Colonia Dignidad

Overview of Colonia Dignidad

Colonia Dignidad ("Dignity Colony"), also known as Villa Baviera, was an isolated German settlement in Maule, Chile, established in 1961 by Paul Schafer, a former Nazi corporal and fugitive preacher accused of child molestation in West Germany. Ostensibly a religious and agricultural community, it operated as a secretive, fortress-like enclave notorious for widespread human rights abuses, including torture, murder, and child abuse, particularly during Chile’s military dictatorship under Augusto Pinochet (1973–1990).

The colony’s ties to Nazi ideology, its collaboration with Chile’s secret police (DINA), its role in Operation Condor, and alleged connections to the CIA have made it a focal point of historical and human rights investigations.

History and Operations

Founding (1961): Paul Schäfer, born in 1921 in Germany, joined the Hitler Youth and served as a medic in the Wehrmacht during World War II. After the war, he founded a religious organization and religious orphanage in Germany but fled in 1959 to avoid child molestation charges. In 1961, using funds from his German congregation which he relocated to Chile, Schäfer purchased a 4,400-acre ranch 350 miles south of Santiago, Chile, establishing Colonia Dignidad with about 10 German settlers. Post WW2 the colony grew to 300 residents, mostly German immigrants, and operated as a self-sufficient “state within a state” with a school, hospital, two airstrips, a restaurant, and a power station. Schäfer, a charismatic and tyrannical leader, enforced strict control, following the teachings of American preacher William Branham.

Internal Abuses: The colony functioned as a cult, with Schäfer imposing brutal discipline, including beatings, psychopharmaceutical abuse, and systematic child sexual abuse. Residents, including German and Chilean children, were subjected to slave labor and psychological manipulation. Former member Wolfgang Müller reported harsh beatings and molestation by Schäfer. Escapes were rare, and dissenters faced severe punishment, often in sound-proofed underground bunkers discovered later that were used as torture chambers.

Pinochet Era (1973–1990): After Pinochet’s U.S.-backed coup against President Salvador Allende on September 11, 1973, Colonia Dignidad became a key site for DINA’s repression. It served as a detention, torture, and extermination center for political prisoners, with estimates of hundreds “disappeared.” The colony’s isolation, barbed wire, and electrified fences made it an ideal clandestine facility. Schäfer’s alliance with Pinochet granted the colony autonomy and privileges, such as mining licenses, in exchange for its services.

Post-Dictatorship and Decline: With Chile’s return to democracy in 1990, investigations intensified. Schäfer fled in 1997 after new child abuse charges, was arrested in Argentina in 2005, and died in a Chilean prison in 2010 at age 88, serving a 20-year sentence. In 2004, Schäfer and 26 cult members were convicted of child abuse. The colony, renamed Villa Baviera, continues as a tourist destination and German-Chilean community, but its dark history remains under scrutiny. In 2017, Chile and Germany agreed to create a joint commission to document the crimes, and in 2024, President Gabriel Boric announced plans to expropriate six sites (e.g., Schäfer’s house, the hospital) for a memorial, set to be completed by 2026.

Connection to Nazis

Colonia Dignidad’s Nazi connections are well-documented, rooted in its leadership, ideology, and personnel:

Paul Schäfer’s Nazi Background: Schäfer’s wartime role as a Wehrmacht medic and rumored attempt to join the SS tied him to Nazi ideology. His authoritarian control, anti-communist fervor, and use of Nazi-style torture methods reflected fascist influences.

Former Nazis in the Colony: The colony attracted former Nazis and SS/Gestapo members fleeing post-war prosecution via ratlines (escape routes to South America). Wolfgang Müller claimed “former Nazis were part of the colony,” and a 1979 U.S. Senate report described Colonia Dignidad as a “German Nazi colony” established by “former Nazi Luftwaffe officers.” Historian Peter Levenda, who visited the colony in 1979, corroborated its role as a Nazi refuge in Unholy Alliance and The Hitler Legacy.

Torture Techniques: Former SS and Gestapo members reportedly trained DINA agents in Nazi torture methods, such as electric shocks and sensory deprivation, at the colony. Local journalist Isabel Guzman claimed Schäfer “taught Pinochet how to torture.” The 2005 discovery of two illegal arms caches, including machine guns, rocket launchers, and grenades (some 40 years old but recently maintained), suggests a paramilitary capacity linked to Nazi-era stockpiles likening it to a Nazi paramilitary stay behind unit used by Gehlen and Otto Skorzeny and adopted by Allen Dulles’ CIA and NATO.

Josef Mengele Allegations: The CIA and Simon Wiesenthal alleged that Josef Mengele, the Nazi “Angel of Death” known for human experiments, was present at the colony in the 1960s. The colony denied this in 1997, and the German government stated in 2021 that “no evidence supports or invalidates Wiesenthal’s claim.” While unconfirmed, the allegation reflects the colony’s reputation as a haven for Nazi war criminals.

Political Influence: The colony’s Nazi ideology influenced local and national politics, aligning with Chile’s fascist factions. Schäfer collaborated with Roberto Thieme of the ultra-right Fatherland and Liberty Nationalist Front in 1972 to oppose Allende’s agrarian reforms, fearing land confiscation. This political alignment strengthened ties with Pinochet’s regime.

The Nazi connection is substantiated by primary sources, like the 1979 Senate report and arms cache findings. The colony’s Nazi ties were strategic, leveraging Pinochet’s anti-communism, but its primary abuses were driven by Schäfer’s cult dynamics.

Connection to the CIA

The CIA’s connection to Colonia Dignidad are tied to its broader support for Pinochet’s regime and Operation Condor.

U.S. Support for Pinochet: The CIA backed the 1973 coup against Allende, providing intelligence, funding, and logistical support, as detailed in declassified documents (e.g., National Security Archive). Colonia Dignidad’s role as a DINA torture center aligned with CIA-backed anti-communist efforts.

Operation Condor Context: The CIA provided technical support for Condor, including the Condortel communications network and Crypto AG encryption machines, used by Chile’s DINA, as revealed in a 2020 Washington Post report. DINA’s operations at Colonia Dignidad, including torture and possible poisonings, were part of Condor, indicates CIA awareness. A 1979 U.S. Senate report noted DINA’s “close liaison” with the colony and its role in Condor, indicating U.S. intelligence had knowledge of the colony’s activities six months before Levenda’s visit.

Michael Townley’s Testimony: In 2005, Michael Townley, a former DINA operative living in the U.S. under witness protection, acknowledged links between DINA and Colonia Dignidad to Interpol Chile. He confirmed biological experiments on prisoners at the colony, conducted with chemist Eugenio Berrios, potentially linked to the poisonings of Eduardo Frei Montalva (1982) and João Goulart (1976). Townley’s CIA ties (he was a paid asset in the 1970s) suggest the agency's insight into the colony’s operations.

U.S. Knowledge and Inaction: A 2000 CIA report admitted awareness of Condor’s precursor activities by 1974, including assassinations, and a 1976 cable noted DINA’s role in Condor. The 1979 Senate report’s claim that “our knowledge of DINA operations is almost nil” contradicts earlier CIA cables, suggesting selective reporting or cover-up. Henry Kissinger’s failure to act on Condor assassination plans, as revealed in 2010 documents, implies tacit U.S. approval, encompassing the colony’s role.

Connection to Operation Condor

Colonia Dignidad was a significant operational hub for Operation Condor, the U.S.-backed campaign of political repression by Southern Cone dictatorships (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, later Ecuador, Peru) from 1975 to 1983, resulting in 60,000–80,000 deaths:

Torture and Detention Center: From November 1973, coinciding with DINA’s establishment, Colonia Dignidad served as one of Chile’s first clandestine detention centers, as noted in the Rettig and Valech Reports. Political prisoners, including resistance members, union leaders, and students, were tortured and killed, with bodies buried on-site or disposed of in “death flights.” This practice was widespread during Operation Condor where bodies were loaded into aircraft and flown out over the ocean and disgarded. The 1979 Senate report confirmed DINA maintained “two facilities nearby” the colony, using its resources for torture and interrogation.

Chemical and Biological Experiments: A DINA laboratory at the colony, replacing an earlier one at Vía Naranja de Lo Curro, was allegedly used for chemical assassinations. Townley and Berríos reportedly developed toxins there, potentially used to poison Eduardo Frei Montalva (Chilean president, died 1982) and João Goulart (Brazil’s deposed president, died 1976), as implicated in a 2013 documentary, Dossiê Jango. A judge investigating Frei’s death linked the toxin to the colony.

Condor’s Infrastructure: Colonia Dignidad’s role in Condor was facilitated by Condortel, the CIA-provided communications network based in the Panama Canal Zone, which DINA used to coordinate abductions like that of Chileans Jorge Fuentes and Amilcar Santucho in Paraguay (1976). The colony’s international contacts, noted in the 1979 Senate report, likely aided Condor’s global reach, including European operations like the 1976 Orlando Letelier assassination in Washington, D.C.

Nazi Expertise in Condor: The colony’s former SS and Gestapo members contributed torture expertise to Condor, as reported by teleSUR (2016), enhancing DINA’s methods. Schäfer’s collaboration with Manuel Contreras, DINA’s head and Condor’s architect, formalized at the 1975 Santiago meeting, integrated the colony into Condor’s network.

Goulart Poisoning Allegation: The 2013 Dossiê Jango documentary implicates Colonia Dignidad’s laboratory in Goulart’s poisoning, suggesting a Condor link involving Brazil.