Unclassified secrets: Report shows how U.S. intelligence duped Canada into accepting Nazi war criminals and collaborators

An item from the Legion Magazine.

Top Nazi leaders faced war crimes trials after the Second World War but many others who took part in the Holocaust went unpunished. Some may have settled in Canada. [Courtesy U.S. National Archives]

Unclassified secrets: Report shows how U.S. intelligence duped Canada into accepting Nazi war criminals and collaborators

STORY BY RICHARD FOOT

It took five years of hard sacrifice for Canada and the Allies to defeat the Nazi regime.

Yet somehow, it took more 70 years for Canadians to learn the truth about how Nazi war criminals and collaborators were later provided safe haven in this country.

The story of how the Canadian government allowed dozens of Nazis and their enablers to settle in Canada in the 1950s—including how Canadian officials were duped and pressured by American agents into accepting those who otherwise would have failed security checks—has finally been revealed with the release of a once-classified report.

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Historian Dan Snow talks about the 1775 U.S. invasion of Canada on a late 2025 episode of his History Hit series. [Courtesy Dan Snow’s History Hit]

“Canada doesn’t get the credit it deserves”: Historian Dan Snow on the country’s role in the world

STORY BY ALEX BOWERS

“I’m not even the best historian in the family,” said Dan Snow, an acclaimed figure in the field. The British-born TV broadcaster, whose documentaries, podcasts, and numerous other projects have brought the past to global audiences, was referring to his Canadian aunt Margaret MacMillan.

But Snow’s roots from across the pond extend far beyond his famous relative, indeed spanning several generations and including the military service of his great-grandfather and grandfather during two world wars. It’s little wonder then that the History Hit network founder feels a strong affinity for Canada.

In a Legion Magazine exclusive, Snow reflected on his deep personal ties to the country, its place in history and his hopes for the country’s future.