Fonds Inlichtings- en Actiediensten IAD of the State Security

Collection description

Collection

Country:: Belgium

Holding institution:: Centre for Historical Research and Documentation on War and Contemporary Society

Holding institution (official language):: Centre d’Études et de Documentation Guerre et Sociétés Contemporaines

Postal address:: Luchtvaartsquare 29 / Square de l’Aviation 29, 1070 Bruxelles (Anderlecht)

Phone number:: +32 (0)2 556 92 11

Web address:: http://www.cegesoma.be/

Email:: cegesoma@cegesoma.be

Reference number:: CHRDWConS-Brussels-AA 1333

Title:: Fonds Inlichtings- en Actiediensten IAD of the State Security

Title (official language):: Bestand Inlichtings- en Actiediensten IAD van de Veiligheid van de Staat

Creator/accumulator:: Veiligheid van de Staat; Sûreté de l’État

Date(s):: 1941/1990

Date note:: The majority of material dates from 1941 to 1950.

Extent:: ca. 40,413 folders

Scope and content:: In this fonds we firstly note general files related to the operation of the Staatsveiligheid (State Security) during the Second World War – see the inventory by E. Verhoeyen. Of particular interest for this guide, however, is the series of individual of files concerning over 40,000 individuals, made by the State Security in the context of the procedure to grant the status of Inlichtings- en Actieagent to former resistance fighters who applied for it. The files concern members from various resistance groups but evidently mainly agents of intelligence networks such as Comète, Groupe G, Wim, Tégal, Zéro and others. The files consist of i.a. correspondence with the applicants, various forms (containing overviews of the resistance activities of the concerned persons), attestations, occasionally declarations, testimonies and letters of recommendation from other resistance fighters, etc. (This fonds is indirectly related to the Jewish population.)

Administrative/biographical history:: Since the independence of Belgium, keeping public order and ensuring the security of the State has been one of the missions of the Ministry of Justice. Initially, this task was carried out by the Openbare Veiligheid / Sûreté publique (Public Safety) in its successive forms. The Sûreté de l’État / Staatsveiligheid (State Security), a separate section within this administration, was created in the early 1930s as a civilian intelligence service. Until today, the service is supervised by the Ministry of Justice; only in 1940 and from 1945 to 1948 the service formed part of the Ministry of National Defence. In 1943, the exile government in London set up a Hoog Commissariaat voor ’s Lands Veiligheid with the aim of preparing the re-establishment of government authority after the Liberation, to coordinate the operations of the State Security in occupied Belgium, etc. Among the tasks of today’s State Security, which were not legally defined for a long time, are the protection of the (political, economic, scientific) interests and values of the state, the safeguarding of its internal and external security, but also the execution of protection missions, investigations with regard to security clearances, etc. The Comité I, set up in 1991, is the controlling body for the different intelligence services. (http://justitie.belgium.be/nl/overheidsdienst_justitie/organisatie/onafhankelijke_diensten_en_commissies/veiligheid_van_de_staat/; C. Vanderpelen-Diagre, “Haut Commissariat à la sécurité de l’État”, in P. ARON & J. Gotovitch, Dictionnaire de la Seconde Guerre mondiale en Belgique, Brussel, André Versaille, 2008, pp. 223-224; K. Velle & K. Devolder, “De FOD Justitie”, in P. van den Eeckhout & G. Vanthemsche (ed.), Bronnen voor de studie van het hedendaagse België 19e – 21e eeuw. Tweede herziene en uitgebreide uitgave, Brussel, Koninklijke Commissie voor Geschiedenis / Commission Royale d’Histoire, 2009, pp. 325-350.)

Subject terms:: Holocaust; Holocaust--Rescue and resistance; Jewish self-defence and resistance; World War II

Access, restrictions:: The fonds was, in principle, closed until 2015. Consultation requires the authorisation of the Veiligheid van de Staat. Researchers should contact Mr. Gerd De Coster (gerd.decoster@cegesoma.be) for more information.

Finding aids:: There is an inventory for the series of subject files; see E. Verhoeyen, Fonds “Sûreté de l’État”, 1994. A list of names (consultable on authorisation of the Veiligheid van de Staat) exists for the series of individual files.

Yerusha Network member:: State Archives of Belgium

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