Inventory of the Kurt Werner Schaechter collection
Finding aid prepared by David Jacobs
Hoover Institution Library and Archives
© 2008
434 Galvez Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003
hoover-library-archives@stanford.edu
Title: Kurt Werner Schaechter collection
Date (inclusive): 1933-2006
Collection Number: 2007C4
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material: In French and German
Physical Description:
54 manuscript boxes
(21.4 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Acquired in 2007, the Kurt Werner Schaechter Collection in the Hoover Institution Library & Archives consists primarily of
photocopies made by Schaechter of documents from French state archives. These copies relate to the role played by the Vichy
France government in the internment of refugees during the Second World War, and the deportation of many such refugees, especially
Jews, toward Auschwitz and other Nazi concentration camps.
source:
Schaechter, Kurt Werner
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
Box 20 may not be used without permission of the Archivist. The remainder of the collection is open for research; materials
must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection,
they must be reformatted before providing access.
Use
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Materials were acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 2007
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Kurt Werner Schaechter Collection, [Box no]., Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Chronology
1921 |
Born, Vienna, Austria |
1938 |
Due to Nazi persecution of Austrian Jews following the incorporation of Austria into the German Reich, the Schaechter family
leaves Vienna and settles in France
|
1939-1940 |
Mobilized into French army, trained in North Africa, and sent to Narvik, Norway |
1943 |
Father is deported and killed in Sobibór |
1944 |
Mother is deported and killed in Auschwitz |
1950s-1970s |
Ran import-export company specializing in musical instruments |
1991-1992 |
Conducted archival research in Toulouse, France on Vichy-era internments and deportations |
1992 |
Went public with his copies of archival documents, becoming the center of a controversy regarding access to these and other
documents
|
2003 |
Lawsuit initiated by Schaecter against the Socié té Nationale des Chemins de fer Français is ruled invalid by a French court
under the terms of a statute of limitations applying to such cases
|
2006 |
Inaugurated plaque at a local railway station commemorating those deported by Vichy government |
2007 |
Died |
Scope and Content of Collection
Acquired in 2007, the Kurt Werner Schaechter Collection in the Hoover Institution Library & Archives consists primarily of
photocopies made by Schaechter of documents from French state archives. These copies relate to the role played by the Vichy
government in the internment of refugees during the Second World War, and the deportation of many such refugees, especially
Jews, toward Auschwitz and other Nazi death camps.
The son of Austrian Jews who were victims of the Nazis, Schaechter undertook a personal mission to document the complicity
of the Vichy government in the Holocaust. He became particularly interested in the part played by the French national railroads
in transporting interned Jewish and other refugees into German hands, and in the general subject of Vichy collaboration with
the Nazis in this period. Schaechter's decision to file suit against the SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français)
received wide media attention in France and elsewhere in the early 1990s, as did his decision to make public the documents
he had photocopied. His lawsuit was ultimately unsuccessful-a French court ruled that his case had been brought too long after
the events themselves-and the charges he made regarding access to French archival sources were challenged by many French historians
of the Vichy period, who maintained that Schaechter's assertions regarding French collaboration in deportations had already
been largely revealed by French and other historians in the 1970s and 1980s.
The materials in the collection will be of value to researchers interested in the controversies surrounding Schaechter's lawsuit
and his decision to make archival documents available by copying and publishing them. The materials require some explanation
as to their nature and Schaechter's description and arrangement of them. A large number of copies are stamped "secret," but
are not considered to be classified. Furthermore, many of the photocopies cannot be assumed to be exact copies of French archival
documents. Schaechter compiled and published large numbers of these copies under the auspices of his own foundation, E.T.H.I.C.
(Enquête sur la Tragique Histoire des Internements dans les Camps en France). In doing so, he often combined documents or
added his own descriptions. As a result, such copies must be considered facsimiles or composites, and need to be compared
to the originals. Another factor that may cause confusion is Schaechter's use of the term "originaux", which he employed to
describe the master copies that he later duplicated, and not the archival documents themselves. A large number of true copies
are part of the collection, and these contain significant information about internments and deportations in the Vichy period.
It should be noted that there are many duplicates in the collection, as Schaechter made numerous sets of the same photocopied
documents for use in his lawsuit and for other purposes. Different descriptions were added by Schaechter to these copies,
depending on the circumstance, and they have been preserved inasmuch as they shed light on his polemics with others and his
research activities in general.
The collection also contains correspondence, including some open letters addressed to French politicians, and a number of
writings by Schaechter, including several historical plays. Details on Schaechter's lawsuit and other activities, as well
as information on the fate of his parents, can be found in the Biographical File series.
Related Material
Klaus Barbie pre-trial records, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Subjects and Indexing Terms
World War, 1939-1945 -- France
World War, 1939-1945 -- Jews
France -- History -- German occupation, 1940-1945
World War, 1939-1945 -- Concentration camps
Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)
Schaechter, Kurt Werner
Biographical file
1979-2006.
Scope and Contents note
Includes autobiography and family history, clippings, laws pertaining to French archives, and list of historians and supporters
box 1, folder 1
Autobiography and family history
1993-2006
box 1, folder 3
Laws pertaining to French archives
1979
box 1, folder 4
List of historians and other supporters
circa 2000
Correspondence
1989-1999.
Scope and Contents note
Contains letters and enclosures, arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent
box 1, folder 8
Azéma, Charles, 1994
1994
box 1, folder 9
Boutros Ghali, Boutros, 1993
1993
box 1, folder 10
Chirac, Jacques, 1999
1999
box 1, folder 11
Comédie de Saint Etienne (Daniel Benoin), 1993
1993
box 1, folder 12
Corcuff, Marie-Andrée, 1997
1997
box 1, folder 13
Cotta, Jacques, 1993
1993
box 1, folder 14
Le Figaro (Max Clos), 1992
1992
box 1, folder 15
Gerstein, Klaus, 1997-1998
1997-1998
box 1, folder 16
Giroud, Françoise, circa 1992
circa 1992
box 1, folder 17
Hehn, Jochen, 1997-1998
1997-1998
box 1, folder 18
Jacoby, Daniel, 1994
1994
box 1, folder 19
Joffroy, Pierre, 1997
1997
box 1, folder 20
Jouet, Jean-Claude, 1989-1992
1989-1992
box 1, folder 22
Klarsfeld, Serge, 1992
1992
box 1, folder 23
Kriegel, Annie, 1992
1992
box 1, folder 24
Leotard, François, 1993
1993
box 1, folder 25
Libération (Annette Levy-Willard, Jean-Dominique Merchet), 1993-1998
1993-1998
box 1, folder 26
Marcel, François, 1993
1993
box 1, folder 27
Ministè re de la Defense (France), 1997
1997
box 1, folder 28
Minkowski, Alexandre, 1994
1994
box 1, folder 29
Mitterand, François and Danielle, 1992
1992
box 1, folder 30
Nicolas, Bernard, 1993
1993
box 1, folder 32
Pitteloud, Jean-François, 1999
1999
box 1, folder 33
Poncelet, Christian, 1999
1999
box 1, folder 34
Tribüne (Otto R. Romberg), 1993
1993
Speeches and Writings
1961-2006.
Scope and Contents note
Contains articles, plays, and other writings, arranged chronologically
box 1, folder 35
Compilation of poetry and personal letters
1960-1991.
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 1, folder 36
"Die Nacht der langen Messer,"
1967
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 1, folder 37
"Ekkehard,"
1985
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 2, folder 1
"Guerillieros[sic] in der Sierra,"
circa 1990
box 2, folder 2
"Michael Kohlhaas,"
circa 1990.
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 2, folder 3
"Der Putsch,"
circa 1990.
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 2, folder 4
"Rosa Luxemburg,"
circa 1990.
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 2, folder 5
"Der Skandal,"
circa 1990
box 2, folder 7
"Ein wirtschaftliches und monetäres Projekt für Mitteleuropa,"
1995
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 2, folder 8
"Nouveaux algorithmes du triangle de Pascal et des nombres de combinaison,"
1996 February 14.
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 2, folder 9
"Le problè me de l'accessibilité aux archives, en tant que droit de citoyen et droit de l'homme, et l'unique moyen de garantie
de la démocratie, contre tout abus administratif et tout abus de pouvoir,"
1996 October.
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 3, folder 1
"Pour une déclaration universelle de la dignité de la vie,"
1998 September 16.
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 3, folder 2
"Le bataillon qui a combattu a Narvik en Norvè ge,"
circa 2001.
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 3, folder 3
"Le préfet Sabatier nommé par Papon état-il agent de la Gestapo? Sinon pourquoi aurait-il fait disparaître Kurt Gerstein,
ce chrétien prussien qui tentait d'empêcher les livraisons de gaz mortel dans les camps?,"
Journal des combattants
2004 November 27.
Scope and Contents note
Printed copy
"Frankreich das schwarze Buch,"
circa 2006.
Scope and Contents note
Typescript
box 5, folder 11
Miscellaneous illustrations
Subject File
1933-1998.
Scope and Contents note
Contains clippings and copies of archival documents, arranged alphabetically by subject
box 6, folder 3
Dora (concentration camp), Germany
1989-1996
box 6, folder 6
Giraudoux, Jean
1983-1986
box 6, folder 7
Maximoff (née Sabas), Carmen
1945-1971
Writings by others
1983-1996.
Scope and Contents note
Arranged by alphabetically by author
box 6, folder 9
Guckes, Johann
circa 1996
box 6, folder 10
Vormeier, Barbara
circa 1983
Photographs
1947-1996.
Scope and Contents note
Arranged chronologically
box 6, folder 11
1 print depicting Maurice Papon
1947
box 6, folder 12
12 prints depicting scenes of the former internment camp at Noé, France
1996.
Scope and Contents note
Includes one print depicting a memorial to Jewish victims of the Nazis
box 6, folder 13-46
Computer disks
circa 2000.
Scope and Contents note
Thirty four floppy disks containing materials largely relating to the photocopying of French archival documents by Kurt Werner
Schaechter
Photocopies of archival documents
1939-1950.
Scope and Contents note
Includes compilations published by E.T.H.I.C. (Enquête sur la Tragique Histoire des Internements dans les Camps en France);
printed matter and other research materials; and related correspondence.
box 7, folder 5-6
Organisation Todt, Service Travail Obligatoire (S.T.0)
1943-1944
box 7, folder 7
Camp de Récébédou
1941-1943
box 7, folder 8
Camp de Récébédou
1942-1943
box 7, folder 9-10
Camps de Récébédou, Vernet d'Ariè ge, et Noé
1940-1944
box 8, folder 1
Dénonciations et enquêtes
1942-1945
box 8, folder 2
Camps de Noé et Récébédou
1941-1944
box 8, folder 3
Camp du Vernet d'Ariè ge
1940
box 8, folder 4-5
Rapports de police et de gendarmerie
1941-1943
box 8, folder 7
Camps de Noé et du Vernet d'Ariè ge
1941-1944
box 8, folder 8
Camp de Noé, îlot spécial
1945-1946
box 8, folder 9
Comptabilité des camps
1941
box 8, folder 10
Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF)
1940-1944
box 8, folder 11
Registre d'écrou
1942-1943
box 9, folder 1
Registre d'écrou
1942-1943
box 9, folder 2-5
Déportations et convois
1942-1943
box 9, folder 9
Livre de mouvement des "hébergés" français
1943-1944
Dossiers références
1941-1944
Dossiers références
1941-1944
Dossiers références
1941-1944
Dossiers références
1941-1944
box 13, folder 10
Anglais et américains
1941-1944
box 14, folder 1
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 15, folder 3
L'affaire Tulard
1942-1949
box 15, folder 5
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 15, folder 6
Elk, Salo (Salomon)
1941-1944
box 15, folder 7-8
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 15, folder 11
Britanniques et américains
1944
box 16, folder 1
Sarraut, Albert et René Bousquet
1939-1940
Dossiers références
1939-1949
box 18, folder 5-6
Coinaud, Albert et famille
1940-1945
box 18, folder 7
Camps de Noé et Récébédou
1944-1946
box 18, folder 6
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
Dossiers originaux
1939-1946
box 20, folder 1-4
F
Access
Box 20 may not be used without permission of the Archivist.
box 20, folder 5-7
I
Access
Box 20 may not be used without permission of the Archivist.
box 20, folder 8
J
Conditions Governing Access
Box 20 may not be used without permission of the Archivist.
box 20, folder 9-10
JL
Access
Box 20 may not be used without permission of the Archivist.
box 20, folder 11
VS
Access
Box 20 may not be used without permission of the Archivist.
box 21, folder 1
Sarraut, Albert
1939-1944
box 21, folder 3-10
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 22, folder 1-5
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 22, folder 6-8
Camps de Noé et Récébédou
1940-1946
box 22, folder 10
Sarraut, Albert
1939-1940
box 23, folder 1-8
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 24, folder 1-19
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 25, folder 1-3
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
Dossiers généraux
1939-1946
Dossiers originaux
1939-1946
box 30, folder 6-11
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 31, folder 1-10
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 32, folder 1-5
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 33, folder 2
Sarraut, Albert
1939-1940
box 33, folder 3-10
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 34, folder 1-12
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 35, folder 1-11
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 36, folder 1-12
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 37, folder 1-6
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 37, folder 9
Organisation Todt
1943-1944
box 37, folder 10-11
Camps de Noé et du Vernet d'Ariè ge
1941-1944
box 38, folder 2
Sarraut, Albert
1939-1940
box 38, folder 3-10
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 39, folder 1-11
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 40, folder 6-10
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 41, folder 1-9
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
Dossiers références
1939-1949
box 43, folder 8-9
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 44, folder 1-10
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 45, folder 1-10
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 46, folder 1-9
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 47, folder 1-10
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
Dossiers originaux
1939-1946
box 49, folder 2-9
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 50, folder 1-10
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 51, folder 1-11
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 52, folder 1-10
Internements et déportations
1939-1946
box 53, folder 1-9
Internements et déportations
1939-1946