I just finished reading Robert Edsel’s excellent book The Monuments Men (Publisher: Center
Street) and I am still marveling at the until now unheralded work of the men
and women who worked for the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives unit of the Army
during and after World War II. James Rorimer, Walker Hancock, George Stout and many
other valiant figures played vital, yet unfortunately, unrecognized roles in rescuing paintings,
statues and other cultural treasures stolen by the Nazis during their reign of
terror and looting. Oftentimes they had to struggle with the very military
structure that they belong to to be recognized as legitimate warriors with an
equally important objective. Unfortunately, not many people remember the
Monuments Men these days. Edsel writes, “All countries ignore the Monuments
Men’s legacy at their own peril. For example, several years ago I spoke with
one of the key officers in charge of tracking down some of the 15,000 works of
art looted from the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad during and following the
U.S.-led invasion in 2003. He acknowledged that he had never heard of the
Monuments Men.” Hopefully, with the upcoming soon-to-be released movie “The
Monuments Men,” starring George Clooney and Matt Damon, the story of these
figures who risked their lives will make its way into the collective consciousness
of millions of Americans.
Edsel’s book and his work remind me of the efforts made by
another historian/writer to retrieve an important historical event from the
chasm of American indifference,
ignorance and intellectual lethargy. Thanks to Peter Carroll I now know
of the Abraham Lincoln Brigades and their role in fighting fascism in Spain
during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). His book The Odyssey of the Abraham Lincoln Brigade introduces us to the
many ordinary men and women who followed their sense of conscience, duty and
social justice to assist people they did not know in fighting the forces of the
Nationalists led by Francisco Franco, and troops sent by Adolf Hitler and
Benito Mussolini. In the era of the US policy of non-intervention these brave
individuals, most of whom had no military experience went to Spain to fight
soldiers who had ample training and weapons support. I do not see this ever
happening again. The immediacy of the media almost makes us intimately
acquainted with the violence and conflicts around the world. I doubt we will
see another Robert Hale Merriman or Milton Wolffe (called ‘Lobo’ by his Spanish
comrades in arms) put their careers on hold to live up to and support the
ideals they believe in. Similarly, I don’t see any future James Rorimers or
Lincoln Kirsteins out there to continue the work and legacy of the Monuments
Men. But what we can do is read these two excellent books and make sure that
public libraries and school libraries have them. Sure, Duck Dynasty and the Kardashian sisters
might grip America’s attention right now, but you can rest assured that in 10
years time, they will be a thing of the past, buried deep in our country’s
collective Altaussee mine, while the stories of the Monuments Men and the
Abraham Lincoln Brigades will continue to be told for generations to come.
