CIA documents suggest Hitler’s escape after World War II
Image provided by CBS
Theories and skepticism surrounding the death of Adolf Hitler are not new. For decades, people shared their ideas on what Hitler did in the final months of 1945 when his Third Reich’s demise began. As of now, nothing has been factually confirmed, and textbooks still state Hitler’s death as April 30, 1945. The “truth” is that Hitler took his own life, despite strong opposition over the years.
“I believe once the allied powers had Hitler surrounded, there was no way they would let him get out,” Benjamin B. ‘19 said.
However, a recent release of classified documents by the CIA may shed some light onto what really happened to the leader of the Nazi Party.
At the end of last month, the CIA released a collection of previously classified documents, including contents related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Within those documents, several pieces connect to Hitler’s death. Since they’ve been found, historians and theorists have analyzed them closely.
The first document of the group is a memo dating back to Oct. 3, 1955 from an American station in Venezuela. The memo states CIA contact CIMELODY-3 came across a source who supplied a photograph of an escaped Nazi soldier standing next to a man the soldier claimed was Hitler, according to CBS. As expected, the CIA approached this information with skepticism.
There is no information showing CIMELODY-3 ever met with the original source of the photograph. The CIA later identified him as a former Nazi SS trooper Phillip Citroen. Citroen claimed he met with Hitler in 1954 in Tunja, Colombia, a city, he noted, that housed other ex-Nazis at the time. He saw Hitler about once a month when he traveled from Maracaibo, Venezuela to Colombia as a member of the KNSM (Royal Dutch Steamboat Company). The document also suggests Hitler may have worked as a shipping company employee before fleeing to Argentina.
“I think the released information is interesting and helps to answer at least a few questions that have been asked in the past,” Katelyn S. ‘21 said. “Whether it is believable or not, the documents are still intriguing.”
Furthermore, the same station sent a second memo later in 1955 stating, “According to CITROEN, the Germans residing in Tunja follow this alleged Adolf HITLER with an idolatry of the Nazi past, addressing him as ‘der Fuhrer’ and affording him the Nazi salute and storm-trooper adulation.”
The CIA’s hesitation to believe all of this was present, and according to the Miami Herald, a letter also included in the released documents showed senior CIA members losing interest in the matter about a month after the first two memos were sent to Washington D.C.
“It is felt enormous efforts (spent trying to confirm the rumors) could be expanded on this matter with remote possibilities of establishing anything concrete. Therefore, we suggest that this matter be dropped,” the letter stated.
No other documents within the released collection refer to Hitler’s alleged escape to South America. This is likely because of the lost interest by the CIA. However, it is very possible there were other investigations and more documents exist, but the information remains classified for now. While these reports motivate conspiracy theorists and provide encouragement for the argument of Hitler’s escape, there are still questions remaining unanswered, and only time can decide whether the CIA holds the answers.
“What’s interesting is the fact they actually launched an investigation, which shows they exhausted their sources,” World History teacher Daniel Harris said. “The more the story is looked into, the more coincidental it becomes.”
Abigail Trussell • Mar 14, 2018 at 1:32 pm
Super interesting story! I really liked your mix of sources, your article made this topic super easy to understand:)
Bennett Zeitner • Mar 14, 2018 at 9:38 am
I was interested by this article because I had never truly heard of any conspiracy theories surrounding Hitler’s death and if he did actually die in 1945. My only question is how long did the CIA have a hold of these documents before they eventually released them? I think this theory is something we most certainly need to look more into, and I will be interested in learning more information on this situation.
Ellie First • Mar 14, 2018 at 9:35 am
I thought this article was really interesting because I’ve previously heard about this conspiracy but have never really looked into the topic further. I found this to be insightful, intriguing and very well written!
Jordan Smith • Mar 14, 2018 at 9:34 am
Wow. Just wow. I like this article, because, well, wow! The idea that Hitler didn’t die in 1945!? That’s insane. My question is how is this the first time I’ve heard of the CIA releasing these documents? Its already been said why this is such an interesting article. Thank you Will for writing this. This is really interesting and very cool.
Gabriel Woerner • Mar 14, 2018 at 9:27 am
This article is soooo good!! I loved these conspiracy theory!! YASSSS HENNNY
Evette Harrell • Mar 14, 2018 at 9:27 am
This was an interesting topic to read about because there are so many conspiracy theories out there about events such as this. I was interested to read more about the speculation over Hitler’s death since we were just talking about this the other day in my APUSH class. Who knows whether or not Hitler actually took his life that day…
Lauren sommerfeld • Mar 14, 2018 at 9:23 am
I have read about this rumor many times before but Will you wrote this piece beautifully and captured the story as if you were there in person.
Kelsey Schuliger • Mar 14, 2018 at 7:44 am
This is an interesting article, for I’ve never heard any theories of Hitler surviving until now! This could change society, for if this case is truly reliable, then perhaps Hitler, or his ancestors, are rising in power, but secretly. If we didn’t have a clue then, we wouldn’t have a clue now. This is fascinating and thought provoking. Hopefully it isn’t true though!