Table Of ContentOPERATION
EICHMANN
OPERATION
EIC H M A N N
PURSUIT AND CAPTURE
ZVI AHARONI AND WILHELM DIETL
V
CASSELL
Cassell Military Paperbacks
Cassell & Co
Wellington House, 125 Strand
London WC2R OBB
Copyright © Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt GmbH, Stuttgart 1996
Translation by Helmut Bögler
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical
including photocopying or any information storage and retrieval system
without permission in writing from the Publisher.
First published in English by Arms and Armour 1997
This Cassell Military Paperbacks edition 1999
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 0-304-35201-2
Edited and designed by DAG Publications Ltd.
Edited by John Gilbert; designed by David Gibbons
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Cox & Wyman Ltd., Reading, Berks.
Contents
Foreword by Meir Amit................................7
1 How It All Began....................................9
2 Holocaust..............................................22
3 Escape....................................................43
4 Argentina...............................................63
5 Israel......................................................76
6 Garibaldi Street.....................................88
7 Klement Is Eichmann........................106
8 Eleventh May, Nineteen Hundred
and Sixty..............................................126
9 The Prisoner........................................145
10 In the Name of the Jewish People....161
11 How It All Ended..............,...............175
12 Cue ‘Auschwitzlüge’.........................184
Bibliography: Recommended Reading....186
Index..........................................................189
Foreword
by General (Res.) Meir Amit
Director of Mossad 1963-1968
The operation to capture Eichmann in Argentina was regarded by the
Israeli intelligence community with mixed feelings. Some of the
intelligence community heads (mainly from among the military
intelligence, responsible for the national security evaluation in Israel) felt at
the time that Mossad was not fulfilling its proper role: the true enemies of
Israel were the Arab armed forces, and the ongoing struggle against hostile
neighbours demanded a constant supply of information on the current situa
tion and events. There was no doubt that for many months, largely as a result
of Operation Eichmann, the main efforts of Mossad were diverted from its
prime target, and this fact angered a section of the military intelligence.
In the event, it became clear that Operation Eichmann was justified,
not just because its objective was of major national importance - capturing
the man who was responsible, almost directly, for the operation of the Nazi
extermination machinery and for causing the deaths of millions of Jews. But,
in addition, the successful planning of this operation, the unfailing determi
nation to see it through, the great resourcefulness shown by the operators in
the field, and its clean execution, resulted in increased respect for the Israeli
intelligence community in general, and Mossad in particular. There is not
the slightest doubt that the immense regard for the intelligence community
generated by this operation, together with recognition of the extraordinary
dimensions of its operational capacity, strengthened Israeli intelligence and
contributed to its subsequent success.
Operation Eichmann has been covered by a wide range of 'literature'.
A considerable number of books have been written, and the events have been
described by various persons at various levels and from various angles of
observation. However, in all the books written so far there have been certain
constraints which have meant that the writers were not able to present a full
and correct picture of what actually happened. This book by Zvi Aharoni
describes the operation in a level-headed and objective manner. The reason
for this is simple: he was the major factor in the operation, from its begin
ning to its end. He spent many weeks without despairing and without letting
go of the target until the objective was reached. An experienced investigator,
7
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with a long-standing record (he served with the British FSS during the Sec
ond World War), Zvi Aharoni is an obstinate and honest person who, with
endless patience examined the facts and pursued the leads that eventually
resulted in the capture of Eichmann. One of the Mossad 'old-timers', he was
involved in Operation Eichmann from its very beginning, through all the
stages of finding and identifying the subject, capturing him and transporting
him to Israel.
Zvi Aharoni, who served under me for many years, is known in Mossad
as a trustworthy person; he climbed through the ranks of Mossad and
attained one of its highest positions. One could always trust in his evalua
tion of the situation and his correct action. He was not one to leave loose
ends, and he persisted in any objective until the outcome (usually with suc
cess). He is a good team member, and here gives full credit to everyone who
brought this complex operation to a successful conclusion.
There is no doubt that this book represents an objective and authentic
addition to the tale of heroism that led to the capture of Eichmann and his
standing trial in Israel. Without Zvi Aharoni and his friends we would never
have achieved what we did.
General (Res.) Meir Amit
8
Description:Adolf Eichmann, the man responsible for carrying out Hitler's "final solution", escaped to South America at the end of the war. He lived a modest life, under an assumed name, as an Argentinian citizen. But he was not safe from justice. In 1960 the Mossad agent Zvi Aharoni hunted him down, confirmed
