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
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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
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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
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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
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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

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2003VATICA01046 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED