Under the War Claims Act of 1948, the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission (FCSC) and its predecessor, the War Claims Commission, were authorized to administer ten prisoner-of-war and civilian internee compensation programs and four war damage and loss compensation programs.
Funds for the payment of claims and administrative expenses in all but three of the programs conducted under the War Claims Act were derived from the liquidation of Japanese and German assets under the control of the Attorney General of the United States (which had been blocked and vested in the United States during World War II under the Trading With the Enemy Act).