Nazi Germany archive found in Argentina: documents may shed light on financial and international relations of the Third Reich
15 May 22:33
In the basement of the Supreme Court of Argentina, 83 boxes of documents from Nazi Germany were accidentally discovered. Researchers expect the discovery to help uncover financial schemes and international ties of the Nazi regime. This is reported by the BBC with reference to a court statement, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The archive was discovered by museum staff while clearing out the basement before moving the archives to a new building. Wooden champagne boxes attracted their attention.
When they opened one of them, they found materials related to Nazi ideology, which, as it turned out, were to be used to spread it in Argentina during World War II.
The documents have an interesting history: in June 1941, 83 boxes arrived in Argentina from Tokyo aboard the Japanese steamer Nan-a-Maru.
The accompanying papers referred to “personal belongings,” but the volume of the cargo aroused suspicion among customs officials. During a spot check, they found propaganda materials – leaflets, photographs and other documents.
The boxes were handed over to the Supreme Court. Despite the demands of the German embassy to return the cargo to Tokyo, the court decided to keep it in the country.
After Argentina severed diplomatic relations with Nazi Germany in 1944, the contents of the boxes were virtually forgotten, and they remained in the basement for more than 80 years.
The archive has now been transferred to a secure storage facility, and the Supreme Court has asked the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires to help catalog the documents.
Argentina remained neutral in World War II until 1944, when it severed relations with the Axis powers and declared war on them in 1945.
At the same time, the country became a refuge for fugitive Jews (more than 40,000 people from 1933 to 1954) and Nazi criminals, including Adolf Eichmann and Josef Mengele.
In 2000, Argentine President Fernando de la Rua officially apologized for the state’s involvement in harboring Nazis after the war.
