- Target:
- Ethical Malpractice
- Region:
- United States of America
- Website:
- www.craiggottlieb.com
Militaria dealer Craig Gottlieb, owner of Craig Gottlieb Militaria of Solana Beach, California released information to the international press which is contrary to generally recognized standards and ethics of his trade.
Mr. Gottlieb claimed that an Italian passport obtained by him had been used by Nazi Dr. Josef Mengele to escape Europe and flee to Argentina. The passport bears multiple errors, including erroneously placed ink stamps, a photograph believed to have been taken years later in Argentina, improper or absent markings, information conflicting the historical record, and a signature inconsistent with that of Mengele's. By his admission, Mr. Gottlieb possessed the passport for four months, but he either failed to detect or reveal these faults to the press and in public utterances. The wide dissemination of Mr. Gottlieb's discovery and purported authentication of the document will, if the document is proven a modern forgery, cast discredit upon his fellow dealers worldwide.
Mr. Gottlieb has refused to make public full and complete images of the passport, nor will he publicly reveal the seller's identity, thus hindering any scrutiny of a document believed by the general public to be authentic. His motive for doing so remains unexplained.
We, the undersigned, publicly censure memorabilia dealer Craig Gottlieb for his apparent failure to carefully research what he purports to be a historic document before bringing it to the public eye.
The revelation of a historic document or relic to the public and press must be preceded by careful and competent research and evaluation. Once such an object is made public, especially for the benefit of the owner's business or prestige and it is questioned, professional ethics call for the owner to disclose all particulars of the item in question. Mr. Gottlieb has refused to do so.
We call on Craig Gottlieb to immediately make public all research which has been undertaken on the passport to date, and to make public complete images of the passport and related documents in order that they may be scrutinized.
The Petition to Censure Militaria Dealer Craig Gottlieb petition to Ethical Malpractice was written by Militaria Collectibles and is in the category Media Issues at GoPetition.