The I. G. Chemie Case

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In 1917, the United States instituted its Trading with the Enemy Act, which declared that any form of business with a defined enemy shall be blocked, as well as mandated the restriction of foreign assets. The enemy was defined as the Axis, which consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan. Many years later, at the end of World War II, the Allies (United States, Soviet Union, and Britain) entered into the Washington Accord of 1946 (on May 25) with nations that had previously remained neutral during the war (including the applicant, Switzerland). This agreement was aimed at restoring the assets the Nazi forces had stolen and looted, planning reparations for the nations, as well as providing security to them. Switzerland had been a party to this agreement, and this is where our case began. …show more content…

The necessary procedures will be determined without delay.” A company incorporated into the United States by the name of the General Aniline and Film Corporation (GAF) was under argument as to whether or not its true ownership and influence was under German control. The I.G. Farben (German) and I.G. Chemie (Swiss) Companies hold most shares in the company, debatably owning it. The company under discussion, I.G. Chemie, was renamed to Interhandel. The US continues to argue that Interhandel was a front for I.G. Farben, however the applicant (Switzerland) argues that in 1940 all German connection was severed. The US still firmly believed, however, that it was a German company and therefore fell under the jurisdiction of the Trading with the Enemy Act. The US rejected Article IV and its call to unblock Interhandel, claiming it was of the