President Carlos Menem of Argentina has agreed to turn over his country’s secret files on Nazi war criminals to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Menem gave a verbal pledge to turn over the long-sought files while touring the museum here Monday with Israel Singer, secretary-general of the World Jewish Congress, and Jeshajahu Weinberg, the museum’s director.
The agreement was announced by WJC officials in New York and confirmed here Tuesday by museum spokeswoman Joan Wadkins.
Under the arrangement, the WJC would transfer the documents from the Argentine government to the museum.
The WJC has been among the Jewish groups seeking release of the files from Argentina, which are believed to contain a wealth of information about Nazi war criminals who sought refuge in Argentina and other Latin American countries.
Menem agreed last year to open the files, but it was not until earlier this year that Argentine officials agreed to give Jewish groups direct access to the documents.
“Under President Menem, Argentina has moved to a policy more pro-Israel, more pro-American and more pro-Jewish, as evidenced by the president’s comments today,” Evelyn Sommer, U.S. chairman of the WJC, said in a statement.
Among the documents expected to be transferred are files on Josef Mengele, the doctor who performed sadistic experiments on inmates at the Auschwitz concentration camp, and Adolf Eichmann, who was instrumental in creating Hitler’s genocidal policies against the Jews.
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