Metadata: Archives of the criminal investigation against Karl Constantin Canaris
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 2146
- Title:
- Archives of the criminal investigation against Karl Constantin Canaris
- Title (official language):
- Archief van het gerechtelijk onderzoek tegen Karl Constantin Canaris
- Creator/accumulator:
- Auditoraat-Generaal [bij het Militair Gerechtshof]; Auditorat-Général [près la Cour Militaire]
- Date(s):
- 1936/1951
- Language:
- Dutch; Flemish
- French
- German
- Extent:
- 4 linear metres
- Scope and content:
- This fonds is a digital copy of the material concerning the criminal investigation against Karl Constantin Canaris, and of great interest for studying the German repression and the persecution of the Jews in particular. The fonds mainly consists of documents produced by various institutions of the Belgian judiciary (mainly the Auditoraat-Generaal) and to a lesser extent original archival documents produced by German institutions and individuals. The archival material is the product of the research actions (including interrogations of witnesses, collection of documents) taken in the framework of the criminal investigation and for the purpose of gathering the necessary evidence against Canaris. We specifically find protocols of interrogations (of perpetrators, victims, witnesses), various attachments to these protocols, reports, notes, instructions, circulars, various types of forms, official attestations (i.a. death certificates and medical certificates), declarations of witnesses, tables and charts, sometimes photographs etc. The material produced by German organisations and individuals are often copies and provided with certified translations. Most of the material is dated 1944-1949, although many documents (originals or not) date back to the pre-war period and the Occupation. The fonds is composed of two main parts (called ‘deelarchieven’ (sub-fonds) in the inventory): the criminal investigation and the documents related to the eventual trial in 1951. The inventory is very detailed, with descriptions at item level. In the sections of the first part (“Deelarchief betreffende het gerechtelijk onderzoek tegen Canaris door het auditoraat-generaal”) we note general topics i.a. Canaris himself (his private life, role within the Nazi regime and the Sipo-SD etc), the functioning and organisation of the Sipo, the relations of the Sipo with the Military Administration and the Reichssicherheitshauptamt, Sicherheitshaft, Nacht und Nebel, the Breendonk camp (i.a. on the treatment of prisoners, deaths and executions, testimonies), hostages, verschärfte Vernehmung (including interrogations of mistreated individuals), documents à décharge of Canaris etc. Many of these sections contain documents generally related to the antisemitic policies of the Military Administration and the German police services, or related to individuals. Section 1.1.7 (“Stukken betreffende de rassenpolitiek”) explicitly concerns the persecution of the Jews. See the nos. 722-849, spanning in total 3 folders (and dated 1942-1950). Among these documents we note protocols of interrogations of perpetrators (e.g. Pierre Beeckmans, Canaris, Eggert Reeder, Felix Weidemann, Hans Frank, Edouard Strauch, Max Boden, Franz Straub, Philipp Schmitt, Friedrich Wimmer), victims and witnesses as well as correspondence of the Auditoraat, German correspondence, notes, instructions, circulars, lists concerning the deportations (in this case the transports from the Kazerne Dossin), memos, etc. The section “stukken toegevoegd na afsluiten van het onderzoeksdossier”also contains a subsection with “stukken betreffende de rassenpolitiek” – see nos. 3827-3886, 1 folder in total (covering the years 1946-1951). Here we find i.a. post-war correspondence and documentation concerning the number of deported and deceased Jews, Ministeriële besluiten concerning “presumed decease”, declarations of decease, medical certificates, protocols of interrogations of individuals etc. The second sub-fonds (“deelarchief van het proces in eerste aanleg tegen Karl Constantin Canaris”) contains the documents of the actual trial. We mainly find material related to the sessions (24th of April – 4th of August 1951), documents received after closure of the debates and the verdict of the permanent Krijgsraad of Brussels.
- Administrative/biographical history:
- Already in the Dutch period, the Krijgsauditoraat (Military Prosecutor’s Office)(1814-2003) operated as the military counterpart of the Openbaar Ministerie (Public Prosecutor’s Office). After the independence of Belgium, the auditeur-generaal continued to represent the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Militair Gerechtshof (‘Military Court’)(as well as at the krijgsraden or court-martials, for a long time). The competences of the Auditoraat-Generaal were therefore similar to those of the civilian prosecutor’s offices, but adapted to military justice: among others, supervision of the general criminal and prosecution policy, supervision of the military prosecutor’s offices and court clerks, … The Auditoraat-Generaal was assisted by a First Advocate-General as well as several Advocates-General and substitutes. The services of the Auditoraat-Generaal comprised, besides a secretariat, library, logistics and personnel services also different sections competent in criminal matters, as well as an efficient documentation service. By virtue of the law of 10 April 2003, the Auditoraat-Generaal was abolished in peacetime. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has taken over its duties. After the Second World War, the Auditoraat-Generaal played an important role notably in identifying and prosecuting collaborators, and in documenting war crimes committed on Belgian territory. (R. Depoortere, La juridiction militaire en Belgique 1796-1998. Compétences et organisation, production et conservation des archives, Miscellanea Archivistica Studia no. 115, Brussel, ARA-AGR, 1999; K. Velle & P. Drossens, “De rechterlijke macht”, 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. 619-650.)
- Access points: persons/families:
- Canaris, Karl Constantin
- Access, restrictions:
- The documents can only be consulted on the computers in the CEGESOMA reading room.
- Finding aids:
- An EAD-generated inventory is available on application.
- Yerusha Network member:
- State Archives of Belgium
