WASHINGTON — Earlier today, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) transferred the lost diary kept by Alfred Rosenberg, a close confidant of Adolf Hitler, to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. This historical document was seized by ICE Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agents in Wilmington, Del., following an extensive investigation.
The “Rosenberg Diary” was written by Alfred Rosenberg, a leading member of the Third Reich and of the Nazi Party during World War II. Rosenberg was privy to much of the planning for the Nazi racial state, mass murder of the Jewish people and other ethnic groups, planning and conduct of World War II and the occupation of Soviet territory.
“Thanks to the skill of our investigators, our partnerships within the law enforcement community, and the resolve of prosecutors from the U.S. Department of Justice, we were able to secure the diary and transfer it to the Holocaust Museum for both scholars to study and the public to see,” said ICE Deputy Director Daniel Ragsdale. “ICE remains committed to protecting the world’s cultural heritage by investigating looted or stolen property and art like the diaries and returning them to their rightful owners.”
“The finding and return of the Rosenberg Diary is one more small but significant step towards a full and complete understanding of the depraved mindset of those responsible for the mass killing of Jewish people and ethnic groups during World War II,” said U.S. Attorney Charles M. Oberly III, District of Delaware.
“The Museum encourages people to think about why the Holocaust happened and how it was possible in such an advanced society,” said U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Director Sara J. Bloomfield. “The Rosenberg diary will add to our understanding of the ideas that animated the extremist ideology of Nazism. We are grateful to our partners at ICE who helped us secure this important piece of history, a significant addition in our urgent efforts to rescue the evidence of the Holocaust.”
Learn more about HSI cultural property, art and antiquities investigations. Members of the public who have information about suspected stolen cultural property are urged to call the toll-free HSI tip line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or to complete its online tip form.
A living memorial to the Holocaust, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity.
