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BOA : Audio

6.4.12

Gerrard Williams

(2 Hours, 23 Minutes)


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BoA:Audio examines one of the great controversies and mysteries of World War II as we welcome Gerrard Williams, co-author of Grey Wolf: The Escape of Adolf Hitler. In this expansive conversation, we'll go in-depth on the Hitler death hoax, including why the 'mainstream' version of Hitler's death is fundamentally flawed, how Martin Bormann laid the groundwork for the escape years before the war ended, Hitler's likely journey to Argentina and his post-war life there, children fathered by Hitler, and his ultimate fate years after the war ended. Beyond that, we'll discuss some of the obscure and tangential elements of the war, including the extensive plunder of European art by the Nazis, how their poor organizational skills facilitated a victory of the Allies, and how there were even machinations by high-ranking Nazis to twist the war into a unified battle against the Russians.

Altogether, it is a mind-bending edition of the program which will likely have you looking at world history in a whole new light as Gerrard Williams makes the case for the escape of Adolf Hitler.

Full Preview: We kick things off with the bio / background on Gerrard Williams and find out how he, and his co-author Simon Dunston, ended up gravitating towards the Hitler death hoax story. This leads to some discussion on how the Hitler death hoax often get tied to more outlandish conspiracies like Antarctic bases or UFOs, which results in the story being dismissed by the mainstream. On that note, Gerrard then reflects on how he felt a responsibility to cover the story as extensively as possible in order to avoid the pitfalls of mainstream skepticism.

Diving in to Grey Wolf, we first discuss how Hitler fostered competition amongst his subordinates in order to maintain his power as well as how the government institutions of the Third Reich were actually very poorly run. That segues into talk about the power and importance of Martin Bormann to both the Nazi party as well as the Hitler escape. We also learn about how Bormann used his power to create the Hitler 'brand' in Nazi Germany and used it to reap tremendous wealth. Gerrard also talks about how there were a myriad of high ranking Nazis mysteriously 'died' at the end of WWII.

Looking at some of the tangential and mind blowing WWII tales discussed in the book, we learn about the massive plunder of Europe by the Nazis during the war, which included gold and artwork. Gerrard reflects on how this accumulation of wealth resulted in the Nazis being able to escape Europe as well as facilitate Project Paperclip. We also find out about how Hitler's taste in art resulted in a number of great paintings being simply discarded because he didn't respect the artists' work. Following that, we talk about how the Nazi war machine was fairly inept, with multiple agencies tasked with the developing the same weapons. We also contrast that to the Allies' precision, especially the specialized units at work during the war.

Next we learn about the secret hopes / plans of the Nazis to flip the war and end up teaming with the Allies against the Russians. This leads to Gerrard lamenting how the mainstream depiction of the war leaves out many of the suspicious dealings of corporations who appeared to be working with both sides. We then start looking at Hitler's escape, beginning with the elaborate groundwork for the plan that had been developed over the previous years by Bormann. Gerrard details how a pilot confessed to helping Hitler escape and the story was swept under the run by the media and UK / US governments.

We then focus specifically in on the escape of Hitler, beginning with how it appears that he used a body double in public settings close to around the time he went underground. Contrasting the death hoax with the 'mainstream' version of Hitler's demise, Gerrard talks about how it all stems from a suspiciously written report commissioned by British intelligence. We then examine how there appears to have been a Hitler escape deal worked out between Bormann and shady US intelligence / corporate interests who had their own agenda which superseded governmental interests. In light of that, we explore why the US and UK governments didn't pursue Hitler if it was believed he had escaped.

Following that, we discuss how Argentina had been established as a safe haven for Nazis long before the end of the war. Gerrard also reveals how there was an FBI hunt for Hitler and that the organization was always interested in finding out the 'truth' of Hitler's fate. From there, Gerrard reflects on how much of the suspicion surrounding Hitler's death was reported in the media at the time, but that has been swept under the rug by historians in subsequent years. We return to the topic of how Argentina ended up becoming the safe haven for an astounding 30,000 mid-level Nazis.

Getting to the heart of Grey Wolf, Gerrard then takes us step by step through Hitler's arduous and elaborate trip out of Germany to Spain and then to Argentina, which actually took months to complete. He also talks about some of the surreptitious maneuvering of the German U-Boats both in the Atlantic Ocean and arriving in Argentina. We also reflect on Hitler's potential journey via U-Boat which would have lasted 53 days and Gerrard talks about how it is important for historians to avoid speculating on the mindset of historical figures. We then talk about the mystery surrounding Hitler's medical condition at the end of the war.

Bringing the story to the post-escape life of Hitler, Gerrard talks about how Argentina was sympathetic enough to the Nazis that the despot lived fairly easily and didn't simply go into hiding. He also details how a major health spa was created seemingly in the middle of nowhere in Argentina and appeared to be built for Hitler and his sympathizers. Gerrard also tells us about how the landscape of Argentina was ideal for protecting the powerful Nazi leaders.

We then delve into speculative realm and have Gerrard ponder what the proverbial 'plan' might have been for once Hitler and Bormann resettled in Argentina. He talks about how there appeared to be a schism amongst the resettled Nazis where some wanted to recreate the 'empire' and others wanted to merely exists as an economic power. This leads to some discussion on what may have been the fate of Eva Braun, who is believed to have escaped with Hitler to Argentina. From there, we find out about the FBI files on Hitler in Argentina which as continually classified as Top Secret, even to this day.

Bringing the story full circle, we find out what likely became of Martin Bormann, his escape from Europe, and how the Perons in Argentina ended up double crossing him and stealing much of his fortune. Next we find out about one of more revelatory stories found in Grey Wolf, which is that Hitler likely fathered children with Eva Braun and may have fathered one with Goebbel's wife as well as a German Olympian. Wrapping up the narrative of Hitler's escape, we find out how he was forced into an "exile within exile" following the downfall of the Perons and spent his time with only two confidants for about 6 or 7 years until his death.

Wrapping up the Hitler story, Gerrard talks about the 'real' death of Hitler on February 13, 1962 and he explains how the authors came to this specific conclusion about his demise. We also learn what became of Hitler's protectors as well as the speculation surrounding the ultimate fate of Bormann. We then get Gerrard's opinion on whether or not the 'true' story of Hitler's escape and death will ever be revealed and become accepted historical canon.

Heading towards the close, we find out what needs to be done or what evidence is needed to learn the ultimate truth about Hitler's fate. We also address whether or not any evidence of a post-war Hitler, in photos or films, exists. In light of the controversial nature of this story, we find out of Gerrard or his co-author have ever been threatened for pursuing the Hitler death hoax story. Gerrard also shares one more tale from a witness who met both Hitler and Martin Bormann in Argentina.

Closing out the program, we get an update a Grey Wolf documentary that is currently in the works. We also learn what the reaction has been to Grey Wolf from the media and historians. Gerrard also talks about the sequel to Grey Wolf that he and Simon are working on, titled The Spider's Web, which will further explore the post-WWII Nazi conspiracies.




Gerrard Williams Bio

Gerrard Williams has been an International Television Journalist and film-maker for over 30 years. After graduating from Journalism College he was hired by Visnews, the international TV News Agency, where he spent two years before moving to Australia, working for ABC and Australian Associated Press as well as being Independent Radio News correspondent for two years. On his return to the U.K. he rejoined Visnews and after various jobs elsewhere in TV news was eventually appointed Duty Editor at Reuters Television. He has worked as a Foreign Duty Editor at The BBC, Sky News and APTN. Gerrard has worked and reported in over 65 countries and has set up and managed/edited projects as diverse as Superchannel News, European Business Today for BSB/SKY, Breakfast Editor at European Business News, and Managing Editor at Africa Journal. He directed his first documentary in 1983.

He has been responsible for hundreds of live hours of broadcast television. He has covered most of the top international news stories of the last 20 years, including the fall of the Soviet Union, the war in Yugoslavia, the Rwanda Genocide, the first Gulf War, the aftermath of the second and the US occupation of Iraq,and the 2004 Tsunami. Gerrard returned to long-form film making after successfully running an independent news production company, News-Source U.K. that produced news, entertainment and documentary programming for Sony Entertainment Television and the breakfast program for European Business News (now CNBC Europe). He has also produced corporate videos for various United Nations departments, Hilton Hotels, Berjaya Bay Hotels, Seychelles Airlines, Weavering Capital and has advised on the use of video inserts into many web-based products.

He has recently made documentary films in Kenya, Argentina and Albania, which have been broadcast by Al-Jazeera International, SIC in Portugal, Channel 4 News in the UK and SKY News. He is currently post-producing a major Drama-Documentary "Grey Wolf" and is developing various feature film proposals. Gerrard is married with two grown-up children, a Labrador called Max and an ancient cat "Suki".

His website is greywolfmedia.com


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