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History Daily

The Hitler Diaries Hoax

History Daily

Airship | Noiser | Wondery

History

4.42.1K Ratings

🗓️ 6 May 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

May 6, 1983. What was thought to be Adolf Hitler’s long-lost diaries are exposed as forgeries, sparking one of the greatest scandals in modern journalism.


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Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:04.1

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0:06.0

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0:10.6

or you can get all of History Daily plus other fantastic history podcasts at IntoHistory.com.

0:20.4

Music It's the early morning of April 21st, 1945, at the tail end of World War II just north of Berlin, Germany.

0:33.7

A transport plane idols at a makeshift airfield, as 20-year-old Wilhelm Arndt hurries to load cargo on board.

0:40.8

Metal chests he's heaving are heavy.

0:43.2

Wilhelm doesn't know exactly what's inside, but it must be important.

0:46.8

They were given to Wilhelm by Adolf Hitler himself.

0:50.3

Wilhelm is Hitler's valet and one of 80 personnel who have just been ordered to evacuate Berlin.

0:56.3

With the Soviets closing in on the city, Hitler aims to establish a new command center in the mountains of southern Germany,

1:02.8

and he wants his most prized possessions move to safety.

1:06.5

A distant boom shakes the earth, but Wilhelm barely flinches.

1:10.1

He's used to the constant air raids by now.

1:13.0

And when the last metal chest is safely stowed away, Wilhelm climbs into the plane, squeezing

1:18.4

into a seat alongside 15 other passengers. The doors are sealed and the engine roars to life. The plane

1:25.6

lurches forward, bouncing along the grass runway

1:28.2

before finally lifting into the dark sky.

1:31.1

From the air, Wilhelm can see the orange glow of fires

1:34.4

stretching for miles in every direction below.

1:37.4

The heart of the Third Reich is being reduced to ash and ruin.

1:41.6

The Wilhelm breathes a sigh of relief.

...

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