Sunday, March 14, 2010
Adolf Eichmann on trial
What does Germany have to hide by keeping secret the files on one of the Nazis’ most notorious leaders? Possibly details about how the Germans and other Europeans helped Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann flee the country after the end of World War II.
A German journalist has filed a lawsuit to force the German government to release the Eichmann files, which cover about 4,500 pages of documents. The government claims the documents should remain locked away on grounds of national security, saying much of the information was given to Germany by another foreign intelligence source, possibly Israel’s Mossad. Officials argue the release of sensitive information might prevent other governments from sharing with Germany in the future.
But journalists and Nazi experts say the real reason the files remain hidden is because they contain intelligence about German, Italian and Vatican officials who assisted Eichmann get out of Europe and relocate to Argentina, where he lived with his family until Mossad captured him in 1960. The records also may reveal how German officials stationed in Argentina fraternized with former Nazis hiding in plain sight in Buenos Aires and other cities.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Classified Documents Could Be Released after 50 Years (by Leon Dische Becker, Der Spiegel)
Germany Fights to Keep Holocaust Organizer's Files Sealed (by Allan Hall, Telegraph)
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