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  • Title: German pathologist Walter Büngeler (1900-1987)-Nazi victim or political influencer in Brazil?
    Author: Schmidt M, Gräf C, Gross D.
    Journal: Pathol Res Pract; 2020 Nov; 216(11):153064. PubMed ID: 32823230.
    Abstract:
    One of the most wellknown German pathologists of the twentieth century, Walter Büngeler became internationally known for his elemental research on leukemia and the pathology of tumors. In 1936, Büngeler left Nazi Germany for Brazil, but returned to Germany in 1942. After the war ended in 1945, Büngeler portrayed himself as a political victim who had been expelled first by the National Socialists and later by the Brazilian government, and in fact, he was able to successfully perpetuate this image and emerged unscathed from his de-Nazification procedure, continuing on to a successful university career with stations in Kiel and Munich as both professor and dean, as well as a term as DGP president. Up until very recently, Büngeler was portrayed in literature as a victim and critic of Nazism. Does this self-portrayal stand up to a critical examination of the facts? It is precisely this question that is the focus of this article. The analysis draws upon primary sources; namely, Büngeler's own claims from a curriculum vitae filled out in 1943 as well as his de-Nazification file from the post-war period. This article exposes significant contradictions between these two sources. The statements Büngeler made in his de-Nazification file can be verified as false in all relevant aspects. Nevertheless, Büngeler managed to create a wide-reaching and successful version of himself; a picture which persisted until only very recently.
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