Nazi-Era Documents Discovered in Argentina's Supreme Court Basement

Tue Oct 21 2025 04:10:57 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Unexpected trove of historical materials sheds light on Nazi activities during World War II.

Boxes containing Nazi propaganda and documents were discovered after 80 years in the basement of Argentina’s Supreme Court, potentially offering new insights into the country’s role during the war.

In a surprising discovery, employees sorting through the archives of Argentina’s Supreme Court uncovered numerous boxes filled with Nazi-era materials, including notebooks adorned with swastikas and a variety of propaganda. This significant find occurred during preparations for the establishment of a Supreme Court Museum, as the court announced recently.

Upon opening the boxes, court officials revealed that the contents were designed to promote and reinforce Adolf Hitler's ideologies within Argentina at the time when World War II was intensifying. Horacio Rosatti, the court’s president, recently emphasized the importance of cataloging these materials, noting their potential to provide critical understanding of events linked to the Holocaust.

Last Friday, a ceremony was held where officials, researchers, and members of the Jewish community came together to examine the initial findings. Jonathan Karszenbaum, executive director of the Holocaust Museum in Buenos Aires, shared his astonishment at the sheer volume of the materials. He remarked that he hadn't previously encountered such a collection.

The court has begun piecing together the history of the boxes, disclosing that they were shipped to Argentina from the German Embassy in Tokyo on June 20, 1941, during a time when Argentina maintained a neutral stance in the war as Japan aligned with Nazi Germany. The research and investigation into the materials will likely continue as historians and officials seek a deeper understanding of this period in Argentina's history.