Report exposes details on post-WWII Nazi entry into Canada following B'nai Brith legal victory
In early September, the Federal Court sided with B'nai Brith, ordering the government to remove almost all redactions from the 618-page report pursuant to the Access to Information Act.
On September 2nd, 1986, a Federal Court ruled in favor of B'nai B'rith Canada, a Jewish advocacy group, regarding a dispute over Holocaust-era records in Canada's national archives. This victory led to the release of a 1986 historical report titled "Nazi War Criminals in Canada: The Historical and Policy Setting from the 1940s to the Present."
The report, authored by researcher Alti Rodal, was initially heavily redacted by the Canadian government for decades. However, the declassification of key sections in October 2021, following a legal battle spearheaded by B'nai B'rith Canada, has revealed new details about the post-war entry of suspected Nazi individuals into Canada.
According to the declassified report, the US Army's Research and Resettlement Branch operated a covert resettlement program, known as USAREUR, that was used by the CIA and other American intelligence services to relocate former Nazi collaborators, defectors, and agents. An unnamed USAREUR official revealed to Canadian authorities that the scheme included individuals with criminal backgrounds, including those with a history of moral turpitude, which typically encompassed Nazi collaborators.
The report discloses that the US official provided Canadian authorities with a list of approximately 35 to 40 individuals who had entered Canada with assistance from the covert American program. Further investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police concluded that nearly all of these individuals would have been deemed unacceptable for entry due to security concerns.
Simon Wolle, CEO of B'nai B'rith Canada, expressed satisfaction with the release of this information, stating that it is crucial for historians, Holocaust survivors, and the public to learn from the past and pursue truth and accountability. B'nai B'rith Canada intends to continue its fight for accountability by seeking the release of Part II of the Deschênes Commission's Final Report, which has remained suppressed since 1986 and is believed to contain sensitive information about suspected Nazi war criminals who settled in Canada.
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