The Victim's Fortune: Inside the Epic Battle Over the Debts of the Holocaust

John Authers · Richard Wolffe

May 2022 · HarperCollins

About this ebook

“Imagine a book with the narrative force and the behind-the-scenes revelations of Barbarians at the Gate. Now imagine that what’s at stake isn’t just which rich investment banker gets richer, but rather is one of the great moral issues of our time, restitution for Holocaust survivors. Imagine no more, because John Authers and Richard Wolffe have written just such a book in The Victim’s Fortune.”— Samuel G. Freedman, author of Jew vs. Jew

A riveting account of what went wrong in the battle over compensation for Holocaust survivors

Fifty years after World War II, a small group of Americans launched a campaign to confront the world with the fact that many assets looted by the Nazis had never been returned to their owners. Backed by class-action lawsuits and threats of economic sanctions, they mounted a vigorous challenge against some of the world's largest corporations and governments to demand billions of dollars. But what began as a moral crusade soon became a bare-knuckle battle that opened up painful debates about whether money can ever compensate for the horrors of the Holocaust.

John Authers and Richard Wolffe offer a spellbinding investigative account of this momentous international struggle. The Victim's Fortune captures the personalities, ruthless tactics, and moral dilemmas surrounding the fight over compensation -- all unfolding against the backdrop of one of the darkest moments in human history.

About the author

Richard Wolffe is U.S. diplomatic correspondent for the Financial Times and deputy bureau chief in Washington, D.C. Over the last few years he has reported extensively on the presidential election, concentrating on the Bush campaign. Other stories he has covered in depth include the Microsoft antitrust trial and the campaign for Holocaust compensation.Richard joined the Financial Times in 1994. Before moving to DC, he worked as a national reporter in the UK covering a wide news beat, including the 1997 general election and IRA terrorist attacks on the mainland.A graduate from Oxford University, his career prior to the Financial Times included news reporting for London's Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph as well as regional news reporting in Brighton, Sussex.His freelance work includes CNN, the BBC and The New Republic. He has also appeared on The NewsHour on PBS, MSNBC and Fox News, as well as a series of international media including CBC and Deutsche Welle.Richard lives in Washington with his wife, Paula Cuello, and their young daughter, Ilana. Born in September 1968, he grew up in Birmingham, England.