Unholy Trinity : The Vatican, The Nazis, & Soviet Intelligence

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Summary: A disturbing account of Vatican aid for fleeing Nazis
Review: 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.

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Summary: Powerful Truth Exposes Vatican Hypocrisy
Review: I read the authors book "The Secret War Against the Jews" and had to have this one. In the controversy of today about whether or not the Vatican really helped jews during the Holocaust, this book should set the record straight. The Vatican has no morals whatsoever. Its nothing but the worlds largest tax exempt business. A few years back the 60 Minutes program did a story on how the CIA helped nazis escape all in the name of stopping communisms spread. Well they did a pretty poor job as all of eastern Europe fell under Soviet domination. this book fills in the the whole story on Vatican/CIA collaboration with Nazis. The worse item i read in this book was about the Croatian Priest Dragonovich. He and the Utashe were brutal. They murdered Serbs, Jews and Gypsies in the most horrific way. This priest was then honored by the Vatican. The Vaticans now infamous "Ratline" helped thousands of Nazis escape to South America. To this day, the Vatican will not release their records from WW2. Could it be that the reason why the Pope has been so "nice" to Jews for the past 20 years is because if the Vatican does fully release the WW2 records, then he will spared any criticism??? The book also tells how Ukranian Catholics were more than nice enough to volunteer for an SS unit and they killed thousands of jews. The Vatican is an organization thats need to be torn down.

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Summary: Through book about the secret Vatican..
Review: 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.

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Summary: Well-researched and thorough book
Review: 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.