Paul Barford’s turned up yet more unsavoury information. It appears that, either National Geographic’s statement was (unknowingly but nonetheless) incorrect, or Craig Gottlieb was so excited by his work for them that he couldn’t sleep in Latvia. Evidently, Nazi War Digger Brings Back ‘Ground dug in Latvia’ Helmet: “No Trouble With Customs”.
Last year, History Hunter Military Antiques dealer and sometime Nazi War Digger Craig Gottlieb showed the Wehrmacht Awards forum for Nazi militaria a helmet that he ‘found… in the terrain where it fell in 1945‘; he revealed that, at the same time, he’d ‘found another one sticking 1/2 way out of the mud‘. So, it’s established that they were German soldiers’ helmets from the Second World War (which he exported from Latvia via Finland).
Gottlieb also ‘brought back two Russian mortar tails‘ and was given ‘a beautifully ripped-open shell fragment‘.
He said that, if he decided to clean it, he’d ‘definitely get help from some new friends who know what the heck they’re doing’. Since they’re new friends that he made while digging up German soldiers’ remains in Latvia (and one of his new friends’ names is “Viktors“), it’s safe to assume that those new friends are Legenda volunteers.
Discussing whether and how to clean his dug-up and snuck-out finds, Gottlieb noted that he ‘was told [how to do it] by my friend Stephen who is pretty experienced cleaning things up‘. In this context, it’s safe to assume that Stephen is the ‘Chairman of the WW2 Relic Retrieval & Preservation Group (RRPG) by night and weekends’, sometime Nazi War Digger Stephen Taylor.
Even more urgent, entirely legal questions
N.B.: Where my questions involve the Fox Entertainment Group, National Geographic Channels International and ClearStory, I hope and assume that they will appreciate the necessity of these questions; and I hope and assume that they will understand that I am asking these questions, not because I am implying anything, but precisely because I am expecting the answers that they will give…
1. Did the Fox Entertainment Group, National Geographic Channels International and/or ClearStory run background checks on Craig Gottlieb and/or the other employees on Nazi War Diggers?
2. Was there any clause in Craig Gottlieb’s contract(s) with the Fox Entertainment Group, National Geographic Channels International and/or ClearStory that allowed him to collect any of the material that he or others found during the work for Nazi War Diggers?
3. Was there any clause in Craig Gottlieb’s contract(s) with the Fox Entertainment Group, National Geographic Channels International and/or ClearStory that allowed him to collect any of the material that he or others found outside work hours for Nazi War Diggers?
4. Was there any clause in Craig Gottlieb’s contract(s) with the Fox Entertainment Group, National Geographic Channels International and/or ClearStory that addressed potential conflicts of interest between his management of History Hunter Military Antiques and his work for Nazi War Diggers?
5. Did Craig Gottlieb and/or other employees of the Fox Entertainment Group, National Geographic Channels International and/or ClearStory work on Nazi War Diggers in Latvia in June 2013?
6. Were the persons or possessions of Craig Gottlieb and the other employees of the Fox Entertainment Group, National Geographic Channels International and/or ClearStory searched for artefacts before they left site during the production of Nazi War Diggers?
7. Were the persons or possessions of Craig Gottlieb and the other employees of the Fox Entertainment Group, National Geographic Channels International and/or ClearStory searched for artefacts before they left the countries after the production of Nazi War Diggers?
8. Were the Fox Entertainment Group, National Geographic Channels International and/or ClearStory aware of Craig Gottlieb and/or their other employees conducting excavations of archaeological sites in Latvia outside work hours, with or without Legenda?
9. Is “Stephen” the Stephen Taylor who also worked on Nazi War Diggers?
10. In which (other) countries did Craig Gottlieb and/or other employees of the Fox Entertainment Group, National Geographic Channels International and/or ClearStory work for Nazi War Diggers?
11. Were the Fox Entertainment Group, National Geographic Channels International and/or ClearStory aware of Craig Gottlieb and/or their other employees conducting excavations of archaeological sites outside work hours in the other countries where they worked on Nazi War Diggers?
12. Craig Gottlieb has freely, explicitly, publicly stated that he removed German soldiers’ effects and other artefacts from the ground and exported them from Latvia via Finland to the United States(?). How did he acquire those objects?
13. Did Crag Gottlieb have antiquities permits for those objects?
14. Did Craig Gottlieb have Latvian, Finnish and/or other export licences for those objects?
15. Did Craig Gottlieb have Finnish, American and/or other import licences for those objects?
Encouraging looting and illegal collecting
As an aside, James M. implored Gottlieb: ‘Let us know if there are any issues getting this thru Latvian customs when you leave the Country.’ Gottlieb had no problems with customs, and noted his route: ‘I flew back to Finland‘.
Nazi War Diggers will encourage precisely these kind of people to do precisely this: to go to countries with weak customs measures, to acquire property that could be difficult to take through customs, and to bring that all back home, where they may keep it or sell it.
Similarly, kyles bullets (sic) said: ‘Nice helmet! I hope one day I can go to a battle field and search for relics just like you did. I would never sell it just like you!’ By definition, he couldn’t keep or sell it if he’d excavated it under licence and duly delivered it to the authorities (or their institutions); he could only acquire it through unlicensed digging.
Even if he didn’t engage in illicit trading, it would still be an illicit antiquity, his collection would still be an illicit collection, and that society’s cultural and historical understanding would be a little poorer for every single object that every single antiquities tourist acquired.
Update (26th December 2014): a note of explanation
Latvian law requires newly-discovered antiquities to be reported to the state, which then decides upon the antiquities’ registration and state protection. Whether or not they are state-protected, it is ‘prohibited to export cultural monuments from the Republic of Latvia’. No exceptional licences were presented or claimed. On that basis, I characterised apparently contrary activities as illicit activities. Naturally, if such licences are presented, or if an official or expert states that such licences were not necessary in these cases, I will correct my characterisations.
Texts (and screen-grabs) of forum posts
‘Here’s one for you. While mostly known for more well-preserved specimens, I found this in the terrain where it fell in 1945. Pretty cool, to know the history of the helmet all the way back to then!’
‘I’ll bring it home and decide what to do with it. If I decide to clean, I’ll definitely get help from some new friends who know what the heck they’re doing. But, I sort of like it as-is. What do you think?’
‘Let us know if there are any issues getting this thru Latvian customs when you leave the Country.’
‘Nope. I flew back to Finland.‘
‘Nice helmet! I hope one day I can go to a battle field and search for relics just like you did. I would never sell it just like you!’
‘I found another one sticking 1/2 way out of the mud (on it’s [sic] side). I was sure I had found a soldier, but there was NOTHING else in the mud – even the other half of the helmet was missing!’
‘No hint so far, but there is paint left, so I’m hopeful. What about vinegar? I was told by my friend Stephen who is pretty experienced cleaning things up, that it will also work. I also brought back two Russian mortar tails, and will be turning them into a pair of candlesticks. I will probably go for the “ultra modern” look and have them cleaned and plated, so my wife doesn’t complain about rusty bits on the dining room table. Also, I got a beautifully ripped-open shell fragment given to me by my friend Viktors, and I’ll probably do the same thing … modern art.’
‘I found this in the terrain where it fell in 1945.’
(c) Craig Gottlieb, 11th June 2013
‘I’ll definitely get help from some new friends.’
(c) Craig Gottlieb, 11th June 2013
‘Let us know if there are any issues getting this thru Latvian customs.’
(c) James M., 11th June 2013
‘Nope. I flew back to Finland.’
(c) Craig Gottlieb, 15th June 2013
‘I hope one day Ican go to a battle field and search for relics just like you did.’
(c) kyles bullets, 15th June 2013
!['I found another one sticking [half] way out of the mud.' (c) Craig Gottlieb, 17th June 2013](https://conflictantiquities.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/gottlieb-2013-nazi-war-diggers-latvia-illicit-antiquities-trade-130617-a.jpg)
‘I found another one sticking [half] way out of the mud.’
(c) Craig Gottlieb, 17th June 2013
‘I was told by my friend Stephen who is pretty experienced cleaning things up.’
(c) Craig Gottlieb, 17th June 2013
conflict antiquities 