Robert Wolfe
Encyclopedia
Robert Wolfe is a former military Cpt. who fought in both Germany and Japan, as a commander of a recon team and anti-landmine platoon, he was hit in the head twice and afterwards become an archivist. Currently former senior archivist
of the US
National Archives
and expert on captured German
war documents.
Wolfe worked for 34 years at the Archives, functioning as its senior specialist for captured German and related records. He joined the National Archives in 1961, upon concluding service as a member of the American Historical Association
team microfilming captured German records at the World War II
Records Center in Alexandria, Virginia
.
Wolfe also served as archival consultant to the Department of State for the Berlin Document Center
(BDC) and as Special Adviser to Eli Wiesel for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
. His publications include: Captured German and Related Records: a National Archives Conference (1974) and Americans as Proconsuls: U.S. Military Government in Germany and Japan, 1944-52 (1984).
As archival consultant to the Department of State for the BDC from 1968 to 1994, Wolfe was the chief American negotiator for the return to the West German government
of original captured Nazi Party personnel records
assembled by the victors at the BDC. During that time, he wrote official reports and presented and published papers concerning the history of those records, specifically including reference to the discovery and capture of the Nazi Party records found at the paper mill in Freimann, Germany. One such publication was a "A Short History of the Berlin Document Center", written as a Preface to "The Holdings of the Berlin Document Center: A Guide to the Collections" (BDC, Berlin, 1994).
In 2001, Wolfe wrote a monograph
describing the discovery of the Nazi Party's worldwide membership card file by U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps
Agent Michel Thomas
in early May 1945.
As of 2004, Wolfe served as historical consultant at the National Archives, advising the Interagency Working Group (IWG) implementing the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act. The IWG was established to review Federal agency records under consideration for declassification.
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
of the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
National Archives
National Archives and Records Administration
The National Archives and Records Administration is an independent agency of the United States government charged with preserving and documenting government and historical records and with increasing public access to those documents, which comprise the National Archives...
and expert on captured German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
war documents.
Wolfe worked for 34 years at the Archives, functioning as its senior specialist for captured German and related records. He joined the National Archives in 1961, upon concluding service as a member of the American Historical Association
American Historical Association
The American Historical Association is the oldest and largest society of historians and professors of history in the United States. Founded in 1884, the association promotes historical studies, the teaching of history, and the preservation of and access to historical materials...
team microfilming captured German records at the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Records Center in Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
.
Wolfe also served as archival consultant to the Department of State for the Berlin Document Center
Berlin Document Center
The Berlin Document Center was created in Berlin, Germany, after the end of World War II. Its task was to centralize the collection of documents from the time of Nazism, which were needed for the preparation of the Nuremberg Trials against war criminals...
(BDC) and as Special Adviser to Eli Wiesel for the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is the United States' official memorial to the Holocaust. Adjacent to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the USHMM provides for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history...
. His publications include: Captured German and Related Records: a National Archives Conference (1974) and Americans as Proconsuls: U.S. Military Government in Germany and Japan, 1944-52 (1984).
As archival consultant to the Department of State for the BDC from 1968 to 1994, Wolfe was the chief American negotiator for the return to the West German government
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
of original captured Nazi Party personnel records
Document
The term document has multiple meanings in ordinary language and in scholarship. WordNet 3.1. lists four meanings :* document, written document, papers...
assembled by the victors at the BDC. During that time, he wrote official reports and presented and published papers concerning the history of those records, specifically including reference to the discovery and capture of the Nazi Party records found at the paper mill in Freimann, Germany. One such publication was a "A Short History of the Berlin Document Center", written as a Preface to "The Holdings of the Berlin Document Center: A Guide to the Collections" (BDC, Berlin, 1994).
In 2001, Wolfe wrote a monograph
Monograph
A monograph is a work of writing upon a single subject, usually by a single author.It is often a scholarly essay or learned treatise, and may be released in the manner of a book or journal article. It is by definition a single document that forms a complete text in itself...
describing the discovery of the Nazi Party's worldwide membership card file by U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps
Counter Intelligence Corps
The Counter Intelligence Corps was a World War II and early Cold War intelligence agency within the United States Army. Its role was taken over by the U.S. Army Intelligence Corps in 1961 and, in 1967, by the U.S. Army Intelligence Agency...
Agent Michel Thomas
Michel Thomas
Michel Thomas was a polyglot linguist, language teacher and decorated war veteran. He survived imprisonment in several different Nazi concentration camps after serving in the Maquis of the French Resistance and worked with the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps during World War II...
in early May 1945.
As of 2004, Wolfe served as historical consultant at the National Archives, advising the Interagency Working Group (IWG) implementing the Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act. The IWG was established to review Federal agency records under consideration for declassification.