Correspondence regarding Dokumentenwerk - with Carsten, Francis Ludwig

  • This material is held at
  • Reference
      GB 1556 3000/9/1/15
  • Dates of Creation
      27/12/1957 - 29/10/1961
  • Language of Material
      German English
  • Physical Description
      67 items

Scope and Content

The correspondence reflects F. L. Carsten’s extensive involvement in the Dokumentenwerk project. Its first part sheds light on his task of authoring the chapters ‘The failure of the many’ and ‘The proof of the few’, and deals primarily with the suggested amendments to the submitted manuscripts. From 1960 on a second part centres on internal discrepancies between F. L. Carsten and The Wiener Library caused by the publication’s delay and different views on credits for authorship. For the Library several letters are authored and signed by Johann Wolfgang Brügel. Furthermore, a draft by a solicitor for a letter to Carsten as well as several internal memos are contained.

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.

Prof. Dr. Francis Ludwig Carsten (1911-1998) was a British historian of Jewish-German origin. In the late 1950s he was employed by The Wiener Library as freelance author for writing and editing works on the planned publication.

Access Information

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Related Material

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