Not about DeBeers, but for the history minded regarding diamonds: A description of (Georg) Wippern's operation is described in the report of SS-Sturmbannfuhrer Albert Franke-Gricksch on a tour of Poland with his superior Max von Herff in May 1943: "From Trawniki we traveled back to Lublin to inspect the special enterprise Reinhard. This branch has had the task of realizing all mobile Jewish property in the Government Poland. It is astonishing what immense fortunes the Jews have collected in their ghetto and even ragged and vermin infested dirty little Jews who look like beggars, carry with them, when you strip their clothes off them, foreign currency, pieces of gold, diamonds and other valuables. We wandered through the cellars of this 'special enterprise' and we were reminded of the fairy tales of the Arabian Nights. Whole boxes full of genuine pearls, cases full of diamonds, a basket full of pieces of gold and many quarts of silver coins, beside jewelry of every kind. In order to carry out a better realization of all these valuables, the gold and silver are melted into bars. We inspected the melting process in the garden of the house. There is a small foundry where gold and silver are melted and then formed into bars and then delivered to the German National Bank on certain days. 'Special enterprise' Reinhard has so far delivered 2,500 kilos of gold, 20,000 kilos of silver and six and a half kilos of platinum, 60,000 Reichsmarks in currency, 800,000 dollars in money and 144,000 dollars in gold. The huge quantity of diamonds and pearls can hardly be evaluated. The best proof of the repercussions this enterprise has on the international market is the quotations on the Swiss Stock Exchange and the effects on the international market in diamonds and brilliants. The prices have all gone down and Switzerland could not absorb any more diamonds, because our enterprise has swamped the market..."