As the Second World War ended in defeat for Nazi Germany in 1945, Serrano was convinced that Hitler had not committed suicide in Berlin as was claimed by the victorious Allies. Instead, Serrano believed that Hitler had escaped and was living in Antarctica, either in a secluded warm environment on the continent or under the ice cap itself. This idea had been suggested to him by F. K.—who claimed that he remained in astral contact with Hitler—but was also widely rumoured in the Latin American press. In 1947, Ladislao Szabó's book "Hitler est vivo" had been published, exerting an influence on Serrano. Szabó's book alleged that a U-boat convoy had taken Hitler to safety in Queen Maud Land. In 1947–48, Serrano travelled to Antarctica as a journalist with the Chilean Army. In 1948, he wrote his own short book, "La Antártica y otros Mitos", which repeated Szabó's claims about Hitler's survival.