German Reich
Commissary Government

The Plenipotentiary for the German Reich

Contract for Salvage Operations for the Amber Room and the Treasure of the Reichspost

Dear Prime Minister and Chairman of the Privy Council Seiger,

in reference to the preceding negotiations we agree today to grant your company, the Sealand-state-owned Sealand Trade Corporation, the concession to dig for the Amber Room and the Reichspostschatz in the two provinces of Saxony and Hesse-Nassau.

All discoveries are only in your trust and remain the explicit property of the German Reich. Your company, your state or any other persons or states (including the de jure extinct Federal Republic of Germany) have definitely no property rights. Everything found, also objects not pertaining to the Amber Room or the Reichspostschatz, is immediately to be reported to the office of the Plenipotentiary for the German Reich. Upon any discovery you will contact us in order to decide whether the objects found should remain in place or whether they can be salvaged by you. In no way are you allowed to keep back any objects found without our written consent.

We would like to point out that the Amber Room is a Cultural Treasure stolen from the Soviet Union that the German Reich will hand back to the legal successor of the USSR, the Russian Republic, in connection with a Peace Treaty yet to be negotiated between the German Reich and all victorious forces of the Second World war. In this context there can be no reward from the German side, only from the Russian side. Please contact the Kremlin in this matter.

If you find the Reichspostschatz or other properties of the German Reich, we will reimburse you adequately for your expenditures. The conditions for this reimbursement will be separately negotiated at a later date, they are only due after the final ratification of a Peace Treaty between the German Reich and all the victorious forces of the Second World War. Earlier reimbursements are unfortunately not possible.

We would like to point out that we will have this agreement authorised by the SHAEF Legislator in the USA according to the present SHAEF legislation (Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Forces Legislation). Thus we have to make the final validity of this contract for salvage operations conditional to this authorisation.

We gladly confirm that in the case of success in finding the Amber Room, you will be named in all press publications as the discoverer and salvage operator. After our press statement and the announcement of the discovery of the Amber Room, you will retain the exclusive media rights for all circumstances concerning you and the salvage operation, with the exception of all state rights of the German Reich, like publication in the Reich’s Law Journal (Reichsgesetzblatt).

We would like to point out that you will have to follow in your endeavours all stipulations by Reich Law, especially the Reich Accident Prevention and Insurance Regulations (in the version of May 22, 1949). We would like to reiterate here that Reich Law supersedes all German law, this goes especially for the constitutional law of the unified state federation of the de jure extinct Federal Republic of Germany.

We expressly reserve the right to view the salvage works even unannounced, as we are bound to do by the existing SHAEF Legislation and SHAEF Regulations, and if necessary give you binding directions. To this end you will supply us with the exact locations of the digs.

The International Court of the United Nations at The Hague is agreed as arbitration court.

This contract for salvage operations starts with this day, under reservation of a revocation by the SHAEF Legislator and automatically ends on December 31, 2000. It can be extended anytime upon application by the Sealand Trade Corporation.

We wish you much success in your search and would like to send back to us as a sign of your approval two signed copies of the contract.

With best regards
German Reich
Commissary Government

Signed: Wolfgang G. G. Ebel
Plenipotentiary for the German Reich,
acting for the missing Reich Chancellor

Signed: Christian Samter
Secretary of State
Chief of Office with the Plenipotentiary for the German Reich

 
We are in full agreement with the above contract:

Sealand Trade Corporation (state-owned corporation of the Principality of Sealand)

Signed: Johannes F. W. Seiger
Prime Minister and Chairman of the Privy Council
Principality of Sealand

Three copies of this contract were issued:
1. German Reich, 2. Sealand Trade Corporation, 3. SHAEF Legislator

Document as pdf file.
German original doc.