Nazi Records To Be Opened
The New York Times has the story that has been a contentious issue, to say the least. Millions of pages of detailed information regarding the Holocaust--the Nazi "Final Solution" concocted at the Wannsee conference in January of 1942:
Millions of Nazi files that describe the Holocaust in gray, bureaucratic tones will be opened to researchers under an agreement announced Tuesday by a panel that has kept the archives locked away since the end of World War II.
Once ratified, the decision will give the public access to some 50 million files stored in a German spa town, Bad Arolsen, including the registration of concentration camp inmates by the numbers on their arms, stacks of identity booklets and meticulously kept records of executions.
"Bad Arolsen is the most complete file," said Paul Mertz, a Luxembourg diplomat and the chairman of the 11-nation commission.
The files will be available to Holocaust survivors and families of victims whose fates may not be clear. While survivors and their relatives have been able to request information, they sometimes have had to wait years.
Amendments to two 1955 agreements controlling the archives are to be signed at a ceremony in Berlin before they are submitted to the governments for ratification, Mr. Mertz said. It could take until the end of the year before the process is complete.
Regardless of the delay, families have waited long enough to learn the fates of their families, friends, and loved ones. This is a significant step in their ability to cope with the past. And while it is a part of the past, it is a lesson we donot wish to repeat. We have proclaimed, since the discovery of the extent of Hitler's grisly practice, "Never Again." Yet, we allowed Rwanda, and up until today, we had turned a blind eye to Darfur. (I say "we" as in addressing the world. The United States has been well aware of the atrocities in Darfur, and it has taken us this long to get the UN--like a stubborn mule--to recant on the "no genocide in Darfur" argument.)
Hmm ..... I wonder is President Ahmadinejad needs to have a refresher course in history. Based on his comments I would concur that he does, indeed, need a reminder of recent history.
The Bunny ;)
The New York Times has the story that has been a contentious issue, to say the least. Millions of pages of detailed information regarding the Holocaust--the Nazi "Final Solution" concocted at the Wannsee conference in January of 1942:
Millions of Nazi files that describe the Holocaust in gray, bureaucratic tones will be opened to researchers under an agreement announced Tuesday by a panel that has kept the archives locked away since the end of World War II.
Once ratified, the decision will give the public access to some 50 million files stored in a German spa town, Bad Arolsen, including the registration of concentration camp inmates by the numbers on their arms, stacks of identity booklets and meticulously kept records of executions.
"Bad Arolsen is the most complete file," said Paul Mertz, a Luxembourg diplomat and the chairman of the 11-nation commission.
The files will be available to Holocaust survivors and families of victims whose fates may not be clear. While survivors and their relatives have been able to request information, they sometimes have had to wait years.
Amendments to two 1955 agreements controlling the archives are to be signed at a ceremony in Berlin before they are submitted to the governments for ratification, Mr. Mertz said. It could take until the end of the year before the process is complete.
Regardless of the delay, families have waited long enough to learn the fates of their families, friends, and loved ones. This is a significant step in their ability to cope with the past. And while it is a part of the past, it is a lesson we donot wish to repeat. We have proclaimed, since the discovery of the extent of Hitler's grisly practice, "Never Again." Yet, we allowed Rwanda, and up until today, we had turned a blind eye to Darfur. (I say "we" as in addressing the world. The United States has been well aware of the atrocities in Darfur, and it has taken us this long to get the UN--like a stubborn mule--to recant on the "no genocide in Darfur" argument.)
Hmm ..... I wonder is President Ahmadinejad needs to have a refresher course in history. Based on his comments I would concur that he does, indeed, need a reminder of recent history.
The Bunny ;)
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 9:47 PM
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