Cleveland Community Meeting

Cleveland Community Meeting

August 21, 2000

Ohio Senator Mike DeWine and The Nazi War Criminal Records Interagency Working Group (IWG) will hold a public meeting from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm on Monday, August 21, at the Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Boulevard, Cleveland, Ohio. This meeting is being held so that Senator DeWine and IWG members may report to the public on implementation of the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act of 1998. Senator DeWine was the principal Senate sponsor of the law that requires the release to the American public of remaining classified information about Nazi war crimes.

In addition to a status report from the IWG Chairman, Dr. Michael Kurtz, Assistant Archivist of the United States, and commentary from IWG members, the Cleveland program will consist of three parts. First, knowledgeable public figures have been invited to present their views on the importance of opening pertinent still-classified records as required by the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act. Second, scholars who have researched the records will share new information they have uncovered. Third, the IWG will hear from the interested public whose personal knowledge or experience may suggest avenues of further research. In addition to seeking to better inform the work of the Working Group, the objective in holding public meetings is to share with the public outside of Washington a process that emphasizes the positive role of government in pursuing overdue justice and preserving the national memory.

Among the speakers will be Professor Richard Breitman of American University, Professor Timothy Naftali of the University of Virginia, Victoria Pope of U.S. News & World Report, Professor Norma Goda of Ohio University, and Dr. Jonathan Cohen of the Center for the Study of Contemporary Ethics at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati.