Germany's Degussa AG, one of the world's largest metals firms, acknowledged Saturday that it had melted down gold and silver taken from Holocaust victims during the Nazi era.
"During National Socialist (Nazi) times, Jewish citizens in Germany and in neighboring occupied countries were forced to give up gold, silver and other precious metals," Degussa said in a statement."Most of the materials - plate silver, jewelery, old silver, and silver and gold fragments - were refined at Degussa." Asked for clarification of what Degussa meant by "fragments," a spokeswoman for the firm said: "We didn't know . . . we were not forced to ask where it came from."
As far as it knew, the precious metals came from the Reichsbank, Germany's then central bank, and from state pawnbrokers, the firm said.
The metals and chemicals company said it had melted down the gold and silver under orders from the state and had been paid state-agreed fees for the work.
Degussa is the latest in a growing list of German companies - including carmaker Volkswagen AG and Deutsche Bank AG - taking a fresh look at the role they played in Nazi atrocities.