Ministère de l'Air (Ministry of Aviation)
Stamp: "Ministère de l'Air - Bibliotheque -"
In 2021, a book from the library of the French Ministry of Aviation could be returned.
The book entered the holdings of the Berlin City Library via an assignment from the salvage office (Bergungsstelle), in this case order no. 126. (Library of the Institute for State Research / Institut für Staatsforschung). Founded in Kiel in 1932, the Institute was moved to Berlin in 1935 and was closely linked to the Reich Main Security Office (Reichssicherheitshauptamt or RSHA).
Looted books from French ministries previously identified in the holdings of the Zentral- und Landesbibliothek (ZLB) predominantly were from allocations of the Bergungsstelle order No. 15. This order refers to a book depot of the RSHA in Eisenacher Str., where millions of looted books from all over Europe were stored in an expropriated house of a masonic lodge in order to build up an " enemies' library".
It can be assumed that this book of the Ministère de l'Air was also initially in the possession of the RSHA after it had been looted from France, and that it was given to the Library of the Institute for State Research by the RSHA.