Relatives of ‘wrong’ Dutch people want to open archives in phases

NOS News•today, 10:52•Amended today, 11:46 am

Relatives of Dutch people who collaborated with the Germans during the war fear the total digitization of information about their ancestors. From 2025, according to the Archives Act, the files must be available online and can be fully viewed. Some children fear that it will lead to misinterpretations and sensationalism.

The relatives therefore argue for cautious disclosure of the information, for example by first only making it accessible in libraries, town halls and archives. This raises the threshold a bit and can prevent people from Googling their neighbor in a fun mood, say the relatives.

The collaboration archive includes almost four kilometers of paper and 30 million documents: personal photos, diaries and letters from Dutch people who supported the enemy during the war. The files also contain incriminating statements from neighbors, friends and acquaintances. This sensitive archive has been digitized since February last year.

It is the first time that relatives of collaborators have made demands public. Yesterday they sent out a statement, after having discussed it for some time with, among others, the National Archives and representatives of the resistance and the Jewish community.

Jeroen Saris is chairman of the Recognition Working Group and says that the position on digitalization has changed slightly in the past year. While digitization was previously encouraged by the working group, conversations with relatives showed that they prefer to see the documents published in phases.

You have to, but just do it a little carefully.

“We surveyed reactions to digitalization among relatives and we noticed a certain reluctance,” says Saris. “If you take it a little slower, you can see the effects and reactions and see how you deal with them. We think that is a more human way when it comes to sensitive information such as big family secrets.”

Saris fully supports the revelation. “This is the only way we can investigate what happened during that period,” he says. This is the opinion of all the relatives he spoke to, none of whom are against disclosure of the documents. Some just fear the way it happens. “It has to be done, but just do it a little carefully,” says Saris.

The Recognition Working Group therefore advocates the possibility of appealing against the online availability of a family file. For example, when there are distressing cases, such as betrayal within a family. The organizations involved in digitization say they will look at the working group’s proposals.

If everything goes as initially thought, the Central Archives for Special Justice (as the archive is officially called) should be fully digitized by 2027.

Currently, interested parties can only view the files in a reading room if they can prove that the person has died or that they have permission from the person in question. No copies may be made of the documents.

In 2025, the restrictions on public access will expire, assuming that most people will be dead by then. The archive will then be opened, to the extent permitted by GDPR privacy rules, and it will then be available for consultation digitally and online.