Beyen at Bretton Woods: “Much More Significant Under the Surface…”

Abstract

An interesting perspective on Bretton Woods is the input of nations other than the USA or Britain. A good example is the input of the Dutch delegation, in particular its leader Jan Willem Beyen, the Former President of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). He was actively engaged in many discussions during the conference. Coming from the world of big finance and multinational enterprise, he looked much further than the national interest of his own nation. His behavior often led to discontent, irritation, and distrust from the American delegation. Beyen, however, saw off the US attack on the BIS, which aimed to liquidate the ‘banker’s bank’ in Basel for its role in the transfer of the gold reserves of occupied European nations to Nazi Germany.