A CKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Over six years of work have gone into this book, during which time I have been extremely fortunate to receive help and advice from a great many people. I would especially like to thank the academics Ronald Newton of Canada and Holger Meding of Germany; but above all Beatriz Gurevich, compiler of Proyecto Testimonio, the ground-breaking investigation into Argentinas dalliance with the Nazis published by the countrys Delegation of Argentine-Israelite Associations (DAIA) in 1998. From the start, Gurevich pointed me to the primary documentary sources and was kind enough to share a large amount of previously unseen material. I also owe a truly special debt to Christel Converse, who was responsible for the documentary research at the National Archives in Maryland. In Belgium, I must thank Dirk Martin of CEGES (Centre dEtudes et de Documentation Guerre et Socits Contemporaines), where the essential Pierre Daye papers are archived, for his kind assistance, and Jean-Pierre Lesigne for authorization to quote from Dayes letters and memoirs.
Although this book is based primarily on documentary sources, some 200 interviews were conducted during its research. I thank all of those who shared their memories with me. Many also refused to be interviewed, most notably the former head of Perns Information Bureau, Rodolfo Freude. For help in translating documents from the German Id like to thank my father, Ambassador Santos Goi, my dear friend Verena von Schoenfeldt, and especially Claudia Billourou, who kept the line continually open from Germany during the final haul. I also wish to thank the international news editors at the Sunday Times and the Guardian who made space in their pages for articles I wrote based on some of the early findings. I owe an extra special debt to George Russell, of Time magazine, who had faith in this book from the outset and published a cover story based on its Spanish-language predecessor, Pern y los alemanes, even though it meant an uncomfortable visit from Argentinas ambassador to the UN, bearing a letter of protest. My special gratitude as well to Sara Holloway of Granta, who has made the original manuscript readable, and to Lexy Bloom, who prepared the American edition of this book. And of course this book would never have seen the light had it not been for Colm Tibn, who one summer midnight in Dublin pointed me in the direction of Neil Belton and Hanover Yard.
To all: Gracias.
A BBREVIATIONS
AGN Argentine National Archives.
AGPJN Archives of the Argentine Judicial Branch.
Casa Rosada Argentinas Pink House, the equivalent of the US White House.
CEANA Comisin de Esclarecimiento de Actividades Nazis en la Argentina, the historical commission set up by the Argentine government in 1997 to investigate wartime and postwar Nazi links in Argentina.
CEGES Centre dEtudes et de Documentation Guerre et Socits Contemporaines in Brussels; this archive houses Belgian-related wartime documents, including the papers of Pierre Daye.
DAIA Delegation of Argentine-Israelite Associations.
DAIE The Delegation for Argentine Immigration in Europe, opened by Perns government in the postwar era, with offices in Rome and Genoa.
DNM Direccin Nacional de Migraciones, the Argentine Immigration Office.
FPD Fonds Pierre Daye, the collection of Daye papers at CEGES.
GOU The secret lodge of colonels led by Pern that ruled Argentina between 1943 and 1946. The initials are thought to have stood for Group of Order and Unity.
ICE The Swiss Independent Commission of Experts.
ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross.
Information Bureau The Divisin Informaciones, the presidential secret service created by Pern in 1946, headed by Rodolfo Freude.
MI Archives of the Argentine Ministry of the Interior.
ML Muse de la Littrature in Brussels, which shares custody of Pierre Dayes papers with CEGES.
MRE The archives of the Argentine Foreign Ministry.
NARA National Archives and Records Administration of the United States.
PRO The British Public Record Office.
RG Record Group, grouping of records at NARA; RG 59, for example, corresponds to records of the US Department of State.
RSHA Reichssicherheitshauptamt, Reich Security Main Office, the Interior Ministry of the Reich, a department of Heinrich Himmlers SS.
SD The Sicherheitsdienst, the SS Foreign Intelligence Branch, Office VI of the RSHAs intelligence department, divided into Office III, the Inland-SD, home intelligence, headed by SS Brigadier Otto Ohlendorf, and Office VI, the Ausland-SD, foreign intelligence, headed by SS Brigadier Walter Schellenberg. The SD seen at work in this book is Schellenbergs Ausland-SD, operating outside Germany.
STP Perns Technical Secretariat, a record group of the Argentine National Archives.
K EY P LAYERS
Barrre, Agustn Argentine bishop. In 1946, Barrre travelled to the Vatican, where, with the French Cardinal Tisserant, he organized the smuggling of French-speaking war criminals to Argentina.
Benzon, Branko Wartime ambassador to Berlin from the Croatian Nazi puppet regime. At the end of the war, Benzon was sent on a special mission to Madrid by SS General Ernst Kaltenbrunner. He conducted a strict anti-Semitic policy at Perns Immigration Office, forbidding the entry of Jews to Argentina while organizing the arrival of fellow Croatians. It was also rumoured that while in Argentina he became Evitas lover.
Caggiano, Antonio Argentine cardinal. Caggiano travelled with Bishop Barrre to the Vatican, where he met with Cardinal Tisserant and organized the smuggling of French-speaking war criminals to Argentina.
Daye, Pierre Belgian war criminal. In Buenos Aires, with the help of Pern, Daye was instrumental in setting up the SARE organization for the rescue of war criminals.
Diana, Pablo Argentine immigration chief during 1947/48. Diana cooperated with Perns Nazi agents to arrange for the smuggling of Nazis, Rexists, Vichyites and Ustashi to Argentina.