Switzerland Releases 200-Page Dossier on Nazi Doctor Josef Mengele
On Thursday, the Swiss federal intelligence service released a comprehensive 200-page report concerning Josef Mengele, the notorious Nazi war criminal dubbed the "Angel of Death." This German physician infamously conducted inhumane medical experiments on Auschwitz prisoners during World War II. The Auschwitz extermination camp, situated in Nazi-occupied Poland, witnessed approximately 1.1 million deaths, with around 1 million being Jews. Mengele's cruel experiments often targeted children, masquerading as scientific inquiries. Following the war, he escaped Europe using a false identity and a Red Cross travel document. Like many former Nazi officials, he lived in secrecy in Latin America while being sought internationally. He perished in 1979 while swimming off Brazil's coast. The newly released documents suggest he might have returned to Switzerland or intended to enter under an alias, as reported by the German news agency dpa. Historians have long sought access to these files to determine if Mengele evaded capture in Switzerland.
Key facts
- Switzerland published a 200-page dossier on Josef Mengele on Thursday.
- Mengele was a Nazi doctor known as the "Angel of Death."
- He conducted medical experiments on prisoners at Auschwitz.
- Auschwitz was in Nazi-occupied Poland; about 1.1 million people were killed there, around 1 million of them Jews.
- After World War II, Mengele obtained a Red Cross travel document under a false identity and left Europe.
- He hid in Latin America and drowned in 1979 off the coast of Brazil.
- The documents suggest Mengele may have returned to Switzerland or planned to enter under a false name.
- Historians had long sought access to the files to determine if Mengele spent time in Switzerland.
Entities
Artists
- Josef Mengele
Institutions
- Swiss federal intelligence service
- Auschwitz
- Red Cross
- dpa
Locations
- Switzerland
- Germany
- Poland
- Brazil
- Latin America
- South America