International Journal of Naval History

Privacy and Scholarship -- The Need to Establish a More Productive Working Relationship

    Professor Eric Rust of Baylor University sent the following observation to the IJNH recently and his concerns  resonated with those of us who have wrestled with these issues on many occasions. He describes a case involving the tension between personal privacy and historical inquiry. The need for the personal privacy of naval veterans and their families is not the issue. That should and must be guaranteed.  Rather, is it legitimate to assert that personnel records may never become part of an historical inquiry conducted by a bona fide historical professional exploring the nature of a naval community and its institutions without a delay of generations or centuries? How can we effect or influence in a positive way the boundary between scholarship and legitimate privacy? This is particularly important when the records in question are official, and government policies relative to access, retention, and privacy become a matter of debate.  Many historians from virtually every country have confronted the dilemma described below by Eric Rust, or will at some time in their productive careers. While the German authorities seem determined in this case, the editors of the IJNH would like to learn about solutions to this problem already place in other countries and what promising alternatives may still be available but untried. We invite discussion.

From: Rust, Eric C. [ Eric_Rust@baylor.edu ]

Sent: Wednesday, April 09, 2003 15:55

Subject: International Journal of Naval History - April Issue

Gary:

For the benefit (or better: continuing frustration) of those of us who are seeking access to Kriegsmarine personnel records, even if only for the purpose of simple statistical compilations and analyses that do not involve confidentiality issues, you may wish to include the following disheartening piece of information in the next issue of the IJNH:

The Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) in Berlin [ http://com-de.com/wast ], which houses an enormous number of Kriegsmarine's personnel files among its 2.1 million personnel records covering the German navies from 1871 to 1947, continues to refuse access to its holdings to historians even if they are engaged in bona fide scientific research projects.  As of April 6, 2003, in response to a request to sample Dienststelle files for the purpose of establishing a profile of the religious affiliation of Kriegsmarine officers, Peter Fiedler of the Dienststelle restated the rigid policies of the institution as follows (my translation): "(1) The Deutsche Dienststelle (WASt) is not an archive.  (2) The personnel records exist principally for the benefit of former members of the Wehrmacht or their survivors in order to solve compensation issues or to ascertain the soldiers' wartime activities and fates.  (3) Access to the records is reserved exclusively for employees of the Dienststelle.  (4) The use (analysis, copying and photocopying) of records by individuals other than employees of the Dienststelle is not possible under any circumstances.  (5) No reading room or work space exists for visitors. (6) A considerable number of former Wehrmacht members is still alive or died within the past ten years.  Applicable law prohibits us from sharing personnel information about them without their consent or that of their immediate survivors."

This means that for the forseeable future most research on the Kriegsmarine will continue to concentrate on hardware as well as operational and institutional issues, and thus add further to a vast literature on subjects about which everything that can possibly be written has already been written many times over in virtually every language under the sun.  A sad situation indeed!

Eric C. Rust, Baylor University