The House on Garibaldi Street

by Isser Harel, Shlomo J. Shpiro (Editor)

The House on Garibaldi Street is the true story of one of this century's most audacious intelligence operations - the kidnapping of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina by the Mossad, Israel's secret intelligence service.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Holocaust, Espionage, World War II, Crime, Jewish

328 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Isser Harel was spymaster of the intelligence and the security services of Israel and the Director of the Mossad. In his capacity as Mossad director he oversaw the capture and covert transportation to Israel, of Holocaust organizer Adolf Eichmann.

Reviews

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a remarkably detailed account of the thinking and actions which went into the capture of the Nazi Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires in 1960, told by the man (head of Mossad Isser Harel) who organized and managed the entire mission. The writing is clear and honest, and even when you know the outcome, very exciting to read.

[Allan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1960-61 I was in junior high and I did a school project consisting of cutting out newspaper articles and putting them in a current events scrapbook. Near the back I stuck in a clipping showing a picture of Adolph Eichmann sitting at his jail-house desk reading a pile of books . I'm looking at that picture now. I was aware of Nazi atrocities having read an article on them featured in one of my dad's True magazines. Isser Harel came face to face with the monster and rendered him to ultimate justice. This book is an exemplary example of secret agent work of the highest , professional calibre. Eichmann had to be apprehended for the sake of all civilised human beings. This is a book that should be taught in schools as a reminder that W.W.II might have formally ended in 1945 but it's not over for the relatives of the victims.

[Jeff Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though it’s been thirty years since I read this story, it has remained with me. Eichmann was the most sought-after Nazi after the collapse of the Third Reich. He had bragged on more than one occasion how he was instrumental in carrying out the Führer’s “Final Solution.”

Like many he was able to escape to a sympathetic South America and continue living the good life.

The fledgling organization, Mossad, spent months and months of preparation laying out a plan to bring him back to Israel and be tried for his crimes against humanity yet stay under the radar of the Argentinian police. To be caught would probably end the existence of the organization.

The number of cars they rented is what impressed me the most. I lost count how many they would rent that would break-down or to keep a low profile, keep swapping out to avoid detection.

An excellent story for any World War Two buff.

[Sandy Nawrot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not going to be for everyone, but if you love books that involve WWII combined with real life investigative intrigue, this is one read YOU CANNOT MISS.

So many of the Nazi commandants turned tail after the end of WWII and hid in the far reaches of the world, including Adolph Eichmann, who was the architect of the "final solution" that killed so many Jewish souls. For years following the war, it was the sole mission of Isser Harel, Chief Executive of the Secret Services of Israel, to find these bastards and bring them to justice. Every tip, every rumor, every sighting was pursued, until one clue came to the surface in the late 50's that unearthed Eichmann in Buenos Aires, South America. This is the story of that pursuit. Every tactical move, every bit of reconnaissance, the planning, the task force, of identifying, capturing, and smuggling the man back to Israel for a trial. (The fear was that if South American officials learned of the plot, Eichmann would get caught up in extradition proceedings and never be brought to justice.)

The plot is very well-written and fast-paced. The level of detail needed to pull off such a feat was simply mind-blowing to me. My only complaint is that upon the completion of this book, the reader must do their own research to actually learn the fate of this man.

I also want to add that if you want a cherry on top, you should watch "The Eichmann Show" on Netflix. It is a dramatization of the the trial of Eichmann, the first one of it's kind that was filmed and shown to the world. In this movie, you actually see footage of Eichmann, as well as those who testified against him. Fascinating stuff, and something you will not soon forget.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sincerely enjoyed this book. I thought it was exciting and entertaining and gave a real insight in the challengers intelligence agencies face. We are given a window in which to observe ingenuity and on the spot thinking to it's max. There is not just the element of excitement that makes this book compelling. There is also a sincere sense of justice. This is felt most prevalently when Harel describes how the criminal affected the lives of those involved in the case and their families. The relief felt by those involved radiates off the page when Harel describes the excitement present at the time of his capture. I found the way the agents interacted with Eichman after his capture incredibly interesting as well. They were forced to take care of the man who masterminded the extermination of their loved ones and friends all so he could be brought to a fair trial in which his fate could be decided.
I think this book is a testimony to justice and that alone is a reason it should be read.

[Belen (f.k.a. La Mala ✌) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Desafío de lectura 2016: Un libro que no hayas leído desde la primaria/secundaria

Lo leí cuando tenía doce años y nunca lo he vuelto a leer desde entonces (porque, lamentablemente para mí, los de Louisa May Alcott, Agatha Christie y Stephen King que tengo los re contra re leí en todos estos años, así que calculo que no entran en la cat.)

Es el único que se me ocurrió que no haya releído de grande y es una buena excusa para leerlo de nuevo.

Un libro excelente. Si mal no recuerdo, la primera non-fiction que leí en la vida (o fue éste o VIVEN, no estoy segura. Pero Viven no cuenta para esta categoría porque lo releí varias veces.)

[Amar Pai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not gonna win any literary awards, but this book delivers the goods as far as operational details of a high stakes espionage action (the abduction of Eichmann from Argentina to stand trial in Israel)

Harel methodically (some would say tediously) lays out all the planning that went into the operation, from the initial tip that led to Eichmann, to his identification, through his capture and retrieval. Lots of stuff to consider:

-establishment of safe houses
-document forgery (false passports etc)
-tailing him and determining best location to abduct
-drugging the captive
-building a special room in a safehouse to hold him while waiting for flight out (it was a week delayed)
-planning a special flight out to take him back
-contingency planning for if they're caught

etc. etc.

It's interesting to contemplate how you'd pull off this kind of action today... very different world back in 1960. There were no flights from Israel to Argentina, rental cars were hard to come by, no internet or easy long distance communication... so many things. Israel was much newer then and the sting of the Holocaust hadn't faded

The book also serves as a justification for the abduction. Not that one needs much convincing. Alas, the targets of abductions are rarely as clear cut "evil" as in this case. But it's satisfying here cos you don't really have moral qualms about it, and instead of sending him off to some Syrian dungeon a la "extraordinary rendition," they actually treat him humanely and put him on trial.

Overall this book portrays state intelligence agents (spies or whatever you want to call them) as one imagines they should be: determined, persistent, cunning, brave, etc. It's a contrast to the comical incompetence you see in real life (i.e. CIA's exploding cigars, or any number of misadventures involving insurgent funding)

Mossad is still ruthless, determined, and capable, and they're still pulling off capers of this kind.

But they're way more ethically dubious these days. At least, I can't bring myself to see them through the same lens.

[TaniaRina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m speechless...beyond utterly speechless.

[Celeste Miller · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boy howdy, was this ever a boring book. But how can a book about Nazi hunting be boring, you ask? Trust me, it can. Flat writing (seriously, my middle school diary entries about what I got for back-to-school shopping are more interesting), zero characterization, and a "hunt" that's about as fast-paced as watching paint dry. My 84-year-old demented grandmother has craftier moves than Eichmann did in Buenos Aires. And though it takes place in Buenos-effing-Aires, it might as well have transpired in Toledo, Ohio, so little sense of place was there ("a rundown house in a working class neighborhood" - yep, that really transports me). But I suppose that when the most harrowing action took place 15+ years before this book even begins, you're kind of setting yourself up for disappointment.

[Hermien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written (with some bias) by the head of Mossad in charge of the capture of Eichmann but notwithstanding a fascinating story.

[Tom Oman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not put this down. Unbelievable story. Better than any spy novel.

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of the capture of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina by Jewish agents as told by the operation leader.

Interesting how they heard about him being there from someone who told someone who told someone and it eventually got back to the people that could go get him.

One of the best parts about the way this story is told is how the author explains the personal connections between the agents history of harm from the efforts to exterminate them and Eichmann. Some of their stories were horrible, about how their family members were killed before their eyes or how they were seperated in a death camp never to see each other again. They smuggled him out of Argentina in a plane. They told the crew who they had prisenor as they were taking off. One of them had watched his younger brother be killed in front of him and his mother and sister were sent to the gas chambers. He immeditatly burst into tears when was told they had caught Eichmann. It seemed like every one of the agents had some personal loss from the Nazi genocide. And yet one of them discussed whether it was right for them to make provision for Eichmann's family in Argentina since they were snatching away the breadwinner.

Fairly well paced though I could see where an outside author could tie all the pieces together well for a faster paced re-telling. The book does not discuss Argentina's reaction when they found out that Israel snatched this guy up and snuck him out of their country. And it does not discuss the trial of Eichmann or trial results.

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book among those left to me by my Aunt Mary several years ago. She had quite the collection of books because she belonged to a “book of the month club” for several years. They're all hardbacks with no dust covers, so I can't tell much about them by looking. Most of them seem to be “sweeping epic family dramas” or “gothic romances” or mysteries of some sort, but I found this little book in the pile and it is unlike the others. This is the true story of the capture of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina in 1960. It does contain a lot of detail and I’ll admit that I found some of that detail a bit dull, but overall it was fascinating to see how they put together this mission to find the man responsible for so much death and suffering in the world. He needed to be brought to justice and the men and women who worked on this are, in my opinion, to be applauded for the way they worked as humanely as possible to bring him to trial so he could pay for his crimes. Particularly moving were the stories of the individuals involved who had experienced his horrors first hand, usually by being directly involved in the death camps themselves.

I’ve been cleaning off my To-Read shelf - culling those books I know I really don’t want to read, evaluating those I’m unsure of, and ordering those that I find might interest me to make my way through them all. I know most of them will not be of interest, but this was a fascinating find and I’m very glad to have read it.

[Nate · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting content, but the pacing was off. The author often got lost in mundane details and glossed over the more intriguing events in a few paragraphs. I also would have liked there to be a section on Eichmann's trial.

[Velvetink · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read a long time ago - inherited from mum's shelves.

[Dusan Makovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bývalý šéf Mossadu vypráví o Eichmannově únosu z Argentiny. Není co vytknout.

[Mannie Liscum · Rating 5 out of 5]

The House on Garibaldi Street” by Isser Harel, former head of the Israeli Intelligence and Security Service (the Mossad), from 1952–1963, is a rousing 5 star page turner. The book details the successful efforts to bring to final justice Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the Nazi’s ‘Final Solution of the Jewish Question.’ Harel’s account of the events that took place over a period of three years (1957-1960) in finding, indentifying, capturing (in Argentina), and bringing Eichmann to trial (in Israel) is both intellectually well-written and viscerally gripping. One cannot read this book and not feel the pride of an entire people of accomplishment of a small band of dedicated individuals to bring one of the worlds most infamous murderers to justice. One wonders if great espionage thriller writers like Ian Fleming or Alistair MacClean could have created works of fiction to rival this true story. And the moral pay-off of Harel’s story sets it apart fully from any of their more trite, if exciting, tales. What a wonderful read.

[Golnaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب «خانه‌ای در خیابان گاریبالدی» نوشته‌ی ایسر هارئل و ویلارد مانوئل است و یکی از معروف‌ترین کتاب‌هایی است که عملیات تاریخی موساد برای دستگیری آدولف آیشمن، از مقامات بلندپایه نازی و معمار اصلی هولوکاست، را روایت می‌کند.
ماجرای کتاب در دهه ۱۹۶۰ اتفاق می‌افتد، زمانی که آیشمن پس از جنگ جهانی دوم با هویت جعلی در آرژانتین زندگی می‌کرد. سازمان اطلاعاتی اسرائیل (موساد) پس از سال‌ها جستجو رد او را می‌زند و تیمی از مأموران زبده را برای اجرای عملیات به بوئنوس آیرس می‌فرستد. خانه‌ای در خیابان گاریبالدی همان مکانی است که مأموران موساد مدتی در آن اقامت داشتند و نقشه‌ی دستگیری آیشمن را طرح‌ریزی کردند.
کتاب با جزئیات فراوان به ماجرای پیدا کردن آیشمن، عملیات دستگیری او، و انتقال مخفیانه‌اش به اسرائیل می‌پردازد. این اثر به خاطر ریتم تند و روایت هیجان‌انگیزش، بیشتر شبیه یک رمان جاسوسی خوانده می‌شود، اما در واقع بر اساس یک ماجرای واقعی نوشته شده است.
مراحل و برنامه‌ریزی خیلی هیجان انگیزه و نفس توی سینه حبس میشه.
دادگاه آیشمن در اورشلیم برگزار میشه و دفاعیه اون آدم کل جهان رو شکه میکنه.
بعدها هانا آرنت، فیلسوف آلمانی-آمریکایی، در کتاب «آیشمن در اورشلیم» اصطلاح "ابتذال شر" رو در همین مورد مطرح کرد.

[Darja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Po Životicích jsem nutně potřebovala knihu, kde nějaký esesák neunikl spravedlnosti (zvláštní, u žádné "osvětimské" knihy jsem tuto potřebu neměla). Eichmann sice neměl s Životicemi nic moc společného, ale říkala jsem si, že to vadit nebude. Nicméně svůj účel to bohužel nesplnilo, za což může fakt, že jsem neměla moc času na čtení, takže jsem Eichmanna honila docela dlouho. Pravda, tak dlouho jako MOSAD přece jen ne, ale i tak. I tak jsem si knihu a hlavně pátrání užila.

Měla bych jen pár drobných výtek. Vysvětlivky k úvodu jsem chvilku hledala, sice jsou celkem logicky hned za úvodem, ale nějak bych byla radši, kdyby byly pod čarou. A seznam osob mi přišel zbytečný. Jednak jsem si ho nepamatovala a nechtěla jsem se pokaždé vracet a taky ke každé osobě, která se objevila na scéně, stejně následovaly nějaké informace. Tyto drobnosti ovšem nesnižují morální hodnotu knihy, nemůžu jinak než dát 5*.

[Janis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remembering the news articles of the capture of the heinous war criminal Adolph Eichmann is one thing but reading how it happened is quite another adventure. I never realized how each detail had to be planned, how each operative had to know only his own personal job so that the entire team could be protected from identification. I did not know how money had been spent or the many months it took to plan and execute his kidnapping from Brazil. This book has been on my shelves since it was published in paperback. I only picked it up because a different book challenge required me to write a book about a house. This was a page turner, and I highly recommend it for WWII enthusiasts and justice served.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read this book many years ago and recently read one on this same topic by another author. I also saw the movie Operation Finale that presented a Hollywood adaptation with some changes for dramatic purposes. So I thought I would re-read this book by Isser Harel who was the Mossad leader of the operation. It was still loaded with suspense and makes a great story about pursuit of justice without the changes made for the movie. If you are looking for a more complete view of the search for and capture of Adolph Eichmann, this would be for you.

[Sarah Pongracz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the chilling true story of the hunt, investigation, planning, capture and transport of Adolf Eichmann from Argentina to Israel, to stand trial for his role as one of the major architects of the Holocaust. It is written by Isser Harel, the former chief of Israel's Secret Service, and is the basis of the recent film "Operation Finale."

[John Majors · Rating 4 out of 5]

fascinating account of the capture of Adolf Eichmann written by the former head of Israel's Secret Service, who oversaw the operation at the time. If you've not read "Hunting Eichmann", I'd read it first, as it is written in more of a story format than this one, though this one was also hard to put down.

[Kerry Shoji · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing story. I can't believe the author remembers the details of the planning and the capture so vividly. I was in first grade when this occurred, but I have no recollection of the news. I'm glad that the story is documented so well. It shows all the detailed planning involved that we come now to associate with Israeli special forces projects.

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning all the details that went into planning and successfully executing Eichmann’s capture (e.g. having to take the Argentinian rental cars to mechanics to make them more reliable so they would not fail during the operation). The narrative detours explaining the Israeli agent’s traumatic holocaust stories provide a poignant reminder of why capturing Eichmann was so important.

[Michael Evans · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great historical story, but the writing gets so muddled in constantly overemphasizing minute details. I was disappointed :(
I really wanted to like it but it just wore me out after the first half of the book.

[Nikusha · Rating 5 out of 5]

nemám ve zvyku hodnotit knížky o holocaustu, ale tady ráda udělám výjimku.

byl by to výborný špionážní román - kdyby to byla fikce. je pozoruhodné, na jak malých až skoro primitivních detailech celá tahle 'operace Eichmann' závisela! fantastické čtení.

[Reva · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was unbelievable! It read like a fiction spy novel but it really happened. I did not realize what was involved in this case. I also never realized how Important it was to try Eichmann in Israel and the impact on educating Israelis and the world on what happened in WW II.

[Tracy Backer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of detail, a LOT. Fascinating look into the work that went into the capture of Adolph Eichmann. I found it interesting, but sometimes it was hard to keep the people straight, as well as the timelines. They did it all before cell phones and laptops.

[Kaite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Important read, although difficult at times to read about the true horrors that Eichmann and the Third Reich carried out. There are a few too many names and characters to accurately keep track of, and that did get confusing at times. Overall though, this is such an incredible story.