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ADDRESS
MR. VLADIMIR PETROVSKY
UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS OFFICE AT GENEVA
ON THE OCCASION OF THE RELEASE OF VOLUME XVI OF
THE SWISS DIPLOMATIC DOCUMENTS,
COVERING THE PERIOD 1945 TO 1947

Palais des Nations, 28 May 1997

Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

O
nly on rare occasions do history books themselves make history,
but the publication of the 16th volume of Swiss diplomatic
documents pertaining to the period 1945-1947 is clearly a case in
point. It sheds new light on Swiss diplomatic history in the post-World War II
era, when Mr. Petitpierre came to the Head of the Department of Foreign
Affairs.

I have no doubt that this publication will be met eagerly by historians,
research institutes and the public at large. I also have no doubt that it will
instantly become a prime reference on the events of this important period of
history. Indeed, one never emphasizes enough the need to go back to primary
sources in any attempt to describe specific historical circumstances with a
maximum of objectivity and professionalism.

This collection of documents concerns only two years, a very small slice of
history, but it opens a window of understanding not only into the past, but also
into the five decades thereafter. Indeed, during those years, fundamental

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