The Argentine government this week created a national committee to probe how many Nazi officials arrived in the country after World War II, the level of protection extended to them by local authorities and the transfer of Nazi gold to Buenos Aires.
The committee will be headed by high-ranking members of the government, but will also include non-governmental personalities and an international board of trustees.
Jewish communal leaders applauded the move as a major step toward dealing with a subject long considered a taboo by government officials.
Two years ago, prodding by the Jewish community led President Carlos Menem to open a dark chapter in Argentina’s wartime history by releasing official records about the postwar arrivals of Nazi officials in Argentina.
The latest action comes after a commission funded by the Argentine Jewish Mutual Aid Association, also known as AMIA, revealed the complicity of government officials in resettling Nazi officials in Argentina.
The commission’s findings will be published in book form later this year.
According to sources close to the study, the book will contain extensive official documents proving not only then-President Juan Peron’s active complicity in helping Nazis come to Argentina after the war, but also a continuing effort to protect them by successive Argentine military administrations.
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