7/31/2015

BBC News | UK | Simon Wiesenthal: Nazi-hunter

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SimonWiesenthal:Nazi
hunter

Simon
WiesenthalhasmadethepursuitofNazishis
life'swork

ConcentrationcampsurvivorSimon
Wiesenthalisoneofthefewpeopleto
wishtheperpetratorsoftheNazi
Holocaustalonglifelongenoughtosee
thembroughttotrialfortheircrimes.
Wiesenthal,himself91yearsoldonNew
Year'sEve,hasspentmorethanhalfhis
lifedoggedlygatheringinformationonthe
whereaboutsoffugitiveNazis.
Showeredwithhonoursforhiswork,
Wiesenthalhasconcernedhimselfwith
notonlytracingthoseprivytothe
planningoftheHolocaustatitshighest
level,butalsowithbringingthesmallest
cogsoftheNazimachinetojustice.
Wiesenthal
wasbornin
Austria
Hungary,in
whatisnow
Lviv,
Ukraine.

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Seealso:
01Apr99|UK

Sawoniukjoins
infamouslist
19Nov98|Americas

Argentinadelvesinto
Nazipast
11Apr98|Europe

Croatiaseeks
extraditionofNaziin
Argentina
04Oct99|Europe

Croatiancourttogive
deathcampverdict
04May98|Europe

Bormann'sbody
'identified'

Internetlinks:
SimonWeisenthal
Centre
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BBC News | UK | Simon Wiesenthal: Nazi-hunter

Having
survivedthe
Soviet
invasionof
theareain
thelate
1930s,
Weisenthal
andhiswife
Wiesenthal
againfaced
survivedtheNazideathcamps
extremeperil
withthearrivaloftheNazisin1941.
WhileCylaWiesenthalescapedNazi
persecutionbymasqueradingasaPole,
herhusbandwasimprisonedina
successionofconcentrationcamps.
AstheadvancingRedArmypushed
towardsGermany,Wiesenthalwasforce
tomarchwestwardsbyhisSSguards.
Thesurvivorsofthisarduoustrekwere
finallyliberatedbyUStroopsfromthe
Mauthausencamp,Austria,inMay1945.
Almostassoonashehadrecoveredhis
strength,Wiesenthalwasaidinghis
liberatorstogatherevidenceagainstthe
perpetratorsoftheHolocaust.
In1947hehelped
establishacentre
inLinzthetown
whereAdolfHitler
spentmuchofhis
childhood
devotedto
collecting
informationfor
Josef
useinfuturewar
Mengeleevadedjustice
crimestrials.
forhiswarcrimes

DespitethesuccessesoftheNuremberg
trials,inwhichmanyofHitler'sinner
circleweresentenced,manyoftheNazi
regime'smostnotoriouskillers,suchas
AuschwitzdoctorJosefMengele,remained
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BBC News | UK | Simon Wiesenthal: Nazi-hunter

unaccountedfor.
WiththechillingofrelationsbetweenEast
andWest,thehuntfortheseNazisfell
fromthepoliticalagenda.Dispirited,
WiesenthalclosedtheLinzofficein1954.
HisenthusiasmforNazihuntingwas
rekindledwiththecaptureofAdolf
EichmannbyIsraeliagentsin1960.
Wiesenthalclaimsheknewthe"architect"
oftheHolocaustwaslivinginArgentina
butcouldinterestnoonewiththe
information.
Buoyedbythe
trialandeventual
executionofthe
Nazitechnocrat,
Wiesenthal
openedtheJewish
Documentation
CentreinVienna.
Adolf
Collatingsightings
andtipoffsfrom Eichmannmasterminded
theHolocaust
aworldwide
networkofsympathisers,humanrights
activistsandevenformerNazis
themselves,Wiesenthalpursuedthe
90,000peoplenamedintheGermanwar
crimesfiles.

HewasinstrumentalinbringingFritz
Strangl,thecommandantofthecampsat
TreblinkaandSobibor,tojusticeinWest
Germanyin1967.
Wiesenthalalsosilencedthosewho
doubtedtheauthenticityoftheAnne
Frankdiaries,locatingtheNaziofficerwho
deportedtheteenagertothedeath
camps.
His
international
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BBC News | UK | Simon Wiesenthal: Nazi-hunter

reputation,
slightly
dentedbyhis
initial
reluctanceto
questionthe
wartime
conductof
theformer
Wiesenthal
Austrian
foundthemanwhodeported
president
AnneFrank
Kurt
Waldheim,hasallowedWiesenthalto
exertconsiderablepressureon
politicians.
TheSimonWiesenthalCentre,setupin
1977,haspressedfortheextraditionof
numerouswarcrimessuspects,aswellas
campaigningfortherightsofHolocaust
survivorsandanendforpensionstoSS
officers.
InthewakeoftheextraditionofDinko
Sakic,theArgentineGovernmentbowed
toWiesenthal'swishesandsetupa
specialbodytohuntformerNazis.
Sakichadspentdecadesundisturbedin
thecountrybeforebeingtriedand
convictedforthewartimedeathsofmore
than85,000peopleinhisCroatian
concentrationcamp.
Althoughthe
SimonWiesenthal
Centreis
demandinga
police
investigationinto
KonradKalejis,
an86yearold
manlivingnear
Camp
Rugby,itis
thoughttherewill commanderDinkoSakic
benomoregreat duringthewar
Nazitrials.
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BBC News | UK | Simon Wiesenthal: Nazi-hunter

HopesofbringingHeinrichMuller,
GestapochiefforBerlin,andAlois
Brunner,aidetoEichmann,tocourtare
fadingfast.
Born100yearsago,Mullerisalmost
certainlydead.WhileBrunner,last
spottedinSyria,wouldnowbe88.
TheSimonWiesenthalCentrehasbegun
torefocusitsattentionsonmonitoring
farrightgroups,campaigningforhuman
rightsandkeepingatleastthememoryof
theHolocaustalive.
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