Expert Opinion - Nazi Looted Art

14
The only son of Thekla and Alfred Hess, Hans concluded several years of education
in the United States before joining M. u. L. Hess Schuhfabrik AG in 1929. He was
named head of advertising. His salary was RM 1,500. His annual advertising budget
totaled about RM 400,000.
Evidence: Sworn testimony taken on November 17, 1957 of Josef Heilbronner,
former deputy member of the board of directors of Schuhfabrik Hess
AG.
Apparently due to the economic difficulties of the M. u. L. Hess Schuhfabrik AG – as
of the end of 1931 – which led to decisive economic changes in the company (in
1933 a brief four-week temporary relief from creditors and settlement proceeding,
followed by a capital reduction; in 1934 continuation as
Grundstuecksaktiengesellschaft (real estate company) and establishment of a
subsidiary, Hess Schuhfabrik AG), Hans Hess’ services as the head of the
advertising department were terminated by the fall of 1932, at the latest.
Hans Hess moved his residence to Berlin and was employed as of October 1932 in
the so-called “Magazine Propaganda” department of Ullstein Verlag, a publisher. His
starting salary was RM 600 per month, which shortly thereafter was raised to RM 700
and, upon his leaving the job in June 1933, totaled RM 800 and would have been
RM 900 per month had he continued to be employed there.
Evidence: Attestation by Ullstein AG, dated January 20, 1958.
III.
Life of Hans Hess from 1933 to 1945.
Ullstein AG confirms that Hans Hess’ employment was terminated by the company in
June 1933 for reasons of race. A July 3, 1933 letter to the chairman of the German
student group from the company's Nazi operating cell confirms that at this time the
Ullstein publishing organization was systematically being “cleaned” [aryanized]. The
letter states: “You may be assured that the Nazi operating cell at Ullstein, one of the
largest cells in the Reich, proceeded courageously in the spirit of the Great Fuehrer.
We have replaced all Jewish editors-in-chief with Christian gentlemen. In addition we
have staffed the most important editor positions in such a way that at long last all
enemies of the state have now been incarcerated or fired.”
Evidence: Same as above, attestation by Ullstein AG on January 20, 1958;
based on “The Art Policies of the Nazis” by Hildegard Brenner.
Initially Hans Hess lived in Berlin-Charlottenburg at 45 Berliner Strasse, and finally at
10 Laubenheimer Platz in Berlin-Wilmersdorf. He left that residence for an unknown
destination on October 1, 1933.
Evidence: Note of the Tax Office in Weimar on October 12, 1943 re: “Assets
accruing to the Reich, in this case Hans Hess, businessman from
Charlottenburg.”