A National World War II Museum trustee is monitoring reports of an alleged Nazi train full of treasure that some say has been found in Poland. But those claims are still unconfirmed.
Author Robert Edsel wrote three books on what became known as the Monuments Men, which was also the subject of a major motion picture. The story of recovered works of art stolen by Nazis will also be an exhibit at the museum’s upcoming Liberation Pavilion, focusing on the post-war years.
So what does he make of the story unfolding in a rural town in southwest Poland?
“We know there’s a possibility there’s life on Mars, but I’m not in a hurry to jump on a ship and get blasted into space to go look,” he said.
There is precedence. He says there was a train of loot found in Hungary after the war. Earlier this year, two men say they found the underground train using radar equipment. It triggered international media coverage, and attracted treasure hunters.
But for now, Edsel says he’ll wait for Polish authorities to investigate.
“Are there significant things still buried that we have not found yet? Yes. I don’t have any doubt that there are," he said. "And is this a possibility? It is a possibility.”
Meantime, hundreds of tourists and fortune hunters are scrambling through the region — that’s believed to be booby-trapped.
