Original subtitles

I think I'm going to write a diary.

We've got Adolf Hitler's diaries.

You're publishing the diaries? When were you going to tell me?

The diaries are fake.

I've read them.

Did you break in here?

Out. And I mean right now.

An expert confirmed the diaries are real.

- They mustn't publish. - It's down to you.

The history of the Third Reich must in large part be rewritten.

I have grave doubts.

I hit the jackpot of my life with you.

- If this goes wrong... - Don't ruin this for us.

...I'll finish you.

If my name comes out, then I'll see you go to prison.

HITLER'S DIARIES DISCOVERED

This is, of course, an exceptional discovery.

May I ask how much you paid for the diaries?

I'll tell you this much. It was several million.

Could you be more precise?

And how much have you earned from it so far?

Let me put it this way.

We've increased circulation to 2.3 million

and how much we're earning as a result

remains our little secret.

Your smug attitude gets on my nerves.

Mr. Müller, your party is quite new, so I'm happy to forgive you

for not having a clue how to behave during a TV debate.

You and your stupid titty paper

are just chucking the alleged Hitler diaries at us.

No expert opinion, no information about their origin.

You can't think you're going to get away with this.

That’s exactly the image people have of your party.

Anyone who doesn't fit your philosophy

is attacked in an aggressive way--

Everything that's improper, because it's immoral...

Yes, we do have a problem with that.

The Commies. First green, then red, like tomatoes.

Gentlemen. Gentlemen.

But I have to agree with Mr. Müller.

With so much doubt as to the authenticity of the diaries,

it would be appropriate to reveal the source.

We've always protected our informants.

- And will continue to do so. - As long as you're earning money...

That's decent of Gerd.

His ass is on the line.

If he betrays me, I'll betray him, too.

And I've already told him that.

I bet Gerd always skimmed money off my payments.

That would be...

That would be embezzlement.

And you go to jail for that.

There were already doubts at the press conference.

How do you intend to deal with those?

Although we were not obliged to do so,

we handed over several complete volumes

to the police for comprehensive testing.

- What's being tested? - Certainly not the smell.

The materials, of course.

Ink, paper...

Examine the materials, but ignore the content.

The moderator is a Nazi himself.

He wrote for the Nazi paper, Der Stürmer.

One final question.

Let's assume that the diaries are forgeries.

- They're not forgeries. - Who takes on the responsibility?

Will you then have to step down, Mr. Michaelis,

or will Gerd Heidemann be blamed for all this?

So, either we get another real question now, or we can...

Ladies and gentlemen, you can see the gentlemen from Stern

are rather thin-skinned, understandably so,

because over a few days, it's been up and down, scoop or scandal.

Stay tuned for a superb documentary from our popular series

Old Rhineland Crafts: The Mousetrap Makers.

And we're off air.

This stupid speculation.

This isn't journalism.

From you of all people, I'd have expected more.

By the way, I could care less whether they're real or not.

It's good that something like this is being published.

People are finally getting a different picture of Adolf Hitler.

Heidemann, pull yourself together.

I hope you realize that...

Damn it, I'm risking my whole career for these diaries that I never wanted.

I'm the one who's going to have to step down if this is...

So...

I'm going to ask you one last time.

Are these diaries really genuine...

or is there a fucking Nazi sitting somewhere,

writing this far-right filth?

It now looks like the trap has reached its final shape.

- The end piece... - You're leaving?

- Yes. - But didn't you hear?

The mousetrap maker documentary is on now.

Yeah, I'm really torn now.

Watching the documentary with you or picking up Schmuel at the airport.

Well, if I had a VCR, I'd record it for you.

If I had a VCR, I wouldn't use it to watch that documentary.

Elisabeth speaking.

- Who was it? - My father.

What does he want?

For me to go to his lecture tomorrow.

Will you go?

The diaries are fake.

- Did the Criminal Police call? - No.

- The interior minister was informed. - So?

If they hadn't found anything, they wouldn't have told the minister.

Do we know what they found?

My source said something about a whitener.

Blankophor. A paper whitener that's only been around sin the mid-'50s.

What a fucking mess!

Oh, good grief.

Gerd, calm down.

It's perfectly normal that they found whitener in the paper.

No, there was this Jewish concentration camp scientist,

who actually...

Well, he was...

He was the first to mix whitener in paper.

That was as early as 1942.

Well, or much, much earlier.

In a concentration camp? Much earlier?

No, that was... The concentration camp was later,

but he was the first one who supplied Hitler

with special paper, very early on, with special white paper.

And can you prove that?

There's this former SS printing works.

I can't remember exactly where it is. Near here, in south Germany.

They just kept going after the war.

They're still there. They should know...

They should know about that.

Good. Konny, I'll look into it.

Good. Hey, Gerd, listen.

Now, let's say if...

if this should all go wrong...

my identity is safe, isn't it?

I won't betray you, but if I don't find anything

about this concentration camp scientist,

the pressure here will be immense.

Well, Gerd,

then you'd better find something.

Yes.

Bye, Gerd.

Agnes.

Now we do have to start packing our bags.

Shit.

Gabi, we're leaving tomorrow.

Get ready.

- Morning. - Morning.

We'll continue where we left off in the last lecture.

Justification.

Today, we are dealing specifically with necessity as justification.

We are...

examining the culpability...

of Hans S.

The SS unit Hans S. was part of

murdered 86 civilians in France in 1944.

Known as the Ascq massacre.

So, war crimes, murder.

German Criminal Code section 211. How do we proceed?

We clarify the commission of offense

according to section 25 of the Criminal Code.

Did Hans S. aid the crime, did he abet the crime,

or was he a joint offender?

He carried out an order.

He got the men from the village out of their beds

and rounded them up at the railway station.

- And he shot them. - A joint offender.

Well, that's why he's punished the same as a sole offender.

Are there any mitigating factors?

Was he drunk, mentally ill, et cetera?

No. No, he wasn't.

Is there any justification?

Would he have been shot if he had not shot?

No, he wouldn’t have been.

I...

am this Hans S.

I shot at innocent men.

And I don't know if my bullets killed anyone or just those of my comrades.

In any case, we killed 86 people that night.

Awful.

You have to believe me that I didn't enjoy shooting them.

I could have said I was ill or shot to miss.

You should have tried to stop the others from doing it.

- That's right, yes. I should have. - Why didn't you?

I didn't have it in me then.

Is that supposed to be an excuse?

No excuse. No justification.

No statute of limitations.

But... I

was convicted of murder in absentia in France in 1949.

That's why I can't be tried again in Germany.

- This is a bad joke. - Murderer!

Fucking Nazi!

Murderer!

Fuck off.

- Nazi pig. - Let's get out of here now!

Nazi pig.

I didn't have it in me then...

but I did everything I could to make sure you had it in you.

Elisabeth, I'll take the train to France today.

And turn myself in to the French authorities in Lille tomorrow.

- Heidemann speaking. - It's Felix.

Now Der Spiegel's reporting that the police found whiteners.

No problem. I'm on my way to a former SS printing plant in south Germany.

Why's that, then?

I'm sure they can confirm that Hitler already used this modern paper

with whitener in it and all that.

- Was that the case? - Yes, it must have been.

It couldn't have been any other way.

Felix, quick. The Criminal Police are holding a press conference.

- Channel One or Two? - Two.

Felix, are you still there?

Bloom?

We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news.

According to the Federal Criminal Police Office,

the Hitler diaries published by Stern magazine are forged.

Optical brighteners were used in the paper,

which were only used in paper production after 1955.

The remaining materials also come from post-war production.

that is, after Adolf Hitler's death.

Turn it up, please.

The police describe it as a clumsy forgery.

Clumsy forgery.

They're crazy. Clumsy forgery...

I'd like to see them forge that many volumes so quickly.

My goodness, Konny, that doesn't matter anymore.

You'd better just step on it.

They'll be breathing down our necks soon.

Clumsy forgery.

Stern is still trying to prove the authenticity of the diaries.

But it can be assumed that the forged Hitler diaries

are the biggest scandal

the German media landscape has ever seen.

And now on with our program.

Thanks.

He really did it.

Someone from the gendarmerie in Lille called.

They wanted me to confirm my dad's details.

What your father did is..

Unforgivable.

Yes,

but the fact he turned himself in is extraordinary.

He'll never get out of prison.

You've lost your father.

It was the only way not to lose him.

We interrupt our program for a special news bulletin.

According to the Federal Criminal Police Office,

the diaries of Adolf Hitler published by Stern

are clearly forgeries.

We have...

Yes!

Yes!

Yes!

Gerd?

Heidemann. Heidemann!

Heidemann. Gerd!

Are you even listening to me?

Now, give us the names...

This is your last chance..

Gerd. Gerd, listen.

This is your last chance, Heidemann!

- Pull yourself together! - Heidemann!

- Gerd. - Wake up!

Gerd...

- Heidemann! - Give us the names!

What am I doing here? I shouldn't be here.

I should be in south Germany looking for that scientist.

Heidemann, shut up now. Okay?

This concentration camp scientist.

There were no Jews in concentration camps in the early '30s.

Besides, the whitener isn't the only problem.

The ink, the cord, the binding,

not to mention the errors in the content.

So either you're crazy,

or you've deceived us.

Gabi!

Hurry up, damn it.

Couldn't you have waited until after the border?

A few minutes won't make any difference.

You know that, do you?

If Gerd gives away my name, it could happen very fast.

He'll be in real trouble now, Gerd will be.

I don't want him to lose his job.

Don't go on.

I've got bigger problems than Gerd possibly losing his job.

The greedy pig.

He called me.

“I need the Hitler diaries, I need the Hitler diaries!”

And now we have to cross the border.

Gabi!

If it's true that the forgery was clumsy...

It wasn't.

Why didn't anyone at Stern notice before?

Honey, why don't women leave their unfaithful husbands, huh?

You think all men are criminal geniuses,

who don't make mistakes when they screw around, huh?

Nah.

We make mistakes. Lots of mistakes.

We smell of perfume, we have lipstick on our collars,

our mistress keeps calling...

But women don't want to know.

Women want to believe they have a faithful husband at home.

Yes.

Sometimes it's just damn easy to be a cheat.

- We can go. - Yes.

I won't reveal my source.

I don't give a shit about your journalistic ethics.

I want to know where you got those diaries.

- Can I have something to drink? - No.

Maybe we could stop for a minute. I'd like to take a shower.

- I'm exhausted. - No, forget it.

Where did you get those diaries?

Bloom?

Yes, I...

I never talked to him myself.

Gerd took care of everything.

Come on, now. Spit it out.

What's his name?

And remember, my name is Udo. My passport says Udo.

- Good evening. - Good evening.

- Here you are. - Thanks.

Leave us.

Please.

I just want to go home.

And you can, Heidemann.

Just give me the name and address of the supplier...

and you can go.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

- Thank you. - Bye.

- Bye. - Stop. Just a moment.

You're from Germany, aren't you?

- Yes. - Yes.

Do you have a copy of the latest issue of Stern?

No, no, unfortunately not.

But you should get one quickly, because it'll be priceless soon.

- Good. - Yes.

Thanks.

- Bye. - Yeah, go, Agnes.

Take it easy now, take it easy.

Take it easy, not too fast.

I think we're through. We did it.

Yeah, we did it.

Take it easy, take it easy now.

I think I'm starting to get it.

The dealer could harm you.

He's got something on you.

Gerd, you just have to choose the right side now.

Fischer.

Konrad Fischer.

Fischer is the man's name. Konrad Fischer.

Dr. Konrad Fischer.

Good morning, ladies.

Gabi, let me out, please. I have to pee very urgently.

Thanks.

After it became known yesterday that the Hitler diaries were forged,

we talked to a few people on the street.

- There's something about the diaries. - Turn it up.

...the Hitler diaries, I knew something was up.

I'd love to know who's behind this.

So clever to come up with an idea like that.

It's really pretty funny but quite embarrassing for Stern.

It's a shame the diaries are fake.

I'd have liked to know what the Führer was like in private.

They must have been pretty good fakes for them to have fallen for it.

Madness, total madness.

What a genius, that forger.

Anyone who fooled Stern like that has a lot of admirers.

So, if we hurry now, we'll be in Graz in a few hours.

My grandparents said we could sleep in the basement.

- Hey, I... - Well?

I think I'll go back.

What do you mean? To Germany?

Yes, I'll...

I'm going to turn myself in.

Are you crazy? They'll send you to jail.

I think it's best you two take the Golf

and go to Gabi's grandmother's until things calm down a bit.

You're such an egotistical asshole.

And look after the sports bag.

Is he crazy?

He'd rather be in the limelight in prison

than somewhere secluded in the sun.

Oh, my God, he's alive.

I was already assuming the worst.

I slept well.

I didn't make breakfast.

It'd have been embarrassing.

I'd make breakfast, and you wouldn't want to stay.

I'd love to stay for breakfast.

Then, of course, I made breakfast.

But maybe we can have breakfast later.

Then, of course, I didn't make breakfast.

Eli, phone for you. It's Stern.

Sit down, please.

Right.

Elisabeth.

I owe you an apology.

Obviously, we should have listened to you.

Your dismissal hasn't been processed yet,

and Stern now desperately needs someone to review this whole affair.

And to do it thoroughly.

- Me? - Yes. Get to the bottom of this.

Regardless of who's involved.

You have free rein.

- Come on, lass. Say yes, huh? - Yeah, sure. I'd love to.

All right.

Yeah, we really fucked up on this one.

I still can't believe we didn't do a full handwriting analysis,

or a proper analysis of the materials.

Do you remember what you said at my job interview?

Well, probably exactly the same as at all other job interviews.

That as journalists we not only have to check the truth of a story,

but also whether we should publish the story at all.

Well, but I mean...

in this case..

Yes, now I have to give myself credit.

It was Theo's idea to bring you back.

You're a pain in the ass, but you're just right for this job.

Well, now we just have to figure out which job you are right for.

Good morning.

Morning.

See? Only we can do that.

Dark rye bread.

Name me one country in the world that has good dark rye bread.

True. That's the problem with France.

After a few weeks, you get sick of baguettes.

- You really don't have to worry. - I'm not worried at all.

Good.

You know what?

I'll cook duck breast tonight.

Some Brussels sprouts, bread dumplings,

and you open one of your young reds.

I think I have a bottle of cognac lying around somewhere.

Listen, Gerd.

Your Dr. Fischer's real name is Konrad Kujau

and he's a petty criminal...

and a forger.

What's his name?

I'm Konrad Kujau.

I'm the one who forged the Hitler diaries.

- Oh, right, it's you. - Yes.

- It was on the radio. - Exactly.

- Right, so... - Can you prove it?

- What do you mean? - Well, you want to cross the border.

You claim that this passport is forged.

- But it doesn't look forged at all. - Thanks.

You say your name is actually Kujau, not really Fischer...

How can we let you leave the country?

Not leave the country. I don't want to leave.

You should arrest me.

For what?

Well, what do I know? For...

We're certainly not going to arrest anyone here.

It’s actually a much stronger story. Hitler diaries forged.

Stern is at rock bottom.

Credibility's gone. A lot of good people have left.

Yeah, and I'll probably be next.

Gerd, we've already caused one hell of an upheaval.

"We"?

Dreier wanted the story.

The publishing house screwed up on the expert's report.

Come on, Gerd. Screw the expert's report.

That's not the point.

The first time you read me the diaries, alarm bells rang.

Yes. Adolf doesn't want to give Eva a puppy?

Is that what our grandkids were going to have to learn at school?

Felix, we write newspaper articles, not textbooks.

As journalists, we had a duty to publish these diaries.

You really don't get it.

Oh, Felix?

And those alarm bells that supposedly went off right at the beginning?

They couldn't have been that loud, could they?

And then I told the reporter that the truck driver

transporting the pianos, which the diaries were inside,

that he broke into a slot machine at a service station,

and that's why he didn't go to Stuttgart, but went to Kassel

and spent all his money in a whorehouse.

And while he was mattress dancing, an unknown person

happened to steal the very piano which contained the diaries.

My gosh, I don't believe it.

I think my taxi's here.

Well, boys, it's been a real pleasure.

See you soon.

Bye.

- All the best, Mr... - Kujau, Konrad Kujau.

- I'll remember it now. - I'm sure you will.

So?

What is it?

I've been dismissed from Stern.

God, this is embarrassing.

Yes?

In the living room.

Gerd?

Gerd!

- Mr. Gerd Heidemann? - Yes, that's me.

You're under arrest.

Arrest?

- Why am I under arrest? - Oh, God.

Isabell.

Well, there you have it.

“I hereby appoint Correctional Officer Marquardt

“as new director of Fuhlsbüttel Prison with immediate effect.

“Yours sincerely, Adolf Hitler.”

- Here you are. - Amazing! My wife will freak out.

And if you need anything, Mr. Kujau--

Oh, no need to be so formal. I'm Konny.

Konny, let me know if you need anything else.

Well, as you're asking,

maybe a pen, ink, and some old GDR log books.

Gerd.

Isabell?

Couldn't she come or didn't she want to?

We have more important things to discuss.

Stern is accusing you of embezzlement.

It things go badly...

you'll be in jail for a while.

I delivered everything to Fischer.

- To Kujau. - Yes, but I didn't embezzle anything.

I don't care. I'm only interested in whether we can prove it.

I don't know if Kujau will tell the truth.

I'm sure he's angry because I revealed his identity.

But if he lies,

I recorded almost all our conversations.

- The ones about money, too? - Yes.

The sums are mentioned.

Everything I bring him and so on.

It's jumbled up, but the sums are mentioned.

If we can prove it with the tapes, then...

then there's nothing on me, is there?

Then they have to acquit me, don't they?

It's described as the biggest press scandal in post-war history.

- Friedel! - What did Stern know?

What did “sleuth” Gerd Heidemann know?

Where have the Stern millions gone?

How could Stern be fooled...

We will prove that Heidemann did not embezzle money

and we will also prove Heidemann acted on behalf of Stern.

- Thank you. - Thank you.

No, I'm sorry.

Your honor, ladies and gentlemen.

HAMBURG DISTRICT COURT

In the first part of the trial we will hear from Stern employees

to clarify whether Gerd Heidemann deliberately deceived Stern.

It was Gerd Heidemann who brought the idea

of the Hitler diaries to Stern.

It was also he who first made Stern believe that Hitler had written diaries.

We will prove with various witness statements

that Gerd Heidemann acted alone,

a journalistic rampage by a lone perpetrator, so to speak.

I would first like to call Mr. Michaelis to the witness stand.

I had expressly ordered Mr. Heidemann

to keep his hands off this Nazi material.

Yes, Mr. Michaelis wasn't that interested in the story,

but he didn't say the story couldn't be investigated.

I hardly remember anything.

I wasn't really in the loop either.

This is a written agenda from a working lunch on Heidemann's yacht.

Written by Felix Bloom.

One of the items on the agenda is the story of the Hitler diaries.

So I relied entirely on Gerd Heidemann's judgement.

He swore to me that there was nothing wrong with the diaries.

My job was to provide the diaries,

Stern's job was to check their authenticity.

Today, the day has finally arrived.

The forger is answering questions in court.

Can this notorious liar really be trusted?

Will Kujau tell the truth under oath?

Did Gerd Heidemann really embezzle money?

Everything now depends on Kujau's testimony.

Don't bust my balls, Konny.

Ha, why should I? Nothing but the truth, Gerd.

Quiet now.

Mr. Kujau.

You are a witness, but also a defendant in the case,

which means you do not have to incriminate yourself

and can consult with your lawyer at any time.

Have you understood that?

- Just about, yes. - The prosecution may proceed.

Thanks. Mr. Kujau, what was your first impression of Gerd Heidemann?

Nice, very obliging.

He gave me a Göring uniform the first time we met.

As a present, right? He'd never worn it.

What is your relationship with Gerd Heidemann like?

How close are you?

Well, we're about four meters apart now.

Sorry, no, sorry.

In all seriousness,

did Mr. Heidemann give you the idea

to forge the Hitler diaries in the first place?

No, I wouldn't say that.

I wouldn't say that at all, no.

Did he give you the idea to write Hitler the way you wrote him?

Oh, no, no.

That was a bit of artistic freedom.

I just tried to imagine what Hitler was like.

Good, thanks. That's enough.

Now we come to the financial side.

Stern provided no less than 9.3 million marks

for the acquisition of the Hitler diaries.

How much of this 9.3 million marks

did the defendant Heidemann hand over to you?

9.3 million?

Well, it'll be...

I don't know exactly, but two, two and a half million. Around that.

Two and a half million?

- Yes. - Wait.

If my calculations are correct,

that would mean Mr. Heidemann embezzled 6.8 million marks.

- That's a lie. - I've no reason to lie, Gerd.

Please remain calm. Sit down.

It's obvious Kujau'll say it's less. That way he has less to pay back.

As far as I know, he hasn't paid anything back.

Neither have you.

But I haven't embezzled anything!

Your honor, we anticipated Mr. Kujau's testimony

and offer evidence to refute it.

I'm listening.

My client has recorded almost all his conversations with Mr. Kujau.

These recordings prove Mr. Kujau is not telling the truth

and that my client did not embezzle money.

May I ask you and the prosecution counsel to come to my chambers?

We must discuss whether we can admit these tapes as evidence.

Court is adjourned.

- I'm glad you came, Isabell. - Well, it's my duty.

Gerd.

Gerd. The tapes will not be admitted as evidence.

- Why? - Unlawful recordings.

Gerd, personally, I would make a confession.

Excuse me?

What do you mean, make a confession? I didn't embezzle anything.

I didn't embezzle anything.

And unlike you, I still believe in justice and in this court.

That's out of the question.

Gerd, I'm proud of you for not caving in now.

That shows true greatness.

And this is the Gerd Heidemann I fell in love with.

But I hope you realize that if you really are convicted

and have to go to prison, I have to protect myself.

We'll stay in touch?

In the name of the people, the following sentence is passed.

The defendant Kujau is sentenced to a total term of imprisonment

of four years and six months

for fraud in combination with falsification of documents.

The defendant Heidemann is sentenced

to four years and eight months imprisonment for fraud.

I do not think that Gerd Heidemann and Konrad Kujau

are the only perpetrators.

I believe that our whole system should stand trial.

The story of the forged Hitler diaries...

is a story of seduction...

of mutual seduction.

Those susceptible to being seduced are those who have no backbone,

who lack knowledge, who lack self-esteem.

Everyone can be seduced, and only those who recognize this

can defend themselves against it.

Konny...

What's the matter?