World War II Country Trends: Argentina

Argentina World War II
Figure 1.--Argentina remained neutral for most of World War II. There was considerable interest in the War and important sections of the population were sympathetic toward the Axis.

Argentina is almost unique among Latin American countries in that the population is largely of European extraction. The countries indigenous population was largely exterminated. Thus the countries national view was always largely European. The most important immigrant groups were Italian, Spanish, and German. As a result there was some support for both Fascism and the Axis in Argentina. Groups like the Alianza Juventud Nacionalista openly supported the Axis. FBI agents played major role in uncovering NAZI agents in other Latin American countries, but the Argentune Government refused to act against NAZI agents. These agents found considerable support from the German community which tended to maintain itself separate from large Argentine society. There were entire towns that were essentially German with German-speaking schools. Many of the communities adopted NAZI models. Argentines as a whole supported the Allies. This is interesting given the large number of Italian immigrants. Some Argentines volunteered to fight with the Allies. The British RAF even activated an Argentine squadron. I'm not sure if Argentines voluteered to fight on the Axis side. The Argentine Army was strongly influenced by the Germans. Col. Jun Peron idealized Mussolini. Argentina thus while theoretically neutral was pro-Axis for much of the War. After Italy withdrew from the War (1943), the Allies pressured Argentina to declare war on Germany (1944). This was only a token step. Argentina remained pro-German throught the War, even after details of NAZI attrocities emerged. A German U-boat appeared at Mar del Plata instead of surrendering to the Allies (May 1945). After the War, Argentina became a haven for NAZI war criminals, including the infamous Dr. Josef Mengele. Eva Peron is known to have accepted substantial payments in exchange for offering a refuge to NAZI war criminals and looted property. American diplomat Hiram Bingham, who had managed to save some Jewish refugees in Vichy, turned up evidence of Argentines sheltering NAZI war criminals. When the State Department refused to persue his leads, he resigned in protest (1946). German scientists who fled their country after the War set up jet aircraft production in Argentina.

Population

Argentina is almost unique among Latin American countries in that the population is largely of European extraction. The countries indigenous population was largely exterminated during the early colonial period. Thus the countries national view was always largely European. The most important immigrant groups were Italian, Spanish, and German.

Argentine Fascism

As a result of the country's ethnic mix, there was some support for both Fascism and the Axis in Argentina. Groups like the Alianza Juventud Nacionalista openly supported the Axis. Elements in the Pernoista movement were openly Fascitic. Col. Peron himself was for some reason an admirer of Mussoline, mor than Hitler.

NAZI Threat

The Fascist groups provided an enviroment which could and did support NAZI agents. FBI agents played major role in uncovering NAZI agents in other Latin American countries, but the Argentune Government refused to act against NAZI agents. These agents found considerable support from the German community which tended to maintain itself separate from large Argentine society. There were entire towns that were essentially German with German-speaking schools. Many of the communities adopted NAZI models. It is unclear just what kind of threat the NAZIs posed in Argentina. One historian claims that the threat was exagerated by the British. [Newton] Reports suggest that because of high level support (including President Ramon S. Castillo as well as Col. Peron) and important military commanders that NAZI agents including Sicherheitdienst (SD) operatives moved freely throughout the country. One historian claims that the major goal of the NAZIs and their Argentine supporters was to help bring friendly governments to power. They did have one sucess. They supported a military coup in Bolivia which overthrew a government oriented toward the United States (1943). [Goñi, Peron] Efforts in Brazil, Paraguay and Chile failed to achieve any success. (Of course if the military situation in Europe had not shifted against the NAZIS, this could hsve been different.)

Popular Sentiment

Argentines as a whole seem to have supported the Allies. This is interesting given the large number of Italian immigrants.

Economic Interests

Argentina had important economic ties to the British. And as the Royal Navy supportedby the American Navy (after 1941) dominated the sea, Argentina had no real economic alternatives but to trade with the Allies. Argentina thus throughout the War supplied food to the Britsh. As a result, Argentina benefitted economically through exporting durung the War--just as it had during World War I.

Argentine Volunteers

Some Argentines volunteered to fight with the Allies. Many were descdents of British and other foreign enginners who worked in Argentina on various projects, espeially constructing railroads. About 800 Argentines volunteered to serve in the air war. Many were trained in Canada. The British RAF even activated an Argentine squadron--164 Squadron. [Meunier] An estimated 4,000 Argentines served in the three British mikitary services during the War. I'm not sure if Argentines voluteered to fight on the Axis side.

Argentine Military

The Germans supported a military mission in Argentina. The Argentine Army was strongly influenced by the Germans. Col. Jun Peron personally idealized Mussolini. Important elements in the Argentine military appear to have convinced themselves that Germany would win the War. Some continued to believe this as late as 1944.

German U-Boats

There are claims that the NAZI SS operated a secret Black Fleet of U-boats between Spain and Argentina. [Farago]. There appears to be some support for these claims in post-War Argentine naval archives, but we have not been able to substantiate the various accounts. A reader tells us that this is mentioned in Argentina's Nazi Eagles 1933-1945. We have not yet been able to track down the book. The U-Boats reportedly operated until the liberation of France (June-August 1944) cut off NAZI rail connections to Spain. The cargos were shipped from Germany through France to Spain. The U-boats picked up the cargo at a bay near Cadiz. There is no clear evidence as to just what was being shipped. Some believe it was forged British pound sterling notes. It is known that the NAZIs forced Jewish concentration camp inmaters to foreg British notes. They were reportedly indistinguishable from actual British bank notes. The notes were laundered through Argentine banks. Gold and other valuable may have also been shipped. Frederic Schwend operated the NAZI conterfeit ring. He found sanctuary in Peru after the war and was assistance by Banchero Rossi of the Caritas aid agency.

Official Policy

Argentina while theoretically neutral was pro-Axis for most of the War. After Italy withdrew from the War (1943), the Allies pressured Argentina to at least break relations with Germany, it was the only Latin American country not to do so, Argentina remained pro-German practically throught the War, even after details of NAZI attrocities began to emerge.

The Holocaust

The NAZI conquest of Europe resulted in entrapping a number of Argentine citizens living in occupied countries, most ominously about 100 Argentine Jews mostly living in Germany, France, Belgium, Holland, Italy and Greece. Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop after the War began to turn against Germany, attempted to maintain friendly relation with a dwindling number of countries that had not declared war on Germany. One country which was sympathetic with the Axis was Argentina. Col. Peron was an admirer of Musolini and many influential Argentines were NAZI sympathizers. Argetinawas use to the NAZIs both by harboring intelligence agents and as a place where war booty could be laundered. Ribbentrop appears to have confronted SS chief Himmler on the issue. Jews with Argentine passports were as a result given special treatment. Ribbentrop apparently took a specil interest in their welfare and on several occassins gave the Argentine Embassy in Berlin the opportunity to repatriate its Jewish nationals. German diplomats in Vichy, France discussed the situation of Argentine Jews there with Ricardo Olivera, Argentina's ambassador in Vichy. They gave Olivera 3 months to arrange for their repatriation. Olivera did nothing. Ribbentrop even after receiving no response from Argentine diplomats to his entrities sent a memo to SS Holocaust coordinator Adolf Eichman, reminding him of the importane of protecting the Argentine Jews (January 1943). The German Foreign Ministry called in Luis H. Irigoyen, the Secretary of the Argentine Embassy, to inform him that there were still 59 Argentines in Krakow, 7 in the Netherlands, and many others in Greece. The Germans showed Irigoyen 16 Argentine identity cards to proven that these people were Argentine citizens. Irigoyenreportedly glanced perfunctorily at the documents and told the Germans, "They are fake. The Argentine Embassy is not interested in the bearers of these apocryphal documents" (March 1943). The United States put pressure on Argentina and other Latin American conutries to join the war effort. By 1944 it was clear that Germany had lost the War. Argetina broke diplomatic relations with NAZI Germany (January 26, 1944). This meant that the Argentine Jews no longer were useful to the Germans. Most were reportedly transported to the Bergen-Belsen camp. Few details exist on their fate, but it is believed that all or almost all were killed. One author writes, "Argentina thus became the only country in the world to refuse the repatriation of its own citizens." Apparentlt Argentine diplomats were following secret Directive 11 issued by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José María Cantilo on July 12, 1938,. Without referring specifically to Jews, Directive 11 instructed Argentine consulates to "reject visas, even those of transit or tourism, of all those people who abandoned their country of origin because they were undesirable or because they had been expelled, whatever the reasons". [Goñi, Odessa]

Pro-NAZI Coup (February 1944)

Argentine miliitary offucers staged the Colonel's GOU (February 25, 1944). They sought to block President Pedro Ramirez, also a militarty man, whose governent was preparing to declarare of war against Germany and Japan. Despote the catertrophic military reverses and information aboutvterribke atricuties, there was considerabke admiration for both Hitler and Mussiloni within the militarty's officer corps. General Edelmiro J. Farrell assumed the office of President (March 10) after President Ramirez resigned. President Farrell and his government survived a military counter-revolutionary movement to restore General Ramirez to office and to bring about free elections. The United States and Britain refused to recignize Farrell regime, hbecausevof its pro-Nazi sympathies. The other Latin American nations had come to the support of the Allied wae effort. Germany had been cultivating the friendship of Argentina and several other South American country. Argebtuna had been a major target of tgis effirt. German military experts had helped train Argentina's Army. As Germany launbched the War, Argentina had declared its neutrality, but was sympathetic to the Axis.

Act of Chapultepec (March 1945)

The Inter-American Conference on Problems of War and Peace convened at Chapultepec Castle, Mexico City (February 21-March 8, 1945. Argenties refusal to cooperate with the other American republics was of concern to the regional governments. It was most worrisome aspect of wartime diplomacy in the Americas. The Argentine problem was addressed by the delegated attending the Conference. Argenrina was pointedly excluded from the Conference. The delegates declared in the Act of Chapultepec that the American republics were joint guardians of each against any aggression (March 8). They notified the recalitrant Argentine Government that she could be admitted to the future United Nations only if she adhered to the Act of Chapultepec and entered the war. After the Allies crissed the Rhine and poured into the heart of the Reich, the Argentine provisional government reluctantly declared war on Germany (March 27, 1945). Italy was no longer an Axis country.

NAZI Haven

After the War, Argentina with a Government sympsthetic to European Fascists and a substantial Germnan minority was seen as potential safe haven by NZI war criminals attempting to escape Allied justice. Rumors of such an effort were fueled by two German U-boats which showed up off Argentina after the War. The first such U-boat was U-530. Oberleutnant Otto Wermuth did not surrender as ordered at the end of the War. Rather the boat headed for Argentina, a dangerous voyage at the time. Wemuth surrendered at Mar del Plata to the Argentine Navy (July 10, 1945). Wermuth jettisoned its deck gun, the crew carried no identification, and the ship's log disappeared. Wermuth did not explain his actions. U-530 was configured for transport rather than normal combat. There are rumors that it was part of a planned nerve gas attack on New York City, but there is no solid evidence. Transport of uranium or secret technology is another possibiliy. The Argentines turned the boat and crew over to American jurisdiction. The second U-boat the reach Argentina was U-977. Instead of surrenderiung to the Allies (May 1945), it appeared unexpectledy at the port of Mar del Plata (August 17, 1945), an amazing 3 months after the end of the War. The Argentines trasferred the boat and crew to American jurisdiction. The U-977 did escape to Argentina, but it was not ordered to go there by the Kriegssmarine and carried a normal Kriegesmarine crew, not SS war criminals. After the War, Argentina did become a haven for NAZI war criminals, including the infamous Dr. Mengele. Using U-boats to get to Argentina, however, as best we can tell is a figment of the popular imagination. This has given rise to all kinds of rumors anout NAZI war criminals escaping to Argentina by U-boat. The SS shot large numbers of Germans trying to escape the front. And Hitler even had SS-man SS-Obergruppenführer Hans Georg Otto Hermann Fegelein shot because he was trying to escape Berlin with money and jewels. SS commander Himmler's efforts to neotiate with the Allies led to a break with Hitler which would have further complicated any effort for the SS to use U-boats. Thus the idea that the SS could have gotten the Kriregsmarine to help them escape seems somewhat far fetched. We know of no documented examples. There were routes that the SS and other war criminals used to get to Argentina after the War. The Argentine consulate in Barcelona issued false passports for Germans trying to get to Argentina. Estimates vary as to the numbers of NAZIs and NAZI colaborators assisted by Argentine diplomats. [Goñi, Peron] It may have been in the thousands. Eva Peron is known to have accepted substantial payments in exchange for offering a refuge for NAZI war criminals and looted property. American diplomat Hiram Bingham, who had managed to save some Jewish refugees in Vichy, turned up evidence of Argentines sheltering NAZI war criminals. When the State Department refused to persue his leads, he resigned in protest (1946). German scientists fleeing their defeated country set up jet aircraft production in Argentina. It was in Argentina that the SS architecht of the Holocaust, Adolf Eichman, found sanctuary. Eichman was eventually located and spirited out of the country by Isreali agents (1960).

Sources

Farago, Ladislas.

Goñi, Uki. The Real Odessa (London, 2002).

Goñi, Uki. Peron and the Germans. Goñi played a major role in a study on Argentina's cooperation with the Axis ordered by President Menem.

Meunier, Claudio. Wings of Thunder. Meunier is an Argentine historian who has researched the involvement of Argentines in both World War I and II.

Newton, Ronald C. The "Nazi Menace" in Argentina, 1931-1947 (Stanford).

?????. Argentina's Nazi Eagles, 1933-1945.






CIH -- WW II






Navigate the CIH World War II Section:
[Return to Main World War II country page ]
[Return to Main Argentine history page]
[Biographies] [Campaigns] [Children] [Deciding factors] [Diplomacy] [Geo-political crisis] [Economics] [Home front] [Intelligence]
[Resistance] [Race] [Refugees] [Technology]
[Bibliographies] [Contributions] [FAQs] [Images] [Links] [Registration] [Tools]
[Return to Main World War II page]
[Return to Main war essay page]




Created: 4:11 AM 6/6/2007
Last updated: 7:34 PM 5/25/2020