22818: Corbett: National archives of Haiti

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

>From Bob Corbett

Folks, Today I am catching up in entering some new books into my library
and one of them is a very scarce little book called:  HAITI: THE ALLY OF
THE DEMOCRACIES.  By Dr. L Lourie.  Published in Port-au-Prince in 1942.

It deals with Haiti's relation to the west in the war, and the economic
situation and possibilities of Haiti.

However, in one of the short sections toward the end of the book was this
fascinating little passage on the national archives.

I fear that under the Duvalier government a significant portion of these
archives either disappeared or at least were raided.  Anyone know much
about that?  At any rate, here is the utopian version offered by this
author.

============

I
NATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE REPUBLIC OF HAITI

Immediately after the proclamation of the independence of Haiti, in 1804,
an attempt was made to organize the archives of the --country, called
"General archives of the Republic".

According to a regulation of August 20 th, 1880, the archives were placed
in a new building. The office of the Archives is subjected to a law of the
above mentioned date (paragraphe 44,45,52 of the Civile Code and
paragraphs 212 and 213 of the Criminal Code.)

By a law of October 18th, 1941, the General Archives are now called
"National Archives of the Republic". Since then there is a new plan of
organization, comprehending 8 sections

-	the section of Administration,
-	the section of population,
-	the section of legislation,
-	the historical section,
-	the judicial section,
-	the section of the topography and domains,
-	the section of library,
-	and the secretary's office.

The section of the Administration comprehends the documents of the
different Ministers and of all the authorities dependent on them both in
the capital and in the country, also the documents of the private Cabinets
of the former Presidents, of the Under-secretaries of State, etc.

In the section of legislation are united the archives of the Senate, of
the Chamber of Deputies and those of former State Council.

In the section of population are to be found the registers of the
documents of births, marriages, divorces and deceases.

The historical section comprehends all the documents of any nature having
existed before the declaration of the independence of Haiti, moreover all
the documents relating to ancient memoirs, except those of the movement of
population,

The section of the topography and the domains preserves the official maps
of the surface and the subsoil, as well as maps and registers of national
domains.

The section of the library contains all the books, reviews, newspapers, in
short all the writings of any kind published by the State or by private
persons and that of the execution of the Presslaw of December 15th, 1922.