Switzerland to open secret files on Auschwitz 'Angel of Death' Mengele

The Swiss Federal Intelligence Service has said it volition yet unfastened long-sealed files connected the notorious Nazi warfare transgression Josef Mengele, but without saying when.

Mengele fled Europe aft World War Two, but for years determination person been rumours that helium spent clip successful Switzerland, adjacent though an planetary warrant was retired for his arrest.

Historians person repeatedly requested entree to the files, but until present the Swiss authorities person refused.

Mengele was a doc who served successful Germany's Waffen SS. He was posted to the Auschwitz extermination campy successful Nazi-occupied Poland, wherever helium selected those to beryllium sent to the state chambers – an estimated 1.1 cardinal radical died, including astir a cardinal Jews.

Known arsenic the Angel of Death, helium besides selected prisoners, chiefly children and twins, for sadistic aesculapian experiments, earlier sending them to their deaths arsenic well.

After the warfare Mengele, similar galore high-ranking Nazis, rapidly changed some his uniform, and his name.

With the assistance of his mendacious identity, helium was issued Red Cross question documents astatine the Swiss consulate successful Genoa successful bluish Italy, and utilized them to fly to South America.

The Red Cross intended the documents for thousands of radical crossed Europe who had been displaced oregon made stateless by the war, but Nazis seeking to flight prosecution besides managed to get them, thing for which the Red Cross has subsequently apologised.

So what is Mengele's transportation with Switzerland?

Although helium fled Europe successful 1949, Mengele had a skiing vacation successful the Swiss Alps with his lad Rolf successful 1956. That accusation has been known since the 1980s.

Officially, aft that, helium spent the remainder of his beingness successful South America.

But Swiss historiographer Regula Bochsler ever wondered whether Mengele returned again, crucially, aft an planetary warrant for his apprehension had been issued successful 1959.

Bochsler, portion researching Switzerland's imaginable relation arsenic a transit state for fleeing Nazis, discovered that successful June 1961 the Austrian quality work warned the Swiss that Mengele was travelling nether an assumed name, and mightiness beryllium connected Swiss territory.

Meanwhile, Mengele's woman had rented an flat successful Zurich, and applied for imperishable residency.

"There seems to beryllium grounds Mengele was readying a travel to Europe successful 1959," the historiographer told the BBC. "Why did Mrs Mengele rent an flat successful Zurich?"

The flat was successful a humble suburb, and the Mengele household had the wealthiness for thing overmuch fancier. But it was adjacent to the planetary airport.

Bochsler was capable to spot Zurich constabulary files which proved that successful 1961 the level was enactment nether surveillance; constabulary adjacent noted Mrs Mengele driving her Volkswagen, accompanied by an unidentified man.

Arresting a wanted warfare criminal, arsenic Mengele was successful 1961, would person progressive Swiss national police. In 2019 Bochsler applied to the Swiss Federal Archive to spot their files too.

She was refused. The files were sealed until 2071 connected nationalist information grounds, and for the extortion of the extended family.

Bochsler was neither the archetypal nor the past to beryllium turned down. In 2025, chap historiographer Gérard Wettstein tried again. He excessively was refused.

"It seemed ridiculous," helium told the BBC. "As agelong arsenic they are closed until 2071, it fuels conspiracy, everyone says 'they indispensable person thing to hide'."

Wettstein challenged the determination by taking the Swiss authorities to court, an costly process for which helium sought crowdfunding. "We raised 18,000 Swiss francs (£17,000; $23,000) successful conscionable a fewer days."

And that was erstwhile the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service yet changed their minds. In a connection this period which suggests afloat transparency mightiness yet instrumentality immoderate time, it said: "The appellant volition beryllium granted entree to the file, taxable to conditions and requirements yet to beryllium defined."

Not everyone is definite the files volition uncover overmuch astir Mengele himself.

Sacha Zala, president of the Swiss Society for History, is "absolutely definite determination is thing applicable astir Mengele", but thinks determination whitethorn beryllium references to a overseas quality work oregon overseas informants.

By the precocious 1950s, Israel's Mossad was actively tracking fugitive Nazi warfare criminals, and Zala suspects they whitethorn person been successful interaction with the Swiss. That would springiness the Swiss authorities grounds to support the files sealed, since delicate accusation related to overseas quality agencies is often redacted.

But is simply a elemental notation of Mossad relating to their well-known hunt for Nazis 70 years agone truly truthful sensitive?

"It shows the stupidity of the declassification process without humanities knowledge," Zala believes. "In this way, the medication fueled conspiracy theories."

Other historians, similar Jakob Tanner, accidental the secrecy implicit the files reveals much astir Switzerland than they whitethorn ever bash astir Mengele. "It's a struggle betwixt nationalist information and humanities transparency, and the erstwhile often prevails successful Switzerland."

Tanner served connected the 1990s Bergier Commission examining neutral Switzerland's relations with Nazi Germany, successful peculiar the relation of Swiss banks.

He is precise acquainted with Swiss sensitivity, and shame, implicit its relation successful World War Two, erstwhile Jewish refugees were turned distant astatine the border, portion Swiss banks kept the wealth of Jewish families who aboriginal died successful Nazi attraction camps. "It is simply a occupation for a antiauthoritarian authorities that these files are inactive closed," Tanner argues.

Still, helium thinks it is plausible Mengele was successful Switzerland successful 1961.

Wanted Nazi warfare transgression Adolf Eichmann had been arrested by Mossad successful Argentina successful 1960, and determination is grounds that different Nazis who fled to South America thought they excessively were astatine hazard there, and that Europe, wherever friends and relatives remained, mightiness beryllium safer.

Tanner points retired that Walter Rauff, different wanted Nazi warfare transgression who fled to Chile, spent clip successful Germany successful 1960.

One historiographer connected the Bergier Commission was permitted, briefly, to look astatine immoderate of the Mengele files successful 1999, and concluded that it was intolerable to beryllium oregon disprove his beingness connected Swiss territory. But that was conscionable a fewer lines successful a 24-volume study astir the full war. The files were sealed again; the historiographer died 7 years ago.

Meanwhile, nary day for the files' merchandise has been set, and the connection from the Federal Intelligence Service astir "conditions and requirements" sounds ominous to Wettstein. "I fearfulness we volition get a record that is much achromatic than transparent," helium says.

Bochsler besides worries the files volition beryllium heavy redacted. "I don't spot [the authorities] astatine all. I fearfulness it volition look similar the Epstein files. Why person these Mengele files been closed for truthful long?"

Mengele has been the taxable of mystery, rumour and conspiracy for decades.

He was ne'er arrested, fto unsocial convicted for his unspeakable crimes. When helium died successful Brazil successful 1979, helium was buried nether a mendacious name.

But rumours continued to swirl. In 1985 his assemblage was exhumed, and yet successful 1992 DNA investigating confirmed the assemblage was his.

Auschwitz's unspeakable doc was dead.

But was helium ever successful Switzerland? Did the Swiss conscionable not announcement him?

Did they crook a unsighted oculus to a perchance embarrassing beingness to debar the unwelcome attraction an apprehension would person caused? Or, similar truthful overmuch astir Mengele, is it each conscionable a rumour?

"Maybe we volition ne'er get to the existent truth," says Wettstein. "We volition ne'er cognize if helium was present oregon not… but possibly we tin person astatine slightest a clearer idea."