Germany Knew Where Eichmann Was for Years

(Newser) – Israeli agents nabbed Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires in 1960—and a newly released document suggests that the infamous Nazi enjoyed as much as eight extra years of freedom. A German newspaper got its hands on a secret service document that shows that the country's foreign intelligence service, BND, knew exactly where Eichmann was in 1952. The typewritten card notes that Eichmann was in Argentina, and going by the name Clemens; der Spiegel clarifies that he was living under the name Ricardo Klement.

"The address of E. is known to the editor-in-chief of the German newspaper in Argentina Der Weg," the card reads. It was previously believed that Western intelligence didn't learn of Eichmann's locale until 1956. And though one German historian called the revelation a "sensation," an Argentine journalist isn't so surprised. "All my research showed that the German Embassy in Buenos Aires knew very well who the Nazis were and where they lived. The German community in that city was small enough and tight-knit enough that it would have been impossible for any BND agent not to not to be aware of who these people were."