US embassy cable - 03VATICAN1046

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 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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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 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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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 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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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, VT 
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 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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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 
 
> 
 

 2003VATICA01046 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED