83 boxes of Nazi documents have been found in the basement of Argentinaʼs Supreme Court. Historians hope the documents will provide clues about the Nazisʼ financial networks and international connections, and they will be examined in that light.
This is reported by the BBC and Reuters, citing a statement from this court.
The documents were found by museum staff who were clearing out the courthouse basement before moving the archive to a new location. They were intrigued by several wooden champagne crates they saw during the cleaning.
“When we opened one of the boxes, we discovered material intended to consolidate and spread Adolf Hitler’s ideology in Argentina during [World War II],” they said.
In June 1941, 83 crates arrived from Tokyo to Argentina — they were brought by the Japanese steamer Nan-a-Maru.
The paperwork indicated that these were "personal belongings", but customs officers were wary—the package was very large. They randomly opened five bags and found Nazi propaganda inside: leaflets, photos, and other materials.
After that, the bags were transferred to the Supreme Court. The German embassy in Argentina wanted them returned to Tokyo, but the judge decided that everything would remain in the country. Nothing was done about it until 1944, and then Argentina broke off relations with Nazi Germany and the bags were simply forgotten in the basement of the courthouse.
These boxes have now been moved to a secure location, and the court has notified the Buenos Aires Holocaust Museum of this discovery and asked it to help inventory their contents.
- Argentina remained neutral in World War II until 1944, when it severed diplomatic relations with the Axis powers—the alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan. In 1945, it declared war on Germany and Japan.
- According to the Holocaust Museum, 40 000 Jews fleeing Nazi persecution in Europe immigrated to Argentina between 1933 and 1954. Today, Argentina is home to the largest Jewish community in Latin America.
- After World War II, Argentina, then led by Juan Perón, sheltered many Nazi criminals, including Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengele. In 2000, Argentine President Fernando de la Rúa apologized for the countryʼs role in helping to shelter Nazis.
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