Nazi code rocks Netherlands

Dutch journalist offers € 25.000 reward

Barely six months after German violist Stefan Krah famously cracked a Nazi code that had eluded even the best cryptographers, a new challenge now holds the Netherlands in its grip. This time it is a coded document allegedly drafted by Hitler’s secretary Martin Bormann.

While in April 1945 the Russians fought their way ferociously through Berlin, the Nazi’s hastily transported a stash of gold and Hitler’s personal diamonds to a secret location. The cargo was meant to finance the operations of the guerrilla movement Werwolf. During the final hours of the battle Hitler’s secretary, Martin Bormann, handed a coded document to an army chaplain and ordered him to take it to party-treasurer Schwarz in Munich. The document apparently revealed the location of the gold and diamonds. However, Schwarz had already been arrested by the allied forces and Bormann did not survive the Russian assault.

Authentic document
Over sixty years later the document coincidentally landed in the hands of Dutch investigative journalist Karl Hammer. It had been laying around unnoticed among the legacy of the chaplain. Hammer is convinced that it is authentic. “I fully understand that some people have doubts, but my research shows that the paper, the typography and the imprint of the letters are simply credible. Also the runic symbols that are used correspond with the style which Bormann would have used.” To Hammer the only question that remained was how to decipher the code and if the stash could still be traced.

Nazi treasures
According to Hammer the present-day value of the gold and diamonds is anyone’s guess. He is convinced, however, that it must be huge. “Hitler had in his possession the most beautiful and finest diamonds. According my information these were known to his intimates as ‘the tears of the wolf’ and by themselves would be worth a fortune.” That the stash could still be laying around somewhere is very probable, according to historian Gerard Aalders of the Netherlands Institute for War Documentation, who was approached by Hammer for his expert opinion. Together they concluded that even in modern times there are still Nazi treasures found, like the large stockpile of art works that was concealed by the Nazi’s and tracked down in Switzerland in 2006.

Reward
During a full year Hammer dug into the coded document and although he managed to decipher most of it, he failed to trace the hiding place of the gold and diamonds. Searching throughout Germany he became convinced that he was overlooking something. Due to contractual obligations for a new book project which starts next February, Hammer has run out of time to continue his search. He now offers a € 25.000 reward to anyone who can solve the last part of the puzzle. To help researchers on their way Hammer has found Dutch publishing house Elmar willing to publish his dossier in a book. Hammer: “Just like Stefan Krah and his network of amateur researchers managed to crack the earlier Enigma code, I now hope that the same can be done with this one.”

Publicity
Hammer’s challenge has caused wide media interest in the Netherlands, both with broadcasters, print media and internet newsgroups. Private broadcaster RTL brought the item exclusively in their evening news show, while the next day newspaper DAG spent almost an entire page on the story. The challenge since then has gotten the Dutch in its grip and Hammer’s book, titled “De tranen van de wolf” (the tears of the wolf), is quickly on its way of becoming the bestseller of 2008, according to Marco Wieser, manager of the Read Shop a chain of bookstores. “We expect sales to rocket and are stocking our 150 stores nationwide to accommodate consumer demand.” In the RTL news show historian Barnouw criticized the book as “fantasy” but was rebuked already the next day since he had not read Hammer’s dossier before commenting on it.

Conditions
There are several conditions to the payment of the reward.

Payment is only due when the gold and diamonds are actually and tangibly presented. Karl Hammer is at no time and in no way obliged to act or travel to visually inspect the gold or the diamonds.

The genuineness of the gold and diamonds must by determined by an independent expert.

Karl Hammer in no way wants to become involved in (international) criminal or morally reprehensible acts of conduct. Acquiring the gold and the diamonds must be in accordance with the aforementioned.

The explanation of the entire code as used in the specific letter in the dossier must be rational and intelligible, so that this explanation substantiates what the factual hiding place of the gold and the diamonds has been and where therefore the gold and the diamonds were now found.

Karl Hammer lays no claim on any gold or diamonds retrieved.

The discoverer(s) of the gold and diamonds, however, agree to reveal their full and detailed account of how they deciphered the code and obtained the gold and diamonds to Karl Hammer, and that on the bases of this account Karl Hammer has the exclusive publication rights.

http://www.nazicode.com/pressrelease.html

http://www.rtl.nl/(vm=/actueel/4inhetland/home/)/system/video/html/components/actueel/4inhetland/miMedia/2008/week02/ma_nazicode.avi_plain.xml

http://www.dag.nl/Nieuws/Artikelpagina-Nieuws/Zoeker-Nazi-goud-looft-25.000-euro-uit.htm