Publications

The Service of the Historical Archives is involved in a series of collaborative publications with the Department of Political Science of the University of Athens. The results of the first such effort was "The Dodecanese: The Long Road to Union with Greece" first published in 1997, and reprinted in 1998 with additional documents. The volume edited by Photini Constantopoulou, Director of the Service of Historical Archives, and Professor Lena Divani contains a series of documents selected from the archival depository of the Ministry which delineate the evolution and progress of the transition of the Dodecanese from Italian occupation to union with Greece. The volume was presented in the context of the lecture series, "Greece in Britain", on the role of the British Military Administration(BMA) which acted as a mediator between the Greeks and the Italians during the transition.

The second research publication project which resulted from the collaboration between the service of the Historical Archive and the University of Athens concerns the history of the Greeks of Jewish faith. The catalyst for this volume was the conference of Nazi gold held in London in December 1997. The revived interest in German reparations in combination with the search into the Swiss bank accounts for German deposits was fundamental in our efforts to create an archive that would focus exclusively on this issue.

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The volume Documents on the History of the Greek Jews, presented on November 11, 1998 by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Theodoros Pangalos, to the community delineates the relations between the Jewish community of Greece and to respective Greek governments as portrayed in the documentation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The volume was distributed at the Washington Conference on looted assets held last summer and was praised by the American Undersecretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs, Stuart E. Eizenstat.

On June 22 the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. George Papandreou, presented, in a ceremony honored by the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Constantinos Stephanopoulos, the latest study by the Service of Historical Archives, The Foundation of the Modern Greek State: Major Treaties and Conventions (1830 - 1947) This volume delineates the evolution of the Greek state through treaties and conventions, which Greece agreed to or signed, from the outbreak of the War of Independence until the incorporation of the Dodecenese islands after the end of the Second World War.

Following the introductory essay by the editor of the volume the book is divided into two sections. The first presents the bilateral and multilateral treaties that were agreed to by Greece from the War of Independence until the annexation of Thessaly and the Arta area. The second part focuses on the treaties that contributed to the creation of the modern Greek state beginning with the First Balkan War and concluding with the Treaty of Peace with Italy which resulted in the incorporation of the Dodecanese islands. The treaties presented in this volume have been edited in order to present only the portions of the agreements pertinent to Greece. The introductory remarks which precede each treaty set the historical and political framework under which they were signed. Following the text of the treaties is a time chart which functions as a chronological guide for the events that marked the creation and evolution of the modern Greek State.

The goal of this study and the continuing effort of the Service of Historical Archives of the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to present the multifaceted history of Greece through a variety of primary sources held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and presented to the academic community and to interested researchers. The Foundation of the Modern Greek State: Major Treaties and Conventions (1830 - 1947) is a timely and helpful volume which compiles important documents defining the modern boundaries of the Hellenic Republic. It is a useful tool in its reaffirmation of international treaties, which in turn define and govern the behavior of the state in the global community with respect to international law. National foreign policy is formulated on the basis of respect for the principles of International Law and international treaties. It is, therefore, a policy of peaceful co-existence and co-operation. A policy of strength, not weakness.