Argentina to Release Nazi Files
By Staff, Agencies
Argentina plans to declassify government documents concerning Nazi fugitives who found sanctuary in the Latin American nation following Germany’s defeat in World War II.
The commitment to transparency was announced on Monday by President Javier Milei’s chief of staff, Guillermo Francos, during an interview with the TV channel DNews.
He said the president made the decision after a meeting last month with US Senator Steve Daines, who strongly advocated for the public release of the files.
Francos said the president supports releasing documents on Nazi protection in Argentina, especially those related to Swiss bank services.
According to estimates, as many as 10,000 war criminals utilized so-called ‘ratlines’ to escape Europe and settle elsewhere as the Axis powers fell on the continent.
Around half are believed to have chosen Argentina – a nation known for its reluctance to grant extradition requests — as their refuge.
Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann and notorious doctor Josef Mengele were captured by "Israeli" intelligence and taken to "Israel" for trial, while Mengele died in 1979 from a heart attack.
During Juan Peron's controversial presidency, Argentinian exiles were influxed, a policy blending authoritarianism and populist elements, with critics claiming it was influenced by fascism.
Milei’s pledged to unveil the Nazi files follows an earlier decree aimed at accelerating the release of records concerning the Argentine armed forces’ actions during the military dictatorship from 1976 to 1983.
The tumultuous period, known as “the last junta,” began with a coup against Isabel Peron, the president’s widow and successor, when his second term was cut short by his death in 1974.
