H. Res. 854 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

March 11, 2008. 

Whereas for the past 62 years, until their ultimate release on 

November 28, 2007, the International Tracing Service 

(‘‘ITS’’) archives located in Bad Arolsen, Germany remained the largest closed Holocaust-era archives in the 

world; 

Whereas while Holocaust survivors and their descendants 

have had limited access to individual records at Bad 

Arolsen, reports suggest that they faced long delays, incomplete information, and even unresponsiveness; 

Whereas until the archives’ recent release, the materials remained inaccessible to researchers and research institutions; 

Whereas the 1955 Bonn Accords established an International 

Commission of 11 member countries (Belgium, France, 

Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom, the United States) 

responsible for overseeing the administration of the ITS 

Holocaust archives which contain 17,500,000 individual 

names and 50,000,000 documents; 

Whereas the new International Committee of the Red Cross 

(‘‘ICRC’’) and the Director of the ITS, who is an ICRC 
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employee, oversee the daily operations of the ITS and report to the Commission at its annual meetings; 

Whereas the new ICRC leadership at the ITS should be commended for their commitment to providing expedited and 

comprehensive responses to Holocaust survivor requests 

for information, and for their efforts to complete the 

digitization of all archives as soon as possible; 

Whereas since the inception of the ITS, the German government has financed its operations; 

Whereas beginning in the late 1990s, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (‘‘Holocaust Museum’’), Holocaust survivor organizations, and others began exerting pressure 

on International Commission members to allow unfettered access to the ITS archives; 

Whereas following years of delay, in May 2006 in Luxemburg, the International Commission of the ITS agreed 

upon amendments to the Bonn Accords which would 

grant researchers access to the archives and would allow 

each Commission member country to receive a digitized 

copy of the archives and make the copy available to researchers under their own country’s respective archival 

and privacy laws and practices; 

Whereas the first 3 Commission member countries to ratify 

the amendments to the Bonn Accords were the United 

States, Israel, and Poland, all 3 home to hundreds of 

thousands of survivors of Nazi brutality; 

Whereas the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has 

worked to ensure the timely release of the Bad Arolsen 

archives to survivors, researchers, and the public; 
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Whereas the United States Department of State engaged in 

diplomatic efforts with other Commission member countries to provide open access to the archives; 

Whereas the United States House of Representatives unanimously passed H. Res. 240 on April 25, 2007 and the 

United States Senate passed S. Res. 141 on May 1, 

2007, urging all member countries of the International 

Commission of the ITS who have yet to ratify the May 

2006 Amendments to the 1955 Bonn Accords Treaty, to 

expedite the ratification process to allow for open access 

to the Holocaust archives located at Bad Arolsen, Germany; 

Whereas on May 15, 2007, the International Commission 

voted in favor of a United States proposal to allow a 

transfer of a digital copy of archived materials to any of 

the 11 member States that have adopted the May 2006 

amendments to the Bonn Accords; thereafter, transfer of 

materials to both the United States Holocaust Memorial 

Museum and Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and 

Heroes’ Remembrance Authority in Israel, was initiated; 

Whereas while it is not possible to provide meaningful compensation to Holocaust survivors for the pain, suffering 

and loss of life they have experienced, it is a moral and 

justifiable imperative for Holocaust survivors and their 

families to be offered expedited open access to these archives; 

Whereas with respect to the release of the materials, time is 

of the essence in order for Holocaust researchers to access the archives while Holocaust survivor eyewitnesses to 

the horrific atrocities of Nazi Germany are still alive; 
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Whereas opening the historic record is a vital contribution to 

the world’s collective memory and understanding of the 

Holocaust and to ensure that unchecked anti-Semitism 

and complete disrespect for the value of human life, including the crimes committed against non-Jewish victims 

which made such horrors possible, is never again permitted to take hold; 

Whereas despite overwhelming international recognition of 

the unconscionable horrors of the Holocaust and its devastating impact on World Jewry, there has been a sharp 

increase in global anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial in 

recent years; and 

Whereas it is critical that the international community continue to heed the lessons of the Holocaust, one of the 

darkest periods in the history of humankind, and take 

immediate and decisive measures to combat the scourge 

of anti-Semitism: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) expresses its appreciation to all countries that 

ratified the amendments to the Bonn Accords allowing 

for open access to the Holocaust Archives located in Bad 

Arolsen, Germany; 

(2) congratulates the dedication, commitment, and 

collaborative efforts of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Department of State, and the International Committee of the Red Cross to open the archives; 

(3) encourages the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and the International Committee of the 
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Red Cross to act with all possible urgency to create appropriate conditions to ensure survivors, their families, 

and researchers have direct access to the archives, and 

are offered effective assistance in navigating and interpreting these archives; 

(4) remembers and pays tribute to the murder of 

6,000,000 innocent Jews and more than 5,000,000 other 

innocent victims during the Holocaust committed by 

Nazi perpetrators and their collaborators; and 

(5) must remain vigilant in combating global antiSemitism, intolerance, and bigotry. 

Attest: 

Clerk.