Hiding Mengele: How a Nazi Network Harbored the Angel of Death by Betina Anton

Author:Betina Anton [Anton, Betina]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Historical, World War II, History, Europe, Modern, General Fiction, South America, Latin America, 20th Century, Germany, General, Wars & Conflicts, Holocaust, Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9781635768817
Google: q6cVEQAAQBAJ
Publisher: Diversion Books
Published: 2024-10-01T19:07:42.375522+00:00

The news of Eichmann’s kidnapping hurt international law and Argentina’s national pride. As a result, the government took what is considered to be a drastic action in the world of diplomacy: it summoned its ambassador in Tel Aviv, took the matter to the United Nations Security Council, and asked for Eichmann to be returned. The latter demand may seem unimaginable, but the fact is that nothing could be more embarrassing for a country than to suffer such a flagrant violation of its sovereignty. Ben-Gurion knew that the Mossad’s mission carried with it the risk of creating animosity between the two nations. To calm the waters, the Israeli government sent Argentina a letter of apology but lied, saying that Argentine Jewish volunteers had captured Eichmann on their own. The story wasn’t convincing, though. The Israelis then decided to change their strategy, and pressured the government in Buenos Aires, using the information about Mengele’s continued presence in Argentina as proof that the country would not have collaborated had Tel Aviv asked for Eichmann’s extradition. As a matter of fact, Germany did request Argentina to extradite Mengele in 1959, but nothing happened. The UN Security Council sided with the Argentines and condemned Israel, asking for appropriate reparation. That UN resolution was enough to begin mending the rift between the two countries and, in August 1960, they issued a joint note announcing that the crisis was over.251

The tension in international diplomacy was easing, but it was increasing more than ever in Mengele’s life. He knew that the Israelis were after him, so he finally decided to disappear not only from Argentina but also from Paraguay. Mengele calculated that it was only a matter of time before the Mossad arrived at Alban Krug’s farm in Hohenau, and his friend, no matter how loyal, would not be able to protect him. “For you the war isn’t over yet. Be careful,” Krug warned him as they said goodbye. Another friend, the pilot Rudel, was also present at the hasty farewell and provided the contact information for Wolfgang Gerhard, who would later prove to be instrumental in Mengele’s escape. Meanwhile, Martha and Karl-Heinz couldn’t bear to live as fugitives and decided to return to Europe.252 It was Mengele’s second separation. Once again alone, at the end of October 1960, he crossed the border into Brazil, where he would spend the next eighteen years.

After Eichmann was taken to Israel, Rafi concluded that Mengele would no longer show his face in Argentina but would escape to a nearby country. Instead of betting on Brazil, which would have been an obvious choice, Rafi and his two companions took a train to Chile. They figured it was a beautiful country, more developed than Paraguay and Bolivia, and they had a contact there who could help. However, they couldn’t find any clues in Santiago or Valparaíso, so only then did they set off for Rio de Janeiro. After traveling for ten days with no leads, they returned to Israel.253 Nevertheless, Mengele would never

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