Consul General Jo Ellen Powell (third from left) at ITS. Photo: HNA Waldeckische Allgemeine/Verjans

Opening of the international tracing service archive to researchers and the public
April 30, 2008. U.S. Consul General Jo Ellen Powell attended the opening ceremony of the International Tracing Service (ITS) Archive at Bad Arolsen on April 30.  The ITS Archive maintains the largest collection of documents on victims of Nazi persecutions and the Holocaust worldwide.  More than 50 million records containing information on over 17.5 million people will be available for historical research and the general public for the first time.  Until now, the International Tracing Service provided information only for victims and family members.  In an effort to improve access to the archival materials and to ensure that future generations may use the documents, the Archive is currently digitizing its records. The ITS operates under the auspices of the eleven member states of the International Commission for the International Tracing Service (Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, USA), as established in the Bonn Agreements of 1955 and the amendment protocols of 2006.  Each of the signatory states will receive digital copies of the materials; in the United States, the Holocaust Museum will be the clearinghouse for the Archive materials.  The Holocaust Museum provided a grant of $250,000 to the ITS archive.