For decades, the history of the holocaust has focused on the horrors that have been committed in Europe in extermination camps such as Auschwitz, Treblinka and Sobibor. But a less known chapter that has been wrapped by secrets and negligence is gradually appearing: the existence of internment and prison camps in America, which were built during the Second World War under the influence of the Nazis. This dark and hidden secret, hidden, reveals a disturbing facet of history that combines the Nazi regime with the American continent – a subject that was kept secret for political, logistical and cultural reasons. Thanks to testimonies of survivors, approved documents and recent archaeological research, this story takes shape and stimulates reflection on the world extent of Nazi gray.

The Second World War, launched by the German invasion in Poland in 1939, changed not only Europe, but also had deep effects on America. While the allies and powers of the axis have rebounded throughout Europe, the western hemisphere of the western hemisphere of Nazi sympathizers, supported by local governments and municipalities, were exploited by anti -Semitic ideologies. Nazi and propaganda spy networks have been created in countries like Argentina, Brazil and Chile. However, the references to the internment camps, which did not reach the industrial dimension of European camps, were particularly striking, but served as oppression centers and, in certain cases of annihilation.

One of the most disturbing cases can be found in recent research on internment camps in Latin America, especially in Argentina. Historical documents suggest that the government of Juan Domingo Perón, although officially neutral, has maintained an ambiguous relationship with the third Reich. The Argentinian historian Uki Goñi, author of the book “The authentic odessa “Explains: “Argentina was a refuge for Nazi criminals after the war, but during the conflict, there were also places where people were interned which were considered” undesirable “by the Nazi regime and its local sympathizers”. Goñi stresses that Jews, political dissidents and prisoners of war have been recorded in secret institutions far from the public in certain cases.

In Brazil, the situation was no less alarming. As part of the Getúlio Vargas regime, internment camps for citizens of German, Italian and Japanese origin were created, but also for Jews and other groups persecuted by the Nazis. L’historien brésilien Rafael de Luna Freire a documenté comment des camps comme Anchieta ont été créés dans la région de São Paulo, dans lesquels les conditions de vie étaient pathétiques. “The prisoners suffered from hunger, illness and mistreatment. Although it is not an extermination camps like Auschwitz, brutality and negligence reflected the influence of Nazi politics,” said Freis. These institutions, officially justified as national security measures, were exploited under the cover of secrecy, which prevented any external control.

In the Caribbean, more precisely on the island of Alderney, which belongs to the islands of the British canal, evidence of a forgotten Nazi concentration camp were discovered: the Sylt camp. Caroline Sturdy Colls, archaeologist at the University of Staffordshire, explains: “Sylt was an indescribable place of suffering. Prisoners, including many Jews and forced workers, were beaten, hungry and executed.” Sturdy Colls, whose research is reflected in the reviewAntiquityPublished, said the Nazis took advantage of the occupation of the Anglo-Norman Islands to build camps that operated far from international attention. Relationships of survivors, like that of Francisco Font, a Spanish republican who worked near Sylt, describe scenes of horror: “I saw a man suspended from the front door, a constant memory of the cruelty of the Nazis.”

The question that results from these revelations is the way they could remain hidden for so long. Part of the response is in disinformation and targeted coverage. The Nazis classified the extermination camps as a “secret of the state”, and in America, local governments had incentives to minimize their cooperation with the third Reich. In many cases, the files have been destroyed or kept secret and traumatized surviving were barely talking about their experiences. In addition, global attention has focused on horrors in Europe and has veiled crimes committed elsewhere.

Another crucial factor was the complicity of certain local elites. In Argentina, for example, the arrival of Nazi criminals after the war, like Adolf Eichmann, was facilitated by networks that operated with the knowledge of the authorities. “Silence has been bought with influence and favors,” said Goñi, who has sought the links between Argentina and National Socialism for decades. This complicity allowed crimes in America to stay hidden, while the world has treated the atrocities of Auschwitz and Dachau.

Although no conclusive evidence of extermination camps was found, there were international camps for citizens of German and Japanese origin in Mexico, many of whom were wrongly accused of spying. Mexican historian Juan Alberto Cedillo, author of the book “The Nazis in Mexico“It is indicated that” the German community in Mexico was closely linked to the Nazi regime and that some of its members participated in propaganda and surveillance activities “. Although these centers have not reached the brutality of European camps, they reflect the spread of Nazi ideology through the borders of Europe.

The release of the European camp by the Allies in 1945 marked a turning point in the understanding of the holocaust, but the America camps were widely ignored. The survivors of these places, like those of Sylt, were faced with a world that was not prepared for their stories. “No one wanted to know what we had experienced. It was as if there was only horror in Europe,” said an anonymous survivor quoted in Sturdy Colls’ book. This collective silence contributed to the fact that these crimes have disappeared from historical memory.

Thanks to the work of archaeologists, historians and survivors, this dark chapter appears today. The work of personalities such as Sturdy Colls and Goñi made a significant contribution to the clarification of the truth. However, the process was not without controversy. On Alderney, for example, local authorities opposed efforts to expose possible mass carts because they feared that revelations harm the image of the island. “The Holocaust memory should not be limited to Europe. It is a world story that forces us to face uncomfortable truths,” said Sturdy Colls.

The effects of these revelations extend beyond academic historical sciences. In a world in which anti-semitism and extremism are still widespread, the death camps in America recall the fragility of human rights. As the survivor of Auschwitz said, Primo Levi: “The injury cannot heal. It will be held in length.” Camp stories in America, although less known, are part of this collective injury that is still bleeding.

This story does not only want to highlight the past, but also stimulate the thought of the present. The memory of the atrocities of the Nazis, whether in Europe or America, asks us to remain vigilant for hatred and intolerance. By sharing these stories, we do not only honor the victims, but also confirmed our commitment to a future in which such atrocities never repeat themselves. The dark secret of German death camps in America, hidden for centuries, is a truth that can no longer be ignored.