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 re-
mained 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, 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 17,500,000 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
•HRES 854 EH 
employee, oversee the daily operations of the ITS and re-
port to the Commission at its annual meetings; 
Whereas the new ICRC leadership at the ITS should be com-
mended 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 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; 
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 and would allow 
each Commission member country to receive a digitized 
copy of the archives and make the copy available to re-
searchers 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 coun-
tries 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 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, Ger-
many; 
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 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;
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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, 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: 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 Me-
morial Museum, the Department of State, and the Inter-
national Committee of the Red Cross to open the ar-
chives; 
(3) encourages the United States Holocaust Memo-
rial Museum and the International Committee of the
•HRES 854 EH 
Red Cross to act with all possible urgency to create ap-
propriate conditions to ensure survivors, their families, 
and researchers have direct access to the archives, and 
are offered effective assistance in navigating and inter-
preting 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 anti- 
Semitism, intolerance, and bigotry. 
Attest: 
Clerk.