Uki Goñi
Encyclopedia
Uki Goñi is an Argentine author who is principally known for his work documenting the escape of Nazi war criminals from Europe
.
Goñi's research studies the role of the Vatican
, Swiss authorities and the government of Argentina
in organizing 'ratline'
, escape routes for fugitive criminals and collaborators.
in 1953 and was raised in the United States
, Argentina
, Mexico
, and Ireland
. Since 1975, he has lived in Buenos Aires
, Argentina.
, and Belgian government archives, as well as numerous interviews and other sources, Goñi's conclusions are detailed extensively in his book The Real Odessa: Smuggling the Nazis to Perón's Argentina (Granta Books, 2002, ISBN 1862075816), published originally in London in 2002 and since then translated into Spanish, Italian, Slovenian, Portuguese and German.
Following publication of the book in Italy, a group of parliamentarians in Rome demanded Prime Minister Berlusconi to open an investigation into the passage of Nazis through their country.
In Milan, SS criminal Erich Priebke
, sentenced to life imprisonment for his part in the Ardeatine Caves Massacre
of 1944, sought a court injunction against the Italian translation of Goñi's book, demanding 50,000 euros in damages. He was turned down on both counts, despite the fact that Priebke had already won a series of judicial cases against media stories about him.
In Genoa
, archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, distributed 50,000 copies of a "Special Edition" of "Settimanale Cattolico" ("Catholic Weekly") announcing the creation of a special commission of inquiry to investigate Goñi's revelations regarding the role of the Genoese curia in aiding the flight of Nazi war criminals through the port city.
In Holland, KLM opened an internal investigation following the book's unearthing of documents regarding the use of the airline by Nazi officers after the war.
In Argentina, President Néstor Kirchner
ordered the repeal of a secret directive of 1938 prohibiting Argentine diplomats from granting visas to Jews fleeing from the Holocaust in Europe. This was the first official admission by the Argentine government of the anti-Semitism that marked the country's immigration policies during and after World War II. Goñi's book also caused previously secret files relating to the entry of Croatia
n and other war criminals to Argentina to be released.
magazine, The Guardian
, and The Observer
, as well as for various publications in Argentina.
He is also the author of two previous books in Spanish, El infiltrado, la verdadera historia de Alfredo Astiz
(Sudamericana, Buenos Aires 1996), regarding crimes committed by Argentina's 1976-83 military dictatorship, and "Perón y los alemanes" (Sudamericana, Buenos Aires 1998), on wartime links between Berlin and Buenos Aires.
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Goñi's research studies the role of the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
, Swiss authorities and the government of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in organizing 'ratline'
Ratlines (history)
Ratlines were a system of escape routes for Nazis and other fascists fleeing Europe at the end of World War II. These escape routes mainly led toward havens in South America, particularly Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, Uruguay, and Chile. Other destinations included the United States and perhaps...
, escape routes for fugitive criminals and collaborators.
History
Goñi was born in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
in 1953 and was raised in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Since 1975, he has lived in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina.
Investigations
Drawing on investigations in Argentine, Swiss, American, BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and Belgian government archives, as well as numerous interviews and other sources, Goñi's conclusions are detailed extensively in his book The Real Odessa: Smuggling the Nazis to Perón's Argentina (Granta Books, 2002, ISBN 1862075816), published originally in London in 2002 and since then translated into Spanish, Italian, Slovenian, Portuguese and German.
Repercussions
The book has had wide repercussions in those countries through which Nazi criminals and their collaborators passed in their escape, especially in Italy, the Netherlands and Argentina.Following publication of the book in Italy, a group of parliamentarians in Rome demanded Prime Minister Berlusconi to open an investigation into the passage of Nazis through their country.
In Milan, SS criminal Erich Priebke
Erich Priebke
Erich Priebke is a former Hauptsturmführer in the Waffen SS. In 1996 he was convicted of war crimes in Italy, for participating in the massacre at the Ardeatine caves in Rome, on March 24, 1944...
, sentenced to life imprisonment for his part in the Ardeatine Caves Massacre
Ardeatine massacre
The Fosse Ardeatine massacre was a mass execution carried out in Rome on 24 March 1944 by German occupation troops during the Second World War as a reprisal for a partisan attack conducted on the previous day in central Rome....
of 1944, sought a court injunction against the Italian translation of Goñi's book, demanding 50,000 euros in damages. He was turned down on both counts, despite the fact that Priebke had already won a series of judicial cases against media stories about him.
In Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, archbishop Tarcisio Bertone, distributed 50,000 copies of a "Special Edition" of "Settimanale Cattolico" ("Catholic Weekly") announcing the creation of a special commission of inquiry to investigate Goñi's revelations regarding the role of the Genoese curia in aiding the flight of Nazi war criminals through the port city.
In Holland, KLM opened an internal investigation following the book's unearthing of documents regarding the use of the airline by Nazi officers after the war.
In Argentina, President Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Kirchner
Néstor Carlos Kirchner was an Argentine politician who served as the 54th President of Argentina from 25 May 2003 until 10 December 2007. Previously, he was Governor of Santa Cruz Province since 10 December 1991. He briefly served as Secretary General of the Union of South American Nations ...
ordered the repeal of a secret directive of 1938 prohibiting Argentine diplomats from granting visas to Jews fleeing from the Holocaust in Europe. This was the first official admission by the Argentine government of the anti-Semitism that marked the country's immigration policies during and after World War II. Goñi's book also caused previously secret files relating to the entry of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n and other war criminals to Argentina to be released.
Other works
Goñi has written for a number of British and American media, including TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, and The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, as well as for various publications in Argentina.
He is also the author of two previous books in Spanish, El infiltrado, la verdadera historia de Alfredo Astiz
Alfredo Astiz
Alfredo Ignacio Astiz was a Commander, intelligence office and maritime commando in the Argentine Navy during the dictatorial rule of Jorge Rafael Videla in the Proceso de Reorganización Nacional...
(Sudamericana, Buenos Aires 1996), regarding crimes committed by Argentina's 1976-83 military dictatorship, and "Perón y los alemanes" (Sudamericana, Buenos Aires 1998), on wartime links between Berlin and Buenos Aires.
Music
Uki Goñi is also a well-known musician in Argentina. He formed his first band (Space Age Serenity) while growing up in Dublin, Ireland. In Argentina he has played and recorded with major artists such as folk musician Peteco Carabajal, the rock band Mancha de Rolando, blues guitarist Claudio Gabis, pop mega-star Adrián Dárgelos as well as with his own long-time band Los Helicópteros.The Real Odessa
- The Real Odessa, Granta Books, London-New York, 2002
- La auténtica Odessa, Paidós, Barcelona-Buenos Aires, 2002
- Operazione Odessa, Garzanti Libri, Milano, 2003
- A verdadeira Odessa, Editorial Record, Rio de Janeiro, 2004
- Odessa: Die Wahre Geschichte, Assoziation-A, Hamburg & Berlin, 2006
- Resnicna Odessa, Ciceron, Eslovenia, 2006
- La auténtica Odessa: Edición 2008, Area Paidós, Buenos Aires, 2008
Other Books
- El Infiltrado. La verdadera historia de Alfredo Astiz, Editorial Sudamericana, Buenos Aires, 1996
- Perón y los Alemanes, Editorial Sudamericana, Buenos Aires, 1998