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NATO Archives

Page history last edited by Paul Keenan 14 years ago

Date of tip: 28 July 2006

Source: Luke Nichter, nluke@bgsu.edu 

 

Location: Rue Leopold III, Evere, B-1110, Brussels (it’s not a very specific address, but you can’t miss it!)

 

How to get there: No matter where you are staying in the Brussels area, the easiest way to get to NATO is bus 11 or 12 (cost: €1.50, but may vary depending on where you are coming from).  If you are driving a car, there is some parking across the street from NATO, but I am sure it is restricted due to the security situation at NATO; I wouldn’t try it.  Also very important: you must give the exact dates of your visit as early as possible to the Archives, because NATO Security will issue you a visitor’s badge on arrival which you must have to gain access to NATO each day.  No badge = no admission.  If your travel plans change, I would contact the Archives as soon as possible.

On your first day, when you arrive, go to the main gate.  To the right, there is a security office.  From the phone located outside the security office (it works only for NATO extensions), call the archives at extension 4220 or 3672, and tell them you have arrived (you could also call on your mobile phone, which would be +32.02.707.XXXX where “XXXX” represents the four-digit extension; if you run into difficulty, the main number for NATO is 4111).  An archivist will come and meet you, and escort you through security, where they will issue you with your visitor’s badge which you will use every day you work at the archives.  On subsequent days, you can enter without being escorted, as long as you have your visitor’s badge and a form of identification.

 

Contact Details: nato.archives@hq.nato.int; Anne-Marie Smith, smith.anne-marie@hq.nato.int, was particularly helpful.

 

Language: English, French

 

Getting started: The NATO Archives is one of the most interesting places I have ever worked.  Contact an archivist early to plan your visit, and although they have no finding aids outside of the reading room, they were ready for me when I arrived, and maintain a number of aids both in print and electronic format in the reading room.  The Archives generally releases documents according to the 30-year rule, but this can be tricky.  When NATO reviews documents for release, they must have unanimous consent from all member countries, which normally takes about six months to acquire.  However, “one nation” (as one archivist often referred to it) has been troublesome and has held up the most recent release of documents from 1970-1972.  Therefore, be sure to be very specific with your research inquiry so you know exactly when is available before your arrival. 

 

Opening Hours: Monday – Thursday, 9am – 5pm, and Friday, 9am – 2:30pm (although I would check the latest information before arrival).  The reading room does close during lunch, but the length of closure varies depending on who is working, so check when you arrive.

 

General working conditions: The reading room has been recently fitted with new computers and is very pleasant, with room for maybe 12 or 15 researchers.  There are power outlets nearby for laptops.  Archival materials are carried from across the hall.  I did not see any lockers, but they do not have a problem if you leave your bag under your table.  My impression is that they maintain a very laid-back reading room, hardly scrutinizing of anything I brought with me.  However, because it is a relatively small reading room, they are very attentive to individual researcher needs.  I did not actually see any materials request forms.  I told the archivist what I needed to see, and he piled up it next to me within a few minutes.  Most of the files are actually in pdf format and are stored on CDs, which are very easy to use.  To assist in searching these CDs, they have developed a full-text search engine which is very helpful (which was developed for them by the same “one nation” that is holding up the current document release).  However, I was also shown some unreleased files that had not been converted to pdf just yet, but that was only under the condition that I had to deny they existed, so I won’t go any further into those!  The point is that the archivists are very helpful if you reciprocate the friendliness.

 

Consultation: As far as I know, there is no limit to the number of boxes you may consult in a day. 

 

Policy on technology: Laptops are permitted, but not digital cameras. 

 

Photocopy policy: They have a very strict photocopy policy.  There is no charge for the copies, but the limit is 80 pages a day (although they allow up to around 100 +/- in my experience), that way it is fair for everyone.  However, you have to be present to get your 80 copies (I was told a story of a researcher who was in Brussels for a month, so he wanted a month’s worth of copies, but he actually only came to the reading room for a few days of that month)  There is no option to pay for more copies.  The way you get the copies is to submit to them a photocopy request, and they will have them ready for you the next day, and if you don’t want to carry them through the airport on the way home, they will send them to any country in the world free of charge (mine arrived home before I did!).

 

Particularities: There is a cafeteria on site, which is located down the hall at the other end of the building.  However, because to get there you have to pass through a secure area (and with a mere visitor’s pass you don’t have clearance to walk through), you must exit the building, walk through the parking lot, and enter the building on the other side.  When you walk in the double-doors, the very reasonably-priced cafeteria is to the left, and is open all day for coffee, snacks, and lunch.

 

How to apply for classified files: I am not aware of a procedure to apply for classified files, since releases occur only with unanimous consent of NATO member countries.

 

Places to Stay: There are several hotels in the area, and places to shop (including a Carrefour; use the stop “Evere Shopping”), but because I also wanted to be located near the European Commission and the city center, I stayed near Schuman station. Although some of the hotels in this area are pricy, if you travel during the summer, many of the prices are half what you would pay the rest of the year.

 

Funding: I am not aware that any funding is available. 

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