Discovery in the Basement

In a startling discovery, authorities in Argentina have confiscated 83 boxes filled with Nazi propaganda material from World War II. The cache was found unexpectedly in the basement of the country’s supreme court building in Buenos Aires.

The documents reportedly arrived in argentina in June 1941, dispatched by the German embassy in Tokyo aboard the Japanese vessel Nan-A-Maru.

Purpose of the propaganda

The argentinean Supreme Court issued an official statement regarding the find:

This material was intended to consolidate and spread Adolf Hitler’s ideology in Argentina during the war.

Argentinean Supreme Court

The vast collection includes numerous Nazi party notebooks, photographs, and postcards, offering a glimpse into the Third Reich’s efforts to influence South America.

Argentina’s Complex Wartime Role

Argentina’s role during and after World War II is a subject of historical complexity. While officially neutral for much of the war, the nation later became a refuge for Nazi officials.

After the war, numerous Nazi officials, including high-ranking figures like Adolf Eichmann, sought asylum in Argentina.They often received assistance from Argentine officials and members of the country’s established German-speaking community.

eichmann, a key architect of the Holocaust, was captured by Mossad operatives in Argentina in May 1960 and taken to Israel for trial.He was found guilty of crimes against the Jewish people and executed in 1962.

Milei’s Directive to Declassify Nazi Files

For decades, Argentinean governments have been hesitant to fully investigate the country’s history as a haven for Nazi fugitives.However, this changed in March 2025 when President Javier Milei ordered the declassification of documents related to Nazi war criminals.

President Milei directed all state agencies to release official files connected to the approximately 5,000 Nazis who fled to Argentina after the defeat of Nazi Germany. guillermo Francos, the Chief of Staff, confirmed this directive, stating:

The president directed all state agencies to release official files connected to Nazis who found asylum in Argentina following the Holocaust.

Guillermo Francos, Chief of Staff

Reactions to the Declassification

Rabbi Abraham cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), praised Argentina’s decision to confront its Nazi-linked past.

While some previous leaders promised full cooperation to get to the hard truths that involved Argentina’s past, Milei is the first to act, with lightning speed, to enable the SWC to uncover vital pieces of the historic puzzle, especially as it related to involvement with Nazis before, during and after the Holocaust.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Simon Wiesenthal Center

Argentina’s Jewish Community and Support for Israel

Despite its controversial history, Argentina also welcomed tens of thousands of Jewish refugees, and today it is home to the largest Jewish community in South America, numbering approximately 180,000 people.

President Milei has advocated for strong relations with Israel and the Jewish people. Argentina has expressed strong support for Israel following the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023.

In July 2024, Argentina officially recognized Hamas as an illegal terrorist organization. The presidential office stated:

The Hamas group has been declared by the Argentinian state as an international terrorist organization.

Argentinean Presidential Office

In September 2024, Milei criticized the anti-Israel bias at the United Nations, saying:

Israel is unjustly targeted while regimes that oppress their people are given a platform.

Javier Milei, President of Argentina

He further added:

In this same house, we, that purports to defend human rights, we have also included bloody dictatorships in the Human Rights Council, including Cuba and Venezuela without reproach.

Javier Milei, President of Argentina