In less than one month, the 80th anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s death may be celebrated — unless President Javier Milei’s formal disclosure of the Argentine “ratline” shows what a lot of people believe: that Hitler didn’t kill himself in that bunker.
Ratlines are what the human smuggling routes of Nazis out of falling Germany in 1945 were called.
And yes, Argentina was the chief receiver of Nazis. This is known. Confirmed. Not controversial.
But did the South American country accept Nazis higher up than Dr. Josef Mengele and Adolf Eichmann?
Well, the FBI was searching for Hitler in South America for decades, into the 1960s. And rumors of Hitler’s escape to Argentina have been bandied about for years and years.
But the official story, of Hitler’s suicide in the Berlin bunker on April 30, 1945, has been stuck to, its skeptics frequently “debunked,” and “experts” have been mocking “conspiracy theorists” on this matter for a very long time.
Now, however, Javier Milei — perhaps inspired by Donald Trump’s disclosure attempts regarding the JFK assassination and Jeffrey Epstein’s honeypot scheme — has set in motion the release of Argentina’s “ratline files.”
The Argentine government has committed to declassifying and releasing all government-sequestered information related to Nazi war criminals who sought refuge in the country after World War II. Formally announced by Cabinet Chief Guillermo Francos on March 24, the documents are said to include financial details and relevant records held by Argentina’s Defense Ministry.
What will we learn?
If we learn that Hitler lived long after 1945, what would be the repercussions?
Maybe it depends: who exactly — and in which government — arranged the escape?
Whatever the revelations, whatever the ultimate result, the Age of Deference is over; the Age of Disclosure has begun.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
Illustration created with Krea and Firefly
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