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==============================================
MPC GRAM
==============================================
Covering the entire World of Military Numismatics
Series 003 -
Number 621 Friday - 10 MAY 2002
___________________
__294 days to Fest IV__
FEATURED ARTICLE
Oral History Interview with BERNARD BERNSTEIN - Part V
July 23, 1975
by Richard D. McKinzie
Submitted by Fred Schwan
[comments in square brackets]
I went down to Cuba where Secretary
Morgenthau was with his wife. His wife was ill. These of course were pre-Castro
days. I reported to the Secretary on the whole situation in North Africa.
I gave a number of talks at the War Department and at the Civil Affairs School
at Charlottesville, Virginia.
General Carter ran a dinner at the Metropolitan Club in Washington. He had
invited a number of generals and colonels. I was also invited to the dinner. I
thought I was just going to be another guest at the dinner. There was a little
dais and I was one of four or five people asked to sit on the dais. It was an
enjoyable dinner and I was having a relaxed time. All of a sudden I heard my
name being mentioned as the guest who's going to make the speech of the
evening. I stood up and talked for about an hour about our experiences,
particularly as it affected finance and economics, but I also discussed the
Darlan episode and the justifications for it, and the problems that we were
facing in dealing with the French. Then for another hour I answered
questions. The officers at the dinner were largely in General Carter's
fiscal division. They were mostly professional men from private life. They had
not as yet served overseas. They were hungry to learn from someone who had been
overseas what they themselves might face.
I spoke for about two hours and
I hadn't been told prior to my being introduced that I was going to be the
speaker. But I had previously given a talk like that at the War Department. I
remember running into General Huebner a few years later. He had been at one of
the talks and he mentioned it. In the spring of 1943 I went back to North
Africa and very quickly was assigned to the unit that was commanded by a British
major general, General Rennell, that was to do the military government planning
for the invasion of Sicily. Our headquarters were at a ski resort at Chrea to
the east of Algiers. The British were very effective in integrating the British
and Americans, and the senior officers ate at General Rennell's mess. We got to
be very good friends with the British. I shared a chalet with two British
colonels. The British batman used to bring in tea in the morning before we were
up. The tea sometimes was strong enough that I said it was almost as strong as
wine.
We were at Chrea on July 4, 1943. That
was going to be a quiet day around the headquarters and I thought I'd go down to
Algiers and see some of my old friends there, both in the Army and in the
Treasury Department; also some of the Economic Warfare Board crowd who were in
Algiers. I just stopped in to General [Frank J.] McSherry's office to say I was
going into Algiers for the day, and to my surprise he said, "Well, all right,
but be back here by 4 o'clock." General McSherry had never previously said
anything like that to me. I was a senior officer and there was a relaxed
relationship at headquarters. I said, "Yes, General."
I got back by 4 o'clock and I was
washing up in my chalet when a soldier came in and said that General McSherry
wanted me at 4:30 out in front of the main headquarters building in full
uniform. I completed my washing and dressing and appeared at the clearing
in front of the headquarters building. There were all of the other American
officers standing there and we lined up for a march. No one seemed to know what
was up. Off we marched for about half a mile and we came around a turn in the
road and there was a big clearing, a big field, and all the British officers
were lined up and saluting US. They were giving us a 4th of July surprise party.
Each British officer escorted his American opposite number. It was far and away
the best 4th of July party I have ever attended. [Since this interview was
first recorded in July 1975 I was on the Forrestal in New York harbor on July 4,
1976. The Bicentennial celebration that day was surely the greatest.]
For military government for Sicily
we did far more extensive and detailed planning than we had done in connection
with the North African invasion. A considerable number of personnel were brought
into the Army for military government in Sicily. These men had professional
careers as bankers, lawyers, economists, and so on, and they were sorted out to
the various units of military government depending on their background of
training and experience. At Chrea we ran a multifaceted program. We were doing
the planning, we were assigning personnel to various units, we were training the
personnel generally on military government matters. Our own finance division
people we were training specifically on the finance program.
The invasion of Sicily began on
July 10, 1943. American and British military government finance officers went in
with the invasion troops. One of the important tasks was to see that the Allied
forces had adequate supplies of Allied Military Lira for their own uses and also
to assure that Italian financial institutions continued to function normally.
Large stocks of such military currency had been printed by the Treasury in
Washington and shipped and flown to North Africa where I received such currency
and distributed some to the invasion forces. Another American and I in separate
planes flew in additional supplies of Allied Military Lira, arriving at the
airfield near Agrigento not long after the enemy had been expelled from the
area. A depot at an Italian bank in Agrigento was established by the Allied
Military Financial Agency (A.M.F.A.) for the stocks of Allied Military Lira
until Palermo was captured by
General Patton's forces after which the
currency depot
under the control of AMFA was transferred to a bank
in
Palermo.
Then General Rennell
and the whole senior staff came over to Siracusa where we set up our
headquarters and began the military government of Sicily. Fortunately the
Italians became quite cooperative. The important role for military government
was to act in a manner to reduce any burden on our military forces, to have
things go as normally as possible, meanwhile weeding out Fascists and
troublemakers. The Finance Division saw to it that the banks functioned, that
Italian taxes were collected, that Sicilian civil servants who were working were
paid, etc. We established a rate of exchange between the Allied Military Lira
and the dollar and the pound sterling so that a man knew how much he was
entitled to get for his dollar or pound sterling.
General [George S.] Patton was
proceeding extraordinarily well on the left side; the British were having more
tough going on the right hand side of the island. The Germans had the help of a
mountain in staving off the British a bit. Finally, the Allied forces occupied
the whole island and we moved the headquarters of military government to
Palermo. From Palermo the Allied Military Government functioned through the
Italian Government officials in Sicily to see that normal government activities
were carried out. As I said before, known and significant Fascists and
troublemakers were weeded out at the instigation of our military government.
When the finance division was functioning effectively I was transferred back out
of Palermo to North Africa because we were doing the military government
planning for the invasion of the mainland of Sicily, and we had the headquarters
. . .
MCKINZIE: Of Italy, sir?
BERNSTEIN: Oh, the
mainland of Italy, yes, thank you. We had a headquarters group in Algeria at a
town called, oddly enough, Tizi Ouzou. Again we had a British-American staff to
do the military government planning.
At this point, there was a
possibility of my going back to the United States because General Carter wanted
to set up a finance school to train finance officers for military government and
civil affairs work and he wanted me as director of the school. I was willing to
do that, if that was what the Pentagon wanted. But Colonel Edward Foley was
coming over into the area and Ed Foley wanted me in the area when he was coming
over. We were roommates there in Tizi Ouzou. We continued the military
government planning for mainland Italy along the lines we had worked out for
Sicily. After the invasion began of the Italian mainland we set up our military
government in a town called Brindisi. Ed Foley and I dealt with the Italian
finance minister, a person by the name of Guido Jung who, although he was
Jewish, was still an official of the Badoglio government which had also been set
up in Brindisi.
In addition
to talking about finance I talked with Jung about the problems of the Jewish
population of Italy. He commented on the great difference in the attitude, even
of the Italian Government, let alone of the Italian people toward the Jews as
compared with the Nazi attitude. He recognized that nevertheless the Jews in
Italy suffered a lot of hardships and a lot of losses and deaths and so on.
Once the King broke away from
Mussolini and set up the Badoglio government, set up his own government with
Marshal [Pietro] Badoglio as the head of the government, we again had a friendly
government to deal with and again subject to eliminating the bad elements, we
found that we could leave it to these officials to run the country. We'd keep an
eye on what they were doing to assure that it (a) didn't interfere with the
movement of our troops, and (b) eliminated the worst aspects of Fascism, and
that people were being dealt with on a fair basis. And that was essentially the
role our military government played as we moved slowly up Italy. When we reached
Naples that was the furthest north that I went. At the beginning of 1944 I
received orders transferring me back to London to the headquarters that General
Eisenhower was to head up at SHAEF. I traveled by way of North Africa, to
London.
When I reached
Marrakesh, the weather over England was so bad that for four days no planes were
flying in. So I had a four-day holiday at Marrakesh at the famous Mamoonia
Hotel. Let me tell you, a more lush hotel I've never experienced in my life.
There were a couple of other American officers there. On one of the days there
was a parade of the French-North African troops. The parade was reviewed by
Prime Minister Churchill and by General Charles de Gaulle. There were the two
standing side by side. I was on the other side of the street. It was quite a
scene.
When finally the weather
over Britain cleared - I was always in touch with the American airport--our
bombers were coming through there and were being flown up to England--I was
given a seat on the floor of a bomber, underneath a bomber sergeant who handled
one of the plane's machine guns. I sat on the parachute that had been given to
me at Marrakesh. We flew from Marrakesh to Great Britain. As we were about to
land the wheels of the plane would not come down. We spent an hour flying
around. Finally the wheels came down and we landed at Wales. I took a train to
London. I began working on military government for the invasion of Western
Europe. Of course, that began taking on much larger scope. On the one hand we
were training and planning--we were getting prepared for invasion of friendly
countries, France, Belgium, Holland, and Norway. On the other hand, we were
getting ready for invasion of Germany, where we knew we were going to be in
enemy country.
==============================================
MAIL CALL
World paper money dealer looking for someone to share an "L" at
the Strasburg, PA show in September. Send Email to Gram with details.
Thanx.
Len
==============================================
EDITORIAL
A very long but most interesting article by Fred. Speaking of
which: Fred how many more parts are there?
Next: Anyone wishing to appy
or donate to scholarship: you have 5 days remaining! speak to or email Marcus
Turner.
Next: Is anyone still receiving multiple Grams?
==============================================
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
2002
ANA Seminar: 29 June to 5 July
W.W. II
numismatics seminar at ANA Summer Seminar, July 2002
Session I (Saturday, 29 June through Friday, 5 July, 2002)
Session II (Sunday, 7 July through Thursday, 11 July, 2002)
general events will return
WESPMEX: 27 - 28 July
Westchester Paper Money
Exposition - 175 Dealers
Westchester County Center, White Plains,
NY
WESPMEX: 11 - 13 October
Westchester Paper Money
Exposition - 100 Dealers
Westchester County Center, White Plains,
NY
WESPMEX: 29 November - 1 December
Westchester
Paper Money Exposition - 160 Dealers
Westchester County Center, White Plains,
NY
2003
CPMX 9: 20 - 23 February,
MPC Fest
IV: 28 Feb - 2 March, Port Clinton, OH
Fest Registrants: Doug Bell, Joe Boling, Guido
Crapanzano, Dick Freyser, Philip M. Goldstein, Gary
Hicks, Harold Kroll,
Jack Lippincot, Kevin Maloy,
Leo May$$, Fred Schwan, David Seelye, Nick
Shrier, Larry Smulczenski, Warner Talso,
Marcus Turner, Tom
Warburton
$$ = Paid
Running total: 17
ANA: 19-22 March, Charlotte, NC
===================================================
SCHOLARSHIP DONATIONS
Reminder: The deadline for scholarship applications is
May 15.
Please get them in soon.
Donations are now
being accepted for scholarships to the 2002 "Military Money" course at the 2002
ANA Summer Seminar. Inquiries and donations should be sent to:
Military
Numismatists
c/o Marcus Turner
8103 East US Highway 36
Suite 163
Avon, IN 46123
maturner@indy.rr.com
Donors to 2002 Scholarship Fund:
Dave
Amey
Gail
Baker
Keith and Sue Bauman Doug
Bell
Bay Bows
Angus
Bruce
Carlson
Chambliss
Ort
Cowles
Guido Crapanzano Mike
Cummings
Howard A. Daniel,
III Sam
Feeback
Steve
Feller
George Fitzgerald Dick
Freyser
Al
Glaser
Philip M.
Goldstein
Wes
Hardy
Rod
Hardy
Gary Hicks
Ed
Hoffman
Tom
Koch
Harold
Kroll
Tim
Kyzivat
Jack Lippincott
Kevin
Maloy
Ian
Marshall
Leo
May
R. A.
Medina
Marv Mericle
Mr.
691
John
Pettit
Bruce
Potter
Gene
Ryan
Unknown Subscriber
Fred
Schwan
David
Seelye
Joel
Shafer
Neil
Shafer
Larry Smulczenski
Warner
Talso
Marcus
Turner
Russ
Walsh
Tom Warburton Mark
Watson
Pam
West
John & Nancy Wilson Bill
Yanchick
===================================================
HOT CONTACT LIST - DEALER &
RESOURCE LIST
Below is the BNR
Press Hot Contact List. This list serves several functions. Obviously it is an
outreach by the dealers listed for your business. Most of them buy and sell MPC.
Others organize shows or publish periodicals, or furnish information dedicated
to this field. They have supported the new Comprehensive Catalog of Military
Payment Certificates with their advertising.
They deserve
your support and patronage!
Name
phone
fax /
cell
email
Allens
(614)
882-3937 (614) 882-0662
info@allens.com
American Coins &
Collectibles (800)
865-3562
American Numismatic Ass'n
(800)
367-9723
ana@money.org
Guy
Araby
(562) 945-7891 (310)
508-0018
guyaraby@earthlink.net
Bob Baker
(713)
864-3122
Ken Barr
(408)
272-3247
ken@kenbarr.com
Fred Bart
(810)
979-3400
Dick Balbaton
(508)
699-2266 (508) 643-1154
RJBalbaton@aol.com
Keith and
Suzanne Bauman
(248)
262-1514
tnaksbauman@earthlink.net
Joe Bissell
(602)
440-0442 (602) 494-9103
BNR Press
(419)
732-6683 (419) 732-6683
fredschwan@yahoo.com
Remy Bourne
(800)
789-7070 (763) 789-4747
Ed Carne
(614)
882-3937 (614) 882-0662
info@allens.com
Champion Stamp
(212)
489-8130 (212) 581-8130
Cookie Jar
Collectibles
(301)
604-9225
cjcpi@comcast.net
Guido Crapanzano
[39]
2-8056228 [39] 2-4459856
Currency Dealer
Newsletter
(310)
515-7369
David F. Cieniewicz
(205)
852-7015
CGC
(602)
493-4758 (602) 494-9103
sales@gradedcurrency.com
Mike
Cummings
(863)
603-9899 (863) 603-9880
mpccoin@hotmail.com
Cygnet Charters
(419)
734-2422
Ray Czahor
(301)
604-9225
cjcpi@comcast.net
Doric Coins &
Currency
(508)
699-2266 (508) 643-1154
FUN
(407)
321-8747
Larry
Gibbs
(308)
635-7900
oth@prairieweb.com
Philip M. Goldstein
(845)
254-MPC1 [6721]
iwantmympc@aol.com or MPC Website
Great Lakes Bank Note
Company (419) 732-6683
IBNS
joeboling@aol.com
Essie Kashani
(909)
627-3996 (909) 627-2776
kashani10@aol.com
Lowel Horwdel
(765)
583-2748 (765) 583-4584
horwdel@inshightbb.com
Peter
Huntoon
Smithsonian Research
peter.huntoon@att.net
Lyn Knight
(800)
243-5211
Krause Publications
(715)
445-2214 (715) 445-4087
bnr@krause.com
Harold Kroll
(251)
649-5134
HARBONS@aol.com
Leo May
(305)
271-8391 (305) 720-0659
LeoMayEnt@aol.com or Wide World of
Banknotes
Ian Marshall
(416)
445-0286 (416) 445-0286
iam@total.net
Memphis Coin Club
(901)
757-2515
MPCGram
(419)
732-6683
MPCGram@yahoo.com
Bob Reed
(504)
361-5684
bobreed@rrcoins.net
Fred Schwan
(419)
732-6683 (419) 732-6683
FredSchwan@yahoo.com
David Seelye
(585)
594-1987 (585) 594-2311
coinman@rochester.rr.com
Richie Self
(318)
868-9077
R. M. Smythe
(800)
622-1880 (212) 908-4047
www.smytheonline.com
Mel Steinberg &
Son
(415)
453-9750 (415) 457-4432
melsteinberg@mindspring.com
Military Trader
(800)
334-7165
Scott Winslow Associates
(603)
472-7040 (603) 472-8773
scott@scottwinslow.com
George Warner
(307)
672-3700
Pam West
[44]
0208 641 3224 [44] 0208 641 3224 pamwestbritnotes@compuserve.com
===================================================
POST / BASE
EXCHANGE (PX/BX/NEX)
Dump your dupes!
Your classified advertisement for items for sale, purchase or trade will be run
here for free. Send your ads to the gram. This service is for everyone, most
humble dealer or most advanced collector. The point is to make the gram more
interesting. In all cases confirm your order via email first.
FOR SALE SECTION:
For Sale ads will run for a period of up to 5 days, or until
sold.
Series
461 5
Cents
F
5.00
Series 461 5
Cents
F/VF
6.00
Series 461 5
Cents
VF
7.50
Series 461 5
Cents
A.EF
12.50
Series 461 5
Cents
EF
stain
11.50
Series 461 5
Cents
EF
19.00
Series 461 5
Cents
AU
45.00
Series 461 5
Cents
UNC
63.00
Series 461 5
Cents
GEM
UNC
90.00
Series 461 10
Cents
F/VF
6.00
Series 461 10
Cents
VF
7.50
Series 461 10
Cents
EF
18.00
Series 461 10
Cents
AU
40.00
Series 461 10
Cents
Gem
UNC
95.00
Series 461 25
Cents
EF
40.00
Series 461 25
Cents
EF/AU
49.50
Series 461 25
Cents
AU
75.00
Series 461 25
Cents
AU/UNC
110.00
Series 461 25
Cents
UNC bent corner 100.00
Series
461 25
Cents
Choice
UNC
175.00
Series 461 50
Cents
VF
18.75
Series 461 50
Cents
VF+
37.50
Series 461 50
Cents
EF
pinhole
55.00
Series 461 50
Cents
EF
80.00
Series 461 50
Cents
EF/AU
100.00
Series 461 50
Cents
About UNC-UNC 130.00
Series 461 50
Cents
CHOICE UNC
195.00
Series 461 1
Dollar
VF
10.00
Series 461 1
Dollar
EF
18.50
Series 461 1
Dollar
UNC bent corner 100.00
Series
461 1
Dollar
CH
UNC
175.00
Series 461 1
Dollar
GEM
UNC
225.00
Series 461 10
Dollars
VG
15.00
Series 461 10
Dollars
VF
45.00
Series 461 10
Dollars
EF
75.00
Series 461 10
Dollars
EF/AU
150.00
Series 461 10
Dollars
AU
175.00
Series 461 10
Dollars
CH
UNC
300.00
contact David Seelye at coinman@rochester.rr.com
(05May)
Sixty (60) Vietnam transitional notes from the same
pack. The front shows "Republic of Socialist Vietnam," the denomination (2
dong's), and the communist emblem of the country. The back shows the "Ham Rong"
bridge and pagoda, boat, number 2, and "National Bank of Vietnam".Those notes
are from the time era when the country was ruled by a military totalitarian
regime.
All for $37, including shipping.
Contact: ttnguyen@oppd.com
(05May)
Comprehensive
Catalog of Military Payment Certificates - 4th Edition
by Fred Schwan
Standard Edition (400 pages!)
$ 50
Collectors’s Edition (432 pages!)
$ 95
Researcher's Edition (432 page, 46 produced, limited to
availability) $125
All orders plus $4 shipping per
order (NOT per book). Send snail mail payment to:
BNR Press
132 E. Second Street
Port Clinton,
OH 43452
or PayPal using email:
fredschwan@yahoo.com
WANTED
SECTION:
Collectors may
submit lists of items wanted for their collections for listing here. Dealers and
collectors who have these items are then encouraged to list them for sale in the
above section as a reply. This is a trial, if you like it, send your list.
WANTED Souvenir Card 'MPC Fest I' from the first MPC
Fest. (4/18)
Collector wants All USAFFE and AUSA Free Samar
notes All 125th Infantry Regiment and Markings Guerrilla notes. I am also
interested in any and all Guerilla Municipal issues. (4/18)
WANTED TO
BUY: Bulk quantities of Afghanistan propaganda leaflets or related. (4/18)
Looking for a Series 641 MPC, any denomination with the
serial number J02283151J. (4/18)
===================================================
MPC CATALOG
CORRECTIONS & ENHANCEMENTS
Page 18, Bottom - Users of Military Payment
Certificates
Check marks were omitted from production copies of books.
Please check off the following:
Australia:
641, 661, 681, 692
Canada:
461 through
and including 591
Korea:
641,
661, 681, 692
New Zealand: 641, 661, 681, 692
Thailand:
641, 661, 681, 692
United States: All
(date listed: 02 APRIL 2002)
Page 201, Bottom Right - Very last sentence on this page
Two serial numbers listed for the second printing of
Series 472 .50 cent
notes. The first serial number listed is obviously in error as a nine
digit number: C040351392C
Correct Serial Number is:
C04035139C
D Freyser (date
listed 10 April 2002)
Page 207,
#833/4 - Series 481 .25 4th Printing (table listing serial number
breakdowns) line 5
Start Number is incorrect. It appears as:
(start)
D14784001D (end) D14784000D
Correct start number should
be: D09408001D
PK6 (date listed: 03
APRIL 2002)
Page
214, #855/r2 - Series 541 $1 Replacements,
Ending serial number is
incorrect
Correct number is F1112000
(date listed: 02 APRIL 2002)
Page 220, #884/2r - Series 641 .50
Replacements
On page 284, it is broken down into 2 printings. That's
correct, BUT, on page 220 he lists only (1) printing reported. It should "list"
both first and second printings.
Guy Araby (date listed 04 APRIL 2002)
Page 287, Series 661 Series Summary, 25 cent note: the
"list" shows "#CU as 10(7) . It should read, 8(7). As only 8 are known in CU.
Just recount P.289.
Guy Araby (date
listed 08 APRIL 2002)
Page 398,
Series #541 $10 on "UNC." price is $2500, on P.214 the UNC. price is
$3500. Also the rest of the prices don't match all the way to "VG" on this
issue. They should be the same price.
Guy Araby (date listed 08 APRIL 2002)
===================================================
MPC Gram
Staff:
Publisher:
Fred Schwan -
MPCGram@yahoo.com
Editor:
Philip M. Goldstein -
IWANTMYMPC@aol.com
Subscription
Manager:
Doug Bell
-
doug@papermoneyworld.net
Tuesday Columnist :
Joe
Boling -
JoeBoling@aol.com
Thurski Columnist:
Larry
"Ski" Smulczenski - skifla@prodigy.net
Friday
Columnist:
Fred Schwan -
MPCGram@yahoo.com
Critic:
Harold
Kroll -
HARBONS@aol.com
Distribution Manager:
Brad
Peacock -
bp22@swbell.net
Scholarship
Coordinator:
Marcus
Turner -
maturner@indy.rr.com
Index &
Back Issue Manager:
Ed Beaman -
ebeaman@sprynet.com
Webmaster & Technical Advisors: Doug Bell "Wiz" -
doug@papermoneyworld.net
Russ Walsh
-
russ.walsh@gte.net
Fact Checker:
Warner
Talso
-
Calendar
Coordinator:
John & Nancy Wilson -
The Boss:
Judy
Schwan -
|