How/why did the USA help Klaus Barbie?

[SurreyGuy]

I watched a programme about Adolf Hitler and his Goons the other day and was astonished by the statement, "following the War, American Intelligence protected Klaus Barbie, the infamous Buther of Lyon".

Why on earth would an ally of Britain protect Barbie?

I have since read (on Wikipedia) that "Barbie became an agent for the 66th Detachment of the US Army Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC)".

Why would an ally of Britain employ a Nazi War Criminal?

T.I.A.

[jno]

He worked for Britain before he worked for the USA. They liked his 'police skills', whatever that means, and the way he hated communists. The USA later apologised to France. I don't know that Britain has done so.

[Peter Pedant]

erm this happened quite a lot

I dont want to disappoint you, or disrupt any cosy thought that all war crimminals were hunted down with equal enthusiasm

Perhaps if you read a bit about the chaos of the end of the war you may get a better idea. War with Russia was regarded as inevitable and wouuld probably break out 1951-1952. this meant that anyone with good anti communist credentials had a value, and could bargain it against their evil Nazi past.

Gehlen organisation sort of wholesale was given immunity and passes to Freedom.

IN Japan, the CIA wanted the information that those evil imperialists had gained by biological research on indians, chinese and caucasians - that is American POWs.
So for example they were staked out - yes really - and sprayed with small pox and so on
these papers were released a few years ago
and people pointed out taht the results on caucasians/Europeans were American POWs
The Japanese were neever prosecuted.

Some Americans were being goofy on a tour of CHina I was on. And were going, Harbin, well where was that, and who was Harbin and so on. I said

Harbin is in Manchuria and is the place that the Japanese did germ warfare experiments on American POWs. The CIA got the info by giving immunity to the Japanese

and they went, oo what's he on about, is this the Korean War (No the Japanese were on your side that time), well where IS harbin and so on and so on.

[Peter Pedant]

eek its a museum
oh, they did their dissections on awake POWs and just strapped them down calling them logs and chiding them to keep quiet and make less noise

see

http://www.ineedhotel.com/harbin/tour/sight/si ght.html#Japanese%20Germ%20Warfare%20Base%20Mu seum

somewhere there should be an account of the prisoners' revolt - they killed their guards and the J ended up having to gas them.

[SurreyGuy]

Thanks folks.

I just find it utterly bewildering that the Allies (be they USA or Britain) would actively work with a Nazi war criminal. I can't imagine it happening nowadays - or maybe that sort of thing goes on all the time and the general public never get to see it?

[shaneystar2]

Have a look at this
http://www.paperlessarchives.com/barbie.html
Mind boggling !

[SurreyGuy]

Thanks

Unbelievable!

Judging by the info in there, I'm surprised that Saddam Hussein wasn't offered a house and a job over here!