Argentina announces declassification of documents on Nazis who fled to the country
President Milei made the decision following a request from the US Senate Judiciary Committee
Argentine President Javier Milei ordered that all documents containing information on Nazis who fled to the country be declassified. The decision was made following a request from the United States Senate Judiciary Committee.
“President Milei instructed the release of all existing state documentation in any agency, because there is no reason to continue safeguarding that information,” Chief of Staff Francos said in an interview with the DNews TV channel. He clarified he was referring to “Nazis who came to Argentina to hide, and who were protected for many years.”
Last month, Milei met with the authorities of the U.S. Jewish human rights organization Simon Wiesenthal Center. In that meeting, they gave him a letter from Charles Grassley, the head of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. A copy of that same letter was also sent to United States President Donald Trump.
The letter requested the Argentine president’s “assistance and support with the Committee’s ongoing investigation into previously undisclosed and unknown Nazi assets at Credit Suisse and its predecessor banks, which are now under the leadership of UBS Group AG.”
The U.S. lawmakers stated that the bank held nearly 100 accounts linked to German Nazis and members of Nazi-linked groups in Argentina. In 2022, Credit Suisse said that it had conducted an internal investigation into this matter and not found any evidence. Senator Grassley, however, is contesting the bank’s statements.
A source in Francos’ office said that Argentina’s Defense Ministry holds most of the pertinent documentation. There are also financial documents that the government will share to reveal the alleged money movements. Spokesmen for the Defense Ministry and the presidency said that they did not have information on the matter.
After World War II finished in 1945, many German Nazis fled to the countries in the Americas, including Argentina. In 1999, a government commission found that at least 180 Nazi war criminals had migrated to Argentina. According to a 2002 book by journalist Uki Goñi, a former Herald staffer, then-President Juan Perón encouraged Nazi and fascist war criminals to make their home in Argentina.
In 1992, then-President Carlos Menem issued a decree declassifying information on German Nazis’ activity in Argentina. It is unclear if Milei’s decision will result in new documents being released.
https://buenosairesherald.com/world/international-relations/argentina-announces-declassification-of-documents-on-nazis-who-fled-to-the-country