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Adolf Eichmann, one of the most evil criminals of the Third Reich, could go into hiding after the Second World War. He fled to Argentina and led a comfortable life. In 1960 Mossad and Shin Bet were able to capture Eichmann in Buenos Aires and bring him to Israel where he was then tried (also see: The Eichmann Trial in Jerusalem).

 

Video

 

 

Overview

  • Date: 11 – 22 May 1960
  • Location: Argentina
  • Event: Capture of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina & his transfer to Israel by Mossad & Shin Bet

 

Parties & Persons Involved

  • Mossad
  • Shin Bet
  • Isser Harel (1912 –2003), Mossad Director
  • Esp. the following Mossad & Shin Bet agents:
    • Rafi Eitan (1926 – )
    • Peter Malkin (1927 – 2005)
    • Zvi Aharoni (1921 – 2012)
  • Adolf Eichmann (1906 – 1962)

 

Background

  • A large number of Nazi war criminals can escape & go into hiding
  • Many Nazi criminals escape to South America via the so-called Rat Line
  • Argentina barely extradites Nazi war criminals

 

History

  • 1939 – 1945: SS-Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) Eichmann organises the mass deportations of Jews to ghettos & extinction camps
  • 1945 – 1950: Eichmann hides in the Lunenburg Heath under an assumed identity
  • 1946: Eichmann’s involvement in the Nazi crimes becomes apparent during the Nuremberg Trials
  • 14 Jul 1950: Via the “Rat Line” Eichmann reaches Argentina under the assumed identity of Ricardo Klement
  • 1952: Eichmann’s family joins him in Argentina
  • 1960: Eichmann & his family move into a house in Garibaldi Street, Buenos Aires
  • 1956: Lothar Herrmann’s (emigrated from Germany in 1938) daughter meets Eichmann’s son
  • 1956: Lothar Herrmann informs the attorney general of Hesse Fritz Bauer to have located Eichmann
  • 1957: Fritz Bauer personally informs Mossad director Isser Harel about the location of Eichmann
  • Feb 1960: Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal takes photographs of Eichmann’s brother who look very alike to enable Mossad to identify Eichmann
  • Mar 1960: Shin Bet officer Zvi Aharoni confirms Eichmann’s identity during an observation operation
  • April / May 1960: Isser Harel flies to Buenos Aires & orders a combined Mossad & Shin Bet team under Rafi Eitan to capture Eichmann
  • 11 May 1960: Peter Malkin & 2 other Mossad agents abduct Eichmann on his way from the bus stop to his house in Garibaldi Street & bring him to a safe house
  • 11 – 20 May 1960: Interrogation of Eichmann to confirm his identity
  • 20 May 1960: The team drugs Eichmann, disguises him as a drunk El Al steward & flies him out to Israel
  • 22 May 1960: Arrival in Israel
  • 11 Apr 1961: Start of the Eichmann Trial in Jerusalem

 

Consequences & Impact

  • Diplomatic dispute between Argentina & Israel because of the violation of Argentine sovereignty
    • After negotiations the dispute is settled on 03 Aug 1960
  • Anti-Semitic riots by right-wing groups in Argentine
  • Eichmann Trial in Jerusalem (11 Apr – 15 Dec 1961):
    • Justice, as far as possible with regards to the seriousness of the Nazi crimes & the suffering of the Jewish people
    • Collective dealing with & understanding of the Shoah, as far as possible