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CIA Files: Declassified Documents Reveal Post-War Hunt for Adolf Hitler in South America
Declassified CIA documents have unveiled a startling secret mission: a decade after Adolf Hitler‘s alleged death, US intelligence agents were actively searching for the Nazi leader. According to reports from the CIA archives, operatives in South America became convinced during the 1950s that the dictator was alive and concealing his identity under an assumed name.
Belief in Hitler’s Survival and South American Hideout
Despite Allied forces declaring Hitler dead by suicide in a Berlin bunker in April 1945, newly declassified documents from 2020 indicated that US intelligence officials were probing a potential ‘hideout in Argentina’ shortly after World War II. This search apparently extended into the next decade, with the CIA persisting in contact with informants claiming knowledge of Hitler‘s clandestine escape as late as 1955.
Argentina’s Declassification Order Revives Cold Case
While the document trail seems to conclude in November 1955, a recent announcement from Argentina has revitalized interest in this historical mystery. In March, Argentinian President Javier Milei mandated the declassification of all government files pertaining to Nazis who sought and received protection in Argentina following World War II.
Argentina: A Nazi Safe Haven
Post-war Argentina was a known sanctuary for former Nazi party members evading prosecution for war crimes. These newly accessible documents could potentially complete the puzzle surrounding this long-dormant CIA investigation.
Declassified CIA documents illustrate US intelligence agents’ belief that Adolf Hitler escaped Germany and sought refuge in South America.
One document indicated officials’ conviction that Hitler would seek sanctuary in Argentina if he ever left Germany.
Hotel Spa in Argentina Investigated as Potential Hideout
The recently unearthed documents detail how the US War Department alerted the FBI to the possibility of Hitler maintaining a secret refuge at a spa hotel in La Falda, Argentina. A file from October 1945 revealed the hotel’s owners were significant Nazi supporters, contributing financially to propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels and forging close ties with Hitler himself.
Nazi Sympathizers and Hitler’s Alleged Connection
US intelligence indicated that Hitler remembered the family’s loyalty, even staying at their hotel during German vacations. The War Department informed the FBI of their conviction that Hitler would retreat to this hotel if Germany were to lose the war or if he were ousted as Nazi leader.
Colombian Photograph Fuels Hitler Survival Theories
Despite Allied assertions of finding Hitler‘s charred remains, another CIA document, released in 2020, presented a photograph purportedly showing the Nazi leader in Colombia in 1954, accompanied by a friend. The report, dated October 3, 1955, explicitly stated that a US intelligence operation was underway to verify whether Adolf Hitler (referred to as ‘Adolph Hitler’ in the files) had survived and secretly relocated to South America.
Informant’s Testimony and the ‘Schrittelmayor’ Identity
The file disclosed that an informant, codenamed CIMELODY-3, communicated with a trusted associate, a former subordinate of Hitler who had escaped to Maracaibo, Venezuela. This associate recounted claims from Phillip Citroen, a purported former SS trooper, asserting that Hitler was alive in Colombia. Citroen claimed to communicate with the former Nazi leader monthly and possessed a recent photograph of them together.
A photograph covertly obtained by US agents appeared to depict a man former Nazis identified as Hitler, alive in Colombia in 1954.
US intelligence agents pursued this lead for a decade, despite evidence suggesting Hitler’s suicide and cremation in 1945.
‘Adolf Schrittelmayor’ in Colombia
CIMELODY-3’s friend secretly acquired the photograph on September 28, 1955. The man alleged to be Hitler was identified as ‘Adolf Schrittelmayor,’ photographed seated on a bench with Citroen in Tunja, Colombia. The report further indicated claims from former Nazi soldiers that Hitler eventually moved to Argentina in January 1955.
Immunity Claim and Skepticism within Intelligence
By the time US intelligence secured and copied the photograph, World War II had concluded a decade prior, leading Nazis to believe they were beyond prosecution. ‘Philip Citroen… commented that inasmuch as ten years have passed since the end of World War II, the Allies could no longer prosecute HITLER as a criminal of war,’ the document stated. Despite these claims, US agents continued their pursuit of Hitler, though some within the intelligence community dismissed the photograph as ‘fantasy.’
US spies reported the individual pictured with Hitler was a former German soldier maintaining regular contact while both resided in South America.
The US intelligence community consistently referred to this person of interest as Adolf Hitler (or Adolph Hitler) in their classified documents.
Investigation Terminated Due to ‘Remote Possibilities’
On November 4, 1955, intelligence headquarters in Washington authorized agents to contact ‘GIRELLA’ to further investigate the background of ‘Adolf Schrittelmayor’ in Colombia before 1955. However, the same classified document distributed to South American agents suggested discontinuing the case. ‘It is felt that enormous efforts could be expended on this matter with remote possibilities of establishing anything concrete,’ intelligence officials conceded.
Unresolved Questions and Potential for Further Disclosure
No subsequent documents from this series are publicly available in the CIA‘s declassified files, suggesting the investigation was halted or further discoveries remain classified. Argentina’s decision to declassify historical records may soon yield additional insights into US interactions with Nazis in South America.
Operation Paperclip and Nazi Ties
The US government’s recruitment of former German scientists after WWII, known as Operation Paperclip, is a matter of public record. This program brought approximately 1,600 German scientists to the US, including Wernher von Braun, a key figure in NASA’s early space program.
Argentinian Declassifications and Nazi ‘Ratlines’
The forthcoming Argentinian documents are expected to detail the nation’s involvement with ‘ratlines,’ the clandestine international escape routes used by Nazis fleeing Germany during and after WWII. It remains uncertain whether these newly declassified reports will provide further evidence regarding the CIA‘s files on Hitler‘s alleged escape from death.