A collection of documents released by the CIA gives deep insights into the relationship between the Agency and Nazi war criminals. As an internal report produced by Kevin Ruffner, CIA History Staff states:
"The study recounts the Agency's long involvement with Nazis - first as an enemy in WWII, then as a quasi-ally in the Cold War, and finally as the subjects of criminal investigations and prosecutions by Federal officials."
However, as many historians and researchers suspected, there was a teacher-student relationship between them. Consider the fact that at the time of their interaction with the Nazis, the Agency was a fledgling organization and impressionable. Compared to the Nazis who had conquered many countries, crushed countless insurrections, foiled dozens of uprisings, and efforts to stop the driving war machine. The Nazis accomplished these acts effortlessly. These accomplishments were the very responsibilities the CIA had assumed. It would be akin to an acting school student meeting Sir Laurence Olivier.
While the art of preparing the battlefield for operations on a political level in a foreign country is as old as man himself, the Nazis made innovations in these areas using modern methodologies. They turned it into a science. For the newly formed Office of Strategic Services (OSS) this was an opportunity that it would never see again. A type of academic relationship formed. For their part, the Nazis knew this knowledge would likely die with them. The expertise they acquired and refined allowed them to invade any country anywhere, successfully suppressing resistance forces and intelligence groups would be lost, forgotten. This dynamic, the vacuum of knowledge and the abundance of it, the willingness of both participants, and the transfer of new technology to the U.S. lead many academics to believe the Nazis actually won the war. The Nazis themselves are gone but their ideals very much live on.
NAZI WAR CRIMINALS
CIA in it's own files and analysis bring light to the fact that they assisted in the escape of Nazi war criminals. More than that, they hired former war criminals and Nazi collaborators as operators. The "Ratlines" were setup to funnel Nazi criminals through Jordan to South America where many of them settled. It is a generally well known fact that CIA Operation PAPERCLIP brought senior Nazi scientists to America. Not as well known is that Klaus Barbie, the butcher of Lyon, was on the CIA payroll. Barbie was:
"...an agent for the 66th Detachment of the U.S. Army Counterintelligence Corps (CIC).[2] The U.S. used Barbie and other Nazi Party members to further anti-communist efforts in Europe."
Having earned the his title "The Butcher of Lyon" in France torturing resistance fighters and collaborators, the French wanted Barbie returned to France for justice to be served. They filed many such requests. They received many denials. In one denial, the U.S. High Commission for Germany (HICOG) stated:
"To have exposed BARBIE to interrogation and public trial would not have been in consonance with accepted clandestine intelligence operational doctrine. . . . [H]e was knowledgeable of high level operations and operational procedures, which would have been compromised. Through procedures in effect at that time, BARBIE was therefor [sic] assisted in 1951 in leaving Europe for resettlement. U.S. Army Intelligence has had no further contact with BARBIE subsequent to his departure from Europe."
It is estimated that Barbie participated in the killing of over 14,000 people in his career.
TO BE CONTINUED... SOON
[1] Eagle and Swastika: CIA and Nazi War Criminals and Collaborators https://www.cia.gov/library/readingroom/docs/CIA%20AND%20NAZI%20WAR%20CRIM.%20AND%20COL.%20CHAP.%201-10%2C%20DRAFT%20WORKING%20PAPER_0001.pdf
[2] Wolfe, Robert (19 September 2001). "Analysis of the Investigative Records Repository file of Klaus Barbie". Interagency Working Group. Retrieved 1 May 2009. https://www.archives.gov/iwg/research-papers/barbie-irr-file.html
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