Correspondence regarding Dokumentenwerk with Guttsman, Wilhelm Leo

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 1556 3000/9/1/24
  • Dates of Creation
      26/06/1958 - 04/02/1959
  • Language of Material
      German
  • Physical Description
      14 letters

Scope and Content

Correspondence regarding the freelance employment of W. L. Guttsman by The Wiener Library and his task to write a chapter (‘The failure of the many’) for the planned Dokumentenwerk publication. Contained are a project outline as well as a discussion note by Guttsman.

Administrative / Biographical History

Beginning in 1954 The Wiener Library and the Institute for Contemporary History (IfZ) in Munich worked jointly on an edition of documents (Dokumentenwerk) regarding the persecution of Jews in the Nazi era. Initiated by the Ministry of Interior (BMI) and funded by the Federal Agency for Homeland Service (BHD) this project was part of larger journalistic endeavors by these two authorities to fight and prevent Antisemitism in West Germany. Due to ongoing problems the Dokumentenwerk was cancelled eventually in May 1963.

Wilhelm Leo Guttsman (1920-1998) was a British scholar and librarian of Jewish-German descent. He had come to England after being imprisoned in Buchenwald concentration camp in the wake of the November Pogrom 1938. In the late 1950’s he was hired by The Wiener Library as researcher for the project.

Access Information

open

Related Material

See the numerous correspondences on the Dokumentenwerk project within the Pre-1963 Correspondence series.

Personal Names