Argentina in World War II

The years from 1931-1945 were very difficult for the people of Argentina. The war years for most Argentines is best described as a time of confusion. In the space of less than sixty years some three and a half million immigrants had reached Argentina. Argentine society was struggling for a national identity. Some tried to look towards the past in order to formulate an Argentina identity while others looked to the classic country figure of the gaucho for inspiration. Picture of an Argentine Gaucho photos of the tango and gaucho taken from http://www.mundolatino.com/argentina Many turned to the epic poem by Jose Hernandez, Martin Fierro as its new inspiration. Martin Fierro depicts the abuses and mistreatment of the Guacho en past times. It advocates a new national identity based on the precepts of the Gaucho. However by now most Argentines looked towards Europe as a source of identity and inspiration. It was during this time that the tango and other cultural identities begin to flourish in Argentina. Picture of the Tango Thirty percent of all of its citizens were now foreign born. Some of Argentina’s middle class now rejected its past saying it was not its own. There was a desire to alter the future to replace the unwanted barbarian past. In order to do this its citizens looked towards people such as Hitler, Franco and Mussolini for direction. Fascist ideology quickly swept the face of the nation. By 1937 some 202 German schools were in operation while the German population was only some 300,000 strong. Many natural born Argentines turned to the German schools because they provided a well disciplined, fascist ideology. Fear of communism swept the country just as quick as fascism had come just a few years ago. The socialist party was outlawed and the left came under growing scrutiny. This fear of the left led many Argentines to reject the United States at the time because it felt that Franklin Roosevelt was too far to the left on the political spectrum. The way to modernize and become a dominant region power lied in Europe or in fascist Europe and not with the United States. In 1930 President Irigoyen was removed from office by a right wing sector of the Argentine military. The Argentine military was now beginning to see it's self as the savior of society much like Hitler, Mussolini and Franco saw themselves. This idea came from many years of tutelage under the German Army. Argentina's army was patterned after that of Germany and it even bought most of its weapons from them. For example in 1873 Argentina bought its first Krupp cannon from Germany. The superior war college had been created in 1900 and four of the ten founding professors were German. While Argentine society seemed to be headed on the same path as that of Germany, Italy and Spain it did not. It averted the path taken by Europe and Japan because of its diversity. Although many of the influential Argentines of the time claimed and proclaimed fascism as the new way of life, many could not ignore their liberal past. This liberal past looked towards the United States and Britain for inspiration. This liberal democratic past although a very small one reminded people that Argentina was a Republic founded on liberal ideas. This is the principal reason why the war years were known among Argentines for its confusion because there was a war of ideologies being fought not in the streets of Argentina but rather in the hearts of society. It has been said that during World War II Argentina's economic interest lied with the allies but her true heart and mind lied with the axis. This contradiction of ideologies can be seen in Argentina's strict neutrality during the war. During the war Argentina tried to please both the Allies and the Axis by remaining neutral. By maintaining strict neutrality Argentina embarked on a foreign policy consider by many as contradictory. Some of her many contradictory polices during the war years are discussed below. 

With so much confusion regarding the countries future Argentina's leaders took a neutral position in order to prevent the scales of political ideologies from slipping to one side or the other. During the war, Argentina continued to trade with Great Britain during its intense struggle for survival against Germany. Argentina’s vital foodstuffs allowed Great Britain to whether the storm against Germany. It continued to look and pattern its navy after that of Great Britain. Investments continued to pour into Argentina from Britain and her allies. Argentina also attended the Evian conference in 1938 in an attempt to aide the oppressed Jews in Germany. Argentina in a show of good faith agreed to aide of the fleeing Jews. Argentina promised to raise its quota for Jewish immigration in an attempt to ease the suffering felt by those Jews living under Nazi control, 

However while Argentina seemed to be aiding and assisting the war effort Argentina continued to frustrate Roosevelt as she opposed nearly every plan presented by Roosevelt and the State department during the Second World War. Saavedra Lamas the foreign minister of Argentina gave Cordell Hull the Secretary of State more then one migraine headache during his time in office. Argentina also demonstrated its contradictory behavior by turning away as many as thirty five boats filled with Jewish immigrants during the war. Argentina never raised its quota for Jewish Immigration like it had agreed to in an attempt to please both the Allies and the Axis. Argentina was also the first American nation to have had storm troopers living within its borders. The storm troopers according to John W. White trained and lived under the names of fake sports clubs. Eduardo Lubougle Argentina's ambassador to Germany was reported to have sent a map published by the Nazi party depicting the world as it should be after the war was won. The map was reported to have shown several of the provinces in Argentina as part of Germany. Those Provinces were that of the Misiones, Santa Fe and Corrientes as well as many others. The provinces would have been taken by the Germans who already lived with in those provinces according to Lubougle. However these claims by the Nazi party need not to have been taken seriously, the German population living within Argentina although very pro Nazi was in no condition in the 1940's to rise up and capture land in the name of Hitler. Although the map was not taken seriously by the Argentine government it did issue a national decree making it illegal to hold public meetings in any other language besides that of Spanish in an attempt to curb such ideas. This map has spurred many to believe that Hitler was planning on invading Argentina after the Battle for Britain was won making Argentina his fifth column in the Americas. However this claim can not be proven and it seems unlikely he would attempt such a plan. Hitler liked to work through other people such as Mussolini, Franco, and Peron; he used them as puppets achieving his goals while actually not doing any of the dirty work.

Argentina balanced its interest with the allies and the Axis remarkably well until 1943 when a military coup involving Juan Peron removed yet another civilian government from power. The first two years of the military coup passed by unnoticed. However in the new military government outlawed all political parties and dissolved congress. In 1944, Argentina broke political ties with the Axis under severe pressure from the allies, and in March of 1945, Argentina declares war against the axis. Argentina would not fight or aide the war effort, their declaration of war was a formality more then anything. It was given a mere two months before the end of the war. Argentina between the years of 1931 through 1945 can best be described as nearly uneventful. However that reputation would change when Juan Peron was elected President in 1946.Argentina would become known as an ally of Germany despite its years of strict neutrality thanks to one man. It is during this time period that Juan Peron and his wife Eva came to aide some four thousand or more Nazi's escape from Germany and find refuge in Argentina. Among them bankers, architects of the Holocaust such as Eichmann, others were doctors in concentration camps, and others were believed to be part of civilian massacres such as Erich Priebke. It seems that Peron did not help the Germans merely for ideological reasons but rather for economic reasons. The Germans paid Peron and the Argentine government millions if not billions of dollars in order to provide a safe haven for its fleeing citizens. It was estimated that the German assets in Argentina after World War II estimated some 1.6 billion dollars. Although loved dearly by the people of Argentina Eva Peron seems to have aided in the Juan Peron's network of fleeing Germans. The scrutiny Argentina receives for its role in World War II comes from Argentina's post war involvement rather then from its pre war and war involvement. Ultimately Argentina could not control its fascist thinking. The military proved to be too strong for the weak liberal institutions that Argentina was founded on.

Juan Peron was a military leader who would for ever change the face of Argentine politics. He was trained at the War College of Argentina and served his country in Italy as a military observer. His time in Italy influenced him politically rather then militarily. He came home from Europe with a love for Fascism and its founders. He would say later that he would establish a third political ideology some where between capitalism and Communism. He was a man who if nothing else loved his country. When he came to power he wished to modernize Argentina, he wished to eliminate the poverty that inflicted so many and above all he wished to bring Argentina into the world's spotlight. However in this drive or quest for modernization and equality he got lost. Peron tried to implement a system, a political system that had already run its course. Fascism was on the decline and he wished to preserve it. Perhaps that’s why he aided so many Nazi criminals or perhaps he merely wanted the money. Whatever the reason for the aiding and embedding thousands of former Nazis in Argentina, Argentina would find its self involved in one of the last chapters of the Second World War. It is sad because for such a long time it had fought in order to maintain its strict neutrality but in the end, the military proved to be to strong. 

Argentina since the 1940's has aided in eliminating or correcting its past. Presidents Menem and De la Rua have taken steps in aiding the post war investigations into its past. President Menem has extradited several known Nazi criminals to Israel and Italy. He also has turned over several thousands of pages of financial documents that are needed in tracking German assets. President Menem also sent a team of divers to the bay of Patagonia in order to find a reported German sup that was to have brought gold and former Nazis to the region. Although these acts of political kindness will not erase Argentina's soiled past they can aide in the transformation of the future like so many Argentines wanted during the Second World War. 

(Last revised 12-03-02 by Thomas Pace), Return to this Home page