Interagency Working Group (IWG)

Meeting Minutes: 11/13/01

November 13, 2001, 1pm - 3pm; 1101 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC

Participants:

National Archives and Records Administration
Stephen Garfinkel (Chair)

Public Members
Thomas Baer
Richard Ben-Veniste
Elizabeth Holtzman

Office of the Secretary of Defense
Christina Bromwell

Federal Bureau of Investigation
Carol Keeley

Central Intelligency Agency
David Holmes

National Security Council
William Leary

Department of Justice/Office of Special Investigations
Elizabeth White

Department of State
Marc Susser

Agency and IWG Staff and Consultants also present.


Steven Garfinkel, IWG Chair, opened the November 13 monthly meeting by announcing he would be retiring from the Information Security Oversight Office at the end of 2001. However, he was working on an arrangement that may enable him to remain as IWG Chair.

Mark Susser confirmed that the State Department will be briefing the Public Members on December 6, 2001, on progress made on the Japanese documents. Jim Hergen and Lara Ballard will present the briefing. Mr. Susser was requested to provide an outline of the briefing ahead of time so that the members could be formulating some questions. The Tokyo Embassy is in the process of hiring a researcher to determine whether captured records returned by the United States are open to public research. Brian Dowling, State Department, reported that his section has begun reviewing records for relevance to the Japanese.

IWG Historian Richard Breitman discussed several related documents he had reviewed on the exchange between the OSS and several Jewish agencies in relation to the Jewish lives for trucks episode. IWG Historian Norman Goda has been examining withdrawn State Department materials, most of which had little relevance to Nazi or Japanese war crimes. However, there is some new material concerning the diplomacy of extradition. This material is always interesting as it forces a connection between the problem of extradition and trial with Cold War political and popular memory of the war. IWG Historian Timothy Naftali reported that he is continuing his review of CIA name files. IWG Historian Marlene Mayo reported on several areas of inquiry but stated that she has yet to discover truly significant material and is awaiting the results of her special requests for searches at the agencies. Richard Ben-Veniste questioned whether the Israeli government was involved in Salonica and whether there was an historical follow-up.

Rick Corriveau of the NSA reported that his agency has almost completed its review of relevant documents on Nazi war crimes and are finishing up the written summaries of these reviews. NSA devoted three years to the Nazi war crimes effort, but he anticipates it will take less time to review the Japanese related material as there is significantly less material. Mr. Garfinkel announced that Rick is retiring at the end of December and thanked him for all his support to the IWG.

Elizabeth Holtzman wanted to commend all the agencies, State, FBI, NSA, CIA, and DOJ on the fine job they have all done in their efforts to comply to the statute. She remains concerned, however, about the Air Force and Navy documents which do not seem to be reviewed with the same speed. She was assured by David Van Tassel that NARA has representatives reviewing these documents at NARA.

Edward Deitel reported the auditors continue to review contested documents. They continue to negotiate with the State Department concerning the release of additional portions pertaining to Kurt Waldheim.

Elizabeth Holtzman requested that the press release announcing the release of IRR reports be fleshed out a bit. Giuliana Bullard agreed to do so.

There will be no full IWG meeting in December. There will be a small session for Public Members, auditors and historians following the State Department briefing on December 6, 2001. There will be another small session in January to prepare Public Members for a hearing or forum with Senator Feinstein sometime in January in San Francisco.

The next regularly scheduled IWG meeting is February 6, 2002, 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 700 at 1:00 p.m.

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