He attacked the press, oversaw egregious human rights violations, and even welcomed a notorious Nazi war criminal into his country. For decades, Alfredo Stroessner largely acted with impunity—until the late 1980s, when a chaotic schism in his party drove him into exile.

For more information on Paraguayan history and Alfredo Stroessner, check out The Dictator Dilemma: The United States and Paraguay in the Cold War by Kirk Tyvela. We found it extremely helpful in our research for this episode!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices