Government operations and workforce

Executive Order 13110: Nazi War Criminal Records Interagency Working Group

President: Bill Clinton

Created an Archivist-led group to identify, declassify and open U.S. Nazi war-crimes records under the 1998 disclosure law.

Status: Completed/expired. Is Executive Order 13110 still in effect? No. Executive Order 13110 is completed or expired. See Federal Register record.

What does Executive Order 13110 do?

EO 13110 established an Archivist-led interagency group to locate, inventory, recommend for declassification and release covered Nazi war-crimes records, subject to statutory exceptions. The order set a three-year term and a report goal within one year. Congress later expanded the work to Japanese Imperial Government records and extended the group by statute through March 31, 2007. NARA says the group concluded its work that day and presented a final report on September 28, 2007; the effort opened more than 8.5 million pages. A name appearing in a released file is not, by itself, proof of criminal conduct.

Administration position: Release under the project does not by itself label every named individual a war criminal; responsive files include broader historical and intelligence material.
SignedJanuary 11, 1999
Original EO termThree years, later extended by statute
Statutory endMarch 31, 2007
Final report presentedSeptember 28, 2007
Records openedMore than 8.5 million pages

Before and after

Before the order

Relevant classified records were dispersed across intelligence, military, diplomatic and law-enforcement agencies.

After the order

An Archivist-led review coordinated unprecedented declassification and central public access.

Who had to do what

Agency / officeActionTiming / position
Interagency working groupLocate, review and release recordsCompleted
Record-holding agenciesIdentify and process responsive filesCompleted with later releases
National ArchivesPreserve access and publish reportsContinuing

What happened next

EO 13110 established the group under the 1998 disclosure law.

Congress expanded the remit to Japanese Imperial Government records and extended the group through 2004.

NARA reported that the group concluded its work.

The Archivist presented the final report; NARA reported more than 8.5 million pages opened.