Senators Clinton and Nelson Introduce Resolution Praising Opening of Holocaust Archives

December 13, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) introduced a Senate resolution today praising the opening of the vast Holocaust archives located at Bad Arolsen, Germany.

“These archives may yield long-buried answers for countless families of Holocaust survivors and victims. These are stories we must tell and retell if we are to keep our solemn commitment to never forget,” Senator Clinton said. “Helping survivors and families gain immediate access to these archives must be our priority now.”

“To say that the opening of the archives at Bad Arolsen is long overdue would be an understatement,” said Senator Nelson. “Now that they’re finally open, we need to quickly make them available to Holocaust survivors and researchers.”

The Bad Arolsen archives long remained the largest closed World War II-era archives in the world, holding an estimated 50 million records that disclose the fate of some 17.5 million victims. Opening the archives to the public required each of the 11 member countries of the International Commission of the International Tracing Service (ITS) to ratify the May 2006 amendments to the 1955 Bonn Accords. In May 2007, the Senate passed a resolution introduced by Senator Clinton urging these countries to complete the process and open the archives. On November 28, 2007, the final country ratified the agreement and the archives were opened.

Representatives Alcee Hastings (D-FL) introduced a companion resolution in the House, also praising the ITS member countries for agreeing to open the Bad Arolsen archives.

Source: Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton

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