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00:00History is not an exact science.
00:04It is never set in stone.
00:16As time passes, knowledge of the past is refined and develops.
00:20But by definition, received ideas have thick skins and are hard to shift.
00:33I have a dream that all men are free to be.
00:50To understand the realities of the world, you sometimes have to shake them up and decipher
00:55the facts by looking at them another way.
00:57Posterity is crowned the image of an exemplary Switzerland during the war.
01:09And yet...
01:19Posterity is crowned the image of an exemplary Switzerland during the war.
01:23And yet...
01:25Louis Vuitton
01:40EARL
01:43Episcopulni
01:54Europa é paralisada por rumores de guerra.
01:57Yet, no coração do Alps,
01:59um pequeno país de 4 milhões de pessoas
02:01parece ignorar esse medo.
02:08Em Zürich, os Suissem estão em parada.
02:11Eles têm todos vindo para a costume processão.
02:14Muita ou cidade dwellers,
02:15cada canton é representado.
02:18Eles não têm perdido o evento do ano por nada.
02:24O espectro de um conflito de conflito não impacta em eles.
02:28A neutralidade protege eles.
02:30Por 450 anos,
02:31eles estão em paz com todos os seus vizinhos.
02:33E é como eles pretendem ficaram.
02:35Eleza está todos os tempos.
02:37É todo o ano.
02:42Agora até o próximo 23 de outubro, 1939,
02:44as explosões da floresta que chamavam a festa de festa.
02:46A fortuna do ano constrói a festa
02:49de festa em dia.
02:50Este mesmo 23 de agosto de 1939,
02:55as explosões de fogos que fecham as festividades
02:58resumem como um bom presídio.
03:01Porque, 3,000 quilômetros atrás,
03:04ao mesmo tempo,
03:05o último acto que vai precipitar a destino do mundo
03:08é sendo played.
03:14Em Moscou,
03:16os germans e os soviets
03:17já signed a non-agression pact.
03:19Em outras palavras,
03:21Stalin tem dado Hitler free rein
03:22para pegar a poland.
03:24Se a Alemanha atacou a polícia,
03:27a Alemanha e a França promete a retaliação.
03:30A grande conflagration parece inevitável.
03:42O próximo dia,
03:43o news está viajando ao mundo,
03:45mas a Alemanha permanece calma.
03:47O grande national exhibition
03:49abençá its doors
03:50at the usual time,
03:51e a success é unquestioned.
03:53O povo de confederação
03:56attendam sem a care.
03:57O governo de confederação
03:59é um governo de confederação
04:00é um governo de confederação
04:01A federal government has taken perfect measure
04:03of the seriousness of the pact signed in Moscow.
04:07And despite Switzerland's neutrality,
04:09it is no less prudent, organized and militarized for all that.
04:20It immediately fortifies its borders
04:22and places them under military control.
04:25With war not yet begun, the Swiss are ready to defend their territory.
04:42For exceptional situations, exceptional solutions.
04:46On the 30th of August, the assembly meets to elect its general.
04:50Because in Switzerland, in peacetime, the role does not exist.
04:54Colonel Henri Guisson wins the vote with ease.
05:19Upon his appointment, Guisson orders a general mobilization.
05:25Henri Guisson, 55, is a French speaker from the Lausanne region.
05:30Unknown to the general public, the war will make him a national legend.
05:35Two days after his election, on the 1st of September, 1939,
05:39Hitler invades Poland.
05:42The Luftwaffe has control of the sky,
05:45and no Allied response is forthcoming.
05:50The hours go by and still nothing.
05:52The French and British are in consultations.
06:02The Swiss, though, do not wait.
06:04General mobilization is immediate, organized, rapid and effective.
06:08Everyone goes to their post in good spirits.
06:19In 24 hours, like clockwork, 450,000 soldiers are in order of battle.
06:25While Paris and London continue their procrastination.
06:28On the 2nd of September, Swiss troops mass on the German and French borders.
06:36Neutrality establishes an obligation.
06:39They are ordered to respond to any aggression, regardless of origin.
06:42Meanwhile, the German army crushes Poland under the rolling fire of its panzers and bombers.
06:55The Poles are overwhelmed, and they are very much alone.
06:59On September 3rd, the French and British finally decide to enter the conflict.
07:07But they send no troops to their aid.
07:12Three weeks later, Poland has been conquered,
07:14and its allies have still not taken on the fight.
07:18And not without reason.
07:19Faced with the power of the Wehrmacht, Paris and London's only available choice is an economic weapon.
07:33A blockade of the seas to deprive Germany of its resources.
07:40A sanction that also affects countries that have chosen to remain neutral.
07:44And there is no shortage of neutral countries.
07:46In addition to Switzerland, the oldest and most respected,
07:49there are Portugal, Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway.
07:58And above all, the United States, whose president, Franklin Roosevelt, is determined to stay outside the conflict.
08:07That will protect the neutrality, the safety, and the integrity of our country,
08:13and at the same time, keep us out of war.
08:25The Swiss don't want to go to war either.
08:28Yet all able-bodied men have been called to arms.
08:32But the guns have been silent since the defeat of Poland.
08:35On the front, there are no movements and no fighting.
08:41So the Swiss employers get impatient.
08:44These soldiers, doing nothing, are their workforce.
08:47It is high time they return to work.
08:50Understanding, General Guisson grants a partial demobilization.
08:56Switzerland has to produce, for therein lies its prosperity.
08:59Swiss industry goes back to work at breakneck pace.
09:07Soon, it is crumbling under the weight of orders.
09:10Its export production is particularly sought after.
09:14High added value, high technology precision products.
09:18These are the fruits of its highly skilled engineers and workers' expertise.
09:21It is not enough for the Swiss watch and clock industry, for example,
09:29which already enjoys a worldwide reputation, to carry on making cuckoo clocks.
09:34With the war, it starts producing the best detonators on the market.
09:37And the arms dealers have the wind in their sails too.
09:49Their best seller is the 20mm anti-aircraft gun,
09:53made by the venerable Oerlikon company in its Zurich factories.
09:58A gem of peace that is high-performing accurate, robust and easily transportable.
10:03The perfect weapon to shoot down the Luftwaffe is planes.
10:10It is highly sought after by the Allies.
10:18But Switzerland has an Achilles heel.
10:20For its factories to work, it depends on coal and 80% of that coal comes from Germany.
10:28Suffice it to say that it is careful not to fall out with its powerful neighbor.
10:33It is an irony of history that it is thanks to their enemies' coal that the French and British acquire brand new guns.
10:44Otto Cochet, the Reich's ambassador to Bern, complains.
10:49He reports to Berlin that Swiss industry is in full swing to the benefit of France and the United Kingdom.
10:54But it is no more than a hint of bad humor.
10:58Greater Germany demonstrates particular indulgence towards its little Swiss neighbor.
11:03The fact is that the Confederation provides the Reich with services that no other country can.
11:13It makes its currency available to it.
11:18The Swiss franc is the only convertible currency at its disposal to buy the resources it needs all over the world.
11:28Including Swedish iron and Spanish tungsten, indispensable for the manufacture of its weapons of war.
11:34For Nazi Germany, it is a vital necessity to have Swiss francs in sufficient quantity.
11:42Without the Swiss franc, its arms factories would stop dead.
11:46It is very easy to obtain these francs from Swiss banks, who of course buy German gold without batting an eyelid.
12:00And Reichsbank president Walter Funk is not short of gold.
12:07Since the lootings of the Bank of Austria in 1938 and the Bank of Czechoslovakia the following year,
12:13his coffers have been overflowing with gold.
12:16And there are so many other countries to be conquered.
12:21The Germans are serene.
12:23As long as the Swiss buy their gold, they will be able to spend big on the war.
12:30Yet in the winter of 1939, this war that had been declared for four months now has still not begun.
12:41And in Switzerland, the end of the year looks like any other snow, frost and such attractive shop windows.
12:55Those men who have not been demobilized strive to remain combat ready.
12:59And to keep in shape, there is nothing like a little exercise.
13:03Here we go!
13:07On Christmas Eve, one company receives a surprise visit by the commander-in-chief in person.
13:21Gifts and smiles comfort soldiers separated from their families for weeks.
13:27But Guisson is worried.
13:29This war without fighting is not fooling him a bit.
13:32Sooner or later, the Germans will strike and then his country will be in great danger.
13:37Just take a look at the map.
13:41To invade France, the Wehrmacht will have to get around the impregnable Maginot Line, behind which the country shelters.
13:49There are two possible routes, via the north through Belgium, or via the south using the Basel Road that leads in no time to France.
13:57And the fact is that despite the courage and determination of its soldiers, the Swiss army is incapable on its own of containing the panzer divisions that made short work of Poland.
14:10If the Germans choose the southern route, Switzerland risks being engulfed in no time.
14:21So Henri Guisson secretly goes in plain clothes to France in search of an alliance.
14:27The train is the best option to cross the border and travel incognito.
14:30He meets the French generals and visits the impressive Maginot Line.
14:39In his view, the French do not yet seem ready for combat.
14:43So be it. The urgency of the situation rules the day.
14:47In the utmost secrecy, he signs an agreement.
14:50In the event of German invasion, three French divisions will come to the aid of Switzerland.
14:54Provided that Hitler remains unaware, it takes so little for the Führer to violate the neutrality of small countries.
15:07The evidence of this is not long in coming.
15:10On April 9, 1940, the Wehrmacht invades Denmark in the space of just a few hours.
15:15In the wake of this, Luftwaffe throws itself against Norway, which also is overwhelmed.
15:20Access to precious Swedish iron, so indispensable to the Germans, is now secure.
15:27The neutrality of these two countries did not amount to much.
15:32The Swiss are terrified and their suffering is far from over.
15:40On May 10, thunder bursts on the Western Front.
15:45Germany has gone on to the attack, taking the northern route.
15:50The Confederation immediately and urgently remobilizes its army.
15:56But the atmosphere at the border is much more tense than the previous year.
16:02This time, there is war at the country's doors.
16:05Kept informed by the press from both sides, neutrality has its obligations, the Swiss are the first to know the extent of their bellicose neighbors' offensive.
16:23Very quickly, the bad news accumulates.
16:25Soon, Luxembourg, Belgium and Holland are bombed into submission, despite their neutrality.
16:36And ten days later, Switzerland is transfixed.
16:40The Germans have pulverized the French defenses and all the Maginot Line has stopped our illusions.
16:45Unless there's a miracle, France is going to lose the war.
16:54The unthinkable has become reality.
17:07The Swiss are in shock.
17:09France, their powerful neighbor, overcome in the blink of an eye.
17:12In Basel, Lausanne and Bern, people rush for shelter, fearing an air attack.
17:20In all the major towns and cities near Germany, sirens echo in empty streets.
17:25And with good reason.
17:27A German bomber squadron setting off from Stuttgart could be over Switzerland and ready to strike in just 15 minutes.
17:33At the slightest warning, General Guisson scrambles his fighters to intercept the attackers.
17:42For the first time in the annals of war, Swiss and German Messerschmitts engage fire in a fight for air supremacy.
17:49Between May 10th and June 8th, Swiss fighter planes bring down ten aircraft and win their duel with the unbeatable Luftwaffe.
18:06The 17 surviving German pilots are taken prisoner.
18:08The fact is, the Germans have no intention of bombing Switzerland.
18:13They just want to use its airspace to get to France more easily.
18:17And they really shouldn't be inconvenienced.
18:21On June 13th, General Guisson is reined in, requested by his government to ground his aircraft.
18:28He is ordered to use only ground anti-aircraft weaponry.
18:31June 20th, 1940 is not a good day for Swiss diplomacy.
18:40Hans Froelicher, the Swiss representative in Berlin, is summoned to the Chancellery for a full-on dressing-down.
18:47The ambassador learns that the German troops that surged through France have got hold of the agreement signed between Guisson and the French general staff.
18:56A betrayal that could not remain without consequence.
18:59Froelicher has to take it on the chin. He hadn't been aware.
19:04Marshal Göring, in charge of the Luftwaffe, is also displeased.
19:09He takes the loss of his aircraft and captivity of his airmen very badly.
19:14In reprisal, the Reich cuts off the flow of coal.
19:19The huge trains loaded with fuel are abruptly stopped before the border.
19:24The move works.
19:25The German pilots are released the very same evening, and the daily merry-go-round of coal resumes as if nothing had ever happened.
19:39Meanwhile, Adolf Hitler is celebrating his triumph.
19:42In a matter of days, France has surrendered and asked for an armistice.
19:47A resounding victory that makes him a legend.
19:51The German people exult, literally bewitched by their Fuhrer.
19:56The Third Reich is in its pomp and nothing, it seems, can resist it.
20:05Not even England, which now seems truly on its own to face the monster.
20:09But while the British can count on the sea that surrounds them, the Swiss are far more vulnerable, especially as they are now almost surrounded.
20:19To the north and east, Germans, and to the south, the Italians, who have just entered the war on the Axis side.
20:26The only part of the country not to be in contact with the Axis is the Savoie Gap, a 160-kilometer line bordering the French zone ruled by Marshal Pétain.
20:39The Swiss feel that they are being strangled.
20:41And the alliance of their government in recent weeks adds to their perplexity.
20:48They need to know the position to be adopted in the new order being heralded in Europe.
20:54Finally, on June 25, 1940, the Minister of Foreign Affairs makes a radio address.
20:59Confédérés, la France vient de conclure une suspension d'armes avec l'Allemagne et l'Italie.
21:09C'est pour nous, Suisse, un profond soulagement de savoir que nos trois grands voisins s'acheminent vers la paix.
21:17This statement does not meet the country's expectations.
21:21The people still do not know whether to submit to their powerful neighbour or to resist it.
21:26However, it is not in the nature of the Swiss to be passive, as the cinema of the period likes to remind them.
21:41Despite five centuries of neutrality, they are still heirs to a nation of valiant warriors that once triumphed over the German yoke at the price of blood.
21:50Also, the tepid response of their leaders does not sit well with their hard-won independence or the unconditional love they have for their sovereignty.
22:03Disappointed by their government, the Swiss ruminate.
22:06On July 25, 1940, General Guisson fires the starting pistol.
22:16At his request, the highest-ranking members of the military meet on a highly symbolic site, the Rutli Meadow.
22:23The very place where, in the 13th century, the first pact of the Confederates was sealed to break free from German tutelage.
22:32Guisson orders his men to fight to the death. It is the order that everyone had been waiting for.
22:37The general then reveals his new resistance strategy, the National Redoubt.
22:44This consists of building a line of fortifications in the most mountainous area of the country and to position four-fifths of the army there.
22:52In case of invasion, the people would leave the rich industrial cities of the north and gather in this redoubt, defended by their soldiers.
23:03This strategy of abandoning prosperous areas can be summed up in a phrase, rather ruin than enslavement.
23:10In the 12th month of our armed service, the future remains unknown.
23:17Some ask, could we resist?
23:22Ask the question of the dignified, neither of a Swiss, nor of a soldier.
23:27It is to recognize our strength, the quality of our army.
23:31It is to ignore the natural value of our country.
23:34the possibilities of incomparable resistance that offer us our territory, rich in obstacles and coverts, and not mountains.
23:49By talking as a soldier, Guisson speaks to the hearts of the Swiss.
23:54Because they all revere their army, it is the army that ensures cohesion between all the Confederates,
24:00beyond languages, customs, and religions.
24:08Every Swiss person, without exception, has done military service, as well as periods in the reserves, up to the age of 50.
24:16The army forms an integral part of every citizen's normal life.
24:20But the Swiss do not just play its soldiers. For them, neutrality does not mean inaction.
24:33They train with the same seriousness as an army at war.
24:37In the heart of the peaceful mountains, the commandos rush imaginary enemies using live fire.
24:44A military frenzy that might invite a smile. But the soldiers are brave and determined.
24:52If the Germans attack, they will know who they are dealing with.
24:57In mid-August 1940, the German Air Force hits England hard.
25:16The Luftwaffe bombs Britain's infrastructure in preparation for invasion.
25:20That summer, the Swiss are summoned to Berlin. At the height of its power, the Reich intends to sway the Swiss Confederation into its camp.
25:34The first requirement is that it seizes all trade with England.
25:39To the great surprise of the Germans, the small Swiss delegation refuses outright.
25:43But in return, it agrees to banking concessions. And these are significant.
25:50The insatiable Walter Funk is able to rejoice.
25:54Germany easily secures a huge payment facility.
25:58An interest-free loan of 150 million Swiss francs that will increase to 1 billion by the end of the war.
26:05That's the collaboration billion will thunder the British.
26:08Switzerland has bought itself tranquility. An act of cowardice at a time when the people of Britain are enduring the ravaging onslaught of German bombers day and night.
26:19Stoic admits their towns and cities and ruins. The English glare at the selfish, wealthy Swiss.
26:38After two months of heavy bombing, the Germans have to admit failure.
26:43Britain is bloodied, but it is not bound.
26:46Be that as it may, the military superiority of the Nazis remains overwhelming.
26:56So Washington decides to end its neutrality.
27:00We must be the great arsenal of democracy.
27:05For us, this is an emergency as serious as war itself.
27:11No sooner said than done, America places its industrial power at the exclusive service of Britain.
27:20However, the Roosevelt administration criticizes Switzerland, which persists in not wanting to take sides.
27:29Henry Morgenthau, Secretary of the Treasury, thunders against the Swiss banks, which he considers far too indulgent towards the Reich.
27:43By agreeing to exchange stolen goods for currency, they are facilitating its war effort.
27:47If the trade continues, Morgenthau threatens to seize the billions they have placed in the United States.
27:53But Switzerland does not have to take lessons from anyone.
28:06It shines in the field of humanitarianism, thanks to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which has been working in every area of conflict for nearly a century.
28:17The conscience of the Swiss is clear. Honored with a Nobel Peace Prize and benefitting from the neutrality of the Confederation, the ICRC has forged an exemplary reputation.
28:29It is this neutrality that enables the Red Cross to intervene in any country at war to provide its good offices, and giving up neutrality would mean the end of its mission.
28:39Thanks to its generous Swiss donors and many volunteers, the ICRC is a vibrant symbol.
28:50It shows that the Confederation, far from being selfish, cares about the fate of others.
28:56From Geneva, it works to improve the lot of prisoners of war without looking at the color of the uniform.
29:01It charters ships and trains that cross borders and carry mail, news, and parcels behind barbed wire.
29:12The ICRC marks the supremely high degree of Swiss involvement in the conflict. They should not be asked for more.
29:19And the rest of the population is protected from the atrocities of the war.
29:29The news, overseen by strict state censorship, offers the Swiss uplifting topics.
29:43The conflict is rarely mentioned, except when it upsets the lives of the people of the Confederation.
29:48The Swiss industry is now facing a new and serious problem.
29:53The war becomes more and more rare.
29:56That's why BAL, after Zurich, organizes the recovery in large.
30:05We put the mines in the rainures.
30:07A second planchette will cover everything.
30:10Reports prefer to focus on the ingenious manufacture of colored pencils.
30:15But what the Swiss really love is anything to do with sports.
30:21And in winter, the slopes and ice rinks are full of sports lovers from all over the world.
30:27These are the only clashes on show in Swiss cinemas during the global conflict.
30:32The reality of the battlefield is completely obscured.
30:35The war is other people's business, and the Swiss prefer not to see it.
30:39The German army is fighting more and more with every passing week.
30:40The German army is fighting more and more with every passing week.
30:42In April 1941, for example, the German army is fighting more and more with every passing week.
30:46In April 1941, for example, the bombing of Belgrade killing 17,000 people sends shockwaves around the world.
30:49The German army is fighting more and more with every passing week.
31:06The city is razed to the ground in just a few hours and with no warning.
31:09And the reason?
31:10Hitler would not tolerate Yugoslavia's refusal to align with the Axis.
31:14This new massacre makes the front page of the Swiss press, but no pictures are shown.
31:24Because the event of the week is the football-friendly event of the world.
31:27The city is razed to the ground in just a few hours and with no warning.
31:30And the reason?
31:31Hitler would not tolerate Yugoslavia's refusal to align with the Axis.
31:35This new massacre makes the front page of the Swiss press, but no pictures are shown.
31:38Because the event of the week is the football-friendly between the Swiss and German national teams.
31:53The match takes place in Bern Stadium before a capacity crowd.
31:58In the stand, Jean-Luc Guisson is surrounded by the German delegation led by Otto Cochet.
32:04And while the Reich's ambassador pretends to have forgotten the Messerschmitts shot down by the Swiss the previous year,
32:11the atmosphere remains tense.
32:16But on with the game.
32:18In terms of sport, Switzerland is favorite.
32:21But how can it stand up to a Germany that opens the score?
32:25The suspense lasts a while.
32:28But the Swiss are too proud to let the match go, and they equalize a few minutes from halftime.
32:34They end up winning two to one.
32:35They certainly aren't afraid of anything.
32:37And on the playing field of finance, these businessmen are even tougher.
32:53Behind the scenes, they align members in meetings, because the Germans want to extend their credit line.
32:58The Swiss bankers work things out to be able to accommodate them.
33:03The arguments of the Nazis evidently have more weight than the threats of the United States.
33:09But on June 14, 1941, the day of reckoning comes.
33:14President Roosevelt orders the freezing of all funds placed in the USA by Germany and all neutral states.
33:20For the Swiss, this spells disaster.
33:24They are by far the biggest losers from this.
33:27The value of their assets in the United States amounts to six billion Swiss francs,
33:32two-thirds of the annual national income.
33:36Karl Brueggemann, Swiss ambassador in Washington, says this is worse than a German invasion.
33:41One week later, the Germans invade the territory of the Soviet Union, to the great relief of the Swiss.
34:01Now, 80 German divisions are fully occupied fighting 3,000 kilometers away from Bern.
34:17Hitler presents this offensive as a great crusade against Bolshevism and calls on all Europeans to join his troops.
34:24Thousands of volunteers do just that, from Spain, Belgium, France and Denmark.
34:32It is only the Swiss who do not enlist.
34:36Yet they are viscerally anti-communist and do not even have diplomatic relations with Moscow.
34:43But Swiss law is very strict.
34:46Any citizen of the confederation who joins a foreign army is subject to a prison term of five years.
34:52If he is fighting elsewhere, how could he defend his country in war?
34:59In addition, the Swiss have better things to do than die for the Führer.
35:04In the summer of 1941, they celebrate the 650th anniversary of the confederation,
35:11and do so with great pomp.
35:13In Rüttli, of course, in the beauty of the mountains.
35:16Far from the world, but all together, like one big family sheltering in an isolated home.
35:20They have no interest in the judgments of others.
35:24They are sufficient unto themselves.
35:26The Swiss commemorate the wars of the past, but refuse to take part in those of the present.
35:36On December 7, 1941, Japan attacks America without warning, and destroys its fleet at Pearl Harbor.
35:43This time, the United States really does enter the war.
35:48For Roosevelt, it is a crusade against evil.
35:53Now subject to the decrees of Uncle Sam, the neutrals are going to have to choose a side.
35:59Democracy or dictatorship.
36:01Three weeks later, the Swiss show that they have definitely chosen their side.
36:13That of neutrality.
36:14On January 1, 1942, in Bern, ambassadors from around the world are invited to the New Year's celebrations.
36:25Japanese, Americans, Germans and British are expected at the Federal Palace.
36:31The protocol has been careful not to have them arrive at the same time.
36:34The Allies first, the British delegation in full regalia, shortly before the US delegation in evening dress.
36:41The ballet of arrivals and departures is timed to the minute to avoid unpleasant encounters.
36:47Then, it is the turn of the opposing camp.
36:50First the Japanese, and then the Germans, led by the immovable Otto Crochet,
36:55who have the distinct honor of closing this typically Swiss, charming afternoon.
37:09In Russia, in the spring of 1942, the Wehrmacht that winter had frozen to the spot resumes its offensive.
37:19Despite its huge losses, it is more determined than ever to wipe out the Red Army.
37:23On the sidelines of the fighting, the Nazis trample every law of war underfoot.
37:32Thus, those captured Russian soldiers who are not executed are shipped to Germany to work in the factories.
37:40Stripped of their rights, malnourished and exploited, these modern slaves are a windfall for factory bosses.
37:49Swiss companies with subsidiaries in Germany have no problem in using them.
37:59One of these is Braun Boveri, known for its electrical machinery and locomotive turbines.
38:05Its Mannheim branch employs 15,000 people, one third of whom are prisoners.
38:10Another is Nestle, the food giant with extensive operations in Germany, which uses slave labor to manufacture its instant coffee.
38:20It is just the same with Maggi, whose freeze-dried soups are also partly produced by slaves.
38:25And Hoffmann-Laroche, too, the pharmaceutical industry giant and inventor of synthetic vitamin C, along with nearly a thousand other Swiss companies.
38:35This low-cost labor helps compensate for the rigors of the war economy.
38:40The margins of Swiss subsidiaries in Germany are strong.
38:42Business is business.
38:50For Swiss employers, this is not their first compromise with the Nazi regime.
38:55In order to continue to produce and prosper in Germany, they immediately submit to anti-Semitic labor laws.
39:01Lanza, for example, one of the biggest Swiss chemical companies, fired its Jewish executives in 1938, and 99% of Swiss subsidiaries followed suit.
39:15Swiss Air, whose operations over Germany had been suspended since the start of the war, resumes flights in 1941, after carrying out the necessary sackings.
39:24The AIAG aluminum giant does the same.
39:31The chair of its board of directors, Max Huber, takes this on and advocates it.
39:37In 1942, in an internal document, he writes,
39:41It goes without saying that a company that carries out its operations in a country where the state accepts it and grants it the protection of its law must be totally loyal to that state and integrate wholeheartedly into it.
39:58The same Max Huber now chairs the International Committee of the Red Cross.
40:03As such, he is one of the highest moral authorities in the country.
40:06It's not just the hats that are doable, but the speak, too.
40:26Max Huber demonstrates the two faces of Switzerland, the humanitarian and the wheeler-dealer.
40:31Desire peace, of course, but don't threaten the bottom line.
40:36In 1945, ironically, Max Huber received the Nobel Peace Prize on behalf of the Red Cross.
40:43Evidently, the eminent members of the Nobel Committee did not review his CV.
40:48There, they would have learned that Huber is also the chair of the board of Oerlikop,
40:53the highly successful gun manufacturer that made a fortune selling to both the Allies and the Nazis.
40:58Neutrality is a convenient way to do good business with everyone.
41:06Maggie, for example, sells industrial quantities of soup to the German troops on the Eastern Front.
41:13Nestle favors its American clients by providing GIs with their breakfasts.
41:17A cup of coffee and a bar of chocolate.
41:22Two flagship products, two jackpots.
41:26And to quickly recover their health, German troops take Hoffman-Laroche vitamin C capsules.
41:32The war may last even longer. Switzerland will always be there to heal the wounds.
41:42In the summer of 1942, there were more and more round-ups of Jews across Europe and especially in France.
41:50Threatened with deportation, thousands of Jews present themselves at the border posts in the Savoie Gap.
42:02But Switzerland had closed its borders to foreigners since September 1939.
42:07Any who managed to smuggle themselves in are hunted down and expelled from the country.
42:12During that summer, the first rumors reached Switzerland of the terrible fate that the Nazis reserved for Jews.
42:20The churches are moved and mobilize public opinion.
42:24Under pressure, the authorities agree to host 22,000 Jews.
42:28Nevertheless, more than 3,200 are estimated to have been thrown into the clutches of the Germans.
42:33In autumn 1942, Allied troops land in North Africa.
42:48In response, the German army positions its troops on the Mediterranean coast.
42:54Switzerland is now completely enclosed and the Savoie Gap has disappeared.
43:01Fortunately, construction of Grissant's redoubt is completed.
43:08In case of German attack, the Swiss finally have a shelter in which to take refuge.
43:14Four companies are stationed at borders and access bridges and tunnels are mined.
43:21At the slightest incursion, the Swiss will blow everything up and wait patiently in their giant bunkers.
43:27British and American forces take North Africa and then the Germans are resoundingly defeated at Stalingrad.
43:38It is the turning point of the war.
43:40From now on, the Wehrmacht retreats on all fronts.
43:43In the east, the new Soviet offensive inexorably pushes it back to its starting positions.
43:51And in summer 1943, the Allies land in southern Italy.
43:57There, they encounter fierce resistance.
44:01They advance at a snail's pace and lose thousands of men.
44:04The US general staff fulminates and makes accusations.
44:09If the Germans are holding on so well, it is because the Swiss are supporting them.
44:14Because Bern has allowed German trains to cross its territory via the Gotthard Line that leads to northern Italy.
44:20Its only condition is that it may not be used to transport military equipment or armed troops on Swiss soil.
44:31Neutrality has its obligations.
44:34But there are no restrictions on the 40 or so trains every day carrying food, petrol, coal and general logistics.
44:41This ingenious route enables the Germans to relieve traffic on their own line, passing through southern Austria and used to transport weaponry and troops.
44:58The Americans are furious.
45:01The Gotthard Affair is one more addition to the already bulky file of Swiss compromises.
45:05Foreign Minister Cordell Hull protests.
45:12The United States will no longer bear casualties and huge expenditure for the sole benefit of Swiss businessmen pleading poverty over their one-year stock of German coal.
45:26Bern turns a deaf ear.
45:29The transit of German goods over the Gotthard Line will continue until the end of the war.
45:33Despite all efforts, the Allies are never able to drive the Germans from Italy.
45:40After their landing in Normandy in June 1944, the British and Americans sprint towards the Reich.
45:51Nearly every day, American bombers cross the skies of the Swiss Confederation on their way to drop tons of bombs on Germany.
45:58But unlike in 1940, Guissant keeps his airmen on the ground and Swiss anti-aircraft batteries remain silent so as not to worsen the dispute with Washington.
46:11By early 1945, Germany is down. Its industry is almost completely destroyed.
46:26Coal deliveries to Switzerland stop, and the advantageous credit facilities granted to Germany stop too.
46:31Of the billion generously loaned, the Reich has repaid just a little over 300 million.
46:38The 700 million difference is the price paid by Switzerland for its tranquility.
46:43But the Swiss can still feed on the beast. Since the beginning of hostilities, many German assets have been discreetly placed in numbered accounts.
46:57Only bankers know the identities of their owners. There is a fortune's worth.
47:04And the Americans, only too aware of this, are planning to lay their hands on this jackpot.
47:09The task is entrusted to Senator Laughlin Curry, a confidant of President Roosevelt.
47:20Curry arrives in Bern on the 8th of February, 1945. He immediately states,
47:25Our enemies have chosen Switzerland to conduct their financial transactions, and not only because of its geographical location, but also because of certain banking laws and practices that enable them to hide their identity and operate in secret.
47:43For three weeks, Curry meets bankers and businessmen, those directly responsible for the intense and successful banking business with Hitler's Germany.
47:52He repeats to them that the Germans' money must be used for reconstruction. On the eve of his return to Washington, he delivers his conclusions to the press.
48:05It has enabled us to learn more about your country and has afforded us an opportunity to appreciate better your problems and to understand more clearly your attitudes.
48:17We will always remember with the keenest pleasure our visit to Switzerland.
48:22The truth is that Curry is returning empty-handed. He has come away with absolutely nothing. Not the least information on the holders and amounts of the accounts. Banking secrecy remains well preserved.
48:37It is even worse than that. During his stay in Bern, relations between the Confederation and the Reich have continued. Gold transactions will continue until the last gasp of the Nazi regime.
48:50And when Joachim von Ribbentrop, the Reich's foreign minister, offers a last reception in late February 1945, Swiss Ambassador Hans Froelicher attends it.
49:03They break out the champagne, while outside, bombs are falling on a Berlin in ruins.
49:08On May 8, 1945, the war ends. The Swiss celebrate the Allied victory over Nazi Germany. For the occasion, they allow themselves to renounce the obligations of their neutrality and display their preference.
49:29They want to show the world that they have always supported the winning side. But the memory of the United States is not short. It very quickly stigmatizes Switzerland for having maintained close relations with the Third Reich right through to the end.
49:44Washington blacklists Switzerland and refuses to allow it to join the United Nations.
49:55On August 20, 1945, General Henri Grisson resigns his command. Mission accomplished.
50:02For his fellow citizens, he retires a hero, the savior who prevented the Germans from invading the country.
50:09In the post-war, in the heart of a devastated Europe, Switzerland is intact. Its reputation is the only thing to have suffered. Over the years, however, it returns to its former glory and recovers its aura of a virtuous, neutral nation.
50:24The shameful financial compromises with the Third Reich are forgotten.
50:44There is greater glory in remembering an army of heroic Swiss commanded by an intrepid general.
50:49But the curtain is torn asunder 50 years later. Under U.S. pressure, Barron mandates a commission of historians who finally access the highly confidential bank and big business archives.
51:07After five years of meticulous investigation, their verdict is clear.
51:12Intentionally or otherwise, Switzerland favored the Nazi war effort by agreeing to buy three quarters of its gold.
51:21The Swiss debate, apologize, and pay compensation before reclosing their archives for good.
51:29During the war, Switzerland forgot virtue. Today, it celebrates the virtues of forgetting.
51:36The forgetting.
51:37The forgetting.
51:38The forgetting.
51:43The simply.
51:44The whole thing.
51:46The unterschains.
51:47The forgotten newspaper, the Dutch discussall competition was even a ent pourquoi there quite once in
52:10A CIDADE NO BRASIL
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