Ludolf von Alvensleben

Ludolf von Alvensleben, known among his associates as Bubi, appears in the book as a former senior Nazi official embedded in the postwar network in Buenos Aires. A figure with a death sentence in absentia in Poland, he moved among other Nazi exiles and later joined the gatherings at which Adolf Eichmann was questioned about his past.

Identity and Nazi Past

Von Alvensleben had been Heinrich Himmler's personal adjutant and a senior Schutzstaffel (SS) and police leader. Poland had sentenced him to death in absentia. The account offers no further detail about the proceedings or the sentence, but the contrast is clear: a man condemned in one country appears in postwar Buenos Aires among a social circle that treated former Nazi officials as established companions.

A Place in the Buenos Aires Circle

Gerard Malbranc's residence served as a regular meeting place for Nazi associates. Von Alvensleben was among its visitors, alongside former diplomats and other members of the expatriate network. He was also a friend of Herbert von Karajan. His presence in this circle establishes him not as a passing acquaintance but as one of the recognizable figures within its social world.

The Eichmann Recording Sessions

In April 1957, Willem Sassen and Eberhard Fritsch began recording sessions with Eichmann at Sassen's home. Von Alvensleben attended some of the Sunday gatherings. The sessions drew an audience around Eichmann, who was pleased by the attention, and von Alvensleben was among the guests described as bringing sharper skills to the questioning. His role was therefore connected to the effort to elicit and record Eichmann's account, although the evidence does not specify what he personally asked or contributed.

Narrative Role

Von Alvensleben links the social world of Nazi exiles in Buenos Aires to the project of recording Eichmann. His earlier position under Heinrich Himmler and his sentence in absentia stand against the relative ease with which he appears in the company of fellow exiles. The book places him within a network where former status, personal association, and shared gatherings sustain contact after the war; it does not provide a separate account of his later fate.