National Archives Collection of Foreign Records Seized (RG 242)

(Also see the IWG press release from March 23, 2000, German Police Records Opened at the National Archives, for more information about these records.)

The Heinrich Himmler Collection

Boxes 5-8, 11, 13-17, 19, 19A, 20, 20A, 23-24, 24A, 25-30, 30A, 31. Location: 190/18/09/3

This series consists of various records prepared, collected, or received by the Reichssicherheitshauptamt (RSHA, translated as 'Reich Central Security Department' or 'Reich Security Main Office'), an agency under the authority of Reichsführer-SS und Chef der Deutschen Polizei (Reich Leader of the SS and Chief of the German Police) Heinrich Himmler. The most significant characteristic of these records is that they were exempted by the Department of the Army from the general declassification and microfilming of other RSHA records during the 1960-62 period and retained as security-classified. They were systematically reviewed for declassification in 1976, when some materials were declassified and the remainder (comprising most of the collection) withdrawn for continued security classification. A small segment was separately reviewed and declassified in 1994, and was subsequently microfilmed and restituted in 1999 to the Bundesarchiv in Germany. All remaining materials were finally declassified by the Interagency Working Group (IWG) under the authority of the Nazi War Criminals Disclosure Act in 2000-01. In 2003 the two declassified segments were reintegrated and the original arrangement restored. Because the records formed part of the 'Himmler Collection,' the records described below are often colloquially identified as the 'Himmler Files,' though in fact they represent working papers maintained by the RSHA and bear little direct relation to Himmler's functions as Reichsführer-SS. This collection has not been previously described.

The RSHA was established by Himmler in September 1939 through the consolidation of the Sicherheitshauptamt (SHA) and the Sicherheitsdienst-Hauptamt (SD-HA), the culmination of a process of integrating State and Nazi Party police and domestic intelligence functions at the national level. Its records documented activities of the Gestapo and security police within Germany and occupied territories, the SD-Ausland foreign intelligence section, and the former Abwehr (German Armed Forces High Command, Intelligence/Counterintelligence Department), whose functions were eventually assumed by the RSHA. All of these materials were seized by U.S. military forces at the end of World War II.

The Department of the Army collectively designated the records of all SS organizations as Record Group 1010, Himmler Collection, and thereunder arranged the records by organization according to an improvised filing scheme devised but never implemented by German archival authorities known as the Einheits Akten Plan (EAP, translated as 'Unified Filing Scheme'). Under this scheme, records of the RSHA were designated as EAP 173 - b, with records of its subordinate offices and sections also designated by subordinate numbers: Thus, the record item designation EAP 173 - b - 16 - 05 identifies records of RSHA, Amt IV (Gestapo), Section Opposition and Sabotage. In some cases, where identification of record provenance is unclear, the EAP record item designations are more provisional in nature.

These EAP designations were retained by NARA as the record item numbers for these files when the captured German records were collectively accessioned as Record Group 242, the National Archives Collection of Foreign Records Seized, for later microfilming and restitution to the Bundesarchiv. Except for the records described here, the records of the RSHA and other Himmler staff organizations were microfilmed in 1960-61 as National Archives Microfilm Publication T175, Records of the Reich Leader of the SS and Chief of the German Police. Descriptions of microfilmed RSHA records are provided in Guide Nos. 39 and 81 of the Guides to German Records Microfilmed at Alexandria, Va. (99 vols.; Washington, DC: National Archives and Records Service/National Archives and Records Administration, 1956 - ). The original records restituted to the Bundesarchiv now comprise Bestand R 58, Reichssicherheithauptamt, and are described in Findbücher zu Beständen des Bundesarchivs, Band 22 (Koblenz: Bundesarchiv, 1982).

While the majority of the collection constitute original materials, in some cases (particularly for card files) only photostatic reproductions prepared by U.S. authorities remain; presumably the originals became integrated with American intelligence records or were otherwise lost or destroyed.

All questions regarding these and other relevant records likely to be in the custody of the National Archives and Records Administration should be directed to: Archives2reference@nara.gov

Box No. 5

The nine folders in this box contain photostatic reproductions of an incomplete set of "wanted" lists with descriptions of known or suspected enemy agents prepared by the Staatspolizeileitstelle Münster/Abt. III ("Geheime Fahndungsliste") on 28 October 1939. Each individual is described on one or two pages of standard-form entries that provide details on the suspect's name, date of birth, address, occupation, nationality, marital status, and other biographical information. In a few cases, a photograph of the individual is attached. The individuals listed are either German or Dutch nationals, and nearly all are identified as residing in the Netherlands. Each folder usually represents one alphabetical segment of suspects whose surnames begin with one letter (but thereunder unarranged) as follows:

• Folder 173 - b - 16 - 05/10 (surnames beginning with the letter "B"), 56 pp.;
  
• Folder 173 - b - 16 -05/13 (surnames beginning with the letter "H"), 55 pp.;
  
• Folder 173 - b - 16 - 05/14 (mixture of surnames beginning with the letters "K," "P," "S," "W," and "J"), 109 pp.;
  
• Folder 173 - b - 16 - 05/ 22 (surnames beginning with the letter "Z"), 11 pp.;
  
• Folder 173 - b - 16 - 05/25 (surnames beginning with the letters "N" and "O"), 19 pp.;
  
• Folder 173 - b - 16 - 05/26 (surnames beginning with the letter "L"), 21 pp.;
  
• Folder 173 - b -16 - 05/29 (surnames beginning with the letter "G"), 13 pp.;
  
• Folder 173 - b – 16 - 05/30 (surnames beginning with the letter "A"), 7 pp.;
  
• Folder 173 - b - 16 - 05/34 (a mixture of surnames beginning with the letters "C," "F" and "D," combined with separate files of the Staatspolizeileitstelle Münster listing the known meeting places of enemy agents in the Netherlands, November 1939, and lists of pro-German Dutch nationals, May 1940), 52 pp.; and
  
• Folder 173 - e - 10 - 10/16 (surnames beginning with the letter "R"), 17 pp.

Box No. 6

Folder 173 - b - 16 - 05/66: Folder apparently maintained by Gendarmerieposten Hallstatt (Reichsgau Oberdonau) containing original notifications and reports of the infiltration of named Allied and Soviet agents and saboteurs by parachute into Germany, 29 July 1942 - 25 July 1944, together with a notification of the Kommandeur der Sicherheitspolizei Dresden regarding a German agent, 7 April 1945; 39 pp.

Folder 173 - b - 16 - 05/68: Folder contains a report received by RSHA IV B (III F) from Wehrmachtbefehlshaber Norwegen regarding the interrogation of a captured British SAS (Special Air Service) officer on a sabotage mission in Norway, October 1944, with general information concerning the SAS and SOE (Special Operations Executive); 6 pp.

Folder 173 - b - 16 - 05/222: The majority of this folder, amounting to 56 pages, consisted of reports of Einsatzkommando 1/II Metz (subordinate to Befehlshaber der Sicherheitspolizei und des SD in Lothringen-Saarpfalz) regarding Allied intelligence agents and networks in the area of Lorraine, 1940-43, which were filmed and restituted to the Bundesarchiv in October 1998. The present folder consists of several original documents withheld as security-classified items until declassified in 2000. These include a telegram regarding a mass escape of 46 British POWs from a POW camp in Hohensalza, March 1943, and a cover letter, report, and various attachments regarding British commando and sabotage schools and training centers in England, collectively dated September 1942 - July 1944; 26 pp.

Folder 173 - b -16 - 10/4: Contains a copy of the printed "Mitteilungsblatt der [RSHA] Gruppe IV E," Jahrgang 1943, Nr. 11 (15 November 1943), received by the Befehlshaber der Sipo und des SD Den Haag, containing names and biographical information on known or suspected Allied and Soviet agents and saboteurs; 12 pp.

Folder 173 - b - 16 - 10/14: Actually consists of two folders, the first containing collected telegrams and reports received by Befehlshaber der Sipo und des SD Den Haag concerning possible assassinations and terrorist actions by named Yugoslavian émigrés alleged to be infiltrated into occupied Europe by Allied intelligence, March 1942 - March 1943 (9 pp.). The second folder consists of directives, notifications and reports received by the Gestapo office in Köln from the RSHA, October 1940-November 1944, providing information regarding the equipment and training of Allied agents and saboteurs, including data on saboteur training facilities in England, definitions of Allied agents vs. combatant personnel, recommended questions in the interrogation of captured agents, telegrams providing names and physical descriptions of British agents parachuted into Germany, and reports of German personnel serving as Soviet agents. Some material is duplicated (134 pp.).

Box No. 7

The 11 consecutive folders in this box (EAP 173 - b - 16 - 05/75 through - 05/85) consist of photostatic reproductions of card files regarding known or suspected Allied agents, 1939-44 (the series continues in Box No. 8). Apparently retained by the RSHA, some accompanying US documentation indicates that the originals were recovered from the Gestapo headquarters building in Copenhagen. The identified agents include German nationals and citizens of occupied Denmark and Norway and neutral Sweden, and summarize information on these individuals’ business and espionage activities, general biographical data, contacts with Allied intelligence, membership in the Communist Party or international organizations, and where applicable their arrest by German authorities. Some photographs are also included. Much of the information is identified as originating with offices of the German Abwehr, and often include references to specific documents which were subsequently destroyed ("Vorgänge im Februar/März 1944 vernichtet"). The reproductions (each measuring ca. 8” x 7 ¼”) were apparently made by Allied authorities, usually photocopying the front and reverse sides of cards together, although this is not always clear; some reproductions feature only one card. Some reproductions are annotated in English, usually partial translations of comments. There is unfortunately no arrangement to the names of the individuals documented in the collection, and there is no indication of the fate of the original cards. The collection appears related to similar card files reproduced on National Archives Microfilm Publication T84, Miscellaneous German Records, rolls 488-89. The approximate number of pages of reproductions for each folder is as follows:

• 173 - b - 16 - 05/75: 79 pp.
• 173 - b - 16 - 05/76: 100 pp.
• 173 - b - 16 - 05/77: 99 pp.
• 173 - b - 16 - 05/78: 100 pp.
• 173 - b - 16 – 05/79: 100 pp.
• 173 – b - 16 - 05/80: 100 pp.
• 173 - b - 16 - 05/81: 100 pp.
• 173 - b – 16 - 05/82: 99 pp.
• 173 - b - 16 - 05/83: 98 pp.
• 173 - b - 16 - 05/84: 100 pp.
• 173 – b – 16 – 05/85: 95 pp. ( = total 1,070 pp.)

Box No. 8

The nine folders (EAP 173 – b – 16 – 05/86 through – 05/94) in this box continue the series of photostatic reproductions of card files described in Box No. 7. The format and content of the folders remains the same. The approximate number of pages of reproductions for each folder is as follows:

• 173 – b - 16 - 05/86: 104 pp.
• 173 - b - 16 - 05/87: 98 pp.
• 173 - b - 16 – 05/88: 100 pp.
• 173 – b – 16 – 05/89: 71 pp.
• 173 – b – 16 – 05/90: 98 pp. (and some accompanying US documentation)
• 173 – b – 16 – 05/91: 100 pp.
• 173 – b – 16 – 05/92: 100 pp.
• 173 – b – 16 – 05/93: 200 pp.
• 173 – b - 16 - 05/94: 100 pp. ( = total 971 pp.)

Box No. 11

Fifteen of the 16 folders in this box contain photostatic reproductions of broadly distributed "wanted" lists ("Geheimes Fahndungsblatt" through February 1940, thereafter "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverratsbekämpfung") for those individuals suspected of espionage, issued initially by the Gestapo’s Abt. III and later by RSHA IV E, and received by the Staatspolizeistelle Münster, July 1939 - December 1940. (This report series was terminated in December 1940.) Each list is arranged by nationality (e.g., French, British, Soviet Russian, Dutch) and thereunder by name of individual suspect, with a variable amount of biographical data for each of the latter, sometimes including photographs. The lists are sometimes supplemented by summaries of cases resolved (i.e., arrests of suspects from previous lists) or new reports of suspects for whom very little biographical data is available. Reports after February 1940 became more extensive, with information about enemy espionage methods, organization and missions, and names of German deserters. The reports appear to have been issued regularly on the 15th of each month. For several reports only excerpts are available, neither does the sequence of folder numbers correspond to the chronology of documentation. Additional reports in the series that complete the period June 1939-December 1940 are located in Box No. 13, described below, as are more complete copies of the reports here only excerpted; additional original copies are located in Folder VIII-173-b-18-12/24 in Box No. 19. The fate of the original documents is unknown, however several original copies are also found in Box No. 13. Dates and pagination for each folder are as follows:

• 173 - b – 16 –12/34: "Geheimes Fahndungsblatt," 15 July 1939 (with additional information dated 10 August 1939), 21 pp.;
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/35: "Geheimes Fahndungsblatt," 15 November 1939, 15 pp.;
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/41: "Geheimes Fahndungsblatt," 15 September 1939, 18 pp.;
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/42: "Geheimes Fahndungsblatt," 15 August 1939, 23 pp.;
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/43: "Geheimes Fahndungsblatt," 15 December 1939, 18 pp.;
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/47: "Geheimes Fahndungsblatt," 15 October 1939,” 19 pp.;
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/48: "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverratsbekämpfung," 15 October 1940, 13 pp. (out of 53 pp. original);
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/49: two pages excerpted from a ‘wanted list’ ca. May 1940 (possibly from the report of 15 May 1940, located in VIII-173-b-16-12/56);
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/52: "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverrats- bekämpfung," 15 November 1940, 11 pp. (out of 16 pp. original);
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/53: "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverratsbekämpfung," 15 July 1940, 10 pp. (out of ca. 45 pp. original);
• 173 - b - 16 - 12/54: "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverratsbekämpfung," 15 August 1940, 13 pp. (out of 19 pp. original);
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/55: "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverratsbekämpfung," 15 December 1940, 15 pp. (out of 34 pp. original);
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/56: "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverratsbekämpfung," 15 May 1940, 40 pp. (out of 45 pp. original);
• 173 - b - 16 - 12/57: "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverratsbekämpfung," 15 March 1940, 14 pp. (out of 22 pp. original); and
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/58: "Geheimes Fahndungsblatt," 15 February 1940, 22 pp.

Folder 173 – b – 16 – 12/60 consists of a mixture of original and photostatic reproductions of documents apparently received (at least in part) by the Abwehrstelle in Köln. These include the cover letter for an Abwehr summary report on Soviet sabotage activities and methods, May 1939 (original), with a listing of known sabotage incidents aboard German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish merchant ships, November 1937-August 1938, and accompanying illustrations of sabotaged pieces of equipment on board these vessels (photostatic reproductions). The Abwehr summary report of 28 April 1939 ("Lagebericht I – Sabotagetätigkeit Sowjetrussland," 12 pp.), however, is missing: a security-classified withdrawal card remains in place, and the withdrawn item is listed among the contents of an envelope of withdrawn items subsequently declassified by the IWG, however that document was not in the envelope at the time the remaining items were reintegrated into the original files (October 2003). Volume of remaining contents of folder = 6 pp.

Box No. 13

The first five folders in this box complete the series of Gestapo/RSHA "wanted lists" begun in Box No. 11. These also consist of photostatic reproductions rather than originals, were also received by the Staatspolizeistelle Münster, and follow the same format and content as already described. The dates and pagination for each folder are as follows:

• 173 – b - 16 - 12/70: "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverratsbekämpfung," 15 April 1940, 12 pp. (out of ca. 21 pp. original);
• 173 - b - 16 - 12/71: "Geheimes Fahndungsblatt," 15 June 1939, 17 pp.;
• 173 - b - 16 – 12/74: "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverratsbekämpfung," 15 September 1940, 29 pp. (out of 36 pp. original);
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/75: "Geheimes Fahndungsblatt,” 15 January 1940, 19 pp.; and
• 173 – b – 16 – 12/77: "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverratsbekämpfung," 15 June 1940, 72 pp.(out of 82 pp. original).

Folder 173 - b - 16 - 12/90 contains original printed copies of eight of the same series of "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverratsbekämpfung," here received by the Abwehrstelle in Wehrkreis IX (located in Kassel). These include some complete copies available only in excerpted form as listed above. The dates and pagination for each report in the folder are:

15 March 1940, 22 pp. (complete);
15 May 1940, 45 pp. (complete);
15 June 1940, 80 pp.;
15 July 1940, 45 pp. (complete);
15 August 1940, 19 pp. (complete);
15 September 1940, 37 pp. (complete);
15 October 1940, 52 pp. (complete, including a translation of a captured French document on the use of double agents in espionage); and
15 November 1940, 17 pp. (complete)

Folder 173 - b – 16 – 12/98a: Consists of an original file of excerpts from reports issued by the RSHA IV E, "Mitteilungsblatt der Gruppe IV E," that pertain to espionage activities by Polish intelligence, as received by Sicherheitspolizei Einsatzkommando 1/II Metz during the period May1943 – April 1944. The "Mitteilungsblatt der Gruppe IV E" apparently represented a successor to the report series "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverratsbekämpfung" also issued by RSHA IV E in 1940 and described above. The excerpts derive from the German discovery in 1942 of the continued existence of a Polish intelligence service in occupied Poland. The material includes names of identified Polish agents, data on the organization of Polish intelligence, periodic information on Polish intelligence missions and priorities, and copies of military and economic intelligence summaries collected by Polish intelligence (e.g., estimates of German casualties suffered in Russia, naval construction, industrial production, morale) all for the general period autumn 1941 – spring 1943. At the end of the folder is a small amount of information regarding identified British intelligence agents, equipment, and methods, May-July 1943. (83 pp.)

Folder 173 – b - 16 - 12/100a: This is an original file documenting the case of a German merchant seaman arrested as an Allied agent in March 1945. Included is a statement by the individual regarding his personal history, recruitment by Allied intelligence, and information on his sabotage mission in Germany, together with reports by German authorities as to his arrest and contacts, March - April 1945. (34 pp.)

Folder 173 - b - 16 - 12/126: The folder contains negative photostatic reproductions of several statements by a captured Soviet female agent regarding her activities for the NKVD. The documents were prepared by RSHA IV E 1 during the period December 1942 - March 1943 (recipient unknown). The agent’s described activities cover the period 1938 – October 1942 and range over operations in Paris, in Finland during the Russo-Finnish War, the interrogation of captured German military personnel in 1941, and as an agent behind German lines in the occupied Ukraine and Poland, 1941-42. In addition to descriptions of her activities, the statements describe some intelligence training and methods and identify various other Soviet intelligence agents and NKVD officers. (49 pp.)

Box Nos. 14 – 17

The contents of these boxes, also labeled as EAP 173 – b - 16 -12/Boxes 1-4, consisted of card files for approximately 1,300 individuals who served as actual or potential informants for German intelligence. These card files, however, were declassified ca. 1996 (per declassification authority NND 968026), reboxed, and placed in a new location in Stack 190, although the withdrawal cards were not removed from these boxes. The card files were then filmed, together with other declassified RSHA card files, on Microfilm Publication T84, Miscellaneous German Records Collection, roll 489, beginning frame 0001. The originals were restituted to the Bundesarchiv in October 1998.

Box No. 19

Folder 173 - b - 18 - 12/24: Consists of original copies of three of the "wanted" lists already described in Box Nos. 11 and 13. These were received by the Abwehrstelle of Wehrkreis IX and sometimes include additional material than the reports listed earlier. The titles, dates and pagination for each are as follows:

• "Geheimes Fahndungsblatt," 15 January 1940, 17 pp.;
• "Geheimes Fahndungsblatt," 15 February 1940, 17 pp.;
• "Geheimes Sammel-Rundschreiben über Landesverratsbekämpfung," 15 April 1940, 17 pp.

Folder 173 - b - 20 - 05/03 through - 05/05: Each of these three folders contains numerous reports of British training centers and specialized schools for espionage, sabotage, and commando operations; collectively their contents should be viewed as a single entity. Also included are scattered reports f or similar establishments in the U.S.S.R. and elsewhere. The provenance is not indicated (presumably RSHA), and internal evidence indicates that the reports were compiled ca. November 1944. The probable original arrangement followed categories of training schools and thereunder by specific school, but now within each folder the reports are simply arranged by specific school or training center; categories include general espionage schools and specialized schools for radio communications, sabotage, parachuting, infantry weapons, glider, and naval demolitions. Each report includes a report cover, one or two pages of text detail the school’s name, geographic location, the courses offered, names and physical descriptions of instructors, nationalities of students, typical course lengths and numbers of students, and the effective date of the information. Some reports also include names and descriptions of agents being trained (particularly Norwegians). Often the reports are accompanied by maps or sketches, and sometimes by excerpted interrogations of captured agents. In some cases the instructors are identified as German deserters or cooperative POWs. There is some duplication of material, and a number of pages are in poor or damaged physical condition.

The number of reports and pagination for each folder are as follows:

• 173 - b - 20 - 05/03: This folder includes an alphabetical index by geographic location to schools in Britain, nine summary reports on different categories of training schools, 16 reports on specific schools in Britain, and one report on a Soviet school in Murmansk (total 177 pp. plus 27 report covers).
  
  
• 173 - b - 20 - 05/04: Folder includes 32 reports on specialized schools and training centers in Britain (total 72 pp. plus 32 report covers).
  
  
• 173 - b - 20 - 05/05: Folder includes two alphabetical listings of British training centers and specialized schools for espionage agents and saboteurs throughout England and Scotland, and individual reports on 23 schools and training centers in Britain, one Soviet center in the Caucasus, two in Italy, one in Palestine, and one in Algeria (total 54 pp. plus 30 report covers).

Box No. 19a

Folder 173 - b - 20 - 05/6: Consists of a collection of communications instructions and cipher sheets for communications of agents placed behind enemy lines in the Balkans, November 1944-April 1945, as maintained by 'Leitstelle II Südost für Frontaufklärung' (a former Abwehr office under RSHA jurisdiction by that point in the war). The material is arranged by agent condename (e.g., "Bello," "Prinz Eugen," "Stuna," "Nero") and includes references to Bulgarian- and Romanian-language transmissions, weather reports, times and lengths of transmissions, designations of radio frequencies, and in some cases information regarding the parachuting of the agent into a specific area. A few pages constitute photostatic reproductions, all the rest are originals, in some cases in poor condition. (142 pp.)

Folder 173 - b - 20 - 12/1: Constitutes the first of several files maintained by the RSHA's Amt VI B (SD-Ausland) regarding British espionage networks, contacts and sources in Yugoslavia and general intelligence information on that country for the period January 1939 - March 1941, with a few additional reports from April 1945 (most, however, are dated November 1939 - April 1940). Arranged in reverse chronological order, the file includes reports, correspondence, telegrams and press clippings that identify known or alleged British intelligence personnel, agents, and organizations and describe pro-British intelligence or propaganda activities in Yugoslavia, especially Slovenia and Croatia. From the SD-Ausland perspective, the file documents British intelligence’s penetration of Yugoslavia as the background to later German invasion. At the beginning of the file is some unrelated 1933 correspondence of the American consul in Zagreb.

There is some duplication of materials. This is apparently the initial segment of a series that continues with Folders VIII - 173 - b - 20 - 12/2 through – 12/4 in Box Nos. 20 and 20a. (252 pp.)

Box No. 20

The two folders in this box, VIII - 173 - b - 20 - 12/2 through -12/3, continue the RSHA's Amt VI B (SD-Ausland) collection of raw intelligence information on Yugoslavia begun in 173 - b – 20 – 12/1 (Box No. 19a). They comprise correspondence, reports, telegrams, press clippings and summaries of press articles, brochures, propaganda leaflets, and translations of published laws and ordinances regarding internal conditions, political attitudes, and morale within Yugoslavia in 1940, particularly the influence and activities there of pro-Allied, pro-Soviet and anti-German groups and individuals. In contrast to the first folder already described, where documentation focused on the role of British intelligence, these folders provide a more general view of German perceptions of hostile influences and anti-German sentiment within Yugoslavia, including questions of foreign trade and business relationships. Many records consist of half-sheet cover notes or summaries of documents, most of which have been arranged for filming as two half-sheets per image. In some cases only a cover note is included, with a notation that the accompanying report or correspondence has been forwarded to another office. Some material is in Russian or Serbo-Croatian. Many reports are signed by codenumber of the German agent making the report (e.g., 6625, 6666). Each folder is arranged in reverse chronological order. The dates, general and noteworthy topics documented, and pagination for each folder are as follows:

173 – b – 20 – 12/2: Covers the period 2 July – 29 October 1940, and includes reports on the treatment of ethnic Germans in Serbia, announcements and assessments of persons appointed to government posts, arrests of real or suspected German intelligence agents by Yugoslav authorities, data on Freemasons and Jews in Yugoslavia, information on activities of and reports by German agents in the country, and the proposed ‘bugging’ of telephone lines in the British and Soviet Embassies in Belgrade (total volume 622 microfilm images)

173 – b –20 –12/3: Covers the period 2 May – 29 June 1940, and includes reports of arrests of ethnic Germans suspected of espionage, National Socialist influence within the ethnic German community, violent incidents between ethnic Germans and Serbs, Yugoslav reactions to Italy’s entry into the war, activities of British and French agents, military intelligence data on locations and movements of Yugoslav forces, information on suspected Yugoslav espionage agents in Germany, information and assessments of key Yugoslavian political figures, allegations that the Berlin Philharmonic was smuggling weapons into Belgrade while on tour, and decoded British classified telegrams; also included is detailed documentation on the case of a convicted German national (for privacy reasons his name has been removed from the photocopies used in microfilming) residing in Yugoslavia offering his services as a double agent in return for a pardon (total volume 359 microfilm images).

The final folder in this series is located in Box No. 20a.

Box No. 20a

The only folder in this box, originally located in Box No. 20, constitutes the last in the series begun in Box 19a, a collection of the RSHA's Amt VI B (SD-Ausland) correspondence on intelligence, counterintelligence, and internal conditions in Yugoslavia, and is also arranged in reverse chronological order.

173 - b - 20 - 12/4: Covers the period 17 January - 5 May 1940 (except for one December 1938 document assessing Yugoslavia’s requirements and dependence on petroleum supplies), and includes reports of identifications and activities of British and French agents, Allied other anti-German influences in the country, conditions and treatment of ethnic Germans, proposed voting reform legislation, anti-Semitic propaganda, Yugoslav military preparations for war, identifications of German agents, activities of Russian émigrés, and copies of anti-German leaflets (total volume = 368 microfilm images).

Box No. 23

(Note: The contents of Box Nos. 23-26, Folders 173 – b – 20/2 through – 20 – 16/5, appear to represent interrelated collections of card files for ca. 3,700 French nationals and ca. 1,100 – 1,200 individuals of other nationalities arrested in occupied France for espionage or resistance activities, 1940-44) Folder 173 - b - 20/2: Consists of photostatic reproductions of card files apparently maintained or prepared by either RSHA Amt IV E or Befehlshaber der Sicherheitspolizei (BdS) Paris/Amt IV E, regarding known or suspected agents of Soviet intelligence residing in occupied France, 1941-44. Each card includes entries for the individual’s name, address, place and date of birth, occupation, marital/family status, nationality, religion, a summary of the agent’s known or suspected activities and/or a record of his arrest, and the date of the card’s preparation. For a few agents, the summaries of their activities required two cards. Most of the individuals had been arrested or captured, also noted in the activity summaries. There is no apparent arrangement to the cards; the dates of information prepared range from February 1941 to January 1944. Each reproduction measures 8” x 6 ½.” A similar but more extensive collection for French nationals, using the same informational and physical format, follows. (49 pp.)

Folder 173 – b - 20/11: The first of several folders of photostatic reproductions of card files apparently prepared or maintained by RSHA Amt IV E or by BdS/Paris/Amt IV E regarding French nationals identified and usually apprehended for espionage or other resistance activities, 1940-44 (continued in Box No. 24). Following the same informational and physical format as that provided in the card files described above, these card files are arranged alphabetically by surname and include cards for those individuals whose surnames begin with the letters "A" through "F" (those beginning with the letter “B” are only grouped together and not thereunder alphabetically arranged) and some with the letter "G." The dates of information prepared range from July 1940 to April 1944. In some cases, the summaries of activities note individual agents’ direct involvement with British intelligence. The amount of information varies according to the individual, and for many the only summary of activity provided is the date of their arrest. Many reproductions are of very poor quality, and microfilm copies of these will be partially or wholly illegible. The contents of the folder continue into Box No. 24 and other card files in the series continue into Box No. 24a; altogether the number of French nationals covered by these series (173-b-20/11 and -20/12) amount to ca. 3,700 individuals. (1,582 pp.)

Box No. 24

Folder 173 - b - 20/11 (continued): Additional photostatic reproductions of card files prepared or maintained by RSHA Amt IV E or by BdS/Paris/Amt IV E regarding French nationals identified and usually apprehended for espionage or other resistance activities, 1940-44. Following the same informational and physical format as that described above, these reproductions of card files are grouped alphabetically by the first letter of the surname (thereunder unarranged) for French nationals whose surnames begin with the letters "G," "H," "L," "N," "O," "P" and "R" (cards for additional "H" and "L" surnames are located in folder VIII - 173 - b - 20/12 in Box No. 24a). One reproduction of a card file among the "G" arrangement pertains to Giscard d'Estaing. The date span of these card files ranges from November 1940 to March 1944. Additional segments of the same collection of card files are located in folder VIII - 173 - b - 20/12, Box No. 24a. (1,137 pp.)

Folder 173 - b - 20/11a: Consists of four original pages of interrogation summaries of a captured Belgian officer and a Frenchwoman regarding British intelligence activities in occupied France, May 1941 and April 1943. (With cover, five pp.)

Box No. 24a

Folder 173 - b - 20/12: This folder continues and completes the collection of photostatic reproductions of card files maintained by BdS/Paris/Amt IV E on French nationals identified and usually apprehended in espionage or resistance activities. These follow the same informational and physical format as described above, and include segments of card files that supplement those already described. The card files are grouped alphabetically by the first letter of the surname (but thereunder unarranged) for French nationals whose surnames begin with the letters "H" - "L" and "R" - "Z" (additional cards for "H" and "L" surnames are located in folder VIII - 173 - b - 20/11 in Box No. 23). The date span of these cards ranges from January 1941 to March 1944. Related card files for other nationalities residing in occupied France follow in Box No. 25. (1,023 pp.)

Box No. 25

Folder 173 - b - 20 - 16/15 (continued in Box No. 26): The contents of this and the following folder supplement those described above as photostatic reproductions of card files prepared or maintained by the BdS/Paris/Amt IV E for individuals of various nationalities residing in occupied France identified and usually apprehended as espionage agents or resistance members, 1940-44. These follow the same informational and physical format as the previous card files and are arranged alphabetically by nationality and thereunder alphabetically by surname of individual. The nationalities include: Algerian, Arab, Armenian, Australian (for one escaped British Commonwealth POW), Belgian (the largest group), and Czech. The date span of the cards ranges from October 1940 to April 1944. This collection is continued in the next box; similar card files for other nationalities in occupied France are located in the next folder. (372 pp.)

Folder 173 - b - 20 - 16/20: The contents of this folder continues the collection of photostatic reproductions of card files for individuals of various nationalities residing in occupied France identified and usually apprehended as enemy agents or members of the resistance, 1940-44, begun in the preceding folder. Apparently prepared or maintained by the BdS/Paris/Amt IV E, the card files follow the same informational and physical format as above, and are arranged alphabetically by nationality and thereunder alphabetically by surname of individual. The nationalities include: Holland, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Spain, Turkey and Yugoslavia. With the exception of the entries for Russia, however, these appear to duplicate the more complete collections for these nationalities located in folder 173 - b - 20 - 16/15, Box No. 26, below. The date span of the cards ranges from October 1940 to February 1944. (193 pp.)

Box No. 26

Folder 173 - b - 20 - 16/15 (continued): Continues the collection of photostatic reproductions of card files for identified and usually apprehended enemy agents and resistance members (other than French nationality) in occupied France, apparently prepared or maintained by BdS/Paris/Amt IV E, 1940-44. The card files follow the same informational and physical format as already described, and are arranged by nationality and partially thereunder alphabetically by individual surname. The nationalities include: Denmark, England (only one entry, for a downed RAF pilot), Germany (the largest group, and including data on political emigrés, military deserters, and members of the French Foreign Legion), Greece, Haiti, Holland, Hungary, Iraq, Italy, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. These appear to duplicate and constitute more complete collections for the same nationalities located in folder VIII - 173 - b - 20 - 16/20 in Box No. 25, described above. The date span of these card files ranges from August 1940 to February 1944. Many of the card files here include additional duplicate copies, which have been identified and will be omitted in filming. (Total volume including nationality cover sheets but omitting duplicates = 754 pp.)

Box No. 27

This box contains two folders, 173 - b - 20 - 18/1 and 2, representing a single collection of negative photostatic reproductions of personnel dossiers for informants and agents employed by the German Abwehr's Abwehrnebenstelle Bremen with surnames beginning with the letters A through K, 1934-45. These dossiers, together with those for informants and agents whose surnames begin with the letters L through Z, are already reproduced on microfilm as part of National Archives Microfilm Publication T77, Records of the German Armed Forces High Command (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht, OKW), rolls 1524-25 (no frame numbers available), and described in Guides to German Records Microfilmed at Alexandria, Va., No. 80 (Washington, DC, 1982), pp. 72-73. Arranged alphabetically by surname, the dossiers typically include a biographical questionnaire for each agent (usually including assessments of their character and reliability), associated cover letters and correspondence that often indicate the agent’s code designation, and lists of disposed (burned) related documents. The date span of the dossiers ranges from December 1934 to February 1945. As both these photostatic reproductions and the microfilmed portion of T77 roll 1524 derive from a U.S. Navy/Office of Naval Intelligence microfilm original (ML 202), there is no information provided as to the disposition of the original dossiers. (512 pp. but do not microfilm)

Box No. 28

Folder 173 - b - 16 - 12/80: Consists of a file of original records maintained by the Sicherheitspolizei/Einsatzkommando I/II Metz regarding individuals in occupied Lorraine known or suspected of acts of treason, espionage, or resistance, 1941-44. Arranged chronologically (with case numbers handwritten in the upper right-hand corner), the folder includes reports, name lists, telegrams, and correspondence regarding identified individuals (including foreign press correspondents) and specific acts of espionage committed by unknown persons in Lorraine ('Lothringen') and adjoining areas of the Saar and Palatinate (‘Saarpfalz’), including Saarbrücken and Trier, during the period March 1941 – July 1944. The reports include instances of individuals posing as Wehrmacht officers and descriptions of automobiles used by suspects. A table of contents for the principal case-number documents is included. Many cover notes constitute only half-pages, where appropriate these have been combined for filming purposes (175 pages/microfilm images)

Folder 173 – b – 24 – 05/03: Consists of an original dossier maintained by the RSHA Amt IV E 2 (designated Az. IV 2 b.1877/44 g.) on a captured Norwegian agent working for British intelligence, September 1944 – March 1945. Included are summary reports and interrogation statements that detail his training, equipment, previous activities, contacts in the Norwegian resistance, and radio ciphers. Some referenced enclosures are not included. Also included in the file, likely by error, is a report on the sabotage of a communications cable in occupied France, June 1943, and internal correspondence authorizing special gas rations for an RSHA staff member in Duisburg, June-July 1941. (67 pp.)

Folder 173 – b – 24 – 10/9: Consists of an original file maintained by the RSHA Amt IV D 2 containing reports on the organization and functions of British intelligence, basically for the period May - July 1944 (unarranged). Included are identified organizations, their locations and functions, and names of individuals associated with them; types of records include reports by specific agents, translations of British press articles, and summary reports. Of particular note is a translation of a report by the Spanish Falange on the organization and activities of British intelligence in Spain and Spanish Morocco. (90 pp.)

Folder 173 - b - 24 – 26/11: Consists of photostatic reproductions of several standard-form information sheets regarding identified Allied agents and meeting places in Belgium, February 1939 - April 1940. The information sheets were initially prepared by the Abwehrstelle in Wehrkreis VI (located in Münster in W.), possibly forwarded to the RSHA. Each information provides the name of an individual or specific location, if an individual his last known address, the agent's or location’s function within Allied intelligence, and identifications of the sources and reliability of the information. (12 pp.)

Folder 173 – b – 24 - 05/33: Consists of original card files for British and Norwegian agents and instructors active in the training or operations of agents in sabotage. Each card measures 5 ¾” x 3 ½ “ and includes the agent's name and rank or function, the location of pertinent agent- or sabotage- training center or school, sometimes accompanied by a physical description, an identification of the information source, and/or an internal RSHA filing designation. Probably initially arranged alphabetically by surname of agent but now unarranged, except that an effort has been made to group all the "A" surnames together at the beginning of the collection. Dates recorded on the cards range from September 1941 to December 1944. (314 cards)

Folder 173 - e - 10 - 12/120: Consists of several small files, all original records, maintained for the most part by the Gestapo/Staatspolizeistelle Aachen, 1936-44. The first file comprises telegrams and circulars (mostly from Abwehrstelle Wilhelmshaven) regarding alleged plans of the 'International Workers' Federation' to sabotage German industrial and trade goods, September-December 1939, with biographical data (including photographs) pertaining to the organization's leaders (48 pp.); the second file consists of circulars and correspondence regarding preparations for the visit of Interior Minister Dr. Wilhelm Frick to Aachen, August 1936 - January 1937 (12 pp.); the third file (designated 'Az. IV 2329/44g., Kurier-Liste Marstrander,' but of unknown provenance) comprises a copy of a report of the arrest of Finn Marstrander, a Norwegian bank official involved in the Norwegian resistance, November 1944 (3 pp.). At the end of the folder, possibly included by error, is a collection of loose personal papers and correspondence of individuals unaccompanied by any official documentation. This material includes: three bank receipts for payments made to the SD-Führer Strassburg, July-September 1944; a large number of handwritten letters to Frau Ruth Löffler geb. Schlemmer, April 1934-March 1936; several unidentified photographs of individuals; an annotated personal calendar for 1942 for an unidentified individual; a personal record of savings deposits in the Sparkasse der Stadt Berlin, April 1940-March 1945; and miscellaneous forms and receipts. Except for the bank receipts, these loose materials have not been microfilmed. (70 pp. microfilmed, loose materials omitted)

Box Nos. 29 and 30

These boxes contain thirteen packets of original card files, designated 173 – b – 24 – 05/38 through – 05/50, that constitute a single collection of reference cards for more than 1,800 German and foreign intelligence agents and informants employed by Abwehrstelle Wien and Abwehrnebenstelle Graz, 1938-44. Each card measures 5 ¾” x 4” and includes entries for the agent’s name, code name or designation, date and place of birth, occupation, place of residence, nationality, language skills, an identification of the Abwehr office and date whence the agent was first employed, a record of previous military service if applicable, the country or region (e.g., "Balkan") where the agent is most suited for employment, the subject area of the agent's expertise (expressed by an internal-use abbreviation, e.g. "I Luft," "VI wi"), and place(s) and date(s) of previous employment by German intelligence. The reverse side of each card often includes annotations to specific Abwehr report or file numbers and additional information; for some agents more than one card was required. Information on the cards is usually typed but sometimes handwritten. The card files are arranged alphabetically by surname of agent or informant, with each packet constituting one alphabetical segment as follows (surnames beginning with the letter “S” follow the German tradition of subdivisions into Sa-Sz, Scha-Schz, and Sta-Stz):

• 173 - b - 24 - 05/38: Abrus through Bozina (Box No. 29)
• 173 - b - 24 - 05/39: Brackx through Dzundza (Box No. 29)
• 173 - b - 24 - 05/40: Ebner through Grau (Box No. 29)
• 173 - b - 24 - 05/41: Gregor through Höglinger (Box No. 29)
• 173 - b - 24 - 05/42: Hohenlohe through Konrad (Box No. 29)
• 173 - b - 24 - 05/43: Konstantinidis through Kuhnert (Box No. 29)
• 173 - b - 24 - 05/44: Kühnle through Midin (Box No. 30)
• 173 - b - 24 - 05/45: Migdaal through Podhajecky (Box No. 30)
• 173 - b - 24 - 05/46: Pogner through Ruttner (Box No. 30)
• 173 - b - 24 - 05/47: Saad el Din through Scheuchenbauer (Box No. 30)
• 173 - b - 24 - 05/48: Schewtschenko through Sturm (Box No. 30)
• 173 - b - 24 - 05/49: Tabakoff through Vukovic (Box No. 30)
• 173 - b - 24 - 05/50: Wabnig through Zwiegincew (Box No. 30)

Following the last segment there is an additional small set of card files, also alphabetically-arranged by surname, for agents and informants separately registered for Abwehrnebenstelle Graz. These follow the same format as the main series.

The spellings of names of non-German agents and informants follow German transliterations of the original, e.g. "Tschapenko, Iwan," "Woronzow, Wladimir." Many of the cards are annotated or stamped, the meanings of which are unclear; a handwritten cross apparently indicates that the agent was deceased. The dates entered on the cards suggest that the card files were prepared during the period August 1938 - December 1944, but information for previous intelligence service includes dates as early as 1932. Packets 173 - b - 24 - 05/38 through /43 number approximately 875 cards; those in packets 173 - b - 24 - 05/44 through -05/50 number ca. 1,050 cards. An accessioned 16mm microfilm copy of these card files is located in Stack 290: 0C/36/05, Box 1. (Total number of microfilm images, including ca. 75% of reverse sides of cards = ca. 3,370)

Box No. 30a

This box contains only one folder, 173 - e - 10 - 12/91, which represents a collection of original telegrams and communications received initially by the Polizeifunkstelle Erfurt, later the Gestapo/Staatspolizeileitstelle Erfurt, that pertain to individuals and national security issues, mostly for the period 1934-38. Most of the telegrams identify individuals wanted or arrested for espionage, illegal political activity or traveling with false identification papers, or who were otherwise wanted for questioning or recommended for police surveillance. Arranged in reverse chronological order, the telegrams are divided unequally among the following time-periods: 8 January - 7 June 1934 (the majority of the folder, composed entirely of half-sheets); 17 December 1934 - 2 May 1935 (a few half-sheets); and 19 November 1935 - 16 May 1938 (scattered full-sized sheets). At the very beginning of the folder, likely filed here in error, is a telegram and cover notes sent to the Kommandeur der Sipo und des SD Metz regarding a Waffen-SS officer wanted for desertion, October 1944. There is some duplication among the telegrams (to be omitted in filming). Half-sheet telegrams should be filmed two per microfilm image. (Total microfilm images = 121).

Box No. 31

Note: In addition to the RSHA "Himmler files" described above, another original German record item was also declassified by determination of the Interagency Working Group in 2000, identified as record item OKW/134 (original German Signatur 70/M 33284), Abwehr IIID, "Fragebogen und ausländische Berichte," March 1942-March 1943. This file, originated by Section IIID of Amt Ausland-Abwehr of the German Armed Forces High Command, concerns counterintelligence activities of the Abwehr, Gestapo, and other German police and security organizations against Allied and Soviet espionage and sabotage networks and resistance organizations. Included is information on Allied agents arrested in Germany, lists of names of identified agents operating in the Balkans and the Near East, and summaries of counterintelligence activities throughout occupied Europe. Partially declassified in 1981 (NND 816029), the contents were not completely declassified until 2000 because of the inclusion of names of American and British intelligence personnel and descriptions of Allied intelligence organizations and facilities. This item will be added to the RSHA files for microfilming; as many original pages are fragile or damaged, photocopies have been made for use in microfilming (total microfilm images = ca. 310).