HOLOCAUST MUSEUM DELEGATION WORKS IN SECRET

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 001046 SIPDIS DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI); EUR/OHI, NEA/IAI E.O. 12958 N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM KNAR PHUM KNAR VT VTPREL SUBJECT: HOLOCAUST MUSEUM DELEGATION WORKS IN SECRET ARCHIVES, OFFERS COLLABORATION TO CATALOGUE CLOSED RECORDS ¶1. SUMMARY: A DELEGATION FROM THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM MET WITH VATICAN ARCHIVE/LIBRARY DIRECTOR CARDINAL JORJE MARIA MEJIA MARCH 3 AND GAINED ACCESS TO THE VATICAN SECRET ARCHIVE TO SURVEY CERTAIN PRE-WAR RECORDS. THE DELEGATION PROPOSED TO MEJIA COLLABORATION WITH THE ARCHIVE'S SMALL STAFF TO CATALOGUE AND MICROFICHE OTHER WWII ERA RECORDS THAT HAVE NOT YET BEEN RELEASED. CARDINAL MEJIA WELCOMED THE PROPOSAL, AND URGED THE U.S. DELEGATION TO PUT ITS PROPOSAL UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 VATICA 01046 01 OF 02 131459Z FOR COLLABORATION IN WRITING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SO THAT HE COULD SHARE IT WITH THE VATICAN MFA. WE BELIEVE THE HOLY SEE WILL DECIDE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OFFER TO CATALOGUE, WHICH WOULD ACCELERATE THE RELEASE OF PIUS XI ERA DOCUMENTS AND ENHANCE SCHOLARSHIP ON THE VATICAN'S ROLE DURING THE WW II ERA. ¶2. AMBASSADOR ACCOMPANIED A DELEGATION FROM THE WASHINGTON D.C. HOLOCAUST MUSEUM TO A MARCH 3 DISCUSSION OF ACCESS BY HOLOCAUST MUSEUM PERSONNEL TO THE VATICAN SECRET ARCHIVES WITH ARCHIVE DIRECTOR CARDINAL JORJE MARIA MEJIA. HOLOCAUST MUSEUM SCHOLARSHIP DIRECTOR PAUL SHAPIRO, DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM'S INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES PROJECT, RADU IOANID, AND WESTERN EUROPE PROJECT DIRECTOR, KLAUS MULLER TOLD MEJIA THAT THE MUSEUM ARCHIVISTS SOUGHT ACCESS TO NEWLY OPENED RECORDS FROM THE PRE-WWII PIUS XI ARCHIVE (RELATING TO THE BERLIN NUNCIATURE). THE DELEGATION EXPLAINED THAT THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM IS "A BRANCH OF THE U.S. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT" AND HAS A STRONG RECORD OF WORKING WITH OTHER OFFICIAL ARCHIVES TO COMPILE A COMPREHENSIVE HOLOCAUST-RELATED ARCHIVE AT THE MUSEUM. MR. SHAPIRO NOTED THAT HIS DIVISION WITHIN THE MUSEUM HAS DEVELOPED A STRONG RECORD OF BALANCED SCHOLARSHIP ON THE HOLOCAUST. ALSO IN THAT REGARD, MR. IOANU MENTIONED THAT HE AND HIS STAFF HAD WORKED FROM OFFICIAL ARCHIVES IN MANY EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, AS WELL AS IN THE U.S. ARCHIVES, TO COMPILE A PHOTOCOPY/MICROFICHE RECORD OF HOLOCAUST-ERA DOCUMENTS. ¶3. CARDINAL MEJIA RECEIVED THE DELEGATION IN HIS OFFICE FOR OVER AN HOUR, AND RESPONDED POSITIVELY TO THE U.S. PROPOSALS FOR COLLABORATION. SHAPIRO MENTIONED TO MEJIA UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 VATICA 01046 01 OF 02 131459Z THE POSSIBILITY OF OFFERING ASSISTANCE TO VATICAN PERSONNEL WORKING TO CATALOGUE UNOPENED ARCHIVES FROM THE PERIOD 1923-1939. (NOTE: ARCHIVES FROM THE WAR PERIOD ITSELF WILL NOT BEGIN TO BE CATALOGUED IN PREPARATION FOR RELEASE UNTIL THE FULL SET FROM THE PIUS XI PONTIFICATE ARE FULLY CATALOGUED AND RELEASED -- WHICH WILL TAKE AT LEAST ANOTHER YEAR). CARDINAL MEJIA THOUGHT THE HOLY SEE MIGHT WISH TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE U.S. OFFER TO REGISTER AND MICROFICHE DOCUMENTS FROM THE PIUS XI PONTIFICATE THAT HAD NOT YET BEEN RELEASED. ¶4. MEJIA EXPLAINED THAT THE VATICAN HAS RESOURCE LIMITATIONS THAT MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CATALOGUE, DECLASSIFY AND RELEASE DOCUMENTS AS QUICKLY AS MANY GOVERNMENTS CAN. HE SAID THE VATICAN IS INTERESTED IN PUTTING AS MANY DOCUMENTS AS POSSIBLE ON MICROFICHE AND CD- ROM, SO THAT SCHOLARS CAN ACCESS THEM. HE NOTED THAT THE VATICAN SECRET ARCHIVE DATES TO THE PONTIFICATE OF INNOCENT III (1180 AD). THE VATICAN'S PRIORITY IS TO DIGITIZE ITS EARLIEST DOCUMENTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, BECAUSE THEY ARE FRAGILE AND DETERIORATING. TO DATE, THE VATICAN HAS DEVELOPED A THREE CD-ROM SET FOR THE EARLIEST PERIODS (1180 TO 1504). WITH ONLY 45 PEOPLE ON THE ENTIRE LIBRARY/ARCHIVE PAYROLL, HOWEVER, PROGRESS IN DIGITIZING MORE MODERN RECORD WILL BE SLOW IN COMING IN THE ABSENCE OF OUTSIDE HELP. ¶5. CATALOGUING AND RELEASING FOR STUDY THE MORE RECENT PAPER RECORDS ARE, HOWEVER, DEALT WITH SEPARATELY, ACCORDING TO MEJIA. THE VATICAN HAS HIRED TWO ADDITIONAL ARCHIVISTS (MAKING FIVE IN TOTAL) TO WORK ON RELEASING 20TH UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 VATICA 01046 01 OF 02 131459Z CENTURY RECORDS. THESE ARCHIVISTS HAVE FOCUSED ON DECLASSIFYING THE PIUS XI RECORDS (1923-1939) AND, IN AN EXCEPTION TO NORMAL PROCESS, HAVE RELEASED THE ENTIRE SET OF BERLIN NUNCIATURE DOCUMENTS IN ADVANCE OF THE REST OF THE PONTIFICATE'S RECORDS. (NOTE: THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM DELEGATION LATER RECEIVED ACCESS ID CARDS FOR THE ARCHIVE AND WAS ABLE TO BRIEFLY SURVEY THE BERLIN RECORDS). ¶6. GIVEN THE INTENSE INTERNATIONAL INTEREST IN SCHOLARSHIP ON THE VATICAN'S ROLE DURING THE HOLOCAUST, MEJIA MADE CLEAR HIS INTEREST IN WORKING WITH THE HOLOCAUST MUSEUM. HE ASKED THE MUSEUM DELEGATION TO PUT ITS PROPOSALS INTO A LETTER THAT HE WOULD SHARE WITH THE SECRETARIAT OF STATE (WHICH HAS RESPONSIBILITY FOR RELATIONS WITH STATES). HE FURTHER URGED THE GROUP TO GET HIM THAT LETTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, SINCE, AT THE AGE OF 81, HE WAS PAST RETIREMENT AGE AND SERVING AT THE PLEASURE OF THE POPE AND, HE ADDED, OF HIS MAKER. MR. SHAPIRO TOLD US HE WOULD SEND THAT LETTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PTQ2676 PAGE 01 VATICA 01046 02 OF 02 131459Z ACTION EUR-00 INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AMAD-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 DS-00 UTED-00 VC-00 TEDE-00 INR-00 VCE-00 NEA-00 NSAE-00 PA-00 TEST-00 R-00 DSCC-00 LBA-00 PRM-00 DRL-01 G-00 NFAT-00 SAS-00 /001W -------------- 43CF66 131709Z /38 R 131354Z MAR 03 FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN TO SECSTATE WASHDC INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV AMCONSUL JERUSALEM UNCLAS SECTION 02 OF 02 VATICAN 001046 SIPDIS DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI); EUR/OHI, NEA/IAI E.O. 12958 N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM KNAR PHUM KNAR VT VTPREL SUBJECT: HOLOCAUST MUSEUM DELEGATION WORKS IN SECRET ARCHIVES, OFFERS COLLABORATION TO CATALOGUE CLOSED RECORDS ¶7. COMMENT: WE ANTICIPATE THAT CARDINAL MEJIA WILL FOLLOW THROUGH QUICKLY ON THE MUSEUM'S PROPOSAL, AND WOULD ENCOURAGE THE MUSEUM TO SUBMIT IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE VATICAN HAS BEEN STUNG BY A SERIES OF HIGHLY CRITICAL AND ACCORDING TO THE VATICAN "POORLY RESEARCHED" BOOKS ON PIUS XII'S ROLE DURING THE HOLOCAUST. THE RECENT RELEASE OF THE FILM "AMEN" BY COSTAS GRAVAS, WHICH PURPORTS TO PROVE THAT THE CHURCH UNDER PIUS XII TURNED A BIND EYE TO THE UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 VATICA 01046 02 OF 02 131459Z HOLOCAUST HAS ADDED TO THE HOLY SEE'S SENSITIVITY. THEY WILL THEREFORE WANT TO ENSURE THAT SERIOUS SCHOLARSHIP ON THIS PERIOD IS SUPPORTED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO EXPOSE THE TRUTH. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THEY BELIEVE THAT A BALANCED READING OF THE PRIMARY SOURCES WILL REVEAL THAT THE CHURCH AND MANY CLERGY DID MUCH TO SAVE JEWS DURING THE HOLOCAUST, SOMETIMES AT GREAT PERSONAL RISK. NICHOLSON UNCLASSIFIED > 2003VATICA01046 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED