October 1/2007

ICRC and ITS delegation visits Poland

Press Release

A delegation composed of Beat Schweizer, Deputy of the Director General of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Reto Meister, Director of the International Tracing Service (ITS), and Udo Jost, Chief Archivist of the ITS, visited Poland between 13 and 15 September 2007.

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August 23/2007

First Polish Presidency in the International Commission

Press Release

In May 2007, Poland took over the Presidency in the International

Commission for the International Tracing Service. Poland joined the

body in 2000 chairing it for the first time now. This year’s President,

Ambassador Krzysztof Kocel, therefore, decided to visit the

International Tracing Service intending to get a clear and detailed

idea of both the documentation and the performance of the International

Tracing Service.

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August 21/2007

United States: International Tracing Service hands over copy of Holocaust documents to Holocaust Memorial Museum

Press Release

Washington/Geneva – The International Tracing Service (ITS) yesterday handed
over a copy of millions of Holocaust-related documents to the US Holocaust
Memorial Museum (HMM), which is receiving them on behalf of the United States
government. The documents, from over 50 concentration camps and prisons,
include death books, transportation lists and medical reports. “These documents
reflect the most despicable operations of the Nazi era and constitute an essential
part of our archive,” said ITS director Reto Meister during the handover at the
Holocaust Memorial Museum. Israel has also received a copy of the documents.

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June 8/2007

Secretary of State Bergner Visits Tracing Service

Press Release

The Parliamentary Secretary of State with the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Dr Christoph Bergner, wishing to form a personal idea of the tasks and activities of the International Tracing Service, came to Bad Arolsen on Friday accompanied by the Undersecretary of State Detlev Rein.

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May 15/2007

Rules of access established for International Tracing Service files

Press Release

Amsterdam/Geneva (International Commission / ICRC) – Rules governing access to files have been adopted for the International Tracing Service (ITS). The organization,  based  in  Bad  Arolsen,  Germany, uses its vast archives of files  from the Second World War period to document what happened to people persecuted  by  the  Nazis  and  provide certification which they or their survivors need for various purposes.

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May 11/2007

International Tracing Service ready to transfer digital copies of documents

Press Release

At its annual meeting in Amsterdam on 14 and 15 May the International Commission for the International Tracing Service, which supervises the activities of the International Tracing Service (ITS) in Bad Arolsen, Germany, will decide on the timeline for the opening of the ITS archives and on future access rules.

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March 12/2007

Nazi archive being readied for scholars

Press Release, by Arthur Max, Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - The director of a long-secret archive of Nazi records said Wednesday that preparations for allowing scholars access are moving faster than expected and the entire collection will be ready for research within a year.

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February 15/2007

International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen Prepares Opening of the NS-Archive

Press Release

Bad Arolsen. Eleven member-states, presiding the International Tracing Service (ITS), decided in May 2006 to open the documentation on the persecutees of the Nazi regime to historical research. While the ratification process of this decision is in progress, the International Tracing Service in Bad Arolsen is making the technical preparations necessary so that the enormous data quantities stand ready for use and transfer. Up to yesterday, an expert committee including 30 specialists from nine countries debated on the method of how best to prepare the sensitive data for the transfer.

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February 14/2007

Insurance Policies of Nazi Victims and the International Tracing Service

Press Release

The archives in Bad Arolsen do not keep any collections of insurance policies in store. It cannot be precluded, however, that the numerous references may include information relating to insurances.

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