61340 Vorabseiten_e - Unabhängige Expertenkommission Schweiz

ities such as synthetic silks (Lonzona, a subsidiary of Lonza) used for making
parachutes, vitamin supplements (Roche), Coramine and Cibazol (bactericides
produced by Ciba and its subsidiary PCI), opiates (Ciba, Sandoz, Roche) used
in treating the wounded, and powdered milk (DAN) or concentrated soup sold
in tins or cubes (Maggi). An interesting case is that of Nescafé produced by
Nestlé and launched on the markets from 1938 on, which was universally
successful, especially in the United States. In Germany, however, the authorities
were reticent. In order to manufacture this miraculous powder, coffee had to be
bought in, which meant using foreign currency; and the import of coffee became
more complicated and more expensive owing to the Allied blockade of shipping
routes. Coffee was not a priority for Berlin. It was the Wehrmacht, in the context
of the Russian campaign, which understood the importance of this invention
and authorised its manufacture from 1942 on for its sole use. Production
remained small, however, for the reasons indicated above.
... and for the Swiss companies
It is not possible to assess the overall gains for the companies concerned and in
any case such an estimate would be of little significance. It would be necessary
to isolate the turnover of each firm for each product, the profits generated in
Germany, the amounts transferred to Switzerland in the form of dividends,
general expenditure, licences and investment, and to compare them whenever
applicable with the results obtained by the same firms on other markets. In the
cases where we have been able to obtain such information, it is included in our
analyses of Swiss companies in the Third Reich.
All in all, and allowing for the peculiarities of each company, business appears
to have flourished in the 1930s after the economic crisis and up until the
outbreak of war. Turnover and profits rose considerably so that, despite taxes
levied by the German authorities and the already heavy restrictions on transferring
foreign exchange to Switzerland, it was still possible to generate profits
and pay out considerable dividends. For many companies, this situation
continued at the beginning of the war; however, from 1940 on, in particular in
1941, trade was less stable. Orders from the state and from the Wehrmacht
flowed in, but they did not compensate for the marked drop in civilian demand
in every sector. The problem of raw materials remained or was resolved only
belatedly. Staff, especially skilled labour, were called up or moved to sectors
which were given priority and forced labour only partly filled the gap. 11 Income
stagnated or even fell. Some factories, such as Geigy’s plant in Grenzach, ran at
a loss. Problems concerning the transfer of money owed to Switzerland
increased.
Swiss companies drew benefits from their presence in Germany, as well as in
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