Argentina to release secret Nazi files as new classified documents revealed

Argentina's Upcoming Release of Classified Nazi Files Revives Hitler Escape Theories

Argentina’s announcement to release classified Nazi-era files has reignited one of the most enduring conspiracy theories in history – that Adolf Hitler survived World War II and escaped to South America. While historians generally accept that Hitler died by suicide in his Berlin bunker in April 1945 as Soviet forces closed in, declassified CIA documents reveal that American officials continued investigating rumors of his escape for years after the war ended.

One of the most notable reports comes from an October 1945 document, which revealed that U.S. War Department officials had alerted the FBI about a possible Hitler hideout at a spa hotel in La Falda, Argentina. The hotel’s owner had close ties to Hitler and the Nazi Party, with the report stating, “This voluntary support of the Nazi party was never forgotten by Hitler.” According to the document, the hotel’s owner had developed a strong friendship with Hitler, and her family even lived with him during annual visits to Germany. The report also mentioned that the hotel had made preparations for Hitler to take refuge there if needed.

Perhaps most striking of all is a 1955 CIA document detailing a report from an agent known as “CIMELODY-3,” who cited information from former SS soldier Phillip Citroen. Citroen claimed that Hitler had been living in Colombia under the alias “Adolf Schrittelmayor.” The former Nazi even provided a photograph of a man resembling an aged Hitler, reportedly taken with Citroen on a beach in Tunja, Colombia. While the CIA pursued the lead, they concluded that the efforts to confirm the theory yielded no concrete evidence.

The upcoming release of classified documents by Argentina’s interior minister Guillermo Alberto Francos is expected to shed more light on the Nazis who sought refuge in the country following World War II. An estimated 10,000 Nazis, including infamous figures like Josef Mengele and Adolf Eichmann, escaped Europe via secret “ratlines” after the war. While many conspiracy theories persist, it remains to be seen whether these files will conclusively resolve the speculation surrounding Hitler’s potential escape.