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The Nazi War Crimes and
Japanese Imperial Government Records
Interagency Working Group

On January 11, 1999, in accordance with the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act (PL 105-246), President Clinton established the Nazi War Criminal Records Interagency Working Group (IWG). The group is made up of public members and federal agency representatives who are directed to
  • locate, inventory, recommend for declassification, and make available all classified Nazi war criminal records, subject to certain specified exceptions;
  • coordinate with federal agencies and expedite the release of such classified records to the public; and
  • complete its work to the greatest extent possible and report to Congress within one year.
On May 23, 2000 Dr. Michael Kurtz, Chair of the Nazi War Criminal Records Interagency Working Group (IWG), announced that the IWG will take steps toward the declassification of records related to Japanese war crimes in the second phase of implementation of the Nazi War Crime Disclosure Act of 1998.

Interagency Working Group (IWG)

  • Legal Authorities:
    Public Law 105-246, the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act, was signed by President Clinton on October 8, 1998. In accordance with the Act, by Executive Order 13110, the President established the Nazi War Criminal Records Interagency Working Group to locate, inventory, recommend for declassification, and make available to the public all classified Nazi war criminal records, subject to certain specified exceptions.

    In May, 1999, NARA's Office of General Counsel prepared a preliminary analysis of privacy issues related to the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure as guidance to agencies declassifying Nazi war criminal records.

    On October 27, 1999, the IWG submitted its interim report, Implementation of the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act. Report to Congress, October 1999.

    On December 6, 2000, as part of the Intelligence Authorization Act for 2001, Congress extended the IWG's life to December 2003 through passage of the Japanese Imperial Government Disclosure Act, P. L. 106-567. This law changed the IWG's name to the Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group and formally recognized the declassification of U. S. Government records related to Japanese war crimes as part of the IWG's mission.

    A colloquy held in the United States Senate clarified certain aspects of the Act.

    President Clinton's December 27, 2000, Signing Statement set forth the Executive Branch's understanding of the new act relative to the original Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act.
  • See Implementing Directives on records related to German and Japanese war crimes:
Steven Garfinkel, Chair. Members include: Thomas H. Baer; Richard Ben-Veniste; William Hooten, FBI; Elizabeth Holtzman; Mary Walsh, CIA; Christina Bromwell, OSD; William H. Leary, NSC; Paul Shapiro, Holocaust Memorial Museum; Eli M. Rosenbaum, DOJ; Marc J. Susser, State Dept.
Dr. Gerhard Weinberg, Chair; Dr. Rebecca Boehling; Mr. James Critchfield; Dr. Edward John Drea; Dr. Peter Hayes; Ms Linda Goetz Holmes; Prof. Christopher Simpson; Mr. Robert Wolfe; Dr. Ronald W. Zweig.
Dr. Richard Breitman; Dr. Norman J. W. Goda; Dr. Marlene J. Mayo; Dr. Timothy Naftali. See press release of appointment of Breitman and Naftali. See press release of appointment of Goda and Mayo.
David Van Tassel, Staff Director; Richard F. Myers; William Cunliffe; Paul B. Brown; Miriam Kleiman. IWG Staff may be reached at iwg@nara.gov.
Agency Guidance:

Records and Research

News and Current Information

Announcements by the Interagency Working Group. Information about coming events, conferences, classes, seminars, etc., of the IWG and other related groups and organizations.
Annotated bibliography on published secondary materials on the topic.
The newsletter of the IWG.
NARA press release information relating to the IWG.
Links to related websites on the topic of war crimes and war criminals.

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