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12 - Wednesday, May 1, 1985 - North Shore News

Vicious journalism

From Page 8

Gunter von Reibnitz —
wasn't much of a Nazi or SS
man at all.

I quote from Jonathan
Manthrope, a Southam cor-
respondent whose report was
buried on the inside pages:

“The truth is that the
baron joined the Nazi party
in. 1930 as did thousands of
other Germans of his class
who feared communism.

“In 1934 he was made a
Second lieutenant in the
‘general civilian branch of the
SS. This was an honorary
tank given to prominent
diplomats, civil servants,
lawyers and so on.

“The baron’s wartime ac-
tivities were rather meagre.
‘He was with a regular army

tank regiment in Poland at

the beginning of the war...’’
(And subsequently took a
civilian job).

Austrian: aristocrat ~

Princess Michael’s mother
— who had taken part in an-
ti-Nazi demonstrations and
was imprisoned soon after
their wedding.

“He fell afoul of the
authorities even further
when his Catholic faith
began to outweigh his devo-
tion to the Nazis, and in
1944 he was sent to the Rus-
sian front... The baron
escaped to Vienna with his
family at the end of the war.

“Ie was,’ says Man-
thorpe, ‘‘a story of survival
in an impossible age that was
repeated many thousands of
iimes.””

The Daily Mirror and its
fellow cess-pool rags could
just as easily have produced
headlines that read:

“Princess Michael Daugh-
ter of Heroic Mother."* But
that wouldn't have had the
desired effect.

‘Meanwhile, the poor
‘woman goes on TY toa rescue

, what she can from the
in 194] he married an

wreckage. Her father was
cleared of any wrong -doing,

she says, and she is waiting
for a court document from
West Germany that will
show his SS rank was an
honorary one and that he
never even wore the SS
uniform.

Nevertheless, she says, the
whole affair has been a
“deep shame” for her.

The shame belongs to the
press,

More McCarthy-like muck
is dragged up regarding
other royals, and the Morn-
ing Wimp here in Vancouver
runs a full-page headline
that reads ‘Royal Scandal
Leads to Nazis’’. In this we
read that ‘‘according to the
British press,'’ Prince
Philip’s German _brother-in-
law had a questionable ca-
reer, and that an uncle
wasn't too good, cither.
And, of course, the lead-in
to the story repeats that
Princess’ Michael’s father
“was a member of Hitler's
elite SS". .

Say .a littl prayer for
journalism, 1985-style.

- Boat stolen, burned

A $45,000 sailboat was
stolen from Eagle Harbor
Yacht Club early. Satu: day

"morning and set ablaze in
; the harbor about one mile.
north of Passage Island. _..

'. A:Seaspan tugboat found -
£ the sailboat ablaze and

- fought. to put the fire out

_ until’the Coast Guard arriv-

‘-ed “and took over. the _
firefi ghting, West Vancouver. «
» Police reported.

No* one was found on”
"board, and a search of the

‘Green’ Valley’.

Buy 2:
~ OPEN SUNDAYS 10 am to 5 pm

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922-4171

survounding .waters did not
locate anyone.
The police investigation is

'

| “North Shore News

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continuing into theft and
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