Survivor’s grandson buys Mengele diary

The grandson of a Holocaust survivor reportedly bought the diary of Josef Mengele, the Nazi doctor known at Auschwitz as the “Angel of Death.”

The 180-page journal was sold for an undisclosed sum Feb. 2 “to an East Coast Jewish philanthropist who wishes to remain anonymous,” the Hartford Courant reported, citing an e-mail from Bill Panagopulos of Alexander Autographs historical artifacts house.

“He is the grandson of an Auschwitz survivor who personally encountered Mengele at Auschwitz,” Panagopulos wrote. “He intends to donate the manuscript to a museum devoted to the Holocaust.”

Nazi memorabilia collectors vying for the artifact were expected to push the price up to about $64,000. A statement released by the American Gathering of Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants expressed anger and revulsion over the auction. — jta