Monuments Men, the MFAA, and Continuing Efforts to Put Things Right

This Belongs in a Museum! In this episode, LTC (ret.) Nikki Dean joins me to talk about the very important Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program, the real "Monuments Men", and the continuing efforts to put things right even 80 years after the fact. The Geneva Convention protects cultural artifacts now, but at this time 80 years ago, we needed a formal, structured way of addressing this particular aspect of World War II, with all of the stolen art, artifacts, and other valuables, as well as some counterfeit art and other criminal activity from people taking advantage of the situation. Links Thieves of Baghdad by Matthew Bogdanos (https://www.amazon.com/Thieves-Baghdad-Bogdanos-10-Mar-2006-Paperback/dp/B011T6MDSK/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3URJKA5WTWBJS&keywords=matthew+bogdanos&qid=1696781687&sprefix=matthew+bogdanos%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-2&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc) The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War by Lynn Nicholas (https://www.amazon.com/Rape-Europa-Europes-Treasures-Second/dp/0679756868/ref=sr_1_2?crid=289D74BDXTTOZ&keywords=the+rape+of+europa&qid=1696782078&sprefix=the+rape+of+europa%2Caps%2C175&sr=8-2) The Monument's Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert Edsel (https://www.amazon.com/Monuments-Men-Thieves-Greatest-Treasure-ebook/dp/B002LHRLNE/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=TXKMn&content-id=amzn1.sym.579192ca-1482-4409-abe7-9e14f17ac827&pf_rd_p=579192ca-1482-4409-abe7-9e14f17ac827&pf_rd_r=134-8358389-9751808&pd_rd_wg=ScYnM&pd_rd_r=0ffcd0fc-d2d1-4a55-a4e5-6a7bcc468389&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk) Saving Italy: The Race to Rescue a Nation's Treasures from the Nazis (https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Italy-Rescue-Nations-Treasures-ebook/dp/B00AN86JYU/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=TXKMn&content-id=amzn1.sym.579192ca-1482-4409-abe7-9e14f17ac827&pf_rd_p=579192ca-1482-4409-abe7-9e14f17ac827&pf_rd_r=134-8358389-9751808&pd_rd_wg=ScYnM&pd_rd_r=0ffcd0fc-d2d1-4a55-a4e5-6a7bcc468389&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk) Rescuing Da Vinci: Hitler and the Nazis Stole Europe's Great Art - America and Her Allies Recovered It by Robert Edsel (https://www.amazon.com/Rescuing-Vinci-Europes-America-Recovered/dp/0977434907/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=TXKMn&content-id=amzn1.sym.579192ca-1482-4409-abe7-9e14f17ac827&pf_rd_p=579192ca-1482-4409-abe7-9e14f17ac827&pf_rd_r=134-8358389-9751808&pd_rd_wg=ScYnM&pd_rd_r=0ffcd0fc-d2d1-4a55-a4e5-6a7bcc468389&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk) Rose Valland: Resistance at the Museum by Corinne Bouchoux (https://www.amazon.com/Rose-Valland-Resistance-at-Museum-ebook/dp/B00GBMOHIW/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=WqNCa&content-id=amzn1.sym.579192ca-1482-4409-abe7-9e14f17ac827&pf_rd_p=579192ca-1482-4409-abe7-9e14f17ac827&pf_rd_r=134-8358389-9751808&pd_rd_wg=2axmj&pd_rd_r=600bd874-3118-49dc-9741-445dbe753336&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk)