Archives to launch database of looted Nazi art

By Ben Nuckols

The US National Archives has teamed up with archival institutions around the world to create a comprehensive online database of records relating to looted Nazi art.

The database is intended to make it easier for scholars and owners of looted cultural artifacts to trace what happened to the items.

Nazis confiscated works of art, religious treasures and other culturally significant items throughout Europe in the dozen years between Adolf Hitler's rise to power to the end of World War II. While hundreds of thousands of items were recovered by the Allies, many have never been returned to their rightful owners.

The National Archives collaborated with 10 other archival institutions, including several in Europe, to create the database. Officials from the institutions will sign an agreement Wednesday that formally launches the project.