Germany Blocks Access to Nazi Documents

Coming on the very day that it is reported that Holocaust-denier David Irving was sentenced by an Austrian Court to 3 years imprisonment for denying the Holocaust, the NY Times reports today on an issue betweeen the USA and Germany relating to gaining access to a huge repository of Nazi documents.

"Tempers are flaring over a United States demand to open to scholars and researchers a huge repository of information about the Holocaust contained in the files of the International Tracing Service at Bad Arolsen, Germany.

Based in part on documents gathered by Allied forces as they liberated Nazi concentration camps, the stock of files held by the organization stretches for about 15.5 miles, and holds information on 17.5 million people. It amounts to one of the largest closed archives anywhere".

On one level it is strange that the Germans are adopting the stance they are, but then again what would doubtlessly be revealed with access to a vast array of Nazi documents is perhaps something modern-day Germany would rather not have "exposed".

It can only be a matter of time before Germany will be bound, if not "forced", to deliver up access to what must on any count be a treasure-trove of documents detailing one of history's darkest eras. What German skeletons it throws up might be another thing altogether!

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