Publication of the first chapter of a book by Moshe Pearlmann, on leave as special press advisor to the Prime Minister’s office, on the Adolf Eichmann seizure revealed today that the original idea had been to bring the Nazi to Israel by ship.
In Mr. Pearlmann’s account, as it appeared in Davar, one of Israel’s leading newspapers, the plans called for picking up Eichmann on the La Plata river but when no suitable Israeli craft was available, the decision was made to abduct him by air. The search and capture of Eichmann were organized in Tel Aviv and carried out under the supervision of three Israelis with the help of six other Sephardi Jews of Balkan origin whose nationalities were not disclosed.
The definite tip on Eichmann’s whereabouts came from a South American Jew who was not known to Nazis in Argentina as a Jew and who gained their confidence. According to Mr. Pearlmann’s account, the Nazis told the undercover Jew that Eichmann’s “widow” had married a “Clement” and was living in Buenos Aires with Eichmann’s children. Careful investigation disclosed that Clement was in fact the long-sought Nazi master murderer.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
