Chuck and all,
There is a difference between war trophies and historical property.
Historical property is artifacts collected or captured by US Armed Forces
units or collected US Armed Forces Museum recovery teams.
War trophies are items that have been collected by an individual. The
Army Provost Marshall provides guidelines on what can be collected by
returning troops. These guidelines can change from one conflict to another.
Because of the materials the brought back after WWII,these guidelines
enacted. I believe the statute of limitations is up for these type
materials. The exception is automatic weapons, explosives, and cultural
items.
For more information on subject, please contact Mr. Dave Cole, US Army
Center of Military History, 1-202-761-5373.
-----Original Message-----
From: Chuck Stout [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, August 21, 2000 1:20 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: I am very concerned!
I'm glad this subject came up. What's the legal situation with U.S. military
stuff that former servicemen have kept since thier discharge? Do they own
it, legally, or is it still owned by the government? Is there a statute of
limitations? I'm not talking about tanks or jet engines--more like flight
jackets, flare guns, headsets, survival kits, or junked equipment "found in
the trash."
What about war trophies? (If a pilot retrieves the altimeter from an enemy
airplane he shot down, does he have title to it?)
Since ethical museums are careful about provenance, can they accept such
items from the veterans who "liberated" them? Can a museum get in any
trouble if things like that find their way into the collections? Can the
museum cover its (figurative) backside by requiring donors to state that
they legally own what they intend to donate? Are potential donors frightened
away by having to make such an assertion?
I'm sure many on the list have dealt with these situations. How did it work?
Chuck Stout
Exhibits Design and Development
Denver Museum of Nature and Science
(Formerly Denver Museum of Natural History)
303-370-8364
[log in to unmask]
========================================================Important Subscriber
Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed
information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message
to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help"
(without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
|
