The imaginary of the creation of the IV Reich in Latin America: Agent Erich Erdstein in Brazil

Abstract

After World War II various texts came out that claimed that there was a conspiracy for the creation of the Fourth Reich in Latin America. The fact that many people involved with Nazism had escaped the Nuremberg tribunal and sought refuge in Latin American countries occasioned the appearance of fanciful and fantastic stories about their alleged covert activities aimed at reorganizing the Nazi Party on the continent. One such story referred to the Brazilian towns of Marechal Cândido Rondon and Rio do Sul. According to an accusation made by “agent” Erich Erdstein, these towns sheltered Nazi war criminals Josef Mengele and Martin Bormann and the Fourth Reich would be created in them. These accusations can be found in literary works and reports of newspapers and magazines, which, although different in genre, emphasize secret meetings, hidden Nazi bases in the jungle, persecutions and adventures à la Sherlock Holmes and James Bond, the survival of Hitler, the creation of the Fourth Reich on this continent and others. Thus, the article analyzes the discourses about these towns, understanding them as part of an imaginary formed after the war according to which the Fourth Reich could arise anywhere in the world, especially in Latin America.

Key words: Fourth Reich, imaginary, Nazism.