Bad Arolsen, Germany
U.S., French, and Dutch diplomats are pressing Germany to release a massive archive of Nazi documents to international historians. Germany has long given the International Committee of the Red Cross access to the 50 million records, which the agency uses to trace the missing and the deceased. But historians haven’t been allowed to see the documents, which contain the names of 17.5 million people, including concentration camp prisoners and other Nazi victims. German officials say releasing the records would violate victims’ right to privacy. But victims’ advocates call that rationale absurd. “This is about the memory of the most appalling event in human history,” said Karel Fracapane, executive secretary of a 24-nation task force on Holocaust education. “It’s extremely important for the archives to become open as soon as possible and give survivors and their families relevant information before they die.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
Tips and tricks for VeganuaryThe Week Recommends Here are some of our best recommendations for a plant-based start to the year
-
FBI bars Minnesota from ICE killing investigationSpeed Read The FBI had initially agreed to work with local officials
