Hitler in the Argentine: The Grey Wolf

                              

For some light reading these past few weeks, I decided to read a book called The Grey Wolf. For those non-historians among you, and I am sure they are plenty, that was the nick name for Adolf Hitler. The book’s premise it wasn't Hitler who died in that bunker in April of 1945…it was his double. Hitler, Eva Braun, and Blondie the wonder dog escaped to Argentina, a favorite haven for Nazis on the lam.  It explores in detail the relationship between the demise of Nazi Germany and the rise of Juan and Eva Peron (Evita).

It's argument is simple. The story goes Eva Braun poisoned herself and Hitler blew his brains out. The bodies were then brought out of the bunker and burned to a crisp. Bones were recovered from the site, but none belonging to Hitler or his wife. So what happened to them? Simon Dunstan and Gerrard Williams do a plausible job in arguing that Martin Bormann, Hitler’s right hand man, planned for Hitler’s escape beginning in 1943 when Nazi defeats on the eastern front put the handwriting on the wall. The authors document their arguments to a fault. Critics say it is a bunch of baloney.

Whether you choose to believe these guys or not is up to you. I am a conspiracy theorist at heart believing there are no coincidences, and if things don’t add up there is usually a reason. I know the remains of Hitler and Eva Braun were never found, which means they were deliberately moved to prevent deification by future Germans, or they were never there in the first place. I choose to believe the latter as these were sinister people at worst and narcissists at best…either way they would not go gently into the good night.

It’s not a happily ever after tale. The evil these people did followed them to Patagonia, and all met an inglorious end. Hitler suffered from Parkinson’s and severe facial pain resulting from the bombing attempt on his life the last year of the war and died somewhat demented claiming the dead were all around him. And then there was the who’s who list of who disappeared and/or died mysteriously or not so mysteriously by gunshot. Certainly this isn’t a story to enhance your holiday experience!

But the fascinating thing about the book, Hitler notwithstanding, was to watch powerful people and their behavior in time of war. Hitler escaping Germany is almost secondary to the extremely well documented events that occurred during this time of devastation. Then as now, things were never really as they appeared…and all is public record if folks would take the time to look.

For example, the Nazis only occupied the northern half of France. The southern half was set up as a separate puppet French government known as Vichy France. Ostensibly this was done to keep control over the colonies in North Africa and Indonesia, but the reality was it was used to allow safe passage of Allied bankers to meet with Axis bankers in Switzerland. Business was business, and it was conducted under the International Bank of Settlements. Americans owned German companies and Germans owned American companies.

He also talked about the transport of Nazi war booty around the world mostly using Franco’s Spain as the embarking point. Gold, money, bearer bonds, artwork was sent everywhere…but mostly to South America. Reported gold reserves of South American countries tripled and quadrupled. In the mix were observations of American and British intelligence at odds as to how make best use of German expertise after the war while not appearing to molly coddle former Nazis. And like Patton and Eisenhower, how to handle the Soviet Union was open to much dispute and discussion. Heavy duty American names popped up advocating compromising positions. The authors talked about the Jews and the Vatican and Hitler’s children. Dirty hands everywhere.

He ends the book with a cautionary warning. He quotes Hitler and Joseph Goebbels on how to get people to believe a lie. “Make the lie big, keep it simple, keep saying it, and eventually they will believe it.” Maybe that is the universal rule of politics of which Americans should take heed.

The Grey Wolf is not an easy read.  But for those of you who like me are fascinated with all things World War II and events leading up to it, it is worth the time and effort.