Urging All Member Countries of the International Commission of the International Tracing Service to Expedite Ratification Process

Floor Speech

URGING ALL MEMBER COUNTRIES OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL TRACING SERVICE TO EXPEDITE RATIFICATION PROCESS

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. BOOZMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H. Res. 240 dealing with the Holocaust archives. I would like to thank my colleague, Congressman Hastings of Florida, for introducing this bill which urges member countries of the International Commission of the International Tracing Service to ratify, if they haven't yet done so already, the May 2006 amendments to the 1955 Bonn Accords Treaty to expedite the ratification process to allow for open access to the Holocaust archives located at Bad Arolsen, Germany.

The Holocaust stands as one of history's darkest moments. It is critical that we understand and educate future generations about what happened under the Nazi oppression and ensure that these atrocities are never repeated.

The ITS archives at Bad Arolsen are the largest closed Holocaust-era archives in the world, containing millions of records about the fate of over 17 million victims of Nazi Germany. Allowing open access to these records will provide researchers and scholars with materials necessary to enhance the public knowledge about the Holocaust as well as provide Holocaust survivors and their families with the information about their loved ones and help bring them closure.

Furthermore, creating open access to these documents will provide the information necessary to address issues of Holocaust compensation. In particular, many insurance companies have refused to honor Holocaust-era insurance policies brought about by Holocaust victims and survivors prior to and during World War II. These insurance companies have for over 60 years now refused to provide compensation under the insurance policies to Holocaust survivors or families of the Holocaust victims, arguing that Holocaust survivors and their families don't have the documentation, such as death certificates and insurance records. The concentration camps in which many of the Holocaust victims perished didn't issue death certificates and all assets and documents were confiscated from the Jews during that time by the Nazis. Many of these documents now remain closed in archives like Bad Arolsen.

Unfortunately, today, we cannot bring back those who have perished in the Holocaust at the hands of Nazi Germany, nor can we erase the pain and suffering from the memories of those who survived these atrocities.

However, what we can do, and what H. Res. 240 aims to accomplish, is to make sure that the Holocaust-era archives are opened in an effort to bring long awaited justice and closure to Holocaust survivors and their families, as well as help ensure, through education, that atrocities committed during the Holocaust are never repeated.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source