Kirchenakte Documented events from judgments, reports and church documents
1947-1951 · 4 years · show in timeline

Ratline via Rome: the priest Draganović and the escape of Klaus Barbie

From a seminary in Rome, the Croatian priest Krunoslav Draganović ran an escape route to South America, the so-called ratline. He obtained Red Cross passports and visas of South American states for fugitives. The US military intelligence service CIC used this route for its informants in return for payment and in 1951 brought the Lyon Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie to Bolivia this way. According to the report of the US Department of Justice of 1983, the Croatian dictator Ante Pavelić also almost certainly escaped with Draganović's help.

Period
1947-1951 (4 years)
Report published
2 August 1983
Country
Argentina, Bolivia, Germany, Italy, Croatia, Austria
Institutions
Croatian seminary in Rome
US Army Counter Intelligence Corps
Category
Escape aid for war criminals
Level of evidence
A Primary source · what does this mean?
Persons
Krunoslav Draganović (Croatian Catholic priest at a seminary in Rome)
Klaus Barbie (Gestapo chief in Lyon)
Ante Pavelić (leader of the "Independent State of Croatia" 1941 to 1945)
Klaus Barbie under the name "Klaus Altmann" in Lima
Klaus Barbie under the name "Klaus Altmann" in Lima Image: unbekannt, Public domain, Source

What happened to the people

Who was affected? Victims and numbers

  1. Draganović helped above all Croats from the former "Independent State of Croatia". Under this state, installed by Hitler and Mussolini under Ante Pavelić, several hundred thousand Serbs and about 30,000 Jews were killed from 1941 to 1945, often by brutal means. According to the report, Pavelić himself almost certainly escaped to South America with Draganović's help.
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, Fußnote, S. 136 (PDF-S. 153)
    „From 1941 to 1945, several hundred thousand Serbs were killed in Croatia along with about 30,000 Jews, often by brutal means.“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, Fußnote, S. 136 (PDF-S. 153). Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, Fußnote, S. 137 (PDF-S. 154)
    „Pavelic himself escaped to South America, almost certainly with Dragonovic's assistance.“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, Fußnote, S. 137 (PDF-S. 154). Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 139 (PDF-S. 156)
    „Dragonovic was above all a Croatian nationalist who was determined to help his compatriots.“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 139 (PDF-S. 156). Original

Background

Course of events

  1. The ratline was a kind of underground railway from Austria to Italy. It relied on the Croatian priest Krunoslav Draganović, who worked at a seminary in Rome where young Croats were trained for the priesthood. From there he ran an escape service for Croatian nationalists and obtained Red Cross passports and visas of South American countries for them.
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 136 (PDF-S. 153)
    „dubbed a "rat line," and it ran from Austria to Italy, where it relied on a Croatian priest, Father Krunoslav Dragonovic, who was attached to a seminary in Rome where Croatian youths studied for the priesthood.“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 136 (PDF-S. 153). Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 136 (PDF-S. 153)
    „Dragonovic (or Draganovich) used this base to operate an escape service for Croatian nationalists fleeing from the Yugoslav authorities,“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 136 (PDF-S. 153). Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 137 (PDF-S. 154)
    „passports from the Red Cross and visas from various South American countries.“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 137 (PDF-S. 154). Original
  2. A CIC memo of 12 July 1948 calls Draganović the head of the resettlement of displaced persons in the "Vatican circle" and notes that some of the people he helped might be of interest to the Allies' denazification. US intelligence itself recorded Draganović as a fascist and war criminal.
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 138 (PDF-S. 155)
    „Croat, DP Resettlement Chief of the Vatican circle, a tentative agreement was reached to assist in this operation.“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 138 (PDF-S. 155). Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 139 (PDF-S. 156)
    „It may be stated that some of the persons of interest to Father Dragonovic may be of interest to the Denazification policy of the Allies“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 139 (PDF-S. 156). Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 137 (PDF-S. 154)
    „Draganovich is known and recorded as a Fascist, war criminal, etc., and his contacts with South American diplomats of a similar class are not generally approved by US State Department officials“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 137 (PDF-S. 154). Original
  3. The investigation found no evidence that the CIC itself helped Croats to escape from Europe.
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 139 (PDF-S. 156)
    „This investigation yielded no evidence that CIC actually assisted Croatians to escape from Europe.“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 139 (PDF-S. 156). Original
  4. Klaus Barbie, Gestapo chief in Lyon, was brought to Genoa by the CIC in March 1951 and taken over there by Draganović. Under the name Altmann, Draganović obtained an immigration visa for Bolivia for him, for which he himself acted as guarantor, and a travel document of the International Red Cross. On 23 March 1951 Barbie left Genoa for Buenos Aires with his wife and children. He then lived in Bolivia for 32 years.
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Introduction, PDF-S. 10
    „France, where he was under indictment for crimes he allegedly committed during World War II as chief of the Gestapo in Lyon.“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Introduction, PDF-S. 10. Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 155 (PDF-S. 172)
    „They were housed in a Genoa hotel and were "taken over" by Father Dragonovic.“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 155 (PDF-S. 172). Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 155 (PDF-S. 172)
    „an immigrant visa to Bolivia (Tab 100) and a travel permit (a substitute passport) from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 155 (PDF-S. 172). Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 155 (PDF-S. 172)
    „Barbie obtained an immigrant visa for himself and his family, sponsored by Father Dragonovic.“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 155 (PDF-S. 172). Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 156 (PDF-S. 173)
    „On March 23, Klaus Barbie, his wife and children, under the name of Altmann, left Genoa on the Italian vessel "Corrientes," bound for Buenos Aires, Argentina“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 156 (PDF-S. 173). Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Introduction, PDF-S. 10
    „On February 4, 1983, Klaus Barbie was expelled from Bolivia, where he had been living for 32 years“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Introduction, PDF-S. 10. Original

Who received the assets, who profited?

  1. The CIC paid Draganović 1000 to 1400 dollars per person, a lot of money at the time. The CIC agent in charge described him as unscrupulous in money matters. The report considers it likely that Draganović financed his own escape aid for Croats with this money.
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 140 (PDF-S. 157)
    „The 430th CIC paid Dragonovic $1,000 to $1,400 per defector“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 140 (PDF-S. 157). Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 140 (PDF-S. 157)
    „unscrupulous in his dealings concerning money“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 140 (PDF-S. 157). Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 140 (PDF-S. 157)
    „The "assistance" consisted of money paid by CIC to Dragonovic for handling CIC-sponsored defectors, and Dragonovic used this money to finance his own work for Croatian escapees.“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 140 (PDF-S. 157). Original
    Evidence: U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.), Section IV, S. 140 (PDF-S. 157)
    „The latter hypothesis seems the more likely.“
    Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, Section IV, S. 140 (PDF-S. 157). Original

Original documents to read

  1. Government report
    U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division (Allan A. Ryan, Jr.): Klaus Barbie and the United States Government. A Report to the Attorney General of the United States, 2 August 1983. Original (retrieved 13 Oct 2026)
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