The Allies developed Operation Safehaven towards the end of the Second World War in order to prevent a Nazi resurgence after the war. The overall goal of the programme was to create a census of German assets all over the world, with a particular focus on the European countries that had been neutral during the war. In addition to preventing the Nazis from regrouping, the idea also emerged among its developers that Safehaven could be employed to gather money for reparations to the victors and as compensation to Nazi victims. The process of persuading the neutrals to count and collect German assets proved lengthy, not least because Safehaven lacked an enforcement mechanism. There was little legal precedent for the Allies’ request to neutral and sovereign nations for assistance in their efforts. The negotiations with the various neutrals continued for years; in some cases, certain amounts of restitution were not paid until the 1990s.
