State concern over “anti-Argentine activities” intensified from the mid-1930s onward, as several developments converged: the radicalization of Nazism in Europe, denunciations by local antifascist sectors—both Argentine and German-speaking—and the growing visibility of German organizations aligned with the Third Reich.
This context was reinforced by the circulation of nationalist newspapers, magazines, and books such as Clarinada, which promoted an antisemitism associated with anti-communism, anti-Masonry, and the idea of an alleged global Jewish conspiracy. These publications did not reach a massive general audience, but neither were they marginal. Their circulation was smaller than that of the major newspapers; nevertheless, they managed to influence nationalist, militant, and Catholic networks in both Buenos Aires and the provinces.
Outside the state sphere, different sectors of Argentine society promoted initiatives against Nazi influence. One of the most significant was the Congress against Racism and Antisemitism, held in August 1938 at the Buenos Aires City Council. The gathering brought together prominent political and intellectual figures of the time, including Lisandro de la Torre, Arturo Frondizi, Arturo Illia, Ricardo Balbín, Alicia Moreau de Justo, and Jorge Luis Borges.
During the two-day Congress, participants debated the rise of fascism, racism, and antisemitism. Their interventions expressed concern not only about the European situation, but also about the local circulation of authoritarian and anti-Jewish discourse. The meeting succeeded in articulating diverse democratic voices and demonstrated a public commitment against these threats.
In 1939, the Executive Branch ordered the outlawing of the Nazi Party in Argentine territory. The decision was based on the principle that no foreign political organization could operate within the country. The measure did not imply a mass persecution of the German community; rather, it sought to dismantle political structures dependent on the Third Reich.
State intervention deepened further with the creation of the Investigative Commission on Anti-Argentine Activities within the Chamber of Deputies. Its purpose was to investigate foreign organizations acting against national sovereignty. The reports, investigations, and evidence gathered by the Commission focused primarily on Nazi networks.
Its principal findings were presented in Report No. 5, published in 1941. There, the Commission documented the infiltration of Nazi ideology into German companies, schools, and recreational associations. It also pointed to the persistence of racial, disciplinary, and political practices considered incompatible with Argentine law.
Following the rupture of diplomatic relations with the Axis powers in 1944 and the declaration of war in 1945, the Argentine state intensified its policy of surveillance and control over the German community residing in the country and over institutions linked to Nazism.
