VATICAN IS REPORTED TO HAVE FURNISHED AID TO FLEEING NAZIS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-01208R000100120080-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 25, 2011
• Sequence Number: 80
• Publication Date: January 26, 1984
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/25: CIA-RDP9
ARTICLE APPEARED NEW YORK TIMES
ON PAGE26 January 1984
orted The 1947 report, which was prepared ( Lions by Hungarians and Communist
Vatican Is Re
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7` L Vincent La. Vista, said that "in coun The National Archives has con-
s Q Have Furnished tries where the church is a controlling firmed the authenticity of the report,
or dominating factor, the Vatican has but a State Department spokesman,
A ? brought pressure to bear which has re-; Joseph W. Reap Jr., said he had no in.
rd to Fleeing Nazis suited in the foreign missions of those formation on it.
Latin American countries taking an at- The secretary of the new Papal Em-
titude almost favoring the entry into bassy in Washington, the Rev. Nicholas
The following article is hosed on re- their country of former Nazi and for-. Halligan, said he was not familiar with,
porting by wingh Blumenthal and E. e- mer Fascists or other political groups, the matter and could not comment.
so long as they are anti-Communist" Efforts to find Mr. La Vista were un-.
Dionne Jr. and was written by Mr. Blu- it also said "the justification of the availing. State
menthal. Vatican for its participation in this ille- and retirements offices said their
Allegations of Vatican involvement gal traffic is simply the propagation of records did not reflect any address for
in the escape of Nazi war criminals the faith." ' . Mr. La Vista now. An organization of
after World a of II have war At the same time, according to other retired Foreign Service officers in
emerged in historical .sources, Vatican relief Washington also said it had no record
statements by a. French Nazi hunter groups were also helping many thou- of him.
and a declassified State Department sands of legitimate refugees.
report. Lack of Information Noted
'It's a Big Issue' The Rev. Antonio Weber, who d
-According to Serge Klarsfeld, a : In Rome yesterday the Rev. Romeo. wring
Paris lawyer who has specialized World War II headed the Vatican's or-
trackin do down in Panciroli, the director of the Vatican ga~tion for. emigration aid, opera
g fugitive Nazis, Walter press office, said he could not comment San Raffaele, said his office had helped
Rauff, a former SS colonel wanted for on the report, adding that he would
many the mass gassing of Jews in mobile reply only to a written request and that Jews fleeing Hitler, including
-without some 2many!
death vans, told in 1962 of having been be would need "at least a couple of cases knowing their real identities. lth days" to consult Vatican archives be. "
given refuge in Vatican City convents didn't t know if they were of
for 18 months after thewar fore answering. "I wasn't here at the weren't t war criminals," Father Weber'
. time and it'ig issue," he said. The v
Chile, which has harbored the 77- Times will make.a written request to war th an interview: "Even if th
ese
year-old Mr. Rauff for more than 25 Father Panciroli's office criminals came with their real
years, is now facing demands Last summer a Vatican Spokesman ~cr' criminals they
. We could only believe
wereS for his expulsion. Yesterday Israel in Rome, the Rev. Pierf anco Pastore,1 what they told us."
made a formal request to Chile for Mr. was reported as having dismissed as As efforts stepped up t
to
Mr.
Rauff's extradition. And Simon Wier- "absolutely absurd" an article in the Rauff's expulsion from Chicle the
'enthal, the Vienna-based Nazi-bunter, magazine Reform Judaism written by Simon Wiesenthal Center of
Mr. Allen that was based on a copy of Yeshiva and a Los Angeles institute affiliated Universi
the State University in Los Angeles said it had
with him said the State Department report. Father sent a telegram
rarng,
Department Pastore was quoted as having told The Assistant Secretary to Elliott for Human
had recently taken an interest in the Associated Press: It doesn't even ' of State for Human I
.Rights calling for American
Pressure
case. merit a denial. Absolutely." But yes-i on the Chilean Government.
The formerly top secret State -De- terday Father Pastore denied that he.. In Paris last week, Mr. , Klarsfeld
partment report, dated 1947 and never l had made these comments "on the; issued the text of a statement that Mr.
officially made public, called the Vati- record"and said he could.not comment
Rauff made in December 1962 to the
can "the largest single omanization_in-; publicly. Supreme Court of Chile. Mr. Klars-
volved in the illegal movement of emi-' The report named a "notorious,,
smuggler of Nazis, Dr. Willi Nix, as one feld's wife, e, is in Santiago, the
:grants," including Nazis. The report who-operated under "the benevolent; Chilean capitalal, , s seeking the extradition
was obtained by a historian of the Holo protection .of the Vatican" and who of Mr. Rauff so he can stand trial for'
caust, Charles R. Allen Jr. of Manhat- ; "fled to the Vatican" minutes before he war crimes in West Germany or Israel.
tan, who made it available to The New was to be apprehended by the ItalianChile declined to extradite Mr. Rauff in
York Times. authorities.jt went on to list the names; 1963 on the ground that its statute of
The reported role of Roman Catholic of 22 clerics it linked to the illegal emi- ,. was ac limitations on the crimes with which he
Church officials in helping purported gration. The report also documented anwas accused had expired.
Nazi war criminals escape from Eu- "underground railroad" by Jewisb', Continued
rope has long been the subject of con- groups smuggling supporters to Pales
troversy. Catholic officials and others tine and, other illegal emigration opera.
have argued that even if some priests
helped Nazis escape from Europe,
there is no evidence that these priests
acted with the support - or even the
knowledge-.of the Vatican.
STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/02/25: CIA-RDP90-01208R000100120080-2