The Victim's Fortune: Inside the Epic Battle over the Debts of the Holocaust

Fifty years after World War II, a small group of Americans launched a campaign to confront the world with the fact that many assets looted by the Nazis, including Swiss bank accounts, life insurance policies, and slave labor wages had never been returned to their owners. They wanted to write the final chapter in the story of the Holocaust's survivors and to win recognition for the debt that these victims were owed.

Backed by class action law suits and threats of economic sanctions, a disparate group of lawyers, politicians, and Jewish advocacy groups mounted a vigorous challenge against some of the world's largest corporations and governments to demand billions of dollars. But what began as a moral crusade soon became a bare-knuckled battle that opened up painful debates about whether money can ever compensate for the horrors of the Holocaust. This spellbinding account reveals the struggle as it was really fought and ultimately won—and the damage that was left in its wake.

About the Authors:
John Authers is a correspondent for the Financial Times based in New York City.

Richard Wolffe is a correspondent for the Financial Times based in Washington, D.C.