al of the Nazis. These requests were not approved.
Current president Javier Milei, however, appears to have changed tack. Milei met with representatives of the Simon Wiesenthal Center last week and the Times of Israel reports that the meeting was a success. The Center’s researchers will be given access to files relating to financing of the so-called ‘ratlines’ – systems by which Nazis were able to flee Europe. Rabbi Abraham Cooper told the newspaper that while other Argentine leaders had promised help in the past, Milei was the ‘first to act with lightning speed.’
If these documents are released, they could help reveal much about how the ratlines operated. Key figures in Hitler’s administration were able to flee with the apparent collaboration of members of the Catholic church and foreign governments….
Milei’s decision could be motivated by a number of factors. Milei has been called a ‘great friend’ of Israel and has taken steps to deepen diplomatic ties with the country. Last week he announced two days of national mourning after the bodies of two Israeli-Argentine hostages were returned by Hamas. He has also spoken of his deep respect for the Jewish people, some 200,000 of whom live in Argentina.
He may also have one eye on domestic politics. He has made no secret of his hatred of Peronism and might hope that research of these documents could lead to further scrutiny on the role of the movement’s founder in the flight of Nazi war criminals to Argentina.
It is unclear what, if anything, will be achieved in terms of accountability. After all, most, if not all, of those involved will surely now be dead. The contribution to the historical record on the other hand could be considerable.
Unfortunately the whole Eichmann issue has been clouded by Hannah Arendt's famous conclusion that he was just a dull bureaucrat following orders – "the banality of evil". As we know now, Eichmann was far from being a mere cog in the machine, but was an enthusiastic and highly intelligent Nazi and, as the article here states, one of the main architects of the Holocaust. His defence in the Jerusalem trial – just following orders – fooled Arendt, but didn't fool the Israelis.
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