The newly accessible database, containing the names of 425,000 suspected Nazi collaborators from WWII, aims to facilitate research while stirring debate over privacy and effects on families involved.
Online Release of Names of 425,000 Suspected Nazi Collaborators Sparks Debate in Netherlands
Online Release of Names of 425,000 Suspected Nazi Collaborators Sparks Debate in Netherlands
The Dutch National Archives has made public the names of individuals investigated for collaboration during the Nazi occupation, raising concerns about privacy and societal impact.
The Dutch National Archives has unveiled a significant online archive containing the names of around 425,000 individuals suspected of collaborating with the Nazis during their occupation of the Netherlands from 1940 to 1945. This unprecedented move allows public access to names previously restricted to in-person visits at the archives in The Hague, highlighting the complexities and traumas associated with this painful chapter in Dutch history.
The initiative, supported by the Huygens Institute which aided in digitizing the archive, seeks to remove barriers for those wishing to delve into historical inquiries about the occupation era. The archive includes files on a range of individuals, from war criminals and about 20,000 Dutch citizens who served in the German military, to alleged members of the National Socialist Movement (NSB)—the Dutch Nazi party. Notably, it also catalogs those found innocent of any wrongdoing.
While the archive provides the names, birth dates, and birthplaces of suspects, it does not disclose their legal outcomes or the specifics of their suspected collaboration. Instead, it directs users to the necessary files for attending the National Archives to gather more detailed information, where they must assert a legitimate interest in the content.
The decision to publish this sensitive information has raised concerns among some in the Netherlands, including family members of suspected collaborators. Rinke Smedinga, whose father was an NSB member, expressed apprehension over possible negative reactions stemming from this public disclosure. He stressed the importance of anticipating and managing the societal implications of such revelations.
Tom De Smet, director of the National Archives, acknowledged the need to consider the feelings of both collaborators' relatives and those of occupation victims. He expressed hope that making this historical record more accessible could facilitate discussions around collaboration, a subject historically shrouded in silence.
In a letter to parliament dated December 19, Culture Minister Eppo Bruins highlighted the importance of transparent archival access for processing the Netherlands' difficult past collectively. However, he noted that privacy concerns would limit the amount of information made publicly available online, with personal data of still-living individuals being omitted. Bruins has voiced intentions to advocate for legislative changes to enhance transparency around these historical records.
As the archiving of such sensitive data unfolds, the implications of the information opened to public viewing remain a source of tension, prompting community dialogue about the legacies of collaboration during the war.
