Holocaust and it identified a number of controversial relationships between Swiss and German companies and financial institutions which acted to support the German war effort. In particular, with respect to the refugees, Bergier concluded, "that Switzerland "got involved in (Nazi) crimes by abandoning refugees to their persecutors" – even though the Swiss government knew by 1942 of the Nazis' final solution and that rejected refugees would almost certainly face deportation and death...Large numbers of persons whose lives were in danger were turned away – needlessly,..." The reports of the commission (see: https://www.uek.ch/en/) stirred up political criticism, with right-wing People's Party member Oskar Freysinger incorrectly describing it as "a pseudo-historical work ordered up by the World Jewish Congress". When asked why he accepted such an investigative and editing role, Bergier replied, "Above all there's the issue of Switzerland's historical responsibility. You have to be responsible for your past. On that condition you can face the future clearly and calmly." Principal writings (in French) Histoire économique de la Suisse, Lausanne, Payot, 1984 Hermès et Clio: essais d’histoire économique, Lausanne, Payot, 1984 Naissance et croissance de la Suisse industrielle, Berne, Francke, 1974 Une histoire du sel, Fribourg, Office du Livre, 1982 Guillaume Tell, Paris, Fayard, 1988 Europe et les Suisses. Impertinences d’un historien, Genève, Zoé, 1996 Bertrand Müller, Pietro Boschetti, Entretiens avec Jean-François Bergier, Genève, Zoé, 2006 Notes External links Jean-François Bergier - The Independent Obituary Biography on the website of the Independent Commission of Experts Switzerland – Second World War. Biography on the website on the ETHZ. Tribune de Geneve interview of 23 March 2002 On the website of Les droits de l'homme. Jean-Francois Bergier - Daily Telegraph obituary https://www.uek.ch/en/ 1931 births 2009 deaths People from Lausanne 20th-century Swiss historians Swiss male writers Academic staff of ETH Zurich École Nationale des Chartes alumni 20th-century male writers University of Lausanne alumni University of Paris alumni Swiss expatriates in France