challenge governments and corporations.
• Looted Nazi Gold: Uncover the shocking truth about how gold stolen from victims of the Holocaust flowed through neutral countries, prolonging the war and enriching a network of international banks.
• The Human Cost of Justice: Witness the painful debates and personal toll on the survivors themselves, caught in a crossfire of politics and finance, asking whether money can ever atone for unimaginable loss.