Records of the Central Office of the Judicial Authorities of the Federal States for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes (B 162)

The Central Office of the State Justice Administrations for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes is Germany’s main agency responsible for investigating Nazi war crimes since 1958. The mandate for the Central Office was and remains to collect and examine all relevant records on criminal acts of the Nazi regime. The facts ascertained are then handed over to the public prosecutor who institutes the formal preliminary and criminal proceeding. The public prosecutors are also obliged to forward all findings they obtain to the Central Office and to notify legal measures and decisions pronounced during the proceedings. Since its formation, the Central Office has helped track down and prosecute almost 7,000 Nazi criminals and collaborated with the agencies of other nations to track down war criminals. In 2000, the Federal Archives established a branch office located at the residence of the Central Office of the Judicial Authorities of the Federal States for the Investigation of National Socialist Crimes in Ludwigsburg. The task of this branch is to preserve those records which are no longer required by the Central Office and make them accessible to researchers.