ENCYCLOPEDIA OF Espionage, Intelligence, and Security Volume ...

Eichmann, Adolf: Israeli CaptureGerman Gestapo officer Adolf Eichmann listens to the guilty verdict readby the presiding judge as he stands in a bullet-proof glass enclosure in aJerusalem court in 1961, during his trial for committing wartime atrocitiesagainst Jewish Europeans. AP/WIDE WORLD PHOTOS.the Cold War further distracted the hunt for Nazi fugitives.Eichmann hid throughout Europe until 1950, before fleeingto Argentina with the aid of Nazi sympathizers. Once inSouth America, Eichmann sent for his family to join him.They eluded the authorities in Britain, Germany, and Israelwho continued the search for various perpetrators of theHolocaust. It was through clues left by Eichmann’s family,namely his sons Nikolas and Dieter, that authorities finallylocated Eichmann.Finding Eichmann. During this time, Eichmann lived underthe false name of Ricardo Klement, which he had takenwhen he escaped Europe. His sons, however, sometimesused the family name of Eichmann. In 1957, Eichmann’sson Nikolas became involved with an Argentinean girlnamed Sylvia. Not knowing that the girl was Jewish,Nikolas often made anti-Semitic remarks and boasted ofhis father’s deeds during the war. Nickolas’ remarks, coupledwith the occasional use of his real last name, madethe girl’s father suspicious. He contacted a friend in Germany,jurist Fritz Bauer. Bauer, who was imprisoned bythe Nazis twice during the war, devoted his life to thelocation and capture of Nazi war criminals. Bauer notifiedIsraeli authorities with the information.Encyclopedia of Espionage, Intelligence, and SecurityThough Israel was a new nation, it had already developeda skilled intelligence service. A special unit of thatservice was called Mossad. The unit was formed to trackdown and kill enemies of the state, but dedicated its firstfew decades to the capture of terrorists and war criminals.The head of Mossad, Isser Harel, immediately took chargeof the hunt for Eichmann. He chose a special team of 30agents, several of them survivors of the Holocaust, toassist in the operation. The Israeli government decidedthat Eichmann should not be assassinated, but broughtback to Israel to stand trial. To further complicate thematter, once Eichmann was found, he would have tobe kidnapped and smuggled to Israel, a violation ofArgentinean legal sovereignty. Because many Nazi sympathizersfound refuge in South America during the war,the Israelis knew that a diplomatic extradition would bedifficult, if not impossible, to obtain.The lead that Bauer gave Mossad turned into a deadend. When an agent tried to locate the family, he discoveredthat Eichmann and his family had moved, with noforwarding address. Another lead surfaced in 1959. One ofBauer’s informants in Italy discovered the pseudonymthat Eichmann used when he immigrated to South America.Another agent discovered that a gas meter on thehouse from the first tip still bore the name Klement.Authorities were convinced that the man was Eichmann.Mossad hatched a simple plan to find Eichmann’snew address. Around the time of Nikolas’ birthday, Mossadhired an undercover agent to dress as a bellboy andapproach Dieter Eichmann with a package that needed tobe delivered to his brother, Nikolas. The undercover agentdid not know anything else about the mission. Dieterrefused to give the bellboy his brother’s address, and tookthe package himself. Prepared for this outcome, the Mossadteam sent the undercover agent back to Dieter a few dayslater. The agent told Dieter that the sender of the packagebelieved that the package was not delivered and demandedthat she be paid for its lost contents. Dieter claimed thatthe package was not delivered to Nikolas because he wasconfused about the name, Nikolas Klement, which appearedon the box. Dieter further explained that his brotherused the surname Eichmann, so he thought the packagebelonged to his father, Ricardo Klement. Dieter then reluctantlygave the bellboy his father’s address, 14, GaribaldiStreet, San Fernando . Mossad agents watched the housefor several weeks, tracking Eichmann’s daily schedule.One evening, the subject believed to be Eichmann steppedoff his usual bus carrying flowers. He was greeted at hishome by several people who gathered for a party. The daycorresponded with Eichmann’s wedding anniversary. Thesefacts convinced the Mossad agents that they had positivelyidentified the subject as Adolf Eichmann.Eichmann’s Capture. After locating Eichmann, agents thendevised a plan for his capture and kidnapping. The Israeliteam saw an opportunity to ferry Eichmann out of thecountry during the upcoming celebration of Argentina’s377