The Netherlands reveals the names of 450,000 Nazi associates in World War II

Online file in identifying their suspected associates in World War II. The record, consisting of 32 million pages, includes 450,000 people, mostly Dutch. The programme bearing the name “The War in the Court” digitally published a list of the names of about half a million Nazi suspects in the Netherlands, during World War II, after the expiry of a law prohibiting public access to the archive. CORVERSE The archive, consisting of 32 million pages, includes 450,000 people, mostly Dutch who had been investigated for cooperation with German conquerors during World War II. The law prohibiting public access to archives ceased to apply on New Year’s Eve. Only one fifth of those mentioned on the list had been brought to justice in the past, while most cases involved smaller offences such as being a member of the National Socialist movement. Although the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) protects personal data, it does not apply to those who have died, i.e. the vast majority of those listed in the file list. CORVERSE Initially, the scanned files from the file were to be available to the public online today, giving users access to suspect files, which also include their victims and witnesses. However, following a warning from the Dutch Data Protection Authority, it was decided last month to postpone full disclosure and instead publish only the list of names. No date is set for the publication of these files, but those interested in research – including descendants, journalists and historians – can apply to the National Archives of the Netherlands in The Hague to receive the relevant instructions.