Argentina releases documents on infamous Nazi fugitives
The Argentinean government has unveiled nearly 2,000 declassified secret service files related to hundreds of Nazi war criminals who sought refuge in the country following the defeat of the Third Reich in World War II. Estimates suggest that...
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The Argentinean government has unveiled nearly 2,000 declassified secret service files related to hundreds of Nazi war criminals who sought refuge in the country following the defeat of the Third Reich in World War II.
Estimates suggest that around 10,000 Nazis exploited "ratlines" to escape as the Axis powers fell. Notably, approximately half of these individuals are thought to have chosen Argentina, known for its hesitance to fulfill extradition requests.
On Monday, the Argentinian National Archives made available 1,850 files online, including intelligence reports, photographs, and police records. The documents focusing on "Nazi activities in Argentina" were released after substantial restoration and digitization efforts, as stated by the AGN.
These documents reveal the journeys and activities of individuals such as Josef Mengele, Erich Priebke, and Adolf Eichmann in Argentina.
Mengele, a physician and Nazi SS officer dubbed the “Angel of Death” for his cruel medical experiments on Auschwitz prisoners, entered Argentina in 1949 under the alias Gregor Helmut and lived there openly. “References obtained from different sectors of the German community allowed us to learn that he was commander of the Assault Guards and, at the same time, doctor in the German extermination camp of Auschwitz,” one of the files regarding Mengele states.
The recently released papers also feature the 1995 extradition documents for Priebke, a mid-level SS commander held accountable for leading a unit responsible for the slaughter of 335 Italian civilians at the Ardeatine Caves near Rome in 1944.
Additionally, the documents provide insight into Eichmann’s time in Argentina. Often identified as the logistics chief of the Holocaust, he was captured in Buenos Aires by Mossad agents in 1960 and executed by Israel two years later.
Although the files were declassified in 1992 under a decree from former Argentine President Carlos Menem, access was restricted to a specific reading room at the AGN.
In March, the country's current president, Javier Milei, authorized the release of these Nazi documents to the public following a request from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a US Jewish human rights organization currently investigating connections between Swiss bank Credit Suisse and Nazi Germany.
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
Estimates suggest that around 10,000 Nazis exploited "ratlines" to escape as the Axis powers fell. Notably, approximately half of these individuals are thought to have chosen Argentina, known for its hesitance to fulfill extradition requests.
On Monday, the Argentinian National Archives made available 1,850 files online, including intelligence reports, photographs, and police records. The documents focusing on "Nazi activities in Argentina" were released after substantial restoration and digitization efforts, as stated by the AGN.
These documents reveal the journeys and activities of individuals such as Josef Mengele, Erich Priebke, and Adolf Eichmann in Argentina.
Mengele, a physician and Nazi SS officer dubbed the “Angel of Death” for his cruel medical experiments on Auschwitz prisoners, entered Argentina in 1949 under the alias Gregor Helmut and lived there openly. “References obtained from different sectors of the German community allowed us to learn that he was commander of the Assault Guards and, at the same time, doctor in the German extermination camp of Auschwitz,” one of the files regarding Mengele states.
The recently released papers also feature the 1995 extradition documents for Priebke, a mid-level SS commander held accountable for leading a unit responsible for the slaughter of 335 Italian civilians at the Ardeatine Caves near Rome in 1944.
Additionally, the documents provide insight into Eichmann’s time in Argentina. Often identified as the logistics chief of the Holocaust, he was captured in Buenos Aires by Mossad agents in 1960 and executed by Israel two years later.
Although the files were declassified in 1992 under a decree from former Argentine President Carlos Menem, access was restricted to a specific reading room at the AGN.
In March, the country's current president, Javier Milei, authorized the release of these Nazi documents to the public following a request from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a US Jewish human rights organization currently investigating connections between Swiss bank Credit Suisse and Nazi Germany.
Thomas Evans for TROIB News
