Wiesenthal Center Slams Argentine Homage on the Currency to Hitler's Admirer

May 18, 2020

Buenos Aires and Paris – In the midst of this pandemic and a national financial default, the Argentine government is issuing a new 5,000-peso note with the effigy of two prominent doctors, Cecilia Grierson and Ramón Carrillo.

Grierson was the first woman to graduate as a doctor in Argentina and Ramón Carrillo was the advisor who accompanied Perón as Secretary of Health during his first two terms.

But the same Carillo, in addition to being an admirer of Hitler, created the concept of the "ideal soldier" who would reject conscripts who were he considered as racial and gender "oddities." He also provided refuge to the Danish fugitive, Buchenwald camp doctor, Carl Peter Vaernet, allowing him to continue experiments with homosexuals to "heal" them.

"We emphatically reject the choice of such a character, that will sully Argentina with his image on its highest denomination banknote," stated Dr. Shimon Samuels and Ariel Gelblung, Directors of International Relations and for Latin America of the Wiesenthal Center, respectively.

For further information, please contact Dr. Shimon Samuels at +336 09770158 or Dr. Ariel Gelblung at +54 9 11 49695365, join the Center on Facebook, www.facebook.com/simonwiesenthalcenter, or follow @simonwiesenthal for news updates sent direct to your Twitter feed.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center is one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations with over 400,000 member families in the United States. It is an NGO at international agencies including the United Nations, UNESCO, the OSCE, the OAS, the Council of Europe and the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).