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Argentina Declassifies Files Showing Authorities Tracked Josef Mengele but Never Arrested Him

The newly opened archive details state missteps that let the Auschwitz physician live openly before fleeing South America.

Overview

  • President Javier Milei authorized the late-November release of Argentine intelligence records that document years of official awareness of Mengele’s presence.
  • Files show he entered Argentina in 1949 as “Helmut Gregor,” obtained local ID, and by 1956 secured a certified birth record to resume using his real name.
  • A 1957 memo notes him acknowledging SS service, while mid‑1950s reports cataloged his residence in Carapachay, business activity, marriage, and family visits.
  • In 1959 West Germany sought his arrest and extradition, which an Argentine judge rejected as “political persecution,” after which he fled to Paraguay and later Brazil.
  • The archive highlights bureaucratic delays, poor interagency coordination, and press leaks, and includes survivor José Furmanski’s testimony detailing Mengele’s crimes; historical records confirm his 1979 death in Brazil and later forensic identification.