YV archives
jewish property restitution
Max Lowenthal was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1888; a graduate of Harvard Law School, an attorney and a lifelong public servant; he served as an advisor and personal friend of President Harry S. Truman. In 1946, General Lucius D. Clay, the Deputy Governor of the US Military Government in Occupied Germany, asked various representatives of American Jewish organizations to suggest an advisor who could help Clay in drafting legislation regarding the restitution of Jewish property looted by Nazi Germany. Max Lowenthal was chosen for this job; he spent six weeks in Germany collecting evidence and drawing up his report. After his return to the United States, Lowenthal continued to advise the Truman Administration informally. Lowenthal was a New York City resident until his death in 1971.