Latest news with #Nan-a-Maru
Newsweek
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Argentina Discovers Trove of Nazi Archives in Old Champagne Boxes
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Workers inside Argentina's Supreme Court uncovered a trove of Nazi propaganda hidden inside of old champagne boxes. The workers were moving archival material out of the courthouse basement when they opened up the old boxes. Instead of champagne, they found crates of books and other material with swastikas on them. Archivists ended up finding more than 80 boxes carrying Nazi material dating back to 1941. The crates were taken to the Buenos Aires Holocaust Museum. Newsweek reached out to the museum via email for comment. Archivists opening champagne cases filled with Nazi propaganda in Argentina. Archivists opening champagne cases filled with Nazi propaganda in Argentina. Supreme Court of Argentina Why It Matters The court described the finding as a "discovery of global significance" due to the documents' ability to illuminate events leading up to the Holocaust. The documents may also help historians to uncover new information on the global spread of Nazism and Nazi trade routes. What To Know Following a review of the documents ordered by the Supreme Court president, Horacio Rosatti, historians determined that they had been held inside the courthouse since 1941. The documents arrived in Argentina on June 20, 1941, aboard a ship sent by the German embassy in Tokyo. Despite German diplomats in Argentina asking for the ship, the Nan-a-Maru, to skip customs because it contained "personal effects for its members," the ship was halted and inspected. Some of the 80 boxes containing Nazi propaganda in the courthouse basement. Some of the 80 boxes containing Nazi propaganda in the courthouse basement. Supreme Court of Argentina Once impounded, customs officials opened five boxes at random and found Nazi propaganda including postcards and photographs and "thousands of notebooks belonging to the National Socialist German Workers' Party Organization Abroad and the German Trade Union." Argentine officials then refused to return the boxes to Germany or Tokyo, saying they contained harmful anti-democratic material and that German officials had lied to them about the ship's contents. The materials passed through different agencies, eventually landing in the Supreme Court. The court was tasked with figuring out what to do with them, but it ended up storing the documents, forgotten, in the basement for over 80 years. Argentina remained neutral in World War II until 1944, when it declared war on Japan and Germany. Although the country took in 40,000 Jewish refugees between 1933 and the end of the war, Argentina is also known for housing high-ranking Nazi officials, including Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann and Auschwitz "Angel of Death" Josef Mengele, during the post-war leadership of Juan Perón. Researchers and historians inspecting the Nazi material found in the courthouse. Researchers and historians inspecting the Nazi material found in the courthouse. Supreme Court of Argentina What People Are Saying Supreme Court of Argentina: "A discovery of global significance has taken place in the archives of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation: within the framework of the works for the creation of the Museum of the highest court and the transfer of documentation from its archive, judicial officials detected a series of boxes containing material linked to Nazism, which had entered the country in 1941." What Happens Next The boxes are all being moved to the Buenos Aires Holocaust Museum. There, they will be further studied in the hopes of uncovering more information on the Holocaust and the still relatively unknown aspects of the regime's global money trail.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Argentina's top court finds Nazi files ‘of global significance' in basement
More than 80 boxes filled with documents from Nazi Germany have been discovered in the basement of Argentina's Supreme Court, decades after the crates were stashed in 1941. The 'discovery of global significance' came as workers were clearing out the area in preparation for transferring the archives to a newly-established museum, the court said in a statement on Monday. The 83 boxes were sent by the German embassy in Japan's capital Tokyo to Argentina in June 1941 on board the Japanese steamship 'Nan-a-Maru', the court statement said. At the time, German diplomats in Argentina claimed they contained personal effects, but the shipment was held up by customs and became the subject of a probe by a special commission on 'anti-Argentine activities'. A judge later ordered the seizure of the materials, and the matter ended up before the Supreme Court, which took possession of the crates. About 84 years later, upon opening one of the boxes, the court identified material 'intended to consolidate and propagate Adolf Hitler's ideology in Argentina during the Second World War'. The rest of the boxes were opened last Friday in the presence of the chief rabbi of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) and officials of the Buenos Aires Holocaust Museum. 'Given the historical relevance of the find and the potential crucial information it could contain to clarify events related to the Holocaust, the president of the Supreme Court, Horacio Rosatti, ordered an exhaustive survey of all the material found,' the court said. 'The main objective is to … determine if the material contains crucial information about the Holocaust and if any clues found can shed light on aspects still unknown, such as the route of Nazi money at a global level,' it added. The court has transferred the boxes to a room equipped with extra security measures and invited the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires to participate in their preservation and inventory. Experts will examine them for any clues about still-unknown aspects of the Holocaust, such as international financing networks used by the Nazis. Argentina remained neutral in World War II until 1944. The South American country declared war on Germany and Japan the following year. From 1933 to 1954, according to the Holocaust Museum, 40,000 Jews entered Argentina as they fled Nazi persecution in Europe. But after World War II, Argentina, led by President Juan Peron, became a haven for several high-ranking Nazi officials. They included Adolf Eichmann, who was considered a key architect of Hitler's plan to exterminate Europe's Jews. He was captured in Buenos Aires in 1960 and taken to Israel, where he was tried and executed. Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, too, hid away in Argentina before fleeing to Paraguay and later Brazil, where he died.
Al Jazeera
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Argentina's top court finds Nazi files ‘of global significance' in basement
More than 80 boxes filled with documents from Nazi Germany have been discovered in the basement of Argentina's Supreme Court, decades after the crates were stashed in 1941. The 'discovery of global significance' came as workers were clearing out the area in preparation for transferring the archives to a newly-established museum, the court said in a statement on Monday. The 83 boxes were sent by the German embassy in Japan's capital Tokyo to Argentina in June 1941 on board the Japanese steamship 'Nan-a-Maru', the court statement said. At the time, German diplomats in Argentina claimed they contained personal effects, but the shipment was held up by customs and became the subject of a probe by a special commission on 'anti-Argentine activities'. A judge later ordered the seizure of the materials, and the matter ended up before the Supreme Court, which took possession of the crates. About 84 years later, upon opening one of the boxes, the court identified material 'intended to consolidate and propagate Adolf Hitler's ideology in Argentina during the Second World War'. The rest of the boxes were opened last Friday in the presence of the chief rabbi of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) and officials of the Buenos Aires Holocaust Museum. 'Given the historical relevance of the find and the potential crucial information it could contain to clarify events related to the Holocaust, the president of the Supreme Court, Horacio Rosatti, ordered an exhaustive survey of all the material found,' the court said. 'The main objective is to … determine if the material contains crucial information about the Holocaust and if any clues found can shed light on aspects still unknown, such as the route of Nazi money at a global level,' it added. The court has transferred the boxes to a room equipped with extra security measures and invited the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires to participate in their preservation and inventory. Experts will examine them for any clues about still-unknown aspects of the Holocaust, such as international financing networks used by the Nazis. Argentina remained neutral in World War II until 1944. The South American country declared war on Germany and Japan the following year. From 1933 to 1954, according to the Holocaust Museum, 40,000 Jews entered Argentina as they fled Nazi persecution in Europe. But after World War II, Argentina, led by President Juan Peron, became a haven for several high-ranking Nazi officials. They included Adolf Eichmann, who was considered a key architect of Hitler's plan to exterminate Europe's Jews. He was captured in Buenos Aires in 1960 and taken to Israel, where he was tried and executed. Nazi doctor Josef Mengele, too, hid away in Argentina before fleeing to Paraguay and later Brazil, where he died.
RNZ News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Argentina's top court finds 80 boxes of Nazi materials in its basement
Argentina's justice system found hundreds of documents and membership cards for Nazi organisations in seven boxes stored in the Supreme Court archive relating to a case initiated in 1941. Photo: Handout / ARGENTINA'S SUPREME COURT OF JUSTICE / AFP Dozens of boxes of Nazi material confiscated by Argentinean authorities during World War II were recently rediscovered in the Supreme Court's basement, the court said on Sunday. The 83 boxes were sent by the Germany embassy in Tokyo to Argentina in June 1941 aboard the Japanese steamship "Nan-a-Maru," according to the history that the court was able to piece together, it said in a statement. At the time, the large shipment drew the attention of authorities, who feared its contents could affect Argentina's neutrality in the war. Despite claims at the time from German diplomatic representatives that the boxes held personal items, Argentine customs authorities searched five boxes at random. They found postcards, photographs and propaganda material from the Nazi regime, as well as thousands of notebooks belonging to the Nazi party. A federal judge confiscated the materials, and referred the matter to the Supreme Court. It was not immediately clear why the items were sent to Argentina or what, if any, action the Supreme Court took at the time. Eighty-four years later, court staffers came across the boxes as they prepared for a Supreme Court museum. "Upon opening one of the boxes, we identified material intended to consolidate and propagate Adolf Hitler's ideology in Argentina during the Second World War," the court said. The court has now transferred the boxes to a room equipped with extra security measures, and invited the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires to participate in their preservation and inventory. Experts will also examine them for any clues about still-unknown aspects of the Holocaust, such as international financing networks used by the Nazis. Argentina remained neutral in World War II until 1944, when it broke relations with Axis powers. The South American country declared war on Germany and Japan the following year. From 1933 to 1954, according to the Holocaust Museum, 40,000 Jews entered Argentina as they fled Nazi persecution in Europe. Argentina is home to the largest population of Jews in Latin America. - Reuters
Korea Herald
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
Argentina's top court finds 80 boxes of Nazi materials in its basement
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) — Dozens of boxes of Nazi material confiscated by Argentinean authorities during World War II were recently rediscovered in the Supreme Court's basement, the court said on Sunday. The 83 boxes were sent by the Germany embassy in Tokyo to Argentina in June 1941 aboard the Japanese steamship "Nan-a-Maru," according to the history that the court was able to piece together, it said in a statement. At the time, the large shipment drew the attention of authorities, who feared its contents could affect Argentina's neutrality in the war. Despite claims at the time from German diplomatic representatives that the boxes held personal items, Argentine customs authorities searched five boxes at random. They found postcards, photographs and propaganda material from the Nazi regime, as well as thousands of notebooks belonging to the Nazi party. A federal judge confiscated the materials, and referred the matter to the Supreme Court. It was not immediately clear why the items were sent to Argentina or what, if any, action the Supreme Court took at the time. Eighty-four years later, court staffers came across the boxes as they prepared for a Supreme Court museum. "Upon opening one of the boxes, we identified material intended to consolidate and propagate Adolf Hitler's ideology in Argentina during World War II," the court said. The court has now transferred the boxes to a room equipped with extra security measures, and invited the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires to participate in their preservation and inventory. Experts will also examine them for any clues about still-unknown aspects of the Holocaust, such as international financing networks used by the Nazis. Argentina remained neutral in World War II until 1944, when it broke relations with Axis powers. The South American country declared war on Germany and Japan the following year. From 1933 to 1954, according to the Holocaust Museum, 40,000 Jews entered Argentina as they fled Nazi persecution in Europe.
