FAQs
This page provides answers to the questions we are asked most frequently. If you do not find an answer to your questions, please feel free to send an e-mail to info@bertelsmann.de
Why was the Independent Historical Commission set up?
In fall 1998, the Duesseldorf journalist Hersch Fischler criticized the way the company presented its history in the public space. After a first effort to clarify the matter inside the company, the Bertelsmann AG Executive Board decided to have its history during the Nazi years examined by an Independent Historical Commission to investigate the specific points Fischler had criticized.
Who appointed the members of the commission?
We were able to recruit the internationally renowned historian and professor Dr. Saul Friedländer as the commission’s chairman. He was given full autonomy to appoint the members of the commission.
How did you ensure that the commission could be truly independent?
In his capacity as Bertelsmann AG Chairman & CEO, Thomas Middelhoff guaranteed that the commission would enjoy the following:
1. Access to all of the company’s business documents with relevance for the research.
2. Complete autonomy in matters of publication.
3. Once the investigation is complete, the records used by the Independent Historical Commission will be made available to the scientifically inclined public.
What did the Independent Historical Commission’s work mainly consist of?
The main methods employed by the Independent Historical Commission can be defined as follows:
1. View and assess records
2. Conversations with contemporary witnesses
3. Evaluate published literature
Did the Bertelsmann group contribute to the fund set up by the ''Remembrance, Responsibility and Future'' initiative?
Bertelsmann AG was the first German media company to join the industry’s "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future" initiative. By joining, Bertelsmann AG acknowledged the responsibility borne by the entire German business world for the suffering inflicted on the forced laborers.
FAQ - Report IHC
