Devils’ Advocates

Thousands of Nazis entered Argentina through the “ratlines” — escape routes for Nazi fugitives, aided by the Vatican, international leaders, and powerful financial institutions.
Now, after Argentine president Javier Milei announced he would declassify all relevant government archives, the rest of us will finally learn just who opened the gates for Nazi war criminals

Aryeh Wallenstein, the head of the Reuters Israel bureau, was no stranger to history. He had reported on the birth of the State of Israel, the turbulent wars that followed, and the unrelenting geopolitical drama of the Middle East. But on the night of May 31, 1962, he saw evil incarnate as it met long-delayed justice.

Wallenstein was one of only two journalists permitted to witness the execution of Adolf Eichmann. For Wallenstein, covering the trial had meant listening to haunting testimonies from survivors, a litany of horrors etched into the collective Jewish memory. But now, the courtroom drama was over. The verdict had been rendered, and justice would be served.

Wallenstein watched as Eichmann, cold and unrepentant, prepared to meet his end. In his final moments, Eichmann’s voice echoed defiantly: “Long live Germany! Long live Argentina! Long live Austria! These are the countries with which I had the closest ties, and I have never forgotten them. I had to obey the law of war and my flag. I am ready.”

The mentions of Germany and Austria were unsurprising. But Argentina? Eichmann’s words, uttered in a dimly lit room at the end of a rope, revealed a dark truth. Argentina had harbored him, as it had many others — a sanctuary for men evading long-overdue justice.