Writing about a man who spent more than half his life as a fugitive, resolved to escape recognition and retribution, was a singularly difficult task. This book is the result of five years of research. During that time we have gathered one of the largest documentary archives on Josef Mengele, some 25,000 pages of published and unpublished documents. We have spent months in South America, many days researching in the archives of different countries, and have taped more than ninety hours of interviews with individuals involved in Mengele’s life. We are satisfied that we have conducted a diligent and thorough investigation, and we take full responsibility for the accuracy of the facts and the validity of the judgments presented. Much of our research would not have been possible without the help of many people and organizations, in more than a dozen countries, on four continents.
In the development of documentation we were aided by Dr. Robert Wolfe, Dr. John Mendelsohn, and John Taylor of the National Archives and Records Service, Washington, D.C.; by Daniel Simon, director of the Berlin Document Center, West Berlin; Dr. Y. Arad, director of Yad Vashem, Jerusalem; Dr. Graciella Swiderski, director of the National Archives of Argentina, Buenos Aires; Dr. Celina Moreira Franco, director of the National Record Center of Brazil, Rio de Janeiro; Dr. Alfredo Viloa, director of the National Document Archives of Paraguay, Asunción; Charles Palm, archivist at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, California; and Dr. Howard B. Gotlieb, director, and Charles Niles, archivist, of the Special Collections, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
We also acknowledge the extensive and rapid research, exceeding the statutory mandates of the Freedom of Information Act, performed by James K. Hall, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, D.C.; Thomas F. Conley, United States Army Intelligence and Security Command, Fort Meade, Maryland; and Larry Strawderman, Central Intelligence Agency, Washington, D.C.
We record with gratitude the constructive help provided by American diplomatic missions in South America, especially the efforts of Robert Minutillo and Larry Estes, public affairs officers of the U.S. embassies in Asunción and Buenos Aires, respectively. Their extensive knowledge of the countries in which they are posted, and their generous assistance, opened many doors which might otherwise have stayed closed.
Helping us through a myriad of difficulties in South America, in addition to many who did not want to be publicly acknowledged, were Evandro Carlos de Andrade, editor-in-chief, O’Globo, Rio de Janeiro; Zevi Ghivelder, executive director, Mánchete magazine, Rio de Janeiro; Roberto Guareschi, political editor, El Clarín, Buenos Aires; Roberto Forchiniti, archive director, Abril, Buenos Aires; Enrique Jara, Latin American director of Reuters, Buenos Aires; Cesar Sanchez Bonitato, archive director, La Nación, Buenos Aires; and Donillo Manzini, political editor, Tiempo Argentino, Buenos Aires. These individuals not only provided unrestricted access to the confidential files of their publications, but they also led us to unexpected and useful sources of information.
Also in South America, special acknowledgment should be given to a number of government officials who collectively gave us access to voluminous and hitherto undisclosed government documentation on Josef Mengele: Dr. Adolfo Barreyro, private secretary to the minister of the interior, Buenos Aires; Dr. Carlos Castro, director of press affairs, presidential palace, Buenos Aires; Dr. Carlos Alberto Flores, director of the Federal Police, Buenos Aires; Dr. Albino Gomez, director of press affairs at the ministry of foreign affairs, Buenos Aires; Dr. Emilio Gibaja, secretary of public information, interior ministry, Buenos Aires; and Dr. Jaime Malamud, human rights advisor to the President of the Republic, Buenos Aires.
Two journalists were instrumental in uncovering new information and sources: Ralph Blumenthal of the New York Times and John Martin of ABC Television. We owe a special thanks to Elliot Welles of the Anti-Defamation League in New York, whose commitment to the work of bringing Nazi criminals to justice was a constant inspiration to us.
Some researchers gave assistance far beyond their obligations or the call of friendship. We would like to make particular mention here of Alexandra Wiessler, archivist of the Wiener Library, London, for whom no task was too great; her wise counsel and scrupulous regard for accuracy prevailed on countless occasions. Also Tony Wells of the Wiener Library, and the Wiener Library itself; Robert Hodges, Major (ret.), U.S. Air Force, who gave so much of himself; and Annette Mills, who went out of her way to help in her spare time.
Dr. Günther Deschner, historian, of Munich, was an invaluable help in deciphering the more cryptic passages of Mengele’s 5,000 pages of prose.
A very special acknowledgment, of course, is due to the survivors of Mengele’s experiments, especially Eva Kor and Marc Berkowitz and their worldwide organization C.A.N.D.L.E.S. (Children of Auschwitz Nazi Deadly Lab Experiment Survivors). Many members of their group spent harrowing hours retelling their dreadful experiences when they would much rather have forgotten them. It should be said that the photographic memory of Marc Berkowitz, Mengele’s camp messenger, was the actual inspiration for this book.
We would like to thank several former anonymous members of Israel’s Central Institute for Intelligence and Special Missions who helped us compile what we know to be the most detailed account of the Mossad’s role in the hunt for Josef Mengele.
Special thanks are certainly due to Brian Moser, producer-director for Central T.V., England, of the documentary “Mengele,” for his generous contribution; and to Ray Fitzwalter, editor of “World in Action,” Granada Television, England, who understood when events were at their most critical. The insight of Andrew Stephen and inborn optimism of Paul Greengrass were priceless assets too.
With apologies to those whom we may have inadvertently omitted, we list the following who were most active and instrumental in bringing this project to fruition:
Zvi Aharoni, London/ Wilfried Ahrens, Argnt, West Germany/ Dr. Pedro Alvarez, Encarnación, Paraguay/ Koby Behar, police spokesman, Jerusalem/ Lutz Bergmann, publishing director, Bunte, Munich/ Lawrence Birns, director, Hemispheric Resources Council, Washington, D.C./ Jonathan Bush, general counsel, Holocaust Memorial Council, Washington, D.C./ Dr. Francisco Carmargo, O’Estado do Parana, Curitiba, Brazil/ Aaron Citinblum, archivist, El Clarín, Buenos Aires/ Cynthia Cohen, Buenos Aires
Martin A. Crowe, special agent, FBI, New York/ Dr. David Crown, Fairfax, Virginia/ Commodore Juan Carlos Cuadrado, Buenos Aires/ Elena S. Danielson, archivist, Hoover Institution, Stanford University, California/ Denny Debbaudt, Detroit/ Delegado Priamo Amaral, Santa Catarina, Brazil/ Delegation of Israeli Associations, Buenos Aires/ William G. Dolde, Esq., FBI, Miami/ Joel Filartiga, Asunción/ Francisco Cunha Pereira Filho, editor, Gazete do Povo, Curitiba, Brazil
Dr. Carlos F. Valerio Fo, forensic dentist, São Paulo/ Francis Grant, Inter-American Association for Democracy and Freedom, New York/ Paul D. Gray, assistant director of U.S. Military Records, St. Louis, Missouri/ Art Harris, Washington Post, Atlanta, Georgia/ Dr. Stanley Hilton, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge/ Lt. Col. Barry Hussey, Buenos Aires/Jaime Jariton, Asunción/ Barbara Jentzch, German State Radio, Washington, D.C./Jewish World Congress, Buenos Aires
Peter Jones, archivist, British Library, London/ Simon Jones, London/William B. Jones, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C./ Mattis Kalir, Tel Aviv/ Gregory Katz, Gannett newspapers, Washington, D.C./ Ottmar Katz, Munich/ Beate and Serge Klarsfeld, Paris/ Dr. P. Kossack, Humboldt University, East Berlin/ Felix Kuballa, journalist, Cologne/ Hermann Langbein, Vienna
Carlos A. van Lerberghe, Buenos Aires/ Augusto Juan Lertora, Argentine deputy consul general, New York/ Malcolm Levene, London/ M. J. Levin, National Security Agency, Washington, D.C./ Robert A. Liff, Miami/ Dr. Carlos Perez Lianas, advisor to the minister of the interior, Buenos Aires/ John Loftus, Boston/ Bill Lowthar, Washington, D.C./ Federal Judge (ret.) Jorge Luque, Buenos Aires/ Eduard R. Malayan, first secretary of bilateral and cultural affairs, U.S.S.R. embassy, Washington, D.C./ Angelo Marfisi, New York
Mac Margolis, Newsweek, Rio de Janeiro/ Chaim Margolit, Tel Aviv/ David Marwell, historian, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C./ Sally Millwood, New York/ Jorge Mirkin, Buenos Aires/ Lt. Col. (ret.) William Orbello, Austin, Texas/ V. Orechovsky, assistant to the military attaché, U.S.S.R. embassy, Washington, D.C./ Jorge Ortiz, New York/ Christina Patel, London/ Russel A. Powell, Immigration and Naturalization Service, Washington, D.C./ Martina Puzyna, London/ Thomas E. Quigley, Office of International Justice and Peace, Washington, D.C.
Kirn Rattan, London/ Philip Reed, archivist, Imperial War Museum, London/ Dr. Klaus Richter, New York/ Ricardo Rivas, Buenos Aires/ L. Jeffrey Ross, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C./ Dr. Cesar Augusto Sanabria, Asunción/ Juergen J. Schillinger, Frankfurt/ Amy K. Schmidt, Modern Military Field Branch Records, Washington, D.C./ Richard A. Schussler, Esq., FBI, Los Angeles/ Gavin Scott, Time, Rio de Janeiro
Gad Shimron, Tel Aviv/ Paul Silveira, Miami/ Dr. Benjamin Socolosky, Asunción/ Dr. Norman Stone, Oxford University/ Eric Stover, National Endowment for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C./ Patrick Swaffer, London/ Hans-Hermann Tiedge, managing editor, Bunte, Munich/ Jacobo Timmerman, Buenos Aires/ David and Enriqueta Trachter, Buenos Aires/ Dr. Horacio Luis Tulian, Buenos Aires/ Ambassador (ret.) Benjamin Varon, Boston/ Dr. Alfredo Viamoso, Foz de Iguacu, Brazil/ Esa Webb, London/ Rona Weitz, Amnesty International, New York/ Albert Zarca, Paris/ Dr. Zdenek Zofka, historian, Munich.
In the pursuit of this project, a special acknowledgment to Joan Eckerman for her unfailing receptiveness to the original concept of a biography about Josef Mengele. Her enthusiasm and work helped to bring this book to fruition. To Katherine Ness, whose conscientious line editing repeatedly saved us from serious errors. To Susan Mayer, for kind support and devotion to the project. To Tom Quinn, our senior editor, for his valuable criticisms of the drafts of the book. He provided reassurance and encouragement through the most difficult of times, and his judgment was always impeccable. Pam Bernstein, the literary agent for this project, provided a professionalism and drive which assisted us at all stages.
This book would not have been possible without the constant practical help and indomitable optimism of Joseph Ferrara, Esq. His skills, friendship, and incredible patience lifted us over apparently insurmountable obstacles.
Finally, and most important, we thank our wives, Trisha Posner and Helena Ware, who have lived with Josef Mengele for five years, and whose support and positive attitudes contributed to and are a part of every aspect of this book. It was they who stayed the course, especially during the hectic summer of 1985. It was they who deserve the ultimate credit for this record being written.