US embassy cable - 01VATICAN4258

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 VATICAN 004258 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI), EUR/OHI 
 
FROM EMBASSY VATICAN/MESSAGE NO. 134/01 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/06 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KNAR, PHUM, KNAR, VT.PREL, VT. 
SUBJECT: VATICAN ARCHIVES Q "THE REAL STORY" 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        VATICA  04258  01 OF 02  131205Z 
REF: STATE 137397 
 
CLASSIFIED BY A/DCM GEORGE FROWICK, REASON E.O. 12958 (B,D). 
 
1. (C)  A/DCM AND POLITICAL ASSISTANT MET WITH JESUIT 
FATHER PETER GUMPEL AUGUST 10 AT HIS OFFICES IN THE JESUIT 
CURIA TO DISCUSS THE TECHNICAL ISSUES INVOLVED IN OPENING 
THE VATICAN ARCHIVES.  (NOTE: THIS WAS A PREVIOUSLY ARRANGED 
MEETING, I.E. BEFORE WE RECEIVED REFTEL. WE NEVERTHELESS 
DELIVERED SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME SET OF POINTS, FOCUSING ON 
THE USG'S INTEREST IN PROMOTING A POSITIVE, PRODUCTIVE 
DIALOGUE, AND QUICKLY, AS THE HOLOCAUST GENERATION IS 
PASSING. END NOTE.)    GUMPEL IMMEDIATELY ADVISED THAT THE 
ISSUE OF ACCESS TO THE VATICAN ARCHIVES RELATED TO THE WORLD 
WAR II ERA WAS SIMPLY AN INTERNAL MATTER OF PROCEDURE AND 
NOT A POLITICAL ONE. ALTHOUGH LATER HE ADMITTED THAT IT HAD 
BEEN TURNED INTO A POLITICAL ISSUE THROUGH A DISTORTION OF 
FACTS RELATED TO THE WORKINGS OF A JEWISH-VATICAN COMMISSION 
STUDYING PIUS XII'S ROLE DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. 
GUMPEL PROFFERED COPIES OF HIS STATEMENT, WRITTEN WITH 
AUTHORIZATION FROM THE HIGHEST LEVELS WITHIN THE VATICAN 
HIERARCHY, COUNTERING "FALSE" ASSERTIONS BY UNNAMED MEMBERS 
OF THE COMMISSION, AS WELL AS A STATEMENT PREPARED BY 
CARDINAL WILLIAM KEELER OF BALTIMORE, THE U.S. BISHOPS 
DELEGATE FOR CATHOLIC-JEWISH AFFAIRS, WHO DID NAME NAMES. 
HE ASSURED US THAT HE WAS A JUDGE FOR MATERIAL USED IN THE 
PROCESS TO DECLARE PIUS XII A SAINT AND NOT THE PROMOTER OF 
THE CAUSE FOR SAINTHOOD. 
 
----------------------- 
THE "TECHNICAL" PROCESS 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        VATICA  04258  01 OF 02  131205Z 
----------------------- 
 
2. (C)  WHEN PRESSED, GUMPEL, WITH SCHOLARLY PRECISION, 
EXPLAINED THE TECHNICAL PROCEDURES FOR ACCESS TO THE VATICAN 
ARCHIVES.  THE MOST RECENT MATERIAL RELEASED FOR SCHOLARLY 
SCRUTINY GOES BACK FIVE PONTIFICATES.  MATERIAL RELATED TO 
THE REIGN OF BENEDICT XV (1914-1922) HAS BEEN CLASSIFIED AND 
CATALOGUED AND IS AVAILABLE TO RESEARCHERS.  CLASSIFICATION 
AND CATALOGUING OF DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE PONTIFICATE OF 
PIUS XI (1922-1939) WILL BE COMPLETED IN 2009 AT THE LATEST. 
GUMPEL SAID HE HOPES FOR AN EARLIER COMPLETION DATE. (NOTE. 
THE PIUS XI DOCUMENTS WILL CONTAIN MATERIAL RELATED TO PIUS 
XII WHEN, AS CARDINAL EUGENIO PACELLI, HE WAS PIUS XI'S 
SECRETARY OF STATE Q PM EQUIVALENT - FROM 1930 UNTIL 1939. 
 
SIPDIS 
END NOTE). WORK TO CLASSIFY AND CATALOGUE MATERIAL RELATED 
TO POPE PIUS XII (1939-1958) WOULD NORMALLY COMMENCE IN 
2009. GUMPEL POINTED OUT THAT FOUR JESUITS HAD BEEN GIVEN 
ACCESS TO THE LITERALLY MILLIONS OF DOCUMENTS AND HAD SPENT 
17 YEARS (1964-1981) SORTING OUT ALL/ALL THE DIPLOMATIC 
MATERIAL RELATING TO PIUS XII'S ACTIVITY DURING THE SECOND 
WORLD WAR. THESE WERE THE PAPERS PUBLISHED IN THE 12 VOLUMES 
TO HAVE BEEN REVIEWED BY THE COMMISSION.  (COMMENT: IT IS 
POST'S UNDERSTANDING THAT IT CURRENTLY IS LOGISTICALLY 
IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN UP THE VATICAN ARCHIVES RELATED TO PIUS 
XII'S ACTIVITIES DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR. GUMPEL SAID IT 
CONSISTS OF SEVERAL HUNDRED BOXES (THROUGH WHICH THE JESUITS 
WENT PAPER-BY-PAPER EXTRACTING ALL DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS FOR 
REVIEW) AND MILLIONS OF SHEETS OF PAPER.  MANY OF THESE ARE 
PASTORAL DOCUMENTS (LETTERS TO PRIESTS, ETC) THAT HAVE 
NOTHING TO DO WITH THE HOLOCAUST, BUT WHICH COULD PROVE 
EMBARRASSING TO LIVING PEOPLE.  IT TOOK FOUR HIGHLY 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        VATICA  04258  01 OF 02  131205Z 
MOTIVATED, INTELLIGENT, MULTILINGUAL JESUITS 17 YEARS TO 
SORT THROUGH AND PUBLISH THE MATERIAL. END COMMENT.)  THE 
VATICAN INSISTS THE OTHER DOCUMENTS WILL BE OPEN TO SCRUTINY 
ONCE THEY HAVE BEEN CLASSIFIED AND CATALOGUED AND NOT 
BEFORE.  TWO ARCHIVISTS STAFF THE VATICAN ARCHIVE.  GUMPEL 
ADMITTED THAT THIS WAS INADEQUATE AND THAT HE HAS REQUESTED 
AN INCREASE IN PERSONNEL PRECISELY TO SPEED US THE PROCESS. 
GUMPEL INFORMED US THAT THIS ARCHIVAL PROCEDURE HAD BEEN 
CLEARLY EXPLAINED TO THE SCHOLARS ON THE COMMISSION OVER THE 
COURSE OF MANY CONVERSATIONS. 
 
----------------------------------- 
ACRIMONY FROM THE COMMISSION'S WORK 
----------------------------------- 
 
3. (C)  GUMPEL RECOUNTED AN OCTOBER 2000 MEETING HE HAD 
BEEN ASKED TO ATTEND WITH MEMBERS OF THE JEWISH-VATICAN 
COMMISSION STUDYING PIUS XII'S ROLE IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR. 
THE MEETING WAS TAPE-RECORDED WITH THE CONSENT OF ALL THOSE 
PRESENT. GUMPEL ASSERTED TO US THAT MEMBERS OF THE 
COMMISSION HAD BEEN WORKING IN AN UNSCHOLARLY WAY AND THAT 
THEIR METHODOLOGY HAD BEEN FLAWED.  NONE OF THE COMMISSION 
MEMBERS HAD READ ALL THE PUBLISHED DOCUMENTS, AND MOST WERE 
NOT ABLE TO READ THE DOCUMENTS IN THE ORIGINAL ITALIAN AND 
HAD TO RELY ON TRANSLATED SUMMARIES. GUMPEL NOTED THAT FROM 
A SCHOLARLY PERSPECTIVE, THIS SITUATION WAS "LESS THAN 
IDEAL."  THE COMMISSION'S REPORT, WHICH CONSISTED OF 46 
COMPLEX QUESTIONS, GUMPEL HAD PREPARED TO ANSWER.  HE WORKED 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 05        VATICA  04258  01 OF 02  131205Z 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
                           CONFIDENTIAL     PTQ0646 
 
PAGE 01        VATICA  04258  02 OF 02  131206Z 
ACTION EUR-00 
 
INFO  LOG-00   NP-00    AMAD-00  ACQ-00   CIAE-00  DODE-00  DS-00 
      VC-00    TEDE-00  INR-00   IO-00    VCE-00   NSAE-00  SNIS-00 
      NISC-00  DSCC-00  LBA-00   PRM-01   DRL-02   SAS-00     /003W 
                  ------------------115973  131213Z /38 
R 131146Z AUG 01 
FM AMEMBASSY VATICAN 
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0000 
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE 
 
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 VATICAN 004258 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT. FOR EUR/WE (MENNUTI), EUR/OHI 
 
FROM EMBASSY VATICAN/MESSAGE NO. 134/01 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/10/06 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, KNAR, VT. 
SUBJECT: VATICAN ARCHIVES Q "THE REAL STORY" 
 
UP A SERIES OF HISTORICAL DOSSIERS, INCLUDING PRIMARY 
DOCUMENTS. YET HE SAID HE WAS SUSPICIOUS THAT THE COMMISSION 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 02        VATICA  04258  02 OF 02  131206Z 
HAD NO INTENT TO THOROUGHLY EXPLORE THE QUESTIONS SINCE THEY 
ONLY ALLOCATED THREE HOURS TO THEIR ENCOUNTER.  MOREOVER, 
AFTER REVIEWING DOSSIERS ON ONLY 12 QUESTIONS, SOME OF THE 
COMMISSION MEMBERS LAUNCHED INTO POLEMICAL ATTACKS ON THE 
HOLY SEE FOR ITS ALLEGED LACK OF COOPERATION.  SOME 
COMMISSION MEMBERS LATER MADE PUBLIC STATEMENTS ABOUT A LACK 
OF SUCH ON HIS PART. GUMPEL LAMENTED THE AGGRESSIVE POSITION 
TAKEN TOWARDS HIM PERSONALLY BY SOME MEMBERS OF THE 
COMMISSION AND THE LACK OF PERSONAL AND ACADEMIC COHESION IN 
THE GROUP OF HISTORIANS AS A WHOLE.  HE HAS DEPOSITED THE 
TAPES OF THE MEETING WITH THE VATICAN.  HIGH LEVEL VATICAN 
OFFICIALS HAVE LISTENED TO THE RECORDINGS AND EXPRESSED 
REGRET AT THE UNSCHOLARLY METHODOLOGY OF SOME OF THE JEWISH 
MEMBERS. THOSE SAME VATICAN OFFICIALS, HE SAID, EXPRESSED 
APPRECIATION FOR FR. GUMPEL'S ACUTE KNOWLEDGE OF THE 
SITUATION AND HIS SCIENTIFIC PROFESSIONALISM.  GUMPEL MADE 
IT CLEAR TO A/DCM THAT EVEN POPE JOHN PAUL II IS AWARE OF 
THE SITUATION. 
 
------------------------- 
I AM A GERMAN, NOT A NAZI 
------------------------- 
 
4. (C)  GUMPEL WAS PERSONALLY PAINED BY SOME OF THE AD 
HOMINUM COMMENTARY DIRECTED AT HIM BY JEWISH MEMBERS OF THE 
COMMISSION AND OTHER JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS.  HE STRESSED TO 
A/DCM THAT HE HAS REFRAINED FROM CHARACTERIZING THE WORK OF 
CERTAIN COMMISSION MEMBERS "UNTIL NOW" AS A PROFESSIONAL 
COURTESY AND OUT OF RESPECT.  HOWEVER, HE WARNED THAT IF 
ATTACKS AND FALSEHOODS CONTINUED, HE WOULD RELEASE THE TAPES 
OF THE MEETINGS. (NOTE: GUMPEL INSINUATED THAT THE RELEASE 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 03        VATICA  04258  02 OF 02  131206Z 
TO THE TAPES WOULD PROVE TO BE EMBARRASSING FOR SOME OF THE 
COMMISSION MEMBERS, DEMONSTRATING THAT THE COMMISSION ITSELF 
WAS "IN CRISIS" BECAUSE OF CERTAIN MEMBERS' UNPROFESSIONAL 
BEHAVIOR.  END NOTE).  GUMPEL ALSO EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT 
REFERENCES IN THE MEDIA AND IN OTHER COMMENTS TO HIM AS THE 
"GERMAN JESUIT."   GUMPEL TOLD A/DCM THAT HIS FAMILY HAD 
BEEN VICTIMS OF NAZI PERSECUTION AND SEVERAL HAD BEEN KILLED 
BY THE NAZIS.  HE HIMSELF HAD TO FLEE NAZI GERMANY AS A 
REFUGEE, FIRST TO FRANCE AND THEN LATER TO HOLLAND.  HE 
RECALLED THAT AT ONE POINT A REPORTER HAD PLANNED TO PRINT 
AN ASSERTION THAT GUMPEL WAS A NAZI HIMSELF -- SOMETHING 
GUMPEL SAID WAS LIBELOUS, AND WHICH HE WAS MORE THAN WILLING 
TO GO TO COURT TO FIGHT. 
 
5. (C)  GUMPEL SAID HE WAS NOT SURPRISED WHEN THE JEWISH- 
VATICAN COMMISSION DECIDED TO SUSPEND ITS WORK. HE CLAIMED 
THAT SOME OF ITS MEMBERS HAD AGENDAS THAT WENT BEYOND THE 
SCOPE OF THE COMMISSION'S MANDATE (TO STUDY THE TWELVE 
VOLUMES).   OBJECTIONS ABOUT A LACK OF ACCESS TO THE VATICAN 
ARCHIVES OR ABOUT THE VATICAN HAVING SOMETHING TO HIDE ARE, 
IN GUMPEL'S OPINION, A SMOKE SCREEN FOR POLITICAL AGENDAS 
WHICH HAVE LITTLE TO DO WITH THE SERIOUS HISTORICAL STUDY 
THAT IS HIS LIFE.  HE CLOSED BY SAYING THAT THE VATICAN 
WANTS TO LET PASS A PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE REOPENING THIS 
DISCUSSION.  HE SAID THAT THE VATICAN AND HE HIMSELF WERE 
MORE THAN WILLING TO DISCUSS ANY ANOMALIES OR QUESTIONS 
RELATING TO THE 12-VOLUME HISTORY ALREADY PUBLISHED.  THEY 
JUST DIDN'T THINK THAT THE JUST-DISBANDED COMMISSION 
CONSISTED OF THE RIGHT MIX OF PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO DO SO. 
MERANTE 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
PAGE 04        VATICA  04258  02 OF 02  131206Z 
 
                       CONFIDENTIAL 
 
> 
 

 2001VATICA04258 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL