Statement

2004

International Task Force Supports ITS Decision to Open Archives in 2004

The International Task Force Supports Decision to Open Bad Arolsen Archives for Scholarly Research by the End of the Year.

June 9, 2004

At their plenary meeting in Rome on June 9, 2004, the member countries of the Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research welcomed the commitment of the International Commission of the International Tracing Service, together with the International Tracing Service (ITS) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to establish an open access regime to the Bad Arolsen archives for scholars and other researchers by the end of 2004.

Under their commitment to the principles of the Stockholm Declaration of 2000, the members of the Task Force urge that this important depository of Holocaust and displaced persons documentation become available for purposes of historical research.

To being a dialogue with the ITS, and to gain a clearer understanding of the content and organization of the archives, and of the digitization process underway, representatives from several Task Force countries plan to visit Bad Arolsen in July. The Task Force will also extend an invitation to ITS officials to brief the Task Force at its next plenary meeting on progress being made in opening the Bad Arolsen archives for historical research.