Tsherim Soobzokov (24 August 1924,[citation needed] – 6 September 1985[1]) was a Circassian man accused of collaborating with the Third Reich during the invasion of the Soviet Union and serving as a Waffen-SS officer.[2] Soobzokov denied these charges and sued CBS and The New York Times.[3]:170–174 He was publicly supported by Pat Buchanan[4] and Congressman Robert Roe.[3]:113
Background[]
In 2006, declassified documents of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) confirmed that Soobzokov had been a CIA agent in Jordan and that the agency had misled the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service on Soobzokov's War time past.[5] This was part of a wider post-World War II CIA program of working with former collaborators living in hiding.[6] Historian Richard Breitman concluded based on these documents[1] that Soobzokov indeed had strong ties to the SS and that he had admitted to the CIA his participation in an execution commando searching for Jews and Komsomol members.[1][7]
On 15 August 1985, a pipe bomb set outside his home in Paterson, New Jersey critically injured Soobzokov.[8][9] He died of his wounds in the hospital on 9 September 1985.[10] An anonymous caller claiming to represent the Jewish Defense League (JDL) said they had carried out the bombing. A spokesman for the JDL later denied responsibility.[11] No one was ever charged with leaving either bomb, but Aslan Soobzokov (Tscherim's son) has twice sued the federal government over its investigation. The bombing was linked by the FBI to a similar bomb attack on another accused war criminal, Elmars Sprogis, that took place in Long Island on the day Soobzokov died.[3]:179–180
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Richard Breitman. "Tscherim Soobzokov". Government Secrecy e-Prints. Federation of American Scientists. http://www.fas.org/sgp/eprint/breitman.pdf.
- ↑ Name on SS Officers listing
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lichtblau, Eric (2014). The Nazis Next Door: How America Became a Safe Haven for Hitler's Men. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-547-66919-9.
- ↑ Pat Buchanan (1999-11-05). "Response to Norman Podhoretz". letter to The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2008-05-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20080511153332/http://www.buchanan.org/pma-99-1105-wallstjl.html.
- ↑ "New Records Now Available as a Result of IWG Extension – CIA Agrees to Disclose Operational Materials". Press Release. National Archives and Records Administration. 2006-06-06. https://www.archives.gov/iwg/about/press-releases/nr06-114.html.
- ↑ Toby Harnden (2010-11-14). "Secret papers reveal Nazis given 'safe haven' in US". https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/world-war-2/8132550/Secret-papers-reveal-Nazis-given-safe-haven-in-US.html.
- ↑ "CIA declassifies 27,000 Nazi files". 2006-06-06. http://www.washtimes.com/national/20060606-113344-6497r.htm.
- ↑ Ralph Blumenthal (1985-08-16). "Man Accused of Nazi Past Injured by Bomb in Jersey". p. B2. https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/16/nyregion/man-accused-on-nazi-past-injured-by-bomb-in-jersey.html.
- ↑ "Bomb Victim on Critical List". 1985-08-17. https://www.nytimes.com/1985/08/17/nyregion/bomb-victim-on-critical-list.html?ref=explosions.
- ↑ Eric Lichtblau (2010-11-13). "Nazis Were Given 'Safe Haven' in U.S., Report Says". p. A1. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/us/14nazis.html?_r=2&scp=2&sq=nazi&st=cse.
- ↑ Judith Cummings (1985-11-09). "F.B.I. Says Jewish Defense League May Have Planted Fatal Bombs". p. A1. https://www.nytimes.com/1985/11/09/us/fbi-says-jewish-defense-league-may-have-planted-fatal-bombs.html?ref=explosions.
External links[]
- TSCHERIMSOOBZOKOV.COM, operated by Soobzokov's son, Aslan T. Soobzokov
- Historian Richard Breitman's file on Soobzokov
- A 2006 New York Times article regarding the CIAs collaboration with former Nazis, including Soobzokov
- Soobzokov at Find A grave
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The original article can be found at Tscherim Soobzokov and the edit history here.