Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (Record Group 85)
Case Files Released Under the Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Disclosure Acts (Entry P-3)
Boxes 1-16 location: 230/86/44/6
Notice to Researchers in Records Released under the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act and the Japanese Imperial Government Records Act
The Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group (IWG), in implementing the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act and the Japanese Imperial Government Records Act, has taken the broadest view in identifying records that may be responsive to the Acts. Information relevant to the Acts is often found among files related to other subjects. In order to preserve the archival integrity of the files, the IWG and the National Archives and Records Administration, where possible, have released entire files together, not just those items related to Nazi or Japanese war criminals, crimes, persecution, and looted assets. These records may relate to persons who are war criminals, former Axis personnel who are not war criminals, victims of war crimes or persecution, or civilian or military personnel investigating Nazi activities. The records may also include mention of, or information about, persons having no connection to these activities.
Most of the records in this series relate to investigations of naturalized U.S. citizens accused of obtaining citizenship by lying about committing war crimes or collaborating with the Nazis during World War II.
Some of the files relate to people brought to the country by the U.S. Government as intelligence or military assets despite their Nazi pasts. These included people the government knew were accused of war crimes, such as Ukrainian nationalist leader Mykola Lebed; and people the government judged to have worked for the Nazis in a noncriminal capacity, such as scientist Hubert Strughold.
At least two of the files relate to people who were stripped of their citizenship and deported: Romanian Orthodox Bishop Valerian (A.K.A. Viorel) Trifa, and former concentration camp guard Hermine Ryan (nee Braunsteiner).
For more information on the content of this series, see the Scope & Content Note in the National Archives Catalog.
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