Even while the Nazi regime was still committing its serial crimes in Europe, the Argentinian government felt compelled to take a position on war criminals fleeing to their country. Since August 1944, with the end of hostilities in Europe becoming ever more foreseeable, there had been increasing reports about Nazi elites absconding in the American and British media. Argentina and Spain were considered the refugees’ most likely destinations. The Argentinian ambassador in Washington may have insisted that these reports were baseless, and his colleague in London may have given verbal assurances that Argentina wouldn't open its doors to war criminals, but the reports remained widespread, and the American government found them credible. The Americans were concerned about Nazi criminals possibly escaping legal punishment for their crimes. But they were even more worried that the fugitives might be able to take Nazi assets and use them to help National Socialism survive, perhaps eventually to establish a Fourth Reich.

The United States and Britain weren't the only countries concerned about fugitive war criminals. After 1945 the Argentinian opposition also repeatedly drew attention to the problem, and their contention that the fugitives were keeping Nazism alive with the help of the Argentinian government seemed to be confirmed by the conspicuous activity and connections with the neo-Nazi scene in Germany of Nazis who had emigrated to Argentina. Even after the Allies had transferred responsibility for criminal prosecutions to the Federal Republic of Germany in the mid-1950s and the trials of former Nazis had ground to a halt, to the approval of a majority of Germans, the debate about immigrant war criminals continued in Argentina.

Why were people discussing the flight of war criminals to South America even before the Second World War ended? Why did people view Argentina among all the countries of South America with particular suspicion? Why did this topic continue to resonate there until the mid-1950s? And what were the consequences of Argentina's special role for how the country dealt with fugitive criminals and how investigative authorities sought to bring them to justice.