Nazis Were Given ‘Safe Haven’ in U.S., Report Says

[PanzerJaeger]

Soobzokov. A Nazi who had fled to America. He lied to the immigration services. Lied and covered up his identity after the war. He managed to get a job at the CIA, where he sat about for decades destroying documents that incriminated himself and his Nazi friends.

He was found out eventually, and prosecuted.

Soobzokov is a perfect example of OSI overreach. He did not lie to cover up his identity except when ordered to by the CIA and there is no evidence that he destroyed documents that incriminated himself. He did, however, help the West in the CIA in Jordan during the height of the Cold War and was later hunted down and harassed for the favor.

From the report:

"OS1 also contacted the CIA and learned that Soobzokov had told the agency about his SS service at some point after he emigrated and before he became a citizen. 23 Although the statements by Soviet witnesses tied Soobzokov to possible persecutory actions, OSI personnel had not met the declarants. Moreover, "most of the better circumstantial witnesses" were dead. Without testing the testimony of the remaining witnesses "according to U.S. standards of due process and admissibility," OS1 was unwilling to base its case on their cIaims. 24 However, the ne\vly-established office wanted to file some cases quickly.25 The Soobzokov case was particularly pressing since he was the only subject in Blum's best-selling book against whom charges had not yet been filed. 26 Rather than charging him with involvement in persecution, the government focused on his failure to disclose his full military and criminal history to the State Department at the time of his visa application, and to the INS when he sought citizenship. OS1 filed charges in December 1979, alleging illegal procurement of citizenship (in that he had never been "'la\vfully admitted" because he had concealed pertinent information which \vould likely have barred his entry) and misrepresentations in his citizenship appl ication. The complaint also charged that Soobzokov lacked the good moral character necessary for citizenship; the lack of good moral character \vas based on his nlisrepresentations. The media, in reporting on the case, stated that Soobokov had "worked as a U.S. intelligence agent in Jordan in the 1950s, and may have been granted asylum secretly.,·27

Since the new information indicated that Soobzokov had told the State Department about his past \vhen he applied for a visa, the Department of Justice determined that it could not, in good faith, pursue the SS misrepresentation charges, \vhich were the crux of the complaint. And without misrepresentation, there was no longer a basis for the lack of mo~al character charge. The only charges left \vere those involving the unreported criminal record. Although the Soviets claimed Soobzokov had spent five years in custody, the statutes violated involved hooliganism and arbitrariness, both crimes used by the Soviets to pursue those who opposed the Communist state. 31 The Soviet Union was unwilling to give details about the alleged criminal activity. Without additional information, the Department was not willing to pursue this charge either. Accordingly, in July 1980, the government moved to dismiss the complaint. The motion detailed the efforts OSI had made to verify its facts both before and after the case was filed.

Two other points:

Thousands of honorable soldiers fought in the Waffen SS, without any connection to war crimes. Thousands more served in the overarching SS and various administrative branches without incident. SS membership does not automatically make one guilty of war crimes, just as RAF or US Marines membership does not.

Also, while it was clear that he hated the Jews, Hitler was a bombastic politician and Europeans were used to aggrandized, dramatic political speech. Hitler also railed against communists, capitalists, the French and many other groups as enemies that had to be wiped out. Much of his language was cryptic and he never discussed specifics. However, it should be noted that the actual extermination was a highly secretive affair. The extermination camps were located mostly outside of Germany and in remote areas. Very few Germans actually served at the camps, which made use of Russians and Jews to fill the ranks, and those that did were barred from discussing what they had seen with others. There was a propaganda campaign launched to deliberately mislead Germans into believing that the camps were happy, healthy communities, as well. Finally, when the camps were deemed to have completed their task, they were razed to the ground and meticulous efforts were taken to destroy any evidence of what transpired.