Establishment of the Roberts Commission by US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

President Roosevelt established the Roberts Commission (American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historical Monuments in War Areas) under Justice Roberts’s chairmanship. The Roberts Commission was instrumental in creating the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFA&A) Section of the U.S. Army. The MFA&A officers, popularly known as the “Monuments Men,” were charged with protecting cultural treasures in European war zones. Equipped with maps, lists, and handbooks provided by the commission, the Monuments Men documented war damage and prepared lists of sites needing protection. After the war, the Roberts Commission played a major role in the U.S. Military Occupation Government (OMGUS) efforts to recover Nazi-confiscated artworks and restitute the pieces to the rightful owners. The Roberts commission was active through June 1946.