“By convening the Independent Historical Commission to research Bertelsmann’s history during the Third Reich, the company set standards for dealing with its own history at the time. Since the report was presented in 2002, Bertelsmann has fully embraced the findings of the IHC report and dealt with them in an open and transparent manner. The Commission’s unrestricted autonomy, i.e. complete freedom from any interference by the company, was a basic prerequisite for restoring Bertelsmann’s credibility and integrity with regard to the company’s history. I strongly believe that as an international company, we bear a special responsibility for discussing our history. The high academic standard of the IHC report remains the benchmark for any consideration of our history.”