Hard right political formations like Germany’s AfD party nearly seven years after his comment about the European hard right an avatar of an Internationale-styled alliance for the hard right globally on the shortlist to become Trump’s new Secretary of State losing out to Florida Senator Marco Rubio and his more “establishment” credentials Trump’s victory is nevertheless emboldening far right political groups and leaders throughout Europe and beyond The admiration is mutual: Orbán’s willingness to clamp down on the free press and his manipulation of the electoral system to ensure the success of his hard-right Fidesz Party have largely made him an outlier in the EU he addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) the Hungarian leader will almost certainly be toasted as a great defender of “European values” — even as Trump is set to pull back from U.S in a move demonstrating a distinct lack of solidarity ALWAYS KEEP FIGHTING AND WIN ELECTIONS!” Wilders’ post is indicative of the far right’s shared sense that Trump’s win pushes them, too, that much closer to assuming power within Europe. Earlier this year, the AfD won state elections in the old Eastern Germany in a seismic shock to the mainstream political parties Trump’s win further emboldens these far right forces in Europe which are cynically deploying rhetoric about protecting working people in order to push an anti-immigrant white nationalist and anti-environmental agenda in a similar move to GOP figures on Capitol Hill freezing out Zelenskyy In the U.K., the fiercely anti-immigrant politician Nigel Farage — on whose behalf Trump once lobbied as Farage sought to become the U.K. ambassador to the U.S and whose Reform Party is currently making a serious run at replacing the Conservative Party as the main party of the right — lost no time in offering his services to the Labour government as something of a Donald Trump whisperer it wouldn’t be that much of a surprise if the U.S.’s 47th president conditioned security agreements and reduced tariffs on European countries desperate to retain its relationship with the U.S peculiarly vulnerable to the threat of tariffs will likely be particularly pressured to embrace hard right stances on immigration and culture war issues similar to those pushed by the Trump administration Republican Party to do everything in its power to seed discord and to boost the European far right in the years ahead we are witnessing a terrifying array of anti-democratic tactics to silence political opposition increase surveillance and expand authoritarian reach Truthout is appealing for your support as Trump and his sycophants crack down on political speech Nonprofits like Truthout could be caught in Trump’s crosshairs as he attacks dissenting groups with bad faith lawsuits and targeted harassment of journalists these attacks come at a time when independent journalism is most needed The right-wing corporate takeover of media has left reliable outlets few and far between with even fewer providing their work at no cost to the reader Who will be there to hold the fascists to account We ask for your support as we doggedly pursue justice through our reporting Truthout is funded overwhelmingly by readers like you Please make a tax-deductible one-time or monthly donation today As Trump and his sycophants work to silence political dissent, independent media is a key part of the resistance. 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Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world An attendee at an AfD campaign event in Bad Salzungen Photographer: Hannes P Albert/picture alliance/Getty Images 2024 at 5:06 AM EDTBookmarkSaveOn a recent sunny day in a spa town in eastern Germany the smell of grilled bratwursts filled the air as several hundred locals milled near a stage adorned with blue banners while kids got their faces painted to look like clowns or animals It was like any other summer community event except for the line of well-equipped police This work, Hikers tread German countryside marathon by marathon, by Bryan Gatchell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright The 90th Division discovered Reichsbank wealth and museum paintings that had been removed from Berlin to a salt mine in Merkers View in National Archives Catalog George Patton's Third Army crossed the Rhine and soon thereafter his whole army crossed the river and drove into the heart of Germany elements of the Third Army cut into the future Soviet Zone and advanced on Gotha the village of Merkers fell to the Third Battalion of the 358th Infantry Regiment During that day and the next the Ninetieth Infantry Division consolidated its holdings in the Merkers area.(1) displaced persons in the vicinity interrogated by the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) personnel of the Ninetieth Infantry Division mentioned a recent movement of German Reichsbank gold from Berlin to the Wintershal AG's Kaiseroda potassium mine at Merkers In all of these instances they quoted rumors but none stated their own knowledge that gold was present in the mine a member of Military Intelligence Team 404-G interviewed French displaced persons who had worked in the mine at Merkers They told him they had heard that gold had been stored in the mine The information was passed on to the G-2 (intelligence section) of the Ninetieth Infantry Division and orders were issued prohibiting all civilians from circulating in the area of the mine.(2) two military policemen guarding the road entering Keiselbach from Merkers saw two women approaching and promptly challenged and stopped them the women stated that they were French displaced persons One of the women was pregnant and said she was being accompanied by the other to see a midwife in Keiselbach After being questioned at the XII Corps Provost Marshal Office their driver saw the Kaiseroda mine and asked the women what sort of a mine it was They said it was the mine in which the German gold reserve and valuable artworks had been deposited several weeks before and added that local civilians and displaced persons had been used for labor in unloading and storing the treasure in the mine.(3) By noon on April 6 the women's story had reached Lt Russell the Ninetieth Infantry Division's G-5 (civilian affairs) officer where interviews with displaced persons in the area confirmed the women's story They told him that works of art were also stored in the mine and that Dr curator of the German State Museum in Berlin as well an assistant director of the National Galleries in Berlin Russell then confronted mine officials with this information and they stated they knew that gold and valuable art were stored in the mine and that other mines in the area were likewise used for storing valuables the head cashier of the Reichsbank's Foreign Notes Department who was also at the mine The latter informed Russell that he was in Merkers to care for paintings stored in the mine Veick indicated that the gold in the mine constituted the entire reserve of the Reichsbank in Berlin.(4) Russell requested that the 712th Tank Battalion be ordered to proceed to Merkers to guard the entrances to the mine Elements of the Ninetieth Division Military Police were also deployed about the entrances and arrangements were made for generation of power and electricity at the mine so that the shafts could be entered for examination the next morning after it was learned that there were at least five possible entrances to the mine at Merkers and that one tank battalion would not be sufficient to guard them all the Ninetieth Infantry Division's commanding general called the 357th Infantry Regiment then at Leimbach and ordered that its First Battalion proceed to Merkers to relieve the Ninetieth Division Military Police and reinforce the 712th Tank Battalion.(5) Russell also that afternoon told a XII Corps G-5 officer what was going on at the mine site and word was passed on to the Corps Commander Maj He immediately called Patton and informed him of the capture of the German gold reserves at Merkers told him not to mention the capture of the gold until they definitely confirmed it.(6) with the anticipation of what they might find the next day All involved knew that they had perhaps stumbled upon something important something that political and military leaders expected to find somewhere in Germany—its gold reserves through their intelligence and diplomatic sources knew that the Nazis had looted hundreds of millions of dollars worth of gold from many central banks of Europe and despite sending much of it to neutral countries in payment for war goods they still had a considerable quantity.(7) If they had captured the Reich's monetary reserve as the Germans would be less able to procure essential war-making materials the bulk of the German gold reserves was held at the Reichsbank in Berlin some gold bars were shipped to numerous branches of the Reichsbank as American bombing of Berlin increased and the Allies pushed toward the city from the east and west more of the gold reserve was dispersed to branch banks in central and southern Germany a large quantity of Reichsmarks were dispatched from Berlin to branch banks.(8) The dispersal of Reichsbank assets went into full swing in February 1945 937 B-17 bombers of the Eighth Air Force dropped nearly twenty-three hundred tons of bombs on Berlin causing the near demolition of the Reichsbank including its presses for printing currency president of the Reichsbank and Reich minister of economics and a large quantity of the monetary reserves to a mine at Merkers about two hundred miles southwest of Berlin like all of the other salt and potassium mines in Germany had been requisitioned by the government because firms found it necessary to store materials and continue armament production underground because of the bombings.(9) including gold brought back from the branch banks to Berlin for shipment to Merkers currency reserves totaling a billion Reichsmarks bundled in one thousand bags and a considerable quantity of foreign currency the treasure was unloaded and placed in a special vault area in the mine designated Room No it was decided to send a substantial quantity of currency and staff to the Reichsbank branch in Erfurt in early February The currency and upwards of ten employees were sent packing to Erfurt chief cashier in the Reichsmarks Department Once there they began circulating money to other branch banks as well as sending some of it back to Berlin when the need arose Currency was also taken out of the Merkers mine and redistributed to branch banks and to the Reichsbank in Berlin as needed.(11) The Schutzstaffeln's (SS) Office for Economy and Administration also wanted their loot held by the Reichsbank to be sent to Merkers for safekeeping the SS made seventy-six deliveries to the Reichsbank of property seized from concentration camp victims This stolen property was received for a holding account in the name of "Melmer," named for SS Capt Gold jewelry was sold abroad; gold of some fineness was sold either to the Prussian Mint or to Degussa a large German industrial firm that engaged in the refinement of precious metals and similar items were purchased by the Reichsbank Much of the miscellaneous jewelry was sold through the Berlin Municipal Pawn Shop the proceeds were credited to the account of "Max Heiliger," codeword for Heinrich Himmler and his SS but a significant amount still remained with the Reichsbank.(12) The confiscated property on hand in March 1945 consisted of all kinds of gold and silver items ranging from dental work to cigarette cases The gold and silver bars were placed in 18 bags and the remainder of the loot was placed in 189 suitcases The shipment was under the control of Albert Thoms head of the Reichsbank's Precious Metals Department the Reichminister for Education decided in March to ship them to mines for safekeeping when forty-five cases of art from the Kaiser-Freiderichs Museum were shipped from Berlin to Ransbach found that the mine was unsuitable for a deposit and therefore it was decided that subsequent shipments would go to Merkers Between March 20 and March 31 the Germans transported one-fourth of the major holdings of fourteen of the principal Prussian state museums to Merkers Rave was ordered to stay at Merkers and watch over the collection.(14) the Reichsbank officials decided to remove the entire reserves but they were hampered by the speed of the American advance and the partial shutdown of the Germany railway system due to the Easter holidays bank officials had given up all hope of moving the gold and concentrated on the Reichsmarks which were in short supply in some parts of Germany Reichsbank officials at Erfurt received orders to get the Reichsmarks at Merkers and distribute them to other places in the Reich arrived at Erfurt to assist in the distribution They were joined the next morning by Frommknicht and seven other Reichsbank employees They loaded about 200 million Reichsmarks and some fifty packages of foreign currency unto a two-and-one-half-ton truck That afternoon Kaese drove off with the Reichsmarks destined for Magdeburg and Halle and the foreign currency for Berlin.(15) with the help of some twenty Polish workers given to them by mine officials began the process of taking the rest of the currency out of the mine They took a considerable sum to Bad Salzung and loaded it into one railway car learning the Americans were fast approaching On their way back to their hotel they learned that a bridge over which the train was to pass had been blown up and they decided to put it back in the mine They were unable to get workers to take the currency back into the mine that night so they waited until the next morning.(16) the Germans and their Polish workers started taking the currency back down into the mine knowing that the Americans would soon be arriving Because Frommknicht had the key to the vault and he and Thoms had left Merkers to make their escape the others had to leave the currency near the shaft elevator some American soldiers appeared on the scene but they did not appear too interested in the work believing this was some routine mine operation continued taking the currency back down into the mine but Thoms was captured by American soldiers Within the week he would be brought back to Merkers for questioning.(17) On the morning of April 7 military personnel interrogated civilians to obtain information on storage of Reich property in the mine new entrances to this mine and to other nearby mines were found by the Americans at Leimbach Guards were immediately placed at these entrances General Earnest directed that a company of the First Battalion of the 357th Infantry Regiment be posted to guard the main entrance of the Merkers mine This company was reinforced with tanks from the 712th Tank Battalion tank destroyers from the 773d Tank Destroyer Battalion and Jeeps mounting machine guns for antiaircraft defense Reinforced rifle companies were also ordered to guard entrances at Kaiseroda and Dietlas another entrance to the mine was found at Statinfsfeld by the First Battalion a tank destroyer company was dispatched to guard this entrance.(18) and two other Ninetieth Infantry Division officers and German mining officials entered the mine The elevator took them to the bottom of the main shaft twenty-one hundred feet beneath the surface It was blocked by a brick wall three feet thick enclosing a portion of the mine at least one hundred feet wide In the center of the wall was a large bank-type steel safe door complete with combination lock and timing mechanism with a heavy steel door set in the middle of it Attempts to open the steel vault door were unsuccessful That afternoon Veick told Russell the gold was all in one room behind the vault door and he called Patton to inform him that the mine had been entered and that a significant amount of Reichsmarks found and arrangements were made for blasting an entrance in the vault the following morning.(19) Meanwhile the Ninetieth Infantry Division was continuing on the offensive and needed all of its forces the 357th Infantry Regiment was ordered to move out and join up with the division's other units which was to pass to division control and to continue guarding the mine and Third Battalion guards were to be relieved by elements of the First Battalion By that evening three companies of the First Battalion were guarding the entrances at Merkers with the assistance of one platoon of heavy machine guns and two sections of light tanks and Kaiseroda factory areas were guarded by a perimeter defense and special guards were placed on essential operating installations such as electric plants and elements of the 282d Engineer Combat Battalion entered the mine They would be joined several hours later by Eddy One of the engineers who inspected the brick wall surrounding the vault door thought it could be blasted through with little effort blasted an entrance though the masonry wall which was approximately 75 feet wide by 150 feet long with a 12-foot-high ceiling Tram railway tracks ran down the center of the cavern laid out in twenty rows with approximately two and a half feet between rows All of the bags and containers were marked Baled currency was found stacked along one side of the vault along with gold balances and other Reichsbank equipment Each container bore a packing slip showing the contents and a tag bearing the name "Melmer." It was obvious that it was SS loot Within days it would be confirmed that it was the Americans would learn the extent of the loot and the identity of Melmer.(21) The inventory indicated that there were 8,198 bars of gold bullion; 55 boxes of crated gold bullion; hundreds of bags of gold items; over 1,300 bags of gold Reichsmarks and French gold francs; 711 bags of American twenty-dollar gold pieces; hundreds of bags of gold and silver coins; hundreds of bags of foreign currency; 9 bags of valuable coins; 2,380 bags and 1,300 boxes of Reichsmarks (2.76 billion Reichsmarks); 20 silver bars; 40 bags containing silver bars; 63 boxes and 55 bags of silver plate; 1 bag containing six platinum bars; and 110 bags from various countries.(22) after learning how extensive the mine was and the significance of its treasure commanding officer of the 357th Infantry Regiment and told him that the order of the previous day withdrawing his regiment from the Merkers area He ordered him to hold any movement and that his regiment which had been assigned to be the Ninetieth Infantry Division's reserve At that time the Third Battalion guard had already been relieved by elements of the First Battalion and the Third Battalion had started to move and Mason moved his command post from Leimbach to Merkers Mason then provided for the defense of the Merkers area and the various mine entrances with his First and Third Battalions and the 773d Tank Destroyer Battalion and numerous antiaircraft guns.(23) While the treasure was being reviewed on April 8 in other tunnels Americans found an enormous number of artworks arrived to inspect the artworks and the gold and currency Perera interviewed Veick about the circumstances surrounding the transfer of the treasure to Merkers and obtained from the XII Corps personnel a copy of their inventory Perera and Posey then set out for the Third Army headquarters at Frankfurt Shortly thereafter they made their report to Lt On April 8 Patton learned that in addition to the paper money found the day before his soldiers had found a significant quantity of gold and he also learned that the press had found out about the Merkers mine and had published stories about the capture of the gold and told him that owing to the amount of the seizure and the fact that it had been made public he believed it was now a political question and requested that Supreme Headquarters be asked to send somebody to take it over.(25) The person who would take over the Merkers operation was Col Bernstein was the assistant general counsel at the Department of the Treasury read a front-page story in the Paris edition of the New York Herald Tribune about the discovery of the gold and other treasures at Merkers He immediately called Barrett to see if he had any information on the subject He was advised that Barrett was forward at Third Army and would be telephoned immediately about the matter.(26) who had arrived at Frankfurt at 10:30 a.m. learned that Perera and Posey had gone in search of information about the report that the Americans had uncovered the gold reserve Barrett received a message that Bernstein was trying to reach him and wanted to know about the validity of press stories concerning the discovery of the treasure at Merkers Barrett tried unsuccessfully to reach Bernstein who said the discovery had not yet been verified conveyed the information about the Merkers treasure to Brig who thereupon told Bernstein to go to Merkers immediately to look into the matter McSherry called him and said that Eisenhower wanted him to take control of the matter.(27) A painting by the French Impressionist Edouard Manet View in National Archives Catalog Bernstein telephoned Barrett and told him about the newspaper stories concerning the Merkers treasure and that SHAEF had received a message from the War Department asking several questions about the treasure Bernstein asked whether he should fly to Frankfurt Barrett told him that he would phone him back when he received another report from Perera and would then recommend whether he should come or not Barrett reached Perera by phone and was informed that Perera had just received confirmation that the mine contained more than one hundred tons of gold Perera said that the XII Corps finance officer was placing a heavy guard around the treasure pending instructions from higher authority Perera said that only one Reichsbank official from Berlin (Veick) was present with the treasure and that he did not believe it was necessary for Barrett to visit the site until he could return to Frankfurt with a full verbal report that night Perera also did not think it necessary for Bernstein to come immediately since he could get pertinent information from the Reichsbank official and the treasure was under sufficient protection at present.(28) and reported on his conversation with Perera reporting his conversations with Bernstein and Perera and stated that if McSherry wanted Bernstein to come and this matter was so important and said that Dalferes agreed that Bernstein should get to Frankfurt by air Barrett then gave him a preliminary report of the contents of the mine based on telephone information received from Perera that afternoon and also informed him that guards had been placed and the preliminary inventory was being made by the XII Corps finance officer.(29) and gave him summary figures and said that he would return to Frankfurt that night with the preliminary inventory Thirty minutes later Barrett was informed that Bernstein had left and would arrive at Frankfurt that evening Barrett learned that Bernstein's plane was stopping at Rheims for the night and he would come the next morning Perera informed Barrett that the principal items in gold and currency at Merkers were 8,198 standard gold bars providing fuller details about the Merkers treasure Perera said Veick told him how and why the treasure was at Merkers and what he was doing there Posey reported that the art in the mine was very important and that it consisted of the most valuable pieces from various Berlin museums.(30) By the time Bernstein's transportation could be arranged the pilot told him it was too late to go to Frankfurt who told him that Eisenhower had discussed the matter with General Crawford and Eisenhower wanted Bernstein to go to Merkers immediately and check the contents and arrange for the treasure to be taken from the mine to a more secure location thereby relieving combat units for tactical missions The two then discussed the details and problems involved.(31) Lucius Clay (who had just been named as Eisenhower's deputy in military government in Germany) Crawford said that Eisenhower wanted Bernstein and Morris to go to Merkers and transfer the treasure to a location further to the rear for the purpose of releasing combat units and to facilitate an accurate examination Bernstein was ordered to be responsible for taking over the treasure and Morris was directed to coordinate the actual movement and providing for the security guards on the road and the permanent guards at the new location Bernstein and Morris were ordered to report to the Third Army's chief of staff Crawford suggested the use of Fort Ehrenbreitstein at Coblenz for the storage of the treasure They talked about the possibility of Frankfurt being used as the depot for the loot since it was to be the headquarters of Eisenhower's staff and the headquarters of the U.S Group Control Council when they got to Germany it was left to Bernstein and Morris to use their discretion as to where the treasure would be placed.(32) they lunched with Barrett and discussed the Frankfurt Reichsbank building as a storage facility for the Merkers treasure Bernstein and Morris then met with Dalferes to formulate plans for taking over responsibility for the administration and movement of the treasure Bernstein and Morris met with Gay and Patton to discuss the treasure and its movement Then Morris quickly discussed the movement problem with Brig to assist in any way possible in this move.(33) Gay then prepared a letter to General Eddy stating that Eisenhower had designated Bernstein to take over the contents of the mine at Merkers and that Bernstein would be responsible for making a complete inventory of the entire contents of the mine; arranging with the Third Army for the movement of the treasure to other areas when and if deemed advisable; and making decisions as to who would be allowed in the mine Eddy was instructed not to allow Allied units or separate individuals to be in the area surrounding the mine except upon his written permission Eddy was further informed that responsibility for guarding the mine and its contents remained with the Third Army which in turn was delegated to XII Corps.(34) then made an inspection of the Reichsbank building to determine the suitability of its use for storing the treasure They then drove to Fort Ehrenbreitstein in Coblenz to determine if it was a possible storage area They discovered the fort was already full of archives and art taken from area museums and public buildings and that no suitable areas remained to accommodate the volume of material found at Merkers Bernstein was convinced that the Reichsbank building was the most suitable storage site.(35) Bernstein and his party again inspected the Reichsbank building They agreed that it had adequate storage and office space Bernstein called McSherry and said that he favored the Reichsbank site and expressed his need for certain specialized personnel to augment the G-5 team for the purpose of taking over and accounting for the material He gave McSherry a brief statement of the contents of the Merkers mine outlined his tentative plan for the movement of the treasure and told McSherry that he and Barrett would soon leave for Merkers McSherry approved the tentative plan and proceeded to requisition the Reichsbank building and obtain the services of Third Army engineers for rehabilitating the building to the extent necessary to provide adequate security and protection from the weather It was agreed that Morris and Feary would be left behind at Frankfurt to arrange for the engineers to put the building in shape.(36) and Bernstein informed him of his intention to transfer the treasure to the Reichsbank at Frankfurt and that they would soon be leaving for Merkers Bernstein also said that Morris was working with General Muller on transportation and other details required for the movement Then Bernstein instructed Feary to work with Morris to assist in arrangements for trucking some eighty-five miles from Frankfurt.(37) Bernstein and Bartlett arrived at the 357th Infantry Regiment Command Post in Merkers at 5 p.m they went on a tour of the mine to see the vault containing the gold That evening Bernstein interviewed Veick and Reimer about the gold as well as any records relating to the gold Veick provided detailed information about the transportation of the Reichsbank treasure to Merkers and the currency transactions during March and the first days of April He said he did not know that much about the gold Reimer told Bernstein that "the records of the sale of the gold are with Thoms."(38) Patton told Bernstein that he was very glad Eisenhower was taking responsibility for the gold Bernstein told him that he wanted to move the Merkers treasure to Frankfurt as quickly as possible and that under the Big Three arrangements at Yalta the Merkers part of Germany would be taken over by the Russians after the war and that they certainly needed to get the treasure out of the area before the Russians got there not knowing about the postwar arrangements Patton said he would do everything possible to facilitate Bernstein's mission.(39) after arranging with Mason for setting up a command post at the mine building for the G-5 officers he and Rave made an inspection of the art treasures with the expectation that they would handle the art matters he had notified Webb of the treasure and recommended Stout former chief of conservation at Harvard's Fogg Museum and considered America's greatest expert on the techniques of packing and transporting be sent to the mine to provide technical guidance Webb and Stout arrived at Merkers only to find that they needed Bernstein's permission to see the art Bernstein showed them his letter from Gay authorizing him to decide who went into the mine and the need for Eddy's permission for Allied personnel to inspect the mine Bernstein agreed to let Stout view the works of art Morris left Frankfurt and drove to XII Corps headquarters at Meningen The next morning he discussed the move of the treasure with the XII Corps Chief of Staff He also discussed with Gay and Patton the security requirements for the move as well as for the Frankfurt area in the event of a major attack and proceeded to discuss the physical problems of the move with Mason Then he joined Bernstein and Bartlett to inspect a nearby salt mine where they found German air force clothing.(41) That evening Bernstein learned that personnel he had requested were at Frankfurt He decided that six of them would remain at Frankfurt The others would report for duty at Merkers: Lt Foreign Exchange and Property Control Section European Civil Affairs Division's Currency Section for Germany (Twelfth Army Group) Also that evening Bernstein received a message that Patton had called directing him to be at the main entrance of the mine the following morning at 9 a.m Bernstein immediately ordered that arrangements be made to see that the mine and shaft equipment was functioning properly and that German civilians were available for questioning if needed Bernstein was at the mine very early to ensure everything was prepared for Patton's visit for he was still at his headquarters at Hersfeld greeting Eisenhower and Bradley with Patton and Eddy and members of their staffs commander of the XIX Tactical Air Command of the Ninth Air Force Bernstein met them at the mine entrance and took the generals and several German officials into the mine As the jittery elevator descended with ever-accelerating speed down the pitch-black shaft Bernstein was concerned about their safety Patton said if the cable snapped "promotions in the United States Army would be considerably stimulated." General Eisenhower said "OK George No more cracks until we are above ground again."(44) part of German loot stored in a salt mine at Merkers View in National Archives Catalog 8 and looked around in awe at the captured gold "Crammed into suitcases and trunks and other containers was a great amount of gold and silver plate and ornament obviously looted from private dwellings throughout Europe" he wrote and then merely thrown into the receptacle apparently pending an opportunity to melt them down into gold or silver bars." Later Patton would write that he saw "a number of suitcases filled with jewelry etc." acquired by "bandit methods." Eisenhower was very interested in learning what was in the mine Bernstein informed the generals that some of the treasure had come from victims in the concentration camps; how the treasure had come to be shipped there; and estimates as to its value He also told them he was planning to take an inventory of everything and to move the treasures to Frankfurt Eisenhower and the other generals concurred with Bernstein's plans.(45) Bernstein also showed the generals the art treasures plates the Reichsbank used for the printing of the Reichsmark currency a German official said that they were the last reserves in Germany and were badly needed to pay the German army "the German Army will be meeting payrolls much longer." Near the end of the inspection "If these were the old free-booting days when a soldier kept his loot you'd be the richest man in the world." Patton just grinned which had included newspapermen and Signal Corps photographers taking numerous photos of the inspection Among the things they discussed was that when word first reached Patton about the gold discovery he had ordered a censorship stop on the discovery "What would do with all that money?" Patton said that his soldiers were of two minds One view was that the gold be cut into medallions "one for every sonuvabitch in Third Army." The other view was that the Third Army hide the loot until peacetime when military appropriations were tight and then dig it up to buy new weapons said "He's always got an answer." The evening did not end on a happy note Just about midnight the three learned that President Roosevelt had died.(47) He also gave some estimated values for the gold and said "the gold and silver was not stolen." "The silver and gold articles in cases," he said came from the economic department of the SS." He said that there were no records at Merkers relating to the gold and during the course of the next several days Bernstein and his men interviewed a dozen bank During these interviews they learned about the German policy of storing files and treasures and goods of all kinds and descriptions in mines and tunnels They also learned the names of various mines.(48) Morris was hard at work facilitating the coordination of the move He arrived at the Third Army advanced headquarters during midmorning and met with the deputy chief of engineers to obtain the service of engineers for supervising German operators at critical points throughout the mine installation during the forthcoming operation to discuss the transportation requirements and with the Third Army provost marshal to discuss security measures.(49) MFAA Officer Stout talked to Rave at the Ransbach mine who explained that the forty-five cases of art there could not be inspected as the mine elevator was not working Stout returned to Merkers and made a spot-check of some of the boxes and crates of artwork He found that in addition to the crated items some four hundred paintings were lying loose He had seen enough to know that he needed proper packing materials and that the art constituted great wealth The next afternoon he returned to Ransbach to prepare the items there for the move Bernstein told him that the art convoy would leave on the sixteenth.(50) Moore with his staff arrived from Frankfurt at the mine Bernstein assigned Moore the responsibility for marking the money containers in the mine preparing inventories at the time of the removal of the money from the mine making arrangements for the transfer of the currency and gold Fisher was assigned the responsibility for preparing inventories of all other mines in the immediate vicinity and to analyze all the testimony developed in interrogations to date with a view toward finding further gold and currency deposits as well as gathering financial and property control intelligence information.(51) inspected the mine and made an estimate of the situation and after consulting with Mason four teams were organized to make an inventory of the contents of the mine based on the information shown on the tags Two teams worked on the gold bullion and coins While the contents of the mine were being inventoried and prepared for the move army engineers began preparing the area for the move Also that day thirty-two ten-ton trucks from the 3628th and 4263d Quartermaster Truck Companies were made available for the move Morris visited Mainz and arranged with the Truck Company commanders to report at the mine property at Merkers early the following morning.(52) on April 14 the thirty-two trucks plus wreckers arrived at Merkers commanding officer of the 474th Infantry Regiment who inspected the mine and the areas surrounding the mine for the purpose of organizing his security guard to take control of the convoy upon its exit from the mine property.(53) Jeeps and quarter-ton trailers were lowered into the mine as well as ten officers of the 357th Infantry Regiment to not only move the treasure from the vault to a shaft to the trucks but also to record in great detail at each step what was being moved and loaded on the trucks The treasure was taken out of the vault and loaded onto the trailers by two crews of fifty men each in alternating shifts The gold on trailers attached to the Jeeps were then driven to Shaft No where the trailer was detached and sent to the surface by the elevator 1 was used for loading currency bags and miscellaneous objects Here the material was unloaded from the trailers into mine carts and sent up the elevator was inventoried again upon reaching the surface 3,682 bags and cartons of Germany currency During the evening of the fourteenth a continuous air patrol was begun over the area and it would continue until the move was completed.(54) At some point on April 14 Bernstein met with Stout and Bartlett to discuss the arrangements for the movement of approximately four hundred tons of art stored in different parts of the Merkers mine It was agreed that loading would begin at noon on April 16 But the loading would actually begin earlier Bernstein ordered Stout to prepare three truckloads of art which were to be mixed in with the gold to make the loads lighter Morris flew to Frankfurt to confer with transportation officers about procuring trucks to be used for the shipment of the art to Frankfurt Morris made arrangements on April 15 with the Third Army provost marshal to obtain one hundred POWs to be used in loading the art treasure the next morning Morris flew back to Merkers to assist in the move.(56) On April 14 Bernstein found time to write Gay proposing an operational plan to search for other Nazi gold and foreign exchange assets after the move of the treasure from Merkers "confirms previous intelligence reports and censorship intercepts indicating that the Germans were planning to use these foreign exchange assets as a means of perpetuating the Nazism and Nazi influence both in Germany and abroad." "In order to prevent further transfer or movements of Germany's foreign exchange assets and works of art to more secure places in southern Germany or in neutral countries such as Switzerland and Sweden," Bernstein wrote "it is essential to locate and protect these assets."(57) just as the loading of the trucks had been almost completed Colonel Walker and Lieutenant Colonel Whitney with elements of their 474th Infantry Regiment arrived at the mine to assume command of the convoy as it cleared the property area The trucks were completely loaded—actually overloaded by approximately 10 percent—by 7:45 a.m one truck had broken down in the mine's factory area and was placed under strong guard until it was repaired.(58) escorted by five platoons from the 474th Infantry Regiment elements of the 785th and 503d Military Police Battalions an antiaircraft platoon with ten mobile antiaircraft guns and an air cover of observation planes and P-51 Mustang fighters Germain traveled to Frankfurt by car to make arrangements for receiving and storing the gold and currency within the Reichsbank Morris flew to Frankfurt to arrange for additional personnel to assist in the unloading The convoy arrived at Frankfurt around 2 p.m. Two infantry companies cordoned off the Reichsbank while each item was unloaded and moved into the vaults of the bank and Bernstein returned to Merkers to supervise the movement of the artworks.(59) started moving the four hundred unpacked pictures they were placed in an adjacent mine-owned building and wrapped in long German army sheepskin coats Stout had found in a neighboring mine They now awaited arrival of the trucks the next day.(60) who arrived back at Merkers around 9:30 a.m The move was accomplished by 357th Infantry Regiment personnel assisted by the one hundred POWs who arrived with an escort of guards later in the day in part because some of the art had been moved to the surface the previous day a few art objects in forty-five cases were removed from the Ransbach mine and added to the convoy With this phase of the operation completed the 357th Infantry Regiment's Third Battalion took leave of Merkers and rejoined their Ninetieth Infantry Division comrades The First Battalion would remain at Merkers until the treasure's disposition had taken place.(61) having approximately the same strength security guard as the gold convoy with the exception that fewer aircraft were used The convoy consisted of twenty-six ten-ton trucks loaded with art and two empty for use in the event that a transfer of loads became necessary The art convoy arrived at Frankfurt at 2:45 p.m. and an hour later the unloading and storing of the artwork began assisted by the newly promoted Captain Dunn Colonel Walker and the Ninety-ninth Battalion 457th Infantry Regiment departed and the POWs were sent on another assignment.(62) McSherry visited the Reichsbank and directed that a tentative inventory be prepared of the gold Eisenhower cabled the War Department with a rough estimate of the Merkers find Eisenhower's chief of staff sent the Combined Chiefs of Staff a preliminary inventory of the Merkers treasure In his cover letter he pointed out that a large quantity of the loot appeared to have been taken by the SS from victims and suggested that proper agencies be contacted to send representatives to review the loot in terms of being evidence in war crimes proceedings.(63) learned that his colleagues had uncovered in the Merkers find a series of account books belonging to Thoms's Precious Metals Department which Thoms had earlier informed Bernstein had been sent back to Berlin Thoms indicated that the books were a running inventory of the gold bars and gold and silver coins held by the Reichsbank for its own account and the account of others The books also provided specific information about each bar held at either Merkers or Berlin Bernstein believed the books should be useful as a checklist against which the discovery of the Reichsbank gold could be controlled and might assist in the location of all of the Reichsbank gold.(64) On April 18 Bernstein sent McSherry a detailed report of the activities that had taken place during the preceding two weeks He concluded by observing that "the Germans hid their assets in mines and other secret places in Germany presumably with the intent of maintaining a source of financing of pro-Nazi activity." "Many of these caches," he continued "have not yet been uncovered and should be ferreted out as soon as operations permit." He observed that it was "necessary that some procedure be established for analyzing and utilizing the property and records found in the Merkers area and those uncovered in the future." "Intelligence reports," he wrote "indicate that just as the Germans secreted assets and valuable property within Germany they also made elaborate arrangements for secreting assets in neutral and other nations of the world." "Every step should be taken," he urged "in Germany to obtain information of the assets secreted both inside and outside Germany so that these assets cannot be used to perpetuate Nazism or contribute to the rebuilding of Nazi influence."(65) Bernstein attempted to get someone to support his plan for a full-scale reconnaissance of Germany for other caches of loot He contacted senior officers at XII Corps and Third Army for assistance with a small reconnaissance party in Jeeps left Frankfurt on April 19 in search of more loot During the next two weeks his teams covered nineteen hundred miles checking Reichsbanks all over American-occupied Germany and following up every lead regarding the whereabouts of gold Of all the places visited by the reconnaissance parties only three actually yielded recoveries of the so-called Reichsbank gold in the amount of $3 million During May and June American soldiers found Reichsbank gold valued at about $11 million Altogether the Americans had recovered 98.6 percent of the $255.96 million worth of gold shown on the closing balances of the Precious Metals Department of the Berlin Reichsbank.(66) In mid-August experts from the United States Treasury Department and the Bank of England completed the job of weighing and appraising the gold The total value of the gold found in Germany was placed at $262,213,000 Also weighed and appraised was $270,469 worth of silver Eight bags of rare gold coins had not been appraised found among other art treasures at Merkers View in National Archives Catalog Allied currencies found at Merkers and elsewhere by the Americans were returned to various countries and the process of restituting the artworks found at Merkers and elsewhere in the former German Reich began.(68) The gold found at Merkers was in early 1946 turned over to the Inter-Allied Reparation Agency and eventually turned over to the Tripartite Commission for the Restitution of Monetary Gold (TGC) for distribution to countries whose central-bank gold had been stolen by the Nazis The TGC began the process of getting the gold returned to most countries as quickly as possible cold war factors resulted in some of the gold not being restituted until 1996 efforts were made to ascertain the value of the SS loot found at Merkers and discussions begun about its disposition including that taken from victims of Nazi persecution was given to the Preparatory Commission of the International Restitution Organization Bernstein turned over the reports about the SS loot that he and his colleagues had produced as well as information contained in the records of the Precious Metals Department to war crimes prosecutors for use in connection with their preparations for the trials at Nuremberg One of the counts on which Walter Funk was found guilty related to his dealings with the property taken from concentration camp victims by the SS and deposited in the Reichsbank.(69) and managing the Merkers treasure by Colonels Bernstein and their colleagues may or may not have shortened the war But they did block the Nazi leaders from further use of their looted gold and property of victims of their persecution Their actions also ensured that the central banks of Europe would receive back at least some of the gold the Nazis had seized and that some funds would be available for restitution to individuals.(70) The story of the Merkers treasure still continues most of the records of the Reichsbank's Precious Metals Department were microfilmed by the U.S who was working for the successor bank to the Reichsbank These records have subsequently disappeared in Germany and there has been a search for them the past two years in the belief they would shed light on how much non-monetary gold (e.g. dental gold) was melted down and mixed with the monetary gold (i.e. central bank gold) and thus indicate how much restitution still should be made to victims of Nazi persecution and their heirs.(71) At an international Nazi Gold conference held in London in December 1997 several countries agreed to relinquish their claims to their share of the remaining 5.5 metric tons (worth about sixty million dollars) still held by the Tripartite Gold Commission (TGC) and donate it to a Nazi Persecution Relief Fund to help survivors of the Holocaust Almost all of the claimant nations similarly agreed to such a policy during the course of 1998 the TGC announced its task was completed and went out of business as upwards of fifteen countries were willing to forego receiving gold stolen from their nations by the Nazis and allow it to be used as compensation for victims of Nazi persecution File 390-INFANTRY(358)-0.3 "A/A Report-358th Infantry Regiment Mar-May 45," World War II Operations Reports Report of developments in removal of Treasure from Kaiseroda at Merkers 1945 (hereinafter cited as "Bernstein Report") Financial-Germany-Discoveries of Gold and Other Valuables Records of Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) Records of Allied Operational and Occupation Headquarters NACP; "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations—Merkers-Herringen-Frankfurt Areas in Germany 9 April to 22 April 1945" File 105 Special Report on Discovery and Disposition of German Gold Numeric-Subject Operations File 1943–July 1945 "Bernstein Report" and "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331 Army in the Occupation of Germany 1944-1946 Nazi Gold: The Story of the World's Greatest Robbery-and Its Aftermath (1984) "The Treasure in the Salt Mine," Army 47 (March 1997): 48 File 390-0.3 "A/A Report--90th Infantry Division April 45," file 390.INFANTRY (357)-0.3 "A/A Rpt—357th Infantry Regiment Jan–May 45," and file 390-INFANTRY (357)-0.7 "Journal—357th Infantry Regiment Apr 45," World War II Operations Reports RG 407; "Bernstein Report" and "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331 Central Files of Foreign Exchange Depository Group Finance Advisor Records of Subordinate Agencies Office of the Finance Division and Finance Advisor Office of Military Government for Germany (U.S.) (OMGUS) U.S and Allied Efforts To Recover and Restore Gold and Other Assets Stolen or Hidden by Germany During World War II: Preliminary Study Movements of Nazi Gold: Uncovering the Trail Nazi Gold: Information from the British Archives "Bernstein Report," RG 331; interrogation of Walter Funk by Maj Walter Funk & Other Nazi Big Wigs," Interrogations and Reports Pertaining to German Financial Matters 1945–1946 Records of the External Assets Investigation Section 10 April 1945," Appendix IV "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 260; "Statement of Albert Thomas [sic] 1" Central Files of Foreign Exchange Depository Group "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 260; "Bernstein Report," RG 331; "Thoms Statement April 12 "Report on Recovery of Reichsbank Precious Metals," Sept file 940.92 "Overall Gold Report," ibid.; "Veick Statement," RG 260; "Thoms Statement 1945," RG 260; file 390-3.3 G-3 Jnl File 90th Infantry Div 5–10 Apr 45 "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations"; "Veick Statement;" "Barrett "Signed Statement by Albert Thoms on Handling of SS Loot by Reichsbank 29 May 1945," file 940.304 "SS Loot—Melmer Loot"; various reports contained in file 910.304 "Melmer Deliveries"; and D 1," Central Files of Foreign Exchange Depository Group Temporary Duty"; and various reports contained in file 910.304 "Melmer Deliveries," Central Files of Foreign Exchange Depository Group "Gold coins from the Frankfurt Reichsbank" and "Estimated value of the SS collection of gold file 123/2 "Captured Gold Bullion and Art Treasures," Classified General Correspondence NACP (hereinafter cited as "Captured Gold Bullion and Art Treasures") "Report made to MFA and A Officer Third Army of their holdings at the Wintershal-Kaiseroda Mine at Merkers 401 "Merkers Mine," Central Files of Foreign Exchange Depository Group "Report on Contents of Mines in Merkers Area," Apr "Captured Gold Bullion and Art Treasures;" Col "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331 The Goebbels Diaries: The Last Days (1978) 321; "Reimer Statement," "Veick Statement," and "Thoms Statement "Colonel Bernstein's Interrogation of Albert Thomas [sic] "Colonel Bernstein's Interrogation of Albert Thomas OMGUS; "Veick Statement;" and "Thoms Statement File 390-INFANTRY (357)-0.7 "Journal-357th Infantry Regiment Apr 45" World War II Operations Reports RG 407; file 390-3.9 "Field Orders & Field Messages--90th Infantry Division Apr 45," RG 407; "Bernstein Report," RG 331; "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331 "Report of Investigation of Alleged Discrepancies in Currency and Coin Found in Mine at Merkers NACP; "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331 "Bernstein Report," RG 331; "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331; Lt First Bn 357th Infantry Regiment to Commanding General file 390-3.3 "G-3 Jnl-90th Infantry Div 5-10 Apr 45," World War II Operations Reports "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations;" "Barrett This document is appendix I in "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331 File 390-3.3 "G-3 Jnl File-90th Infantry Div 5-10 Apr 45"; file 390-3.9 "Field Order #61—90th Infantry Division—9 Apr 45"; file 390.INFANTRY (357)-0.3 "A/A Rpt-357th Infantry Regiment Jan-May 45"; file 390-0.3 "A/A Report—90th Infantry Division April 45"; and file 390-INFANTRY (357)-0.7 "Journal—357th Infantry Regiment Apr 45," all in World War II Operations Reports RG 260; "Bernstein Report," RG 331; "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331 NACP; oral history interview of Bernard Bernstein by Richard D In this interview Bernstein reported he had read about the story in the Stars and Stripes Truman Library; "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331 Temporary Duty," RG 260; "Bernstein Report," RG 331 Temporary Duty," RG 260; "Bernstein Report" and "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331 Central Files of Federal Exchange Depository NACP; "Bernstein Report" and "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331 NACP; file 390.INFANTRY (357)-0.3 "A/A Rpt-357th Infantry Regiment Jan-May 45" World War II Operations Reports Truman Library; "Veick Statement" and "Reimer Statement," RG 260 File 390.INFANTRY (357)-0.3 "A/A Rpt-357th Infantry Regiment Jan-May 45" World War II Operations Reports The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War (1995) "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations" and "Bernstein Report," RG 331 NACP; file 390.INFANTRY (357)-0.3 "A/A Rpt-357th Infantry Regiment Jan–May 45" World War II Operations Reports Germain had worked with Colonels Barrett and Claiborne at Guaranty Trust Company before the war NACP; file 390.INFANTRY (357)-0.3 "A/A Rpt-357th Infantry Regiment Jan-May 45" and file 390-INFANTRY (357)-0.7 "Journal-357th Infantry Regiment Apr 45," World War II Operations Reports 1945," RG 260; "Bernstein Report," RG 331; Col File 390.INFANTRY (357)-0.3 "A/A Rpt-357th Infantry Regiment Jan-May 45" and file 390-INFANTRY (357)-0.7 "Journal-357th Infantry Regiment Apr 45," World War II Operations Reports RG 407; "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations" and "Bernstein Report," RG 331 File 390.INFANTRY (357)-0.3 "A/A Rpt-357th Infantry Regiment Jan-May 45," file 390-INFANTRY (357)-0.7 "Journal-357th Infantry Regiment Apr 45," and memorandum and Art Treasures from Merkers Salt Mine Procedure," File 390-INFANTRY (357)-3.22 "Memorandum-357th Infantry Regiment" World War II Operations Reports RG 407; "Bernstein Report" and "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331; "Exhibit A' Register of Shipments Received at Reichsbank Building Frankfurt A/M Germany," an attachment to Edwin P NACP; file 390-INFANTRY(357)-0.7 "Journal-357th Infantry Regiment Apr 45" World War II Operations Reports 230; "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331 File 940.401 "Cage Sheets," Central Files of Foreign Exchange Depository Group File 390-INFANTRY (357)-0.3 "A/A Rpt 357th Infantry Regiment Jan-May 45" and file 390-INFANTRY (357)-0.7 "Journal-357th Infantry Regiment Apr 45," World War II Operations Reports File 390-INFANTRY (357)-0.3 "A/A Rpt 357th Infantry Regiment Jan-May 45"; file 390-INFANTRY (357)-0.7 "Journal-357th Infantry Regiment Apr 45"; memorandum file 390-INFANTRY (357)-3.22 "Memorandum-357th Infantry Regiment"; and file 390-0.3 "A/A Report-90th Infantry Division April 45," World War II Operations Reports Organization and Mission-Task Force Hansen "G-4 Functions in ETOUSA Operations," RG 331; cable "Captured Gold Bullion and Art Treasures," RG 338; Lt and other property discovered by the Third Army near Merkers," File CCC-Germany-123 "Disposition of Bullion and Other Property Discovered by Third Army," Geographic File 1942-1945 "Report of Contents of Mines in Merkers Area," Apr "Captured Gold Bullion and Art Treasures," RG 338 "Value of Gold and Silver Bullion and Coin Held by Commanding General USFET at the Reichsbank Building in Frankfurt," Aug "Value of Gold and Silver Bullion and Coin Held by Commanding General USFET at the Reichsbank Building in Frankfurt Volume 1-Report" Foreign (Occupied) Area Reports 1945–1954 Records of the Administrative Services Division "Return of Looted Works of Art to Owner-Nations" Sept "Evaluation of captured looted materials held in Reichsbank by Finance Division "Proposed Use of Property of SS Troops," Sept When Bernstein left military service in 1945 he was awarded the Legion of Merit reads: "Colonel Bernstein's wise and energetic action in organizing control of vast sums of bullion and currency hidden by the Germans and in instituting an examination of seized enemy financial records was a material contribution to the success of the Supreme Commander's mission in Germany." Bernstein are available at the National Archives at College Park For information about what was and was not microfilmed when the unmicrofilmed records may have disappeared please see The Whereabouts of the Records of Deutsche Reichsbank (in particular the Precious Metals Department after the collapse of the Reich (1945) and after the conslusion of the liquidation of the Reichsbank (1976) A Research Report compiled by the Bundesarchiv with the assistance of the Deutsche Bundesbank (August 1998) A copy of this report is located in the library at the National Archives at College Park Contact Us · Accessibility · Privacy Policy · Freedom of Information Act · No FEAR Act · USA.gov Individual-level interventions to deal with work-related stress are popular but a recent study challenges the effectiveness of wellbeing programmes that focus on self-improvement There is no difference in the mental health of employees who participated in workplace wellbeing programmes and those who didn't according to a January study of more than 46,000 workers in the United Kingdom The research compared participants and non-participants in a range of common individual-level wellbeing initiatives But across multiple subjective wellbeing indicators those who used these programmes appeared no better off This is disappointing because the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)’s annual report shows that over half of UK employers are taking this ineffective tack and report having a formal wellbeing strategy with another third providing at least ad hoc support These counts have risen steadily over the past decade Despite formal recommendations and evidence supporting the effectiveness of organisational change and work redesign to improve wellbeing interventions that focus on the individual are still the most common Some of the most popular practices for individual-level interventions include employee assistance programmes (EAPs) The interventions analysed were both proactive and reactive However, the benefits of these individual-level approaches have been extensively researched and are increasingly debated. Much criticism is levelled at ‘changing the workers, and not the workplace’, as the UK's Trade Union Congress puts it arguing personalised wellbeing initiatives are more interested in social control than improving wellbeing with qualitative organisational research substantiating some of these fears There is no reliable difference in mental wellbeing between participants and nonparticipants undergoing relaxation practices found the study's author William J Fleming a Unilever research fellow at the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford The only type of project that showed benefits to workers' wellbeing was volunteering as it gave them an increased sense of purpose and accomplishment Participants in resilience and stress management training reported that their organisation supports them going through work stress but employees are more likely to report unrealistic time pressures time management and volunteering programmes all report higher average levels of stress support Fleming found little evidence to support any benefits from these interventions and even found some small indications of harm The research acknowledges its limits and says that future research should evaluate if individual-level interventions are effective alongside organisational change or whether improvements in working conditions are a better alternative It also suggests that a combination of approaches could benefit workers by enhancing job resources More emphasis must be placed on the greater benefits of organisational change Flemming agrees with those in the wellbeing field that organisational interventions Organisations intent on workplace wellbeing may need to reassess their strategies focusing on creating supportive work environments Strategies could involve providing comprehensive management training to equip leaders with the skills to support employees effectively and redesign work processes and deadlines to reduce unnecessary stress organisations can focus on implementing flexible working arrangements – flexible in terms of time and location – that cater to diverse employee needs while generally fostering a culture of open communication and support Ready to find your next role? Visit the Euronews Job Board today to browse thousands of openings in companies actively hiring  Here we are to serve you with news right now quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis you can have full digital access to all news Proces du 13-November : ce que ces hommes opaques ont dans la tete Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet consectetur adipisicing elit Blanditiis optio incidunt eum omnis ratione error temporibus iure porro esse Integer consectetur quam eget ipsum dictum accumsan Donec non lectus id risus rutrum ullamcorper sit amet vel nulla #29293a);margin:auto;margin-top:32px;max-width:calc(640px + (2 * 12px));padding:0 12px;}@media screen and (min-width: 768px){.css-9uetne{margin-top:72px;}}.css-1lgqo8v{color:var(--sz-basic-text-color-primary 15:31 Uhr.css-rhp0z0{color:var(--sz-basic-border-color-secondary #c0c1c6);display:inline-block;margin:0 12px;}|.css-13l0r79{display:inline-block;}Lesezeit: 1 Min .css-y4bre2{display:block;height:auto;width:100%;}.js .css-y4bre2{cursor:pointer;}.css-1hdpxq{-webkit-align-items:center;-webkit-box-align:center;-ms-flex-align:center;align-items:center;background-color:rgb(255 #fff);display:-webkit-box;display:-webkit-flex;display:-ms-flexbox;display:flex;height:inherit;-webkit-box-pack:center;-ms-flex-pack:center;-webkit-justify-content:center;justify-content:center;-webkit-transform:translateY(100%);-moz-transform:translateY(100%);-ms-transform:translateY(100%);transform:translateY(100%);-webkit-transition:-webkit-transform 600ms cubic-bezier(0.23 1);transition:transform 600ms cubic-bezier(0.23 #fff);padding:8px 12px 0;color:var(--sz-basic-text-color-primary #29293a);font-family:'SZSansDigital','Neue Helvetica','Helvetica',sans-serif;font-size:0.875rem;line-height:1.5;}.css-1vyk908 p{display:inline;}.css-1vyk908 small{color:var(--sz-basic-text-color-secondary #71737f);}.css-1vyk908 small{display:block;}.css-1vyk908 a{border-bottom:1px solid var(--sz-basic-text-color-primary #29293a);color:var(--sz-basic-text-color-primary #29293a);padding-bottom:2px;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;-webkit-transition:border-bottom 150ms ease-in-out;transition:border-bottom 150ms ease-in-out;}.css-1vyk908 a:focus,.css-1vyk908 a:hover{border-bottom-color:transparent;}Auch der frühere thüringische Ministerpräsident Dieter Althaus gehörte dem Aufsichtsrat der Volksbank Bad Salzungen Schmalkalden an Nach dem Vorstand ist nun der gesamte Aufsichtsrat zurückgetreten - darunter ein bekannter Politiker Von Meike Schreiber Jetzt aber ist der Kampf entschieden: Nachdem bereits der langjährige Chef Stefan Siebert gehen musste, legte diese Woche auch der gesamte 16-köpfige Aufsichtsrat seine Ämter nieder, darunter Thüringens Ex-Ministerpräsident Dieter Althaus (CDU). Die Bafin hat die Kontrolle übernommen ein in der Finanzbranche recht seltener Vorgang Sowohl die Aufgaben des Vorstands als auch des Aufsichtsrats übernimmt je ein Sonderbeauftragter in dem unter anderem von Bedenken wegen der "Verlässlichkeit der Geldwäscheprävention sowie der Kundenstruktur der Bank" die Rede war einer "mangelhaften Risikokultur" sowie "fragwürdigen Informationen und Angaben" Auch die Ermittlungsbehörden dürften sich noch für die Vorgänge interessieren Mit Fußball-Geschäften und Stefan Effenberg als Star-Mitarbeiter wurde die VR-Bank Bad Salzungen Schmalkalden bekannt. Nun aber hat das kleine Geldhaus aus Thüringen großen Ärger mit der Finanzaufsicht - und der Streit droht zu eskalieren. In anspruchsvollen Berufsfeldern im Stellenmarkt der SZ. .css-5x0u19{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}Gutscheine.css-pcxqtt{border:0;clip:rect(0 0 0 0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;white-space:nowrap;width:1px;}: