The LRB Podcast Pinochet and the Nazis
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Jul 16, 2025 In this discussion, Andy Beckett, a Guardian columnist and author, dives into the dark ties between Pinochet's Chile and Nazi Germany. He reveals how notorious Nazi war criminal Walther Rauff found refuge in Chile, boasting a chilling connection to Pinochet's regime. The conversation also explores the long shadow of Salvador Allende's democratic government and how its fall resonates today. Beckett highlights implications of impunity in political systems and the ongoing threat of authoritarianism under the guise of conservatism.
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Walter Rauff's Nazi Escape
- Walter Rauff was a Nazi colonel involved in Holocaust atrocities using gas vans.
- He escaped Allied capture, fled to South America, met Pinochet, and later aided his regime's repression in Chile.
Legal Shield Enabled Nazi Impunity
- Chilean courts in the 1960s rejected Rauff's extradition for Holocaust crimes citing the time elapsed.
- His protection stemmed from legal rulings and possibly secret political ties in Chile.
Philippe Sands’ Personal Motive
- Philippe Sands’ book explores Pinochet's arrest in Britain and Rauff's impunity, framed by Sands' personal family Holocaust losses.
- Sands balances legal analysis with personal connection without emotional excess.