During World War II the National Gallery of Art (NGA) was deeply involved in efforts to protect art, archives, libraries, historical buildings, and monuments in war theaters.

Several hundred men and women—including art historians, museum and art professionals, artists, archivists, and librarians—from many nations were involved in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) program.  Several of these individuals were associated with the National Gallery of Art before or after the war.

As the war progressed, members of the American cultural community became increasingly concerned about the fate of historical monuments, movable art, archives, and libraries in Europe.  In the fall of 1942, the American Defense–Harvard Group, established two years earlier by university faculty and personnel, began working with the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) to devise plans for protecting cultural property in European areas that would soon be occupied by Allied military forces. With its government connections, the Gallery served as the lobbying arm and center of operations in Washington, ultimately creating high-level support for efforts to protect and save threatened cultural heritage (Nicholas 1994, 211) .

Toward this goal, and with the urging of Gallery Director David Finley, Harlan F. Stone, chief justice of the Supreme Court, asked President Roosevelt in December 1942 to form a government organization for “the protection and conservation of works of art and of artistic and historic monuments and records in Europe.” On April 24, 1943, the president approved the establishment of the Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas, commonly known as the Roberts Commission after its chairman, Justice Owen J. Roberts.  At the president’s request, the Joint Chiefs of Staff agreed to assist in the commission’s work, leading to the formation of the military’s MFAA program (Finley 1973, 158).

Throughout the war, the Gallery provided offices and staff for the commission: David Finley was vice-chairman and de facto head of the commission; Secretary and General Counsel Huntington Cairns was secretary; and Chief Curator John Walker was a special advisor. The Roberts Commission completed its mission in June 1946.

To support efforts to protect art and monuments during the war, the Roberts Commission :

• Helped persuade the War Department to formalize its MFAA program and worked tirelessly to support its officers in the field.
• Proposed military personnel to serve as MFAA officers.
• Worked with civilian groups to supply some 700 maps of war areas for military reconnaissance as well as handbooks and lists of monuments for use in war zones.
• Provided lectures on the care and preservation of works of art, monuments, and records in military schools.
• Worked with the Office of Strategic Services to create an investigation unit to gather information on individuals engaged in Nazi art theft and destruction.
• Advised on policies for the eventual restitution of looted works found in the American Zone in Germany.
• Collected the archival record of MFAA activities, Nazi destruction, and Allied efforts to protect and return art.

Cott, Perry B.  (1909–1998)
Chief Curator, 1956–1969

Hancock, Walker K. (1901–1998)
Sculptor of Andrew Mellon bust in National Gallery of Art
Walker K. Hancock Papers and Walker K. Hancock Oral History, Archives of American Art

Lesley, Everett Parker (1913–1982)
Keeper of Decorative Arts, 1974–1976
E. Parker Lesley, Jr., Papers, Gallery Archives, National Gallery of Art (PDF 150KB)

Moore, Lamont (1909–1988)
Curator of Education, 1941–1943, 1946–1947

Parkhurst, Charles P., Jr.,  (1913–2008)
Research Associate and Registrar, 1942–1943
Assistant Director and Chief Curator, 1971–1983
Biography of Charles P. Parkhurst
Charles P. Parkhurst Papers, Gallery Archives, National Gallery of Art (PDF 203KB)
Charles P. Parkhurst Oral History, Archives of American Art

Rousseau, Theodore (1912–1973)
OSS Art Looting Investigation Unit
Assistant Curator of Painting, 1940–1941
Biography of Theodore Rousseau
Theodore Rousseau Personal Papers, Museum Archives, The Metropolitan Museum of Art (available late 2014)

Skilton, John D., Jr. (1909–1992)
Curatorial Assistant, 1942–1943

Smyth, Craig H.  (1915–2006)
Curatorial Department, 1941–1942
Samuel H. Kress Professor, 1987–1988
Biography of Craig H. Smyth
Craig H. Smyth Papers, Gallery Archives, National Gallery of Art (PDF 171KB)

Standen, Edith A. (1905–1998)
Secretary to the Widener Collection, 1929–1942
Edith A. Standen Biography
Edith A. Standen Papers, Gallery Archives, National Gallery of Art (PDF 187KB)

Roberts Commission and Advisors

Cairns, Huntington (1904–1985), Roberts Commission Secretary
National Gallery of Art Secretary, Treasurer, and General Counsel, 1943–1965

Finley, David (1890–1977), Roberts Commission Vice-Chairman
Director, National Gallery of Art, 1938–1956
David Finley Biography
David Finley Papers, Gallery Archives, National Gallery of Art (PDF 1.4MB)

Walker, John (1906–1995), Special Advisor to the Roberts Commission
Chief Curator, National Gallery of Art, 1939–1956; Director 1956–1969
John Walker Biography

Brey, Ilaria Dagnini. The Venus Fixers: The Remarkable Story of the Allied Soldiers Who Saved Italy’s Art during World War II. New York, 2009.

Doheny, David. David Finley: Quiet Force for America’s Arts. Washington, 2006.

Edsel, Robert, with Bret Witter. The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History. New York, 2009.

Edsel, Robert. Rescuing Da Vinci. Dallas, 2006.

Finley, David. A Standard of Excellence: Andrew W. Mellon Founds the National Gallery of Art at Washington. Washington, 1973 (chapter 22, "The War Years").

Flanner, Janet. Men and Monuments. New York, 1957.

Hall, Ardelia R. "The U.S. Program for Return of Historic Objects to Countries of Origin, 1944–1954." Department of State Bulletin 31, no. 797 (October 4, 1954): 493–498.

Hammond, Mason. “The War and Art Treasures in Germany.” College Art Journal 5, no. 3 (March 1946): 205–218.

Hancock, Walter. “Experiences of a Monuments Officer in Germany.” College Art Journal 5, no. 4 (May 1946): 271–311.

Howe, Thomas Carr. Salt Mines and Castles. New York, 1946.

Kurtz, Michael. America and the Return of Nazi Contraband: The Recovery of Europe’s Cultural Treasures. Cambridge, 2006.

Nicholas, Lynn H. The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War. New York, 1994.

Posey, Robert. “Protection of Cultural Monuments during Combat.” College Art Journal 5, no. 2 (January 1946): 127–131.

Report of the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas. Washington, 1946.

Rorimer, James J., with Gilbert Rabin. Survival: The Salvage and Protection of Art in War.  New York, 1950.

Siviero, Rodolfo. Arte e il nazismo: Esodo e ritorno delle opera d’arte italiane 1938–1963. Florence, 1984.

Smyth, Craig Hugh. Repatriation of Art from the Collecting Point in Munich after World War II. Groningen, The Netherlands, 1988.

Standen, Edith. “Report on Germany.” College Art Journal 7, no. 3 (Spring 1948): 209–215.

Valland, Rose. Le Front de l’art. Paris, 1961.

Yeide, Nancy H., and Patricia A. Teter-Schneider. “S. Lane Faison, Jr., and ‘Art under the Shadow of the Swastica.’” Archives of American Art Journal  47, nos. 3–4 (Fall 2008): 24–37.

National Gallery of Art, Collections: World War II Provenance Research

National Gallery of Art, Exhibitions: “That the Freedom of the Human Spirit Shall Go On”: World War II and the National Gallery of Art and The Monuments Men and the National Gallery of Art

National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives: The Roberts Commission and the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives Officers

National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives, Oral Histories with MFAA Officers
Interview with Lamont Moore (November 7, 1990)
Interview with Charles P. Parkhurst (November 6 and December 10, 1990)
Interview with Craig H. Smyth (March 1, 1993)
Interview with Edith A. Standen (December 1, 1989)

National Gallery of Art, Gallery Archives, Papers of MFAA Officers 
Edward E. Adams Papers, 1945–1978
S. Lane Faison Papers, 1945–1986
Walter I. Farmer Papers, 1935–2000
Frederick Hartt Papers, 1936–1990
E. Parker Lesley, Jr., Papers, 1934–1969
Charles P. Parkhurst Papers, 1937–1964
Craig H. Smyth Papers, 1938–1989
Edith A. Standen Papers, 1906–1998
James J. Rorimer Papers, 1941–1989

National Gallery of Art, Lecture by Robert Edsel: The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History

National Gallery of Art, Library Image Collections: Munich Central Collecting Point Photos

Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, Online Exhibition: World War II “Monuments Men,” Archival Collections at the Archives of American Art

National Archives of the United States: Records of the Roberts Commission