Switzerland maintained that they were a neutral country during World War II. I would imagine that even back then, people knew they were not. They did not technically engage in the war as a combatant, but they certainly helped it along. The Swiss acquired 79% of all German gold delivered to foreign countries, with 90% of that ending up in the Swiss National Bank and the remainder in commercial banks. Royalties from Mein Kampf, Adolf Hitler's memoir, were deposited in Swiss banks, as well as personal funds from Nazis. Stolen artwork and stolen money from Jewish (and other) victims were deposited in these banks, mostly never to be returned to their owners or next of kin. They exchanged money into currency that was useable by Axis powers, especially Germany. They also facilitated anti-Semitism and blocking Jewish immigration into their country, especially during the war years.

Since the end of World War II, next of kin have been trying to retrieve monies that were transferred into accounts before the onset of war. Swiss banks didn't like Jewish people, but had no problem accepting Jewish money. Swiss banks refuse to come off it, demanding a death certificate. Unfortunately, many people were murdered fighting in the resistance, starving in ghettos, or murdered in concentration camps. More often than not, death certificates were not provided. They also deny having any stolen artwork, antiques, or other items in their vaults, which has almost been determined with certainty to be lies.

I watched a documentary about this on Hulu (I think) a while back, and it was mentioned that they still continue to do these types of things. They were benefitting from events in the Congo (genocide) and other shady money practices. Of course, we have all heard that criminals and rich people have offshore accounts in Swiss banks to prevent their money from being taxed or seized. Switzerland is a beautiful country that I would love to visit, and the people in general seem like nice people. Banks and governments often get up to shady doings that the common folks do not always know about, so you cannot look down on an entire group for the actions of some. All countries have poor marks on their records, but acknowledging the wrongdoings and attempting to right them as much as possible goes a long way in redemption and boosting public opinion. This book was very informative about the shenanagins that Swiss banks got up to during the war years, and I would highly suggest reading this. This is an important part of World War II and it's legacy.