Ustasha treasury, the Vatican and the ratline funding (1945–1946)
Unproven Handling What these labels mean →Claim: the Croatian Ustasha treasury was moved to Rome after the war, held at or through the Vatican, and used to fund the Draganović ratline (San Girolamo) that got Pavelić and others to South America. Supporting evidence: the Oct 21, 1946 Bigelow (Treasury) memo, reporting 200M Swiss francs 'held in the Vatican for safekeeping'; the 1998 State Dept follow-up chapter on the Ustasha treasury; Jareb's Croatian National Bank records (288 kg of gold removed on 7 May 1945); and CIC agent William Gowen's testimony that Draganović received up to 10 truckloads in 1946. Alperin v. Vatican Bank (filed 1999) was dismissed on political-question, sovereign-immunity and nexus grounds, so it was never tried on the merits. The Vatican's wartime bank records remain closed; the Vatican denies it.
Ties
| To | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vatican UAP archive | same institution's closed-archive problem | — | Concept | |
| Nazi gold - Swiss banks | parallel channel; stronger evidence | 1945 | Concept | |
| Suppression pattern | case: SOURCE ARCHIVE CLOSED; court dismissed without reaching the merits | 1946–2009 | Documented · occurred Handling | en.wikipedia.org |
Tied from
| From | Role | Years | Verdict | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nazi gold - Swiss banks | the Rome channel; thinner evidence | 1945–1946 | Concept | |
| Sheehan on Danny Jones (2024) | parallel Axis-gold laundering claim | 1945 | — | youtube.com |
| US churches are automatically exempt from filing IRS Form 990 | the Vatican as the archetype of closed institutional finance | 1946– | Concept | |
| Banks behind fascists, mafia and cartels (1933-2012) | the IOR's closed archive; Ratline-era continuity | 1946–1982 | Unproven |
Links
- Wikipedia: Ratlines (Draganović / San Girolamo)
- Wikipedia: Alperin v. Vatican Bank
- State Dept 1998: The Fate of the Wartime Ustasha Treasury (PDF)
- SFGate: US memo says Vatican held Nazi puppets' cash
- Wikipedia: Nazi gold
Documented
| Item | Record | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| Draganović ratline run from San Girolamo; an 'open secret'; Allied questions by Aug 1945 | Aarons & Loftus; Wikipedia | ratline |
| Alperin v. Vatican Bank: dismissed 2003 (political question), partly revived 2005, dismissed 2007 (immunity, nexus) | Court record | no merits ruling |
| Bigelow memo (21 Oct 1946): 200M CHF 'held in the Vatican' | Bigelow to Glasser (Treasury), 21 Oct 1946; quoted in the State Dept 1998 report 'The Fate of the Wartime Ustasha Treasury' | memo exists; one-sided US record |
| 288 kg gold removed from the Croatian National Bank, 7 May 1945 | Verified as Jareb's documented claim (State Dept 1998 report 'Fate of the Wartime Ustasha Treasury'; RFE/RL) | per Jareb/State Dept |
Alleged (stated neutrally)
| Item | Source | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 10 truckloads delivered to Draganović (1946), moved in British uniforms and trucks | William Gowen deposition as expert witness in Alperin (names Col. Ivan Babić as convoy leader); Haaretz 2006 | single witness |
| Vatican Bank laundered the treasury and paid exiled leaders including Pavelić | Alperin complaint | untried |
How it was handled
| Method | What happened | Tag |
|---|---|---|
| CLOSED ARCHIVE | Vatican wartime bank records never opened | closed archive |
| DENIAL | Vatican denies what the memo implies | denial |
| NO MERITS | Suit ended on jurisdiction, never tested | jurisdiction dismissal |
Gaps
- IOR (Vatican Bank) 1945–47 ledgers: not subject to FOIA.
- US side: NARA RG 56 (Treasury) and CIC files on Draganović and Gowen. Check the Black Vault before adding a FOIA row.