Headline:
Thousands of Names Removed from Wartime Archive Amid Concerns of Inaccuracies
Body:
NOS News, 7th January 2025 — The National Archives (NA) has removed nearly 25,000 names from its online war archive launched on 2nd January, after it emerged that not all individuals had corresponding case files. This was confirmed by the NA to NOS News following a report in De Volkskrant.
The removed names include those of victims, witnesses, and suspects involved in post-war investigations into collaboration and other wartime crimes. Some individuals were registered by certain institutions and ended up on the list inadvertently. Others may have had misplaced or lost files. The NA stressed that the innocence of these individuals could not be definitively proven.
To prevent confusion among relatives and descendants, the NA has decided to remove these names. If any missing files are discovered in the future, they will be added back into the archive. Currently, only one-third of the archive has been digitized, with the rest expected to be completed by 2027.
The NA will continue to investigate the cards on which the removed names appeared, as there may be connections to other records in the archive. Director Afelonne Doek stated that there must have been a reason for these individuals to have ended up on the list.
In other news, new information about names is continually being added to the archive through relatives and other users who consult it.
The Centraal Archief Bijzondere Rechtspleging (CABR)
Following the release of the CABR, which contains approximately 400,000 names, it became evident that it’s not always clear why someone appears in the index. The CABR emphasizes that the list is not a list of collaborators and acknowledges that there may be errors.
The CABR contains files on individuals who were investigated after the Second World War due to suspicions of collaboration with the Germans. If the suspicion proved groundless, a file was maintained on that person. Others ended up in a card index for different reasons.
Names of Dutch wartime administrators, Dutch-Jewish individuals who returned from hiding or concentration camps, and those who held German citizenship before the war are also included. After the war, all German refugees were initially seen as potential enemies and had to be ‘de-vilified’—deemed not to be an enemy.
The CABR has removed some names from the list based on clear indications that these individuals didn’t belong there. Further deletions may follow, including those suggested by relatives.
Staying Ahead of Puzzling Names
The NA, which digitizes its archives, has so far scanned 8 million pages. Although the NA acknowledges the sensitivity of the issue, it maintains that the name list is merely a reflection of the archive’s contents. It is not the responsibility of the NA to verify the validity of suspicions.
Despite ongoing efforts to ensure accuracy, it is conceivable that some victims and witnesses remain in the archive. The NA encourages individuals to report any inaccuracies they come across while using the CABR.
Keep reading