Alfredo Stroesser, head of the Paraguayan Government, was accused here today by Der Spiegel, mass circulation weekly, of having refused to honor the Bonn Government’s demand for the extradition of Dr. Josef Mengele, the infamous Auschwitz “selection doctor,” because Mr. Stroesser’s own family is of Bavarian origin.
According to the weekly, “Dictator Stroesser” has threatened to cut off all relations with Bonn if it persisted in demanding Mengele’s extradition. Dr. Spiegel claimed that Mengele “is being supported by a number of Nazis in Paraguay.” The court in Frankfurt, now trying 22 former administrative and medical personnel at Auschwitz, has offered a reward of 60,000 deutschemarks for the apprehension of Mengele.
The “selection doctor” is under indictment for murder and cruelty committed during his service at Auschwitz. The Universities of Frankfurt and Munich, where he had obtained doctoral degrees, had canceled his diplomas. “Mengele,” said Der Spiegel, “should sit in the dock in Frankfurt today, alongside the other Auschwitz defendants.”
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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.