The Fate of the Japanese
Embassy Library, Berlin
immediately after World War II
第二次世界大戦直後のベルリン日本大使館図書館の命運

Noboru Koyama(小山 騰）

1“The Library of the Japanese Embassy inBerlin”: about 25,000 volumes of books wereseized at the Japanese Embassy in Berlin
after Germany was defeated in 1945

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Gustav Haloun’s Letter (8th February 1946)• Prof. Gustav Haloun, Professor of Chinese Studies,
University of Cambridge, King’s College• Dr. C. H. Noton, Chair of EPCOM (Enemy Wartime
Publications Requirements Committee), BIOS
(British Intelligence Objective Sub-Committee),
Foreign Office• Dr. Hamilton McCombie, Reader of Chemistry,
University of Cambridge, King’s College• Mr. Hsiao Ch’ien (Xiao Qian)（蕭乾）,Representativeof 『大公報』, King’s College
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SHAEF(Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Forces)

CIOS（Combined Intelligence Objectives Sub-Committee）

United StatesCIOS

BritainCIOSFIATBIOS(Field Intelligence Agency, (British IntelligenceTechnical)
Objectives Sub-Committee)
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Gustav Haloun’s Letter (8th February 1946)• Prof. Gustav Haloun, Professor of Chinese Studies,
University of Cambridge, King’s College• Dr. C. H. Noton, Chair of EPCOM (Enemy Wartime
Publications Requirements Committee), BIOS(British Intelligence Objective Sub-Committee),
Foreign Office• Dr. Hamilton McCombie, Reader of Chemistry,
University of Cambridge, King’s College• Mr. Hsiao Ch’ien (Xiao Qian)（蕭乾）,Representativeof 『大公報』, King’s College5

Gustav Haloun’s Letter (8th February 1946)• The Library of the Japanese Embassy Berlin is
located at the British Sector and it is still intact• The University of Cambridge is going to establish
Japanese Studies as a discipline• Cambridge University Library has got the largest
Japanese Collection, but it lacks modern works• The books of the Japanese Embassy Berlin suitCambridge’s situation and are seen as anappropriate use for them6

Bad Oeynhausen, Herford• CCG/BE (Control Commission for Germany-BritishElement) = The military government for theBritish zone of occupation• Headquarters of BAOR (the British Army of theRhine) = the occupation forces after World War II
Joint Intelligence (Sub-)Committee (Germany)
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Another Enquiry from Cambridge• Another Letter from Professor Ellis Minns for
the Foreign Office• Professor Ellis Minns was an importantmember of the Library Syndicate, particularlyJapanese and Oriental matters• Archaeologist
8L. H. Foulds’ Letter to R. Wilberforce
13th March 1946

“Professor Ellis Minns of Cambridge has asked us
whether the Library of the Japanese Embassy in Berlin
could be secured for the Cambridge University Library.
According to the Periodic Report No.1 of the Enemy
Documents Unit dated the 20th September last, theLibrary is no longer in Berlin, but was evacuated at theend of August and is now held by the G.S.I. Library,
British Army of the Rhine”.

9E. W. Playfair’s Letter to L. H. Foulds
29th March 1946

“We could not officially allow property of thiskind to be removed except as a matter of agreed
policy.”“Wilberforce, who has seen the library in Berlin,tells me that it is not very valuable property andthat some of more useful books have alreadybeen removed by casual looting.”
10J. Packman(L.S.E.)’s Report

A. The Library has been moved from Berlin to GSI
Documents Centre, Bad Oeynhausen
B. GSI Documents Centre has been instructed todispatch it, complete and intact, to PID Foreign
OfficeC. “There is a large Japanese section, nature andquality unknown”, “what appears to be useful
Russian section, and also a collection of Polish
literature. The latter is often well bound; itshows no signs of having been looted fromPolish sources (e. g. library stamps orbookplates) and is probably the result of someindividual collector’s interest”
11Japanese Embassy Library• The Joint US-British Control Council/Control
Commission Documents Centre (the successor ofthe SHAEF Documents Centre) at Frankfurt
initiated the move of the Library from Berlin toBad Oeynhausen in August/September 1945
• The Legal Division of the CCG/BE (the Control
Commission for Germany - British Element) inBerlin sanctioned the move of the Library
TNA FO 944/100
12SHAEF(Supreme Headquarters Allied
Expeditionary Forces)

Documents Centre(G-2 Documents)

US-British Control
Council / Control
Commission Documents
Centreat Frankfurt

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Japanese Embassy Library
25,000 volumes• 5,000 vol. (20%) were donated to the School ofOriental and African Studies and the School ofSlavonic and East European Studies, at theUniversity of London (2,500 vol. each)• 20,000 vol. (80 %) in the Intelligence Bureau
Documents Centre (Bad Oeynhausen)• A fair amount of books: Embassy staffs’(Japanese nationals’?) personal property
TNA FO 944/100
14At the behest of Lt. Col. John Marsden, 5,000 vol. were
donated to SOAS and S.S.E.S.(Univ. of London)

Who was Arthur John Marsden (1915-2004)?
✱Head of British Element (SHAEF G-2 Documents)✱Head of German Documents Office (Joint Intelligence
Committee, Germany)✱Teacher (Housemaster at Eton)✱Rower (1956 winner of Wingfield Sculls)
Was he related to:James Weymouth Marsden (Japanese Language Officer)
or/and William Marsden (Orientalist)?
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Cambridge is still interested in the remaining
20,000 volumes?
• Cambridge University Library would have an
opportunity to put in a bid about these books(23rd May 1946).
• Cambridge seemed to be interested in sending
a librarian to inspect them (31st May 1946).

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Kenneth Garside (1913-1983)• Assistant Librarian (Leeds University): 1937-39• Intelligence Corps, “Intelligence Library”(BadOeynhausen): “Major”, later “Lieutenant Colonel”• Deputy Librarian (University College London): 1945-1958(John Wilks : Librarian, University College London)• Both John Wilks and Kenneth Garside : Members ofEPCOM• Librarian (King’s College London): 1958-74• Librarian (Senate House Library, University of London):
1974-78
17Memo of Hugh Durham of the Control Office forGermany and Austria (12 July 1945)• Garside was replaced by Kirkby• 80% of the remainder had been disposed ofby absorption into the Library of theIntelligence Bureau Documents Centre(IBDC)• IBDC acted on their own authority in disposingof the remaining books presumably as amatter of expediency since they are moving toHerford.
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Letter of G.P. Hampshire (C.O.G.A.) for
L.H. Foulds (F.O.) on 18th July 1946
• Balance (80%) of Library has been disposed of• Some of those books have been absorbed into
the collection of the Documents Centre• Books “of no value whatsoever” have been
distributed among local German libraries• It is regrettable that Cambridge could not havean opportunity to inspect those books
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