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    The Doctor Who Helped Israeli Spies Catch Eichmann But Refused Recognition For It

    Dr. Yonah Elian played a key part in spiriting Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann out of Argentina to stand trial in Israel. His family couldn't understand why he never spoke about the heroic role he served.
    by Daniel Estrin Jul 16, 2019 7 minutes

    The fake license plates, forged passports and concealed surveillance camera were locked away in the musty archives of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency for 50 years. Now they are touring the U.S. in a traveling exhibition about the Mossad's legendary capture of Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann.

    But one object crucial to the mission's success is not on display: the needle used to inject a sedative into Eichmann's arm before he was smuggled onto a plane back to Israel to stand trial.

    The story of the needle is also the story of Dr. Yonah Elian, a renowned Israeli anesthesiologist recruited for the Eichmann mission to administer the sedative, who hid the needle in a drawer most of his life and refused to come out of the shadows — even as the other Israelis on the mission were crowned national heroes.

    "Many times, I asked him, 'Dad, why won't you talk about this? What's so secret?' " said Danny Elian, the doctor's son, who spent years seeking answers.

    The doctor's tale, and the secret he kept, have only come to light in recent years.

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