On our own behalf - Forged Hitler diaries handed over to the Federal Archives
It was supposed to be a global sensation and ended in a fiasco for stern: 40 years ago, the forged Hitler diaries were presented. Now they have been handed over to the Federal Archives in Koblenz, as the Bertelsmann Group, to which stern belongs, announced on Thursday.
Following an archival inventory, the 52 diaries are to be digitized and made available in digital form in accordance with the Federal Archives Act. Two of the books 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.
The forged Hitler diaries are to be digitized
Bertelsmann Group CEO Thomas Rabe emphasized: "The handover of the forged"Hitler Diaries" to the Federal Archives will ensure that they are properly archived. It also opens up the possibility for transparent, scientific and independent handling of the forged diaries."
Michael Hollmann, President of the Federal Archives, said: "In the 1980s, the forged 'Hitler diaries' had the dangerous potential to trivialize the brutal crimes of National Socialism. 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. For the Federal Archives, which was involved in uncovering the forgery, this closes a circle."
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The Bertelsmann Group, being the owner of stern, has relinquished the forged Hitler diaries to the custody of the Federal Archives for proper archiving and future digitalization. The digitized forged diaries, as well as physical copies, will be made accessible in accordance with the Federal Archives Act, with some exhibits displayed at various museums.
Source: www.stern.de
