Washington, D.C.
The CIA learned the whereabouts of Nazi war criminal Adolph Eichmann in 1958, but did not hunt him down, according to U.S. documents made public last week. West German intelligence informed the CIA that Eichmann was living in Argentina under the assumed name of Ricardo Klement. But the U.S. neither mounted a search for him nor shared the information with Israel, which had been hunting for Eichmann for years; Israel captured him in 1960, and executed him in 1962. Other documents unveiled by the National Archives show that in the 1950s, the CIA shielded escaped Nazis, organizing some into rings to spy on the Soviet Union. “Hiring these tainted individuals,” said historian Timothy Naftali, “brought little other than operational problems and moral confusion to our government’s intelligence community.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
El Palace Barcelona: old-world luxury in the heart of the cityThe Week Recommends This historic hotel is set within a former Ritz outpost moments from the Passeig de Gràcia
-
The best history books to read in 2025The Week Recommends These fascinating deep-dives are perfect for history buffs
-
July 4 editorial cartoonsCartoons Friday’s political cartoons include the danger of talking politics at a family picnic, and disappearing Medicaid entitlements
