•HRES 854 IH 
Whereas while Holocaust survivors and their descendants 
have had limited access to individual records at Bad 
Arolsen, reports suggest that they faced long delays, in-
complete information, and even unresponsiveness; 
Whereas until the archives’ recent release, the materials re-
mained inaccessible to researchers and research institu-
tions; 
Whereas the 1955 Bonn Accords established an International 
Commission of 11 member countries (Belgium, France, 
Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, the Nether-
lands, Poland, the United Kingdom, the United States) 
responsible for overseeing the administration of the ITS 
Holocaust archives which contain 17.5 million individual 
names and 50 million documents; 
Whereas the new International Committee of the Red Cross 
(‘‘ICRC’’) and the Director of the ITS, who is an ICRC 
employee, oversee the daily operations of the ITS and re-
port to the Commission at its annual meetings; 
Whereas the new International Committee of the Red Cross 
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 ar-
chives as soon as possible; 
Whereas since the inception of the ITS, the German govern-
ment has financed its operations; 
Whereas beginning in the late 1990s, the U.S. Holocaust Me-
morial Museum (‘‘Holocaust Museum’’), Holocaust sur-
vivor organizations, and others began exerting pressure 
on International Commission members to allow unfet-
tered access to the ITS archives; 
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•HRES 854 IH 
Whereas following years of delay, in May 2006 in Luxem-
burg, the International Commission of the ITS agreed 
upon amendments to the Bonn Accords which would 
grant researchers access to the archives, would allow each 
Commission member country to receive a digitized copy 
of the archives and make the copy available to research-
ers under their own country’s respective archival and pri-
vacy laws and practices; 
Whereas the first 3 Commission member States 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; 
Whereas the United States Department of State engaged in 
diplomatic efforts with other Commission member nations 
to provide open access to the archives; 
Whereas the United States House of Representatives unani-
mously 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 International Tracing Service (‘‘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 
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•HRES 854 IH 
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 com-
pensation 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 ar-
chives; 
Whereas with respect to the release of the materials, time is 
of the essence in order for Holocaust researchers to ac-
cess the archives while Holocaust survivor eyewitnesses to 
the horrific atrocities of Nazi Germany are still alive; 
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, in-
cluding the crimes committed against non-Jewish victims 
which made such horrors possible, is never again per-
mitted to take hold; 
Whereas despite overwhelming international recognition of 
the unconscionable horrors of the Holocaust and its dev-
astating 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 con-
tinue 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; 
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•HRES 854 IH 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) commends in the strongest terms all States 
that worked to expeditiously ratify the amendments 
to the Bonn Accords to allow for open access to the 
Holocaust Archives located in Bad Arolsen, Ger-
many; 
(2) congratulates the dedication, commitment, 
and collaborative efforts of the United States Holo-
caust 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 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 Holo-
caust committed by Nazi perpetrators and their col-
laborators; and 
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•HRES 854 IH 
(5) must remain vigilant in combating global 
anti-Semitism, intolerance, and bigotry. 
Æ 
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