11. Respected Magazine and Historian Hoaxed by Forger
In 1983, West Germany’s Stern magazine announced that its star reporter, Gerd Heidemann, had discovered Hitler’s diaries. Jubilant editors declared that their scoop, which shed light on the Fuhrer’s innermost thoughts, would lead to a major rewrite of WWII’s history and Hitler’s biography. Hugh-Trevor Roper, a prominent British historian who reviewed the diary on behalf of the Sunday Times, Stern’s publication partner, declared the diary authentic. However, Stern’s editors, fearing a leak, had refused to allow any German WWII experts to examine the diary. It was a huge mistake.
Once the diary was published, it did not take long for experts to spot signs of obvious forgery. The paper used was modern, and so was the ink. Moreover, the diaries were riddled with glaring historical inaccuracies, concerning events and dates that Hitler could not have possibly gotten wrong. Particularly dated entries in which the Fuhrer described events before they had actually happened in real life. An investigation revealed that the diary had been created by a notorious German forger named Konrad Kujau, who teamed up with Stern’s reporter, Gerd Heidemann, to rip off the magazine.
