Hillsdale College’s Sir Martin Gilbert Archives Provide Eyewitness Perspective on Holocaust
Library and archives include detailed documents and survivor testimonies
Hillsdale, Mich. – Hillsdale College announces its acquisition of the late Rt. Hon. Sir Martin Gilbert’s archive and papers related to the Holocaust.
“Sir Martin Gilbert, who was also the official biographer of Sir Winston Churchill, spent decades locating original records and collecting eyewitness accounts of the Holocaust,” says Larry P. Arnn, president of Hillsdale College. “This historical evidence will serve as a vital resource for researchers and scholars, and we are honored to preserve this knowledge for future generations.”
Of the 88 books published by Sir Martin, 11 focused on the Holocaust, including Final Journey: The Fate of the Jews of Nazi Europe and The Boys: The Story of 732 Young Concentration Camp Survivors. Research on the Holocaust was also an integral part of Sir Martin’s work in his books The Second World War and The Day the War Ended.
The College’s archive collection features Sir Martin’s research and source material for his work on the Holocaust, including:
• Correspondence and notes of his discussions with survivors and eyewitnesses
• Documents from the national archives of the United States and the United Kingdom
• Published and unpublished diaries and memoirs of survivors
• An annotated diary of the secretary of the Kovno ghetto
• Background research material on the British Mandate for Palestine and the first 70 years of Israel’s establishment
The materials examining the Holocaust are part of Gilbert’s expansive archive acquired by Hillsdale College as part of the College’s Churchill Project, which promotes Churchill scholarship through national conferences, scholarships, online courses, and an endowed faculty chair.
For more information on Sir Martin Gilbert and Hillsdale College’s archive, click here.