Curtain Lifts on Soviet Research

For many Americans whose ancestors came from areas in the Soviet Union, the Iron Curtain that has been a barrier to gaining genealogical information is being lifted.

Last October, plans for acquiring genealogical information from the Soviet Union were discussed in a meeting of the members of the U.S./U.S.S.R. Genealogical Exchange Advisory Board.

Four of these board members--Dr. Gary B. Mills, of the National Genealogical Society; Velma Hash Rice, of Federation of Genealogical Societies; E. Donya Platoff, a Russian-American volunteer at the National Archives, and Patricia A. Eames, of the National Archives Office of Public Programs--plan to visit the Soviet Union to consult with officials of their archival system and to work out logistics for exchanging genealogical information and requests.

Genealogical research in the Soviet Union has been banned since the Bolshevik Revolution and is unfamiliar to most Soviet archivists. However, interest in genealogy is growing in the Soviet Union. A group in Leningrad holds monthly meetings and seminars have been conducted, but these have primarily dealt with elitist genealogy, according to Rabbi Malcolm H. Stern, of New York, a liaison for genealogical organizations.

Tasks facing the Soviets before genealogical queries can be answered are:

* Understanding genealogical research and its goals;

* Development of channels of communication between archives in the Soviet Union, including appropriate distribution of research fees;

* Creation of catalogues and finding aids of its collections;

* Development of teams that include historians and others skilled in research to work with archivists.

Once the preliminary work has been done, announcements will be made describing the procedures for submitting research queries. These will be funneled through Soviet-American Genealogical Archival Service (SAGAS).

All of this will take time.

In the meantime, genealogists are cautioned to be careful in dealing with anyone or any organization offering research-for-hire in the Soviet Union. It is best to wait until your requests can be handled by SAGAS.