CIA documents reveal American intelligence spent a decade hunting Adolf Hitler in South America despite his reported suicide, as Argentina now prepares to release classified files that could expose the vast Nazi escape network that flourished after World War II.
Quick Takes
- CIA agents hunted Hitler in South America for 10 years after his presumed 1945 death, following leads about potential hideouts despite Soviet confirmation of his suicide
- A former SS soldier claimed in 1955 that Hitler was living in Colombia under the alias “Adolf Schrittelmayor,” prompting CIA investigation
- Nazi “ratlines” helped an estimated 10,000 war criminals escape to Latin America, with many finding sanctuary in Argentina
- Argentina’s upcoming declassification of Nazi fugitive files promises to expose financial transactions and escape networks that protected war criminals
CIA’s Decade-Long Hunt for Hitler
Declassified CIA documents have unveiled that American intelligence officials weren’t convinced of Adolf Hitler’s death for at least a decade after World War II ended. Despite reports that Hitler and Eva Braun committed suicide in Berlin on April 30, 1945, and that their partially burned bodies were recovered by Soviet troops, U.S. intelligence continued investigating leads suggesting the Nazi leader had escaped to South America. The documents, now available in the CIA’s reading room, detail how agents followed numerous tips and sightings across Argentina, Colombia, and other South American countries throughout the late 1940s and early 1950s.
One particularly intriguing lead from 1945 pointed to a potential Hitler hideout at a spa hotel in La Falda, Argentina. The property was owned by German immigrants Ida and Walter Eichhorn, who were known Nazi supporters. According to the CIA file, “if Hitler should at any time get into difficulty wherein it was necessary for him to find a safe retreat, he would find such safe retreat at her hotel,” suggesting the dictator may have prearranged this location as a potential escape destination. The documents indicate that American intelligence took these possibilities seriously enough to commit significant resources to investigation, even as official history maintained that Hitler had died in Berlin.
CIA files reveal search for Hitler in South America 10 years after his suicide as Argentina prepares to release classified docs on Nazi fugitives https://t.co/MFWqpGfIqC pic.twitter.com/Ek2vNBCMxC
— New York Post (@nypost) April 9, 2025
The “Adolf Schrittelmayor” Affair
Perhaps the most bizarre lead came in 1955 when a former SS soldier named Phillip Citroen approached CIA contacts claiming he had met Hitler in Colombia. According to the declassified report, Citroen alleged Hitler was living under the alias “Adolf Schrittelmayor”. The CIA file even included a photograph purporting to show Citroen sitting next to the man claimed to be Hitler. Agency officers noted the resemblance to the dictator but questioned why a fugitive of such importance would risk being photographed.
The CIA ultimately determined that further investigation would likely be fruitless. One document concluded, “enormous efforts could be expended on this matter with remote possibilities of establishing anything concrete. Therefore, we suggest that this matter be dropped.” This 1955 investigation appears to be the last documented CIA pursuit of Hitler, though conspiracy theories about his survival have persisted in popular culture for decades. No credible evidence has ever emerged contradicting the official account of Hitler’s suicide in Berlin.
Argentina’s Nazi Haven and the Ratlines
While Hitler’s escape remains unproven, thousands of other Nazis unquestionably fled to South America after World War II through networks commonly known as “ratlines.” These escape routes, often facilitated by sympathetic Catholic clergy and intelligence agencies with Cold War priorities, helped Nazi officials obtain false identities and transit to countries willing to receive them. Argentina, under Juan Perón’s government, became a notorious sanctuary for these fugitives. High-profile Nazi officers including Adolf Eichmann, a chief architect of the Holocaust, and Josef Mengele, the “Angel of Death” who performed horrific experiments at Auschwitz, both found refuge in Argentina.
Historical records suggest approximately 10,000 Nazis and fascist war criminals escaped to Latin America, with Argentina receiving a significant portion. Eichmann lived under the alias Ricardo Klement until 1960, when Israeli Mossad agents captured him in Buenos Aires and brought him to Israel to stand trial. His subsequent conviction and execution in 1962 represented one of the few cases where justice caught up with these fugitives. Mengele evaded capture until his death in Brazil in 1979, while many others lived out their lives in comfort, protected by sympathetic networks and governments.
New Documents Promise Fresh Revelations
Argentina’s recent announcement that it will declassify documents related to Nazi fugitives has sparked renewed interest in this dark chapter of post-war history. The files reportedly contain detailed information about financial transactions, property acquisitions, and the extensive support network that sheltered these war criminals. This unprecedented release could provide historians with crucial evidence about how these Nazis integrated into Argentine society and potentially implicate previously unknown collaborators who facilitated their escape and comfortable post-war lives.
While Hitler himself almost certainly did not escape Berlin, the CIA’s decade-long search demonstrates the uncertainty that surrounded the end of World War II and the chaotic aftermath that allowed thousands of other Nazi criminals to evade justice. The upcoming Argentine document release may finally shed light on the full extent of this network and complete another piece of this complex historical puzzle that continues to fascinate and disturb more than 80 years after the war’s end.
