The History Podcast
BBC Radio 4
Writer and broadcaster Andrew Hunter Murray uncovers last century’s biggest ever publishing scandal, a forgery which rocked the world and destroyed reputations.
When Germany’s biggest magazine Stern announced in 1983 that they’d found the long-lost diaries of Adolf Hitler, authenticated by the eminent British historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, the world was poised to rewrite history.
Salvaged from the wreckage of a Junkers plane which had crashed escaping Hitler’s Berlin bunker in the dying days of the war, the diaries had been hidden in a hayloft in East Germany for forty years. And remarkably they had now come to light, smuggled across the border into West Germany at the height of the Cold War. One lone journalist, Gerd Heidemann, known as ‘The Bloodhound’, had tracked them down. It had taken two years of secret missions and millions of Deutschmarks to amass all sixty volumes of Hitler’s personal, handwritten journals. The world was about to find the truth of Adolf Hitler’s mind: what he knew, what motivated him, his intimate reflections as the Third Reich rose and fell.
That, at least, was the story – a story which news organisations the world over, including Rupert Murdoch’s newly-acquired Sunday Times, believed. This would be a sensation – assuming, of course, that it was true.
It’s a tale of greed, obsession and mass delusion. It includes Hermann Göring’s yacht, Nazi-themed honeymoons, Idi Amin’s underpants, and more details almost too unbelievable for words. Murray interviews the people who were there as the diaries were announced to the world, and as the story fell apart: the archivist tasked with authenticating the diaries in Germany, the TV producer led around the homes of retired Nazis to film a promotional doc for the scoop, and the Fleet Street editor given 24 hours to create a world-beating story based on fraudulent material.
Murray’s mission is to track down the actual books which caused all this chaos, and to get as close as he can to the truth. In our own time of AI, fake news and disinformation, are there any lessons we can take from the greatest hoax of the last fifty years?
A Whistledown Production for BBC Sounds and Radio 4
Presenter: Andrew Hunter Murray
Producer: Ruth Abrahams
When Germany’s biggest magazine Stern announced in 1983 that they’d found the long-lost diaries of Adolf Hitler, authenticated by the eminent British historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, the world was poised to rewrite history.
Salvaged from the wreckage of a Junkers plane which had crashed escaping Hitler’s Berlin bunker in the dying days of the war, the diaries had been hidden in a hayloft in East Germany for forty years. And remarkably they had now come to light, smuggled across the border into West Germany at the height of the Cold War. One lone journalist, Gerd Heidemann, known as ‘The Bloodhound’, had tracked them down. It had taken two years of secret missions and millions of Deutschmarks to amass all sixty volumes of Hitler’s personal, handwritten journals. The world was about to find the truth of Adolf Hitler’s mind: what he knew, what motivated him, his intimate reflections as the Third Reich rose and fell.
That, at least, was the story – a story which news organisations the world over, including Rupert Murdoch’s newly-acquired Sunday Times, believed. This would be a sensation – assuming, of course, that it was true.
It’s a tale of greed, obsession and mass delusion. It includes Hermann Göring’s yacht, Nazi-themed honeymoons, Idi Amin’s underpants, and more details almost too unbelievable for words. Murray interviews the people who were there as the diaries were announced to the world, and as the story fell apart: the archivist tasked with authenticating the diaries in Germany, the TV producer led around the homes of retired Nazis to film a promotional doc for the scoop, and the Fleet Street editor given 24 hours to create a world-beating story based on fraudulent material.
Murray’s mission is to track down the actual books which caused all this chaos, and to get as close as he can to the truth. In our own time of AI, fake news and disinformation, are there any lessons we can take from the greatest hoax of the last fifty years?
A Whistledown Production for BBC Sounds and Radio 4
Presenter: Andrew Hunter Murray
Producer: Ruth Abrahams
Episodes
Mentioned books
Sep 21, 2026 • 15min
The Hitler Diaries Scandal: 10. Downfall
Andrew Hunter Murray follows the forged Hitler diaries to Germany’s federal archives, exposing the institutional failures and unchecked assumptions behind their spectacular rise. The investigation probes Gerd Heidemann’s refusal to verify the notebooks, the forgery’s possible political motives, and society’s enduring fascination with Hitler. It closes by confronting self-deception, sensationalism, and the challenges of truth in an age of AI and disinformation.
Sep 21, 2026 • 14min
The Hitler Diaries Scandal: 9. The Trial
Konrad Kujau’s flight ends with a police raid, while the Hitler Diaries scandal reaches court. Witnesses expose the forger’s methods, reputations collapse, convictions follow, and millions of Deutschmarks vanish. The story then moves into Nazi memorabilia’s shadowy collector networks, the disturbing power of its symbols, and Kujau’s transformation from criminal into celebrity.
Sep 21, 2026 • 14min
The Hitler Diaries Scandal: 8. Bunker Mentality
Stern’s newsroom doubles down as forensic experts finally examine Hitler’s supposed diaries. Evidence of modern ink, postwar bindings, copied text and a fabricated origin exposes a sanitized portrait of Hitler and ignites a worldwide scandal. As reputations collapse, reporter Gerd Heidemann’s obsession gives way to a shocking confession about the antiques dealer behind the forgery.
Sep 21, 2026 • 14min
The Hitler Diaries Scandal: 7. An Opera Set for Hell
Stern unveils its supposedly sensational Hitler diaries before a packed international press conference, complete with theatrical films and lavish presentation. But doubts emerge as Hugh Trevor-Roper’s authentication falters, David Irving interrupts from the audience, and Germany’s Federal Archives withdraws its support. The celebrated scoop begins to collapse in public.
Sep 21, 2026 • 14min
The Hitler Diaries Scandal: 6. Final Proofs
As Stern prepares its grand reveal, a TV producer spots troubling signs in Gerd Heidemann’s interview. In London, the Sunday Times races to publish while editors confront dull diary extracts, Rupert Murdoch’s demands and Hugh Trevor-Roper’s growing doubts. A flawed forensic test is hailed as proof, even as David Irving challenges the scoop on live television and the presses keep rolling.
6 snips
Sep 14, 2026 • 14min
The Hitler Diaries Scandal: 5. Money for Old Roper
Stern prepares the scoop of the century as a Nazi memorabilia dealer unveils supposed Hitler diaries. A rushed authentication draws in historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, while a promotional film follows eerie connections to former Nazis. Paper-forensics warnings, claims that Martin Bormann survived, and a culture of wishful thinking send the publishing world toward an explosive scandal.
7 snips
Sep 14, 2026 • 15min
The Hitler Diaries Scandal: 4. Fried Potatoes and Forgery
A cash-fuelled meeting between a compulsive collector and a master forger sets off a sensational hunt for Hitler’s secret diaries. As Stern pours millions into supposed Nazi treasures, experts overlook glaring errors and confirmation bias takes hold. With international rights at stake, the scam grows ever larger until David Irving raises the alarm.
7 snips
Sep 14, 2026 • 14min
The Hitler Diaries Scandal: 3. Champagne Connie
A flamboyant forger turns Nazi memorabilia into a lucrative performance, while a journalist’s obsession with Göring’s yacht leaves him desperate for a breakthrough. A fictional plane crash, fake evidence in East Germany and a dramatic two-million-mark offer draw Stern deeper into the Hitler diaries hoax. Champagne, cash and shifting identities set the stage for a publishing scandal.
6 snips
Sep 14, 2026 • 13min
The Hitler Diaries Scandal: 2. The Bloodhound
Malte Herwig, a German writer and documentary-maker specializing in Nazi history, traces Stern reporter Gerd Heidemann’s transformation from relentless scoop-hunter to obsessive collector. The story moves through Göring’s yacht, friendships with former Nazis, a Nazi-themed honeymoon, mounting debts, and the first appearance of Konrad Kujau’s forged Hitler diary, wrapped in an audacious East German cover story.
6 snips
Sep 14, 2026 • 14min
The Hitler Diaries Scandal: 1. The Crash
A plane crash in 1945 sparks rumors of Hitler’s lost diaries. Decades later, a booming Nazi memorabilia market gives forger Konrad Kujau the perfect opening to create an audacious masterpiece. The story travels from Hitler’s final days and postwar survival myths to secretive collectors, dubious provenance, and the dangerous allure of historical relics.
