Hunt Museum Cleared of Nazi Loot Claim

Wednesday October 03, 2007 23:46

by Guy de Cervens

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre suffered a major blow this week as their claims of Nazi links to the Hunt Museum in Limerick were blown out of the water.

Erin Gibbons made false allegations against Hunts

Erin Gibbons, a Dublin-based museum consultant and archaeologist, claimed in 2003 that, while researching a book about the Hunts, she discovered evidence of, “A definite link between the John and Gertrude Hunt and two art dealers who are named on Nazi Holocaust files in America.” The two in question are Karl Haberstock, a Berlin art dealer and Walter Hofer, art agent for Hermann Goering. While she said there was no evidence to suggest that any of the items in the museum was looted, she had, ‘uncovered links between the Hunts’ business associates and Haberstock and Hofer.’

Gibbons acknowledged that she had contacted the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in relation to her ‘findings’. The Wiesenthal Centre said they had additional information supporting their claims against the Hunts but refused to disclose what it was.

Gibbons said, “My belief at this point is that they were part of a network of Nazi war loot dealers. I have to do further research to discover the level at which they were operating. I had no idea when I started my research that the Hunts were operating at such a senior level. Discovering the link with Nazi war loot has caused me great concern, and I have decided to go public and speak about it because I have a moral imperative to do so at this point.”

Following Erin Gibbons’ contact with the hucksters at the Simon Wiesenthal Centre, Dr Shimon Samuels wrote to President Mary Robinson in 2004 repeating the allegations and chiding her for awarding the Hunt Museum an award.

An inquiry into the collection in the Hunt Museum was then established and concluded with the conclusion that none of the items in the collection were looted and that the Hunts themselves were not only free of any Nazi connections but had helped Jewish refugees During the Nazi Holocaust.

Kelly in 2006 accused the Hunt Museum of targeting his wife Erin Gibbons after she first suggested in 2003 that the Hunts were Nazi collaborators and engaged in dealing looted property. He also claimed he had evidence that the Government was covering up links between the Hunts and Nazi dealers but never produced any such ‘evidence’. Kelly and the Simon Wiesenthal centre in Paris were unhappy with the inquiry and referred to files in Irish Military Intelligence records which they misrepresented and over-stated to infer a link between the Hunts and Haberstock and Hofer.

Eamonn Kelly, defended his wife’s refusal to co-operate with the Hunt Museum evaluation group. He himself refused to give the discredited Military Intelligence files to the evaluation group as did the Wiesenthal Centre.

Last Friday, a report from the Royal Irish Academy, which is the culmination of a three year long investigation, not only clears the Hunts of any wrong doing but also criticised the Wiesenthal foundation for making claims based on threadbare evidence. The report was written by renowned British based expert Lynn Nicholas, who has written books such as “The Rape of Europe” was published by the Royal Irish Academy.
The Wiesenthal Centre were also criticised for making baseless personally abusive statements against the Hunts. The sole basis for the claim by the Wiesenthal Centre was a single file on Gertrude Hunt, which the Irish Army had collated on her. Such files were kept on all Germans in Ireland during World War II and are accessible by the public now. The file, which was the only document in the possession of the Wiesenthal Centre, contained absolutely no evidence that the Hunts had purchased any art which had been stolen from Jewish victims of the Nazis.

Royal Irish Academy Report
http://www.ria.ie/pdfs/huntreport.pdf

The Holocaust Industry and the racket being run by the Hucksters at the Simon Wiesenthal Centre
http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/content.php?pg=3

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=105&sid=1258124