Simon Wiesenthal, head of the Jewish Documentation Center in Vienna, said today he had evidence that Josef Mengele, one of the most notorious war criminals, is living in Paraguay. Wiesenthal said Mengele, who was known as the “death doctor of Auschwitz” and was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Jewish camp inmates, lives the life of a wealthy private citizen in the South American country.
The famed Nazi-hunter said Mengele was granted Paraguayan citizenship by a special government decree in 1959. Several extradition demands by West German authorities were turned down by Paraguay because Mengele was “not available,” Wiesenthal said. He speculated that Mengele was under special protection by the Paraguay government and said the former Nazi usually lived in military zones which are exempt from ordinary police jurisdiction.
According to Wiesenthal, Mengele had lived in Buenos Aires under the name Helmut Gregori until the kidnapping of Adolf Eichmann by Israeli agents, where he worked as a general practitioner. Then Mengele fled to Paraguay, Wiesenthal said.
However, he makes regular trips abroad, according to Wiesenthal, using such pseudonyms as Sebastian Alvez, Friedrich Edler von Breitenbach, Heinz Stobert, Walter Haschek, Jose Aspiazi, or Lars Ballstroem.
Wiesenthal said Mengele obviously lives on money his family inherited from his father, owner of one of Europe’s biggest factories for agricultural machinery. Although he was excluded from the heritage, he may over the years have been receiving payments from the South American agencies of the factory, Wiesenthal said. He also reported that Mengele drives a German Mercedes 280 SL, owns a yacht of the Viking type, and Mengele’s wife lives in Merano, Italy.
Wiesenthal said he had no hope Mengele will be extradited. All German efforts so far failed, he noted, and that Poland, where Auschwitz is located has not even tried to demand his extradition. According to the Nazi-hunter, it is impossible to get Mengele out of Paraguay “because the Germans established a powerful influence there.” Wiesenthal said the Jewish community in Asuncion is under pressure by Paraguay authorities not to reveal any information about Mengele.
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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.
