Ulkoasiainministeriön arkisto
- The archives of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Address
Phone
Archival and Other Holdings
The oldest documents in the archives date back to 1918. The collections are a central source of information for research into Finland’s foreign policy and the history of Finland’s international relations. The most essential documents are letters that have been arranged into groups according to content or signums (classification code). Documents dealing with a particular subject matter are collected into one dossier. Researchers have access to the archived materials of committees and working groups under the administration of the Foreign Service, too. There is also a map collection.
The Holocaust related records are mainly to be found in groups 61 (the Jewish question), 20 Ö (Refugee statistics), 12 N (Anthoni, Arno Kalervo) and 20 U (Special issues concerning foreigners willing to enter Finland). Some files can be found also in groups 7.K (WW II and related issues), 110 (the Continuation War), and 113 (United Nations, files that concern Israel).
Finding Aids, Guides, and Publication
Searches into the letter collection are made through the archive catalogues. The customer service staff also use indexes organized according to the subject matter or individual names. The first electronic register of documents was introduced in the Ministry in 1982. The staff help customers find the material that they are looking for and make materials available for researchers.
Opening Times
The Archives is open 9.00–16.00 from Monday through Friday.
Accessibility
The archives of the Ministry are open to the general public. Based on the Act on the Openness of Government Activities (Laki viranomaisten toiminnan julkisuudesta 621/1999), the period of secrecy for official documents is mainly 25 years. The use of documents is further limited by the provisions that have been enacted to protect business or professional secrets and individuals’privacy.
Sources
USHMM Archive website consulted on 15 July 2013
Copies
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United States Holocaust Memorial Museum holds copies of Holocaust-relevant archives from Finland. Ulkoasiainministeriö