Customer Reviews

Unholy Trinity: The Vatican, The Nazis, and The Swiss Banks

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

This is a thorough book. Contrary to what the critics on this page have written, the book includes: (1) Interviews with catholic priets directly involved with smuggling Nazi collaborators (2) Intelligence documents from France, the US, British and Russia (3) Media reports from Italy and other places at the time (4) interviews with some of those who were smuggled through the Vaticans 'Ratline', and of course photos and miscellaneous personal testimony from others involved or affected. In other words, the authors bring an enormous amount of evidence to bear on the issue of Vatican complicity in helping war criminals escape from justice.

The other critics on this page, it seems, have either not read the book, are talking about another book, or believe that the Vatican is mankinds sole connection to God or whatever and can do no wrong.

The critics charge that the Vatican was pro-communist is ludicrous. Communist persecution of Catholics behind the Iron curtain was a principle motivation for the Vatican to protect ex-Nazis. See, the Nazis hated the Communists as well. The vatican and the Pope desperately wanted to stop the eastward expansion of the communists. So they turned to ex-Nazi leaders (who still had connections, military equipment and money) for help. That is a key part of the story (theres more to it, though).

Even so, the Vatican was not a monolithic entity. There were elements within the church that hated the Nazis, and elements that supported them (most notably the Catholic priests connected to the Pavelic regime). Like any large organization, different people had different opinions. But the evidence is very strong that the highest levels of the Vatican supported helping ex-Nazis. US intelligence infiltrated the Vatican and reported that known war criminals were hiding in the vatican, where they had diplomatic immunity.

I would not give the book 5 stars, however, because it is not well organized. Some of the writing is confusing. The information is extremely somplex, since it relates many events involving different people at different places. Its a very complicated story thats difficult to tell.

One mor thing: if the Vatican is so virtuous and infalliable, then why are they still refusing to reveal what they know about the 'Ratlines'? Why are they refusing to provide public access to their internal documents of the period? Methinks they have something to hide.

So buy this book. It is a revealing story about power politics behind-the-scenes. To simply deny the evidence is naive.

First published in Britain under the title Ratlines in 1991, and in the United States the following year under the title Unholy Trinity: the Vatican, the Nazis and Soviet Intellegence, the current revised edition of the book replaces "Soviet Intellegence" in the subtitle with the Swiss Banks." This latest title change reflects the recent direction of the international investigations into the Vatican's role in WWII. The bulk of the book (Chapters 1-12) remains unchanged from earlier editions. The authors have, however, added an introduction and a new chapter of revised conclusions

Using previously classified government documents, the authors give the most detailed account in print of the Catholic Church's collaboration in the smuggling of Fascist and Nazi war criminals out of Europe at the end of the Second World War. Officials at the Vatican who helped these men get false papers and safe passage included then Monsignor Montini (later Paul VI) and Bishop Hudal, author of the clero-fascist Foundations of National Socialism. Among those who thus escaped justice, at least temporarily, were Adolph Eichmann, chief administrator of the holocaust, Walter Rauff, director of the mobile gas truck extermination program, Franz Strangel, Commandant at Treblinka, and Ante Pavelic, fascist Croatian dictator. Many other ex-Nazis were recruited by the church to become "freedom fighters" against the Eastern bloc. Aarons and Loftus argue Vatican's primary motivation throughout this operation was an anti-communism so fanatical that it knew no moral limits. The second half of the book recounts how the church's smuggling operation was infiltrated and turned against the West by the Soviet Union. Although the authors' analysis of the motivations and culpability some of the figures involved can be questioned (most notably their exoneration of Pius XII on charges of complicity with the Nazis in the rise of fascism), this book remains a remarkable history of a little known dark chapter in modern church history.

In their introduction to the new edition, Loftus and Aarons detail how some of their original investigative work led to the capture and arrest of Erich Priebke, the SS officer who directed the infamous massacre at the Ardeantine Caves near Rome. Priebke had escaped through the Vatican Ratlines to Argentina and was sheltered by the church even during his 1997-1998 trials. The authors also point out some of the connections between their investigations and the ongoing highly-publicized attempts to trace the Nazi gold held in Swiss banks. More detail on this is given in their revised conclusion (ch 13) in which they suggest that financial motives may have been as important a motive in the Vatican's decision to establish the Ratlines as anti-communism. The Vatican invested the $29 million cash settlement that it received from Mussolini as part of the deal for the Concordat in Germany. During the 1930s, it attempted to protect that growing investment against the looming international conflict by setting up a money laundering scheme which involved secret exchange protocols between the Vatican Bank and banks in Switzerland. Recognising this, the authors have moved fairly far away from the conclusion of their original edition that the Vatican was not involved on the build up of fascism in Germany. In fact they now even cite a passage from La Popessa which claims that Pacelli (later Pius XII) gave money to Hitler in 1919 to suggest early links between the Nazis and the Vatican.

In tackling such a paramount topic that will offend the core of many people's religious beliefs and its institution, Aaron and Loftus have stirred up a torrent of controversy with this book. ...
Obviously, for a reader to believe whether Aarons and Loftus' claims are valid, they will have to read the book for themselves.
I first heard about this book from an associate professor of genocide studies at a major US college who highly recommended it because of the authors' extensiveness in their research.
As I began reading the book, I noticed Aarons and Loftus footnoted any important piece of information and have over 60 pages of end notes in the back of the book for documentation. It is unfortunate they could not document more from the Vatican itself but because the papal state chooses to not open its files, this controversy will keep continuing. And considering it just opened files on the Spanish Inquisition a few years ago, I doubt any of us will be around when the Vatican finally divulges the truth on this disturbing piece of history. Many people will object to this book but their anger should be directed at the Vatican, who could end this controversy by opening its files. If there's nothing to hide, then why aren't the documents available to an impartial researcher, unlike Father Graham?
Aaron and Loftus break "Unholy Trinity," into two major sections, part one being "The Church's War Against Communism," and the second "Communism's War Against the Church."
The first section is on how bishops like Hudal and Draganovic harbored war criminals and smuggled them to safety in South America. It also goes into detail on the Ustashi and Croatian thug Ante Pavelic and his "Catholic Holocaust," on muslim and orthodox followers in the Balkans.
The second part is on the spylines the Communists had setup throughout Europe, unbeknownst to the OSS, MI5 and the Vatican. Aarons and Loftus take just as many shots at Great Britain and the US (especially Allan Dulles) as they do the Vatican in this section.
Although the book is subtitled, "The Vatican, the Nazis, and the Swiss Banks," there is nothing on the money aspect of the scheme and the swiss banks' involvement until the updated Conclusions chapter at the very end.
I gave this book four stars because it helped answer some of my questions involving the Vatican's role with war criminals and unlike many conspiracy books, it gives documented proof on its evidence. But not all questions were answered and probably won't be in my lifetime. Also, the book is very dry and is tough to get through in some sections. Not that I expected it to read like Tom Clancy but the reader can tell that the authors have backgrounds in journalism and law with their writing style.

I discovered this book and its authors when researching a TV documentary for Canadian public television's investigative program THE FIFTH ESTATE, about our last WW2 war crimes suspect to face criminal prosecution, in 1993.

The book has since been updated and its conclusions expanded to encompass the amazing---but painstakingly researched and documented---conclusion that billions in Nazi assets were laundered to Argentina and elsewhere via the Vatican bank in 1945/6.

The architect of this scheme, corporate lawyer Allen Dulles, operating as US intelligence's chief spy in wartime Switzerland, would later head the CIA from 1953-1962. Dulles' clients included many German corporations and banks, as well as several Swiss banks and the Vatican itself. He was perfectly placed both to execute and to help his clients profit from the moneylaundering crime of the century.

Aarons and Loftus further detail how the entire Dulles/Swiss banks scheme hinged on the willing participation of the Vatican and its agents to move both Nazi war crimes suspects and the corporate assets of that regime---often part-owned by the giants of American commerce like Standard Oil, Dupont, etc---to Argentina.

The twists and turns of this non-fiction book are breathtaking: there are no heroes, only greed, expedience, and a blind eye turned toward those who perpetrated some of the worst crimes of this century...but who were thought to be useful in the West's fight against Communism.

That the very highest reaches of the Vatican were complicit is crystal-clear, despite recent denials. Even as this book sells, recenlty declassified files in the UK, Argentina, France, Italy, and Switzerland point to the Vatican's role in laundering the proceeds of Nazi criminality---proceeds which dwarf the earthly assets of the millions of Jews killed in the Final Solution now making the headlines.

The scholarship is impeccable and the conclusions inescapable: people are capable of anything in the name of temporal power---even the Pope himself. And in the end, the scheme to use the Ratline escape routes to smuggle Nazis and their loot out of Allied-occupied Europe was all for nought.

Why? Kim Philby had betrayed the entire ploy to Moscow. Stalin and his spies had the last laugh---and the West was seeded with the worst Nazis and their most ardent collaborators for the balance of the century.

This book puts the very best of espionage fiction to shame. Buy it and pass it on. Then read SECRET WAR AGAINST THE JEWS, the sprawling followup, a peek behind the veil---you'll see how the 20th Century really worked...the wars since 1939, secret or otherwise, were all about the struggle, not for peace and justice, but for oil.

Although the title (and the cover) are deceptive, this is an attempt to unravel the motives behind the creation of the Rat Line, a scheme to spirit Nazi war criminals through Genoa to South America. It is at times frustrating,
for the profusion of characters, their motivations and eventual unmasking is, to say the least, Byzantine.
It is also a voyage of discovery, since it's initial "come-on" appears to be an attack on the role of the Vatican in this nefarious escape route, it eventually concludes that EVERYBODY WAS IN ON IT. The British and Americans were competing for Nazi expertise, the Vatican was accessory to the facts for fear of Communism, the Russians were in it simply to attempt to control it, the Swiss bankers for obscene profits. And, not to forget, Allan Dulles,
brother of John Foster Dulles, was right in the middle of it, representing the OSS (the precursors of the CIA) in Switzerland. Warning: be ready for a very bumpy ride, and keep a scorecard, it will help get through it.

Aarons and Loftus did a lot of research for the controversial, but true "Unholy Trinity". It is a bit too dry, which is why I can only give it 3.5 stars(I rounded up). The authors show us that the Vatican helped thousands of Fascist collabarators because they thought they were choosing the "lesser evil". As the authors show, everyone in the West was in on it, and we all(perhaps rightfully) feared Communist Russia. The Russians though, infilterated these "ratlines" so many of these "fascists" were actually Reds. Fascinating study of the darker side of the end of World War II. The thought of so many Croatian butchers escaping justice is chilling.

There are already several excellent reviews of Unholy Trinity on Amazon, so I will try to bring up some additional points about the book and its authors.

The original title of this book is "Ratlines". Ratlines, a nautical term, is used in this context to describe the method by which Nazi war criminals escaped from Germany and Austria to a first point of safety (usually Italy) and thence to points beyond in Europe, North America, Australasia, and especially to South America. These escapes were facilitated by the Allied powers, but would not have been possible without the help of the Vatican.

This newer edition is titled "Unholy Trinity", and features the portraits of Pope Pius XII, Hitler and Stalin on the cover. The subtitle is "The Vatican, the Nazis, and the Swiss banks". Then why is Stalin on the cover? Also, when describing the ratlines, one cannot omit the USA and Britain. Unholy Pentagon? I think the newer title was invented by the publishers who thought that it was catchier than the original, but "Ratlines" remains a much better way to encapsulate the book. That said, the most intriguing character of the book is a Russian spy, Prince Anton Vasilevich Turkul, described by the authors as "arguably the greatest professional spy of the twentieth century".

I found the central chapters of this book heavy going due to the complicated nature of the narrative, the great number of Central European characters with similar looking names, and the alphabet soup of acronyms for what must be dozens of organizations. The book could have benefited from a cast of characters and an acronym guide. I recommend that readers make their own list of acronyms as they read, because most of them are not indexed.

Co-author John Loftus is a self-proclaimed Irish Catholic. I have heard him describe himself as such several times on Dave Emory's 'For the Record' radio programs. I mention this because one of the detractors of Unholy Trinity labelled the book anti-Catholic propaganda. The authors are not anti-Catholic, rather they are anti-Vatican. By the same token, I might criticize the government of the USA, but that doesn't mean that I am anti-American. I sensed that the authors were very disappointed and perhaps surprised by the unethical actions on the part of the Vatican elite. I suspect that as a Catholic himself, Mr. Loftus expected more from the Catholic church hierarchy than non-Catholics might expect.

My next comment may not mean much to readers who are unfamiliar with the concept of the Nazi capital flight network, as detailed in Paul Manning's "Martin Bormann: Nazi in Exile". Please refer to that landmark book, reviewed on Amazon, and available as a free download if you look for it. Paul Manning's thesis was that Martin Bormann survived WWII, moved to South America via the ratlines, and exercised control over the Nazi flight capital, i.e., Nazi war loot, that was later used to create the "great economic miracle" that was the West German economy of 1948-51. My biggest disappointment with "Unholy Trinity" was the short shrift given to Paul Manning's thesis. They mention it briefly, but in such a way that I'm not convinced they fully appreciated it, even though it coincides with and complements their arguments.

Despite those few misgivings and difficulties with the book, I recommend it highly and rate it five stars.

Mark Aarons and John Loftus wrote a comprehensive, if a bit dry book on the secret activities of the Vatican, the Allies, and the GRU(Soviet Military Intelligence) during World War 2, and its aftermath. Basically, the Vatican and the West played Germany and Russia against each other in some instinces, while fighting Nazism in others. The Vatican, especially, helped many Nazi collabarators escape Central and Eastern Europe as detailed in the book. This book shows how many people in the intelligence community did despicable things because they feared the Communists. Despite the anonymous one star reviews for this book, Aarons and Loftus tell the truth as evidenced from numerous documents that were inadvertiatly declassified. Thanks to them, justice will finally come to some.

A staggeringly thorough job was done backing up the facts outlined in this book. While these facts could be, without question, disturbing to Catholics (especially the folks who simply label any work that is critical of the Vatican... , the book offers the kind of support for it's contention that makes it undeniable. Much of this data is available from sources that stem from within the church. A fantastic book, unless you have a problem with the ugly realities of a war time economy. Should be required reading. Not just accurate, it's a great read....

I am one of the victims who had been left an orphan and despoiled by the nazies as a consequence of cooperation by the Swiss Banks and others. To this day no trace has been found. This excellent book provided an insight and confirmed the circumstantial evidence of my personal experience.
To this day not one large deposit has been found or returned to the rightful owners or heirs. Almost 100% of the bank accounts that were published were small forgotten leftovers, this begs the question why then did the Swiss Banks provide over 1 1/2 Billion? As of today most of the claimants have been offered a token sum of $ 5000.00 by signing away their rights to further claims. These payments do not even equal the interest earned since these funds were provided and during the many years that the administrators took to come to this miserly decision many of the claiments passed away. The real story may never be written.