Edward A. Tenenbaum

Edward A. Tenenbaum (1921–1975) was an American economist, sometimes referred to in Germany as "Vater der Deutschen Mark" (father of the Deutsche Mark). During World War II, he and civilian Egon W. Fleck were the first two non-captive Allied personnel to enter Buchenwald concentration camp, on April 11, 1945.

Biography

Tenenbaum was the son of Polish Jews who emigrated to America. In the late 1930s he was a student at the International School of Geneva, Switzerland, where he befriended the portrait artist Milein Cosman.[1] He subsequently graduated summa cum laude from Yale University in 1942[2] and was awarded the Warren Memorial High Scholarship prize[3] for the Bachelor of the Arts candidate ranking highest in scholarship.

Tenenbaum was a US First Lieutenant and intelligence officer with the Publicity and Psychological Warfare unit of the Twelfth Army Group headquarters under General Omar N. Bradley. While in his early 20s,[2][4] he and civilian Egon W. Fleck were the first two non-captive Allied personnel to enter Buchenwald concentration camp, on April 11, 1945,[5] at 5:30 p.m.

After the war, Tenenbaum served as special assistant to the Lucius D. Clay,[2] finance adviser of the U.S. military-established government from 1945 to 1948 and as an economist with the Economic Cooperation Administration from 1948 to 1950. He is credited with rescuing the German Deutsche Mark while in this position.[2] Former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt said about Tenenbaum, "He was the intellectual link between the American military government and the German experts."[2]

He was later an economist with the International Monetary Fund from 1950 to 1951. Working for the Mutual Security Agency, Tenenbaum served as an economic adviser from 1951 to 1952. From 1952 to 1954, he was a finance adviser to the Greek government.[6]

Tenenbaum was killed in a traffic accident in 1975.[2]

References
  1. "News from the Archives: A Treasure Lost and Found". November 2019.
  2. "Ein junger US-Leutnant zog die Fäden" Die Welt Online. (June 15, 2008) Retrieved February 11, 2011 (in German)
  3. "The Yale Daily News 4 July 1942 — Yale Daily News Historical Archive". ydnhistorical.library.yale.edu. Retrieved 2023-07-23.
  4. Fuhrer, Armin (2023-06-20). "Vater der D-Mark war ein junger, jüdischer Amerikaner, nicht Ludwig Erhard". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 2023-06-20. (in German)
  5. Hackett, David A. (1995). The Buchenwald report. Westview Press. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-8133-1777-9.
  6. Edward A. Tenenbaum Papers Truman Library & Museum, Independence, Missouri, USA. Retrieved February 11, 2011


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