The recently declassified 27,000 pages from the National Archives reveal that the CIA was aware of Adolf Eichmann's location in Argentina as early as 1958, where he was living under the alias 'Clemens'. Despite having this intelligence, the CIA and West German officials refrained from taking action due to concerns over potential revelations regarding Hans Globke, a former Nazi and key U.S. ally in West Germany. This discussion highlights the ethical dilemmas faced by U.S. intelligence in utilizing former Nazi war criminals for geopolitical purposes.
PREREQUISITESHistorians, intelligence analysts, ethicists, and anyone interested in the intersection of U.S. intelligence operations and post-World War II history.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060606/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/cia_records_nazisThe 27,000 pages released by the National Archives are among the largest post-World War II declassifications by the CIA. They offer a window into the shadowy world of U.S. intelligence — and the efforts to use former Nazi war criminals as spies, sometimes to detrimental effect.
...
In a March 19, 1958, memo to the CIA, West German intelligence officials wrote that they knew where Eichmann was hiding. Eichmann played a key role in transporting Jews to death camps during World War II. "He is reported to have lived in Argentina under the alias 'Clemens' since 1952," authorities wrote.
But neither side acted on that information because they worried what he might say about Hans Globke, a highly placed former Nazi and a chief adviser in West Germany helping the U.S. coordinate anticommunist initiatives in that country.