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Meet the American Banker Who Helped Hitler Loot Jewish Gold—While Spying for the OSS

JL;DR SUMMARY Thomas McKittrick, the American banker who served as president of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) during WWII, played a duplicitous role by aiding Nazi Germany while also working as a spy for the Allied Office of Strategic Services. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

World War IiNazi GermanyEspionageNeutralityIntelligenceThomas MckittrickBisOssFinancial DiplomacyLooted Gold

Places mentioned

New Jersey, United States
"After Thomas McKittrick, the former president of the Bank for International Settlements, died in a New Jersey nursing home in 1970, at age 81, the New York Times eulogized him as a world financier."
Basel, Basel-Stadt, Switzerland
"As head of the BIS, headquartered in Basel, from 1940 to 1946, McKittrick played a crucial role in abetting Hitlers warand, at the same time, in revealing details about his Nazi colleagues to his friends in Washington, D.C."
Washington, D.C., Washington DC, United States
"As head of the BIS, headquartered in Basel, from 1940 to 1946, McKittrick played a crucial role in abetting Hitlers warand, at the same time, in revealing details about his Nazi colleagues to his friends in Washington, D.C."
France
"McKittrick was dispatched to France to work with the Allied occupation forces."
Liverpool, England, United Kingdom
"He joined the U.S. Army in 1918, at the end of WWI, and was sent to Liverpool, England."
London, United Kingdom
"In 1921, McKittrick was sent to London to work for the firms British wing, and he was made a partner."
Sweden
"One of the other two members was Marcus Wallenberg, of Swedens Enskilda Bank, who taught McKittrick about the intricacies of international finance."
Paris, Île-de-France, France
"After the fall of France, the BIS and the staff were temporarily evacuated from Basel, in anticipation of a Nazi attack."
Budapest, Hungary
"Adam LeBor is an author and journalist based in Budapest."
Berlin, Germany
"McKittrick was also a key contact between the Allies and the Nazis, passing information back and forth from Washington to Berlin."
Berne, Bern, Switzerland
"There was a rich haul. Hitler, McKittrick revealed, had become indecisive."

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Cairo Item ID 73706
Cairo Source ID 10
Retrieved 2026-01-28 05:33:24 UTC
Curated 2026-01-28 08:31:55 UTC