Switzerland and Gold Transactions in the Second World War

Interim Report on Gold 46 Chapter 1
VIII/1. The Federal Foreign Office and the Foreign Military Intelligence. The Federal Foreign
Office received $7.1 million in gold from the Reichsbank, mostly in gold coins. This gold was
transferred to some of the embassies and was used to pay for diplomatic expenses in foreign
countries as well as for espionage. The Foreign Military Intelligence received $2.3 million in gold,
mainly in gold coins, to finance espionage and perhaps military activities. 110
VIII/2. The RSHA and the Wehrmacht. The RSHA and the Wehrmacht received $0.1 million and
$0.3 million in gold respectively. 111 This gold was probably used to finance espionage and military
activity abroad where paper Reichsmarks were not generally recognized as currency.
1.4 Gold Shipments from the Reichsbank to the SNB
Table II provides details of available information on the gold acceptances by the Swiss banks,
and agreements or differences as compared to data from documents of the Reichsbank.
Table II: Gold imports into Switzerland 1939–1945
(in SFr. million)
Shipments of the
Reichsbank to
Switzerland
(Reichsbank Ledgers)
Shipments of the
Reichsbank to
Switzerland
(Reichsbank Ledgers)
Swiss trade statistics
Shipments of the
Reichsbank to the
SNB in Bern
(SNB calculations)
Total to SNB only amended according
to Rings
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
1939 – – 17.1 16.8 –
1940 222.9 93.0 126.3 125.9 102.3
1941 328.9 215.0 279.4 268.9 190.9
1942 492.0 492.0 474.6 458.4 492.3
1943 582.4 582.4 596.9 588.9 581.9
1944 280.4 280.4 258.2 258.2 254.7
1945 15.6 15.6 15.8 15.8 15.6
Total 1940–1945 1,922.3 1,678.5 1,751.2 1,716.1 1,637.7
(1) Reichsbank Ledgers, US National Archives. Shipments to the SNB and commercial banks. The shipments from Constance in the spring of
1945 were no longer recorded in the Reichsbank books; they have been taken over from column 5. In the books examined until now, no transfers
were recorded in the Reichsbank books for 1939.
(2) Reichsbank Ledgers, US National Archives. Shipments to the SNB only. For 1939 and 1945, see remarks on column 1.
(3) Trade statistics [Jahresstatistik des Aussenhandels der Schweiz] amended for industrial gold (with the exception of 1944 and 1945), see
column 4. For comparability, see remarks on column 4.
(4) Gold for bank transactions only. 1940–1945 according to Rings 1996, p. 197, and Fior 1997, p. 24. Rings’ source was the internal gold
statistics of the Customs Administration. The Swiss Federal Archives provided Rings with a transcript of the data in 1984. It is with the
Commission in its original version. 1939 according to Swiss trade statistics [Jahresstatistik des Aussenhandels 1939]. The trade statistics recorded
only the actual price (the declared values) and information on the actual weight (gross and net). They provided no information on kilograms of
fine gold. If available, the price for the latter could be calculated on the basis of the fixed gold price used by the Commission. The figures in the
trade statistics cannot be compared in their absolute amounts with other columns, but only in approximate amounts and in their course of
direction.
(5) Shipments from Berlin according to the inventory list of the SNB, see Table IV.
110 Reichsbank Ledgers, US National Archives. The figures cited for Reichsbank transfers to financial institutions are
somewhat more precise than those for transfers to industrial organizations or to government agencies not associated
with the bank due to the various accounting methods. Because of the small quantities involved the net deviation will
probably be insignificant. The gold of the Federal Foreign Office coming from Italy is not listed here.
111 Reichsbank Ledgers, US National Archives.