Third Reich collection seized in Argentina

Some of the relics seized from a private collection in Argentina included several pieces of Third Reich decorative arts material, all adorned with swastikas.

Argentinian police reported discovering some 75 Nazi artifacts in a home outside Buenos Aires, lending credibility to the theory that that high-ranking Nazis settled in Argentina after WWII. On June 8, Argentine police, in conjunction with international police force Interpol, raided the home of an undisclosed collector in the suburb of Béccar. There, behind a bookshelf leading to a secret passageway, they discovered a hidden room containing approximately 75 Nazi artifacts. The collection includes bust relief of Adolf Hitler, a medical device to measure head size, a large Nazi Eagle statue, a Nazi hourglass, and a box of harmonicas. Authorities believe it is the largest collection of Nazi artifacts in Argentina’s history.

Argentinean Security Minister Patricia Bullrich told the Associated Press some of the objects were accompanied by photos showing Hitler using them. “It’s part of Argentinean history and we need to get it out in the open,” she noted.

Since being discovered, the artifacts have been put on display at the Delegation of Argentine Israeli Associations, in Buenos Aires.