Federal Archives - After 40 years: Forged Hitler diaries in Koblenz
40 years after the publication of the forged Hitler diaries, the files have been handed over to the Federal Archives in Koblenz (Rhineland-Palatinate). This was announced by the Bertelsmann Group on Thursday. In 1983, the magazine "Stern", published by Gruner + Jahr (Hamburg), had published supposed diaries of Adolf Hitler, which turned out to be forgeries a few days later. It was one of the biggest media scandals in the Federal Republic of Germany.
It was reported that 52 diaries had been handed over to the Federal Archives. Following an archival inventory, they are to be digitized and made available in digital form in accordance with the Federal Archives Act. Two files are also on display at the House of the History of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn, three at the Hamburg Police Museum and one at the Fondation Cartier in Paris.
According to a statement, Federal Archives President Michael Hollmann said that the forged diaries had the potential to trivialize the brutal crimes of National Socialism in the 1980s. "It is good that the evidence of this difficult chapter of post-war history in the Federal Republic of Germany can now be secured in the Federal Archives and identified as forgeries in the context of the authentic sources."
Bertelsmann Group CEO Thomas Rabe emphasized that the handover would ensure the proper archiving of the Kladden. "It also opens up the possibility of dealing with the forged diaries in a transparent, scientific and independent manner."
A Bertelsmann spokesperson told Deutsche Presse-Agentur that the diaries were brought to Koblenz by a van at the beginning of December. The volumes had been stored for decades at Gruner + Jahr, then for a few weeks in armored cabinets at Bertelsmann, where they were archived. "We are very happy that the Federal Archives now have the files. That's where they belong, where they can be stored and made archivally accessible."
Statement
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- Gruner + Jahr, a prominent Publishing house based in Hamburg, was at the center of a major media scandal in the 1980s when they published the alleged 'Hitler diaries'.
- The fabricated diaries of Adolf Hitler, which were initially published by Stern magazine, were later exposed as forgeries, leading to significant controversy in Germany.
- After 40 years, the forged Hitler diaries have been handed over to the Federal Archives in Coblenz, a move initiated by the Bertelsmann Group.
- Bertelsmann Group CEO, Thomas Rabe, highlighted the importance of this transfer, stating that it would ensure proper archiving and allow for a transparent, scientific, and independent examination of the diaries.
- The Federal Archives in Coblenz, located in the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate, received the handed-over diaries, marking a significant step in the archival process.
- The forged Hitler diaries, now under the care of the Federal Archives, have the potential to provide valuable insights into the post-war history of Germany, serving as a reminder of a dark period in the country's past.
Source: www.stern.de
