A revealing report on the German radio station WDR has shed light on a dark episode in the history of Chile: the role of the Nazi Walther Rauff in the disappearance of political prisoners during the Chilean dictatorship. Rauff, known for his horrors in Auschwitz, introduced unprecedented disappearance practices in the National Intelligence Directorate (DINA) of Chile. This article examines the grisly details of this macabre chapter involving the Arauco fisherythe Condor Plan and the Santiago Kennel.
Rauff’s Sinister Link with Chile
Walther Rauff arrived in Chile in 1958. He had met Augusto Pinochet in Ecuador. From then on, he played a key role in DINA, while managing a fishing plant in Tierra del Fuego. In parallel, he acted as an agent of the German BND secret service.
Pesquera Arauco: A Center of Atrocities
La Pesquera Arauco and Pesquera Chile, subsidiaries of CORFO, became part of the criminal machinery of the dictatorship. Managed by Manuel Contreras and members of the DINA, these companies provided refrigerated trucks, vans and the necessary infrastructure for the disappearance of prisoners.
The Horror of Using Ovens
One of the most terrifying aspects is the use of the enormous “cocedores” (ovens) of the Arauco fishery to eliminate corpses. These ovens were originally used to produce fishmeal, but during the dictatorship they became macabre instruments of disappearance.
The Condor Plan and the Creation of Clandestine Centers
The testimony of Jorgelino Vergara, a member of the DINA, reveals the influence of former Nazis in the Chilean repression. Rauff, nicknamed “The Jackal”, was in charge of making the victims disappear. Plan Condor, a Latin American system of repression, was conceived in a secret meeting at which Rauff was present.
The German Connection
The connection with German businessmen such as the Von Appen family, owners of the tugboat “Kiwi”, is also disturbing. Julio Alberto Von Appen, patriarch of the family, was a leader of Nazi intelligence operations in Latin America and later built an empire in shipping businesses.
The “Final Solution” in the Kennel
La Perrera, a former stray dog crematorium in Santiago, became a site of human extermination. Terrifying testimonies mention that more than 300 people were burned in this place during the dictatorship.
This report sheds light on a dark page in the history of Chile, where a Nazi influenced the disappearance of political prisoners. The complicity of companies and businessmen in these horrors underlines the magnitude of the barbarity. Remembering and analyzing these events is essential to fully understanding Chile’s history and ensuring that such atrocities are never repeated. Chile must face its past and pay tribute to the victims of this macabre chapter.
Fuente: WDR
