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Notice to Researchers in Records Released under the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act and the Japanese Imperial Government Records Act

The Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group (IWG), in implementing the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act and the Japanese Imperial Government Records Act, has taken the broadest view in identifying records that may be responsive to the Acts. Information relevant to the Acts is often found among files related to other subjects. In order to preserve the archival integrity of the files, the IWG and the National Archives and Records Administration, where possible, have released entire files together, not just those items related to Nazi or Japanese war criminals, crimes, persecution, and looted assets. These records may relate to persons who are war criminals, former Axis personnel who are not war criminals, victims of war crimes or persecution, or civilian or military personnel investigating Nazi activities. The records may also include mention of, or information about, persons having no connection to these activities.

Records of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Record Group 65)

FBI Records Declassified under the War Crimes Disclosure Acts

The headquarters materials consist of approximately 240,000 pages of original FBI files and indices found in categories such as espionage, foreign counterintelligence, domestic security, and treason. Among files of note are those dealing with investigations of post-war émigré Nazis from Eastern Europe whom the government cultivated as anti-communist sources and files describing instances of FBI support for their U.S. citizenship, even when opposed by the Immigration and Naturalization Service. These files provide new insight into the activities of Nazi collaborators who had murdered Jews and members of other ethnic groups before relocating to the United States. The files also include information on how U.S. corporations profited from operations instigated by and supportive of the Third Reich. The files are in Record Group 65.

In addition to the names index above, NARA received paper indices to the headquarters files. For more information on the content of this series, see the Indices to Headquarters Files (Entry A1-136BE) in the Archival Research Catalog (ARC).