20 Reichsmark banknote found during postwar reconstruction

Diane Keeley was the daughter of James E. Keeley Sr., one of the first American civilian employees stationed in Germany, in January 1946, as part of the United States Army of occupation. The rest of the family, Diane, her mother, older brother, and two younger sisters, followed in June 1949 and lived first in Bad Neuheim and then Nuremberg. They lived in a large home of 26 rooms at 169 Am Maxfield Strasse near Linde Stadium, which had been expropriated by the US Army. The house was previously owned by Herr Frank, who now lived down the street in a much more humble dwelling. Diane's father repaired the war damage to the house, including bullet holes in the facade and the hole in the roof where a bomb had fallen during the siege of Nuremberg. Diane's mother invited Herr and Frau Frank to the home and invited them to take what they wanted from the fruit trees in the yard. According to the maid, Herr Frank was a Nazi and had coordinated Nazi activities in the neighborhood during the war. The Keeley children were taught to respect the Frank home and never to go down to the basement and disturb Herr Frank’s things. Diane's family returned to the United States in January 1953. She later became a history teacher.

The 20 Reichsmark banknote was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2007 by Diane Keeley.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Diane Keeley