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In reply to the discussion: The Dalai Lama, a sordid history of Nazi Mentors and forgiving Fascists [View all]HiPointDem
(20,729 posts)is when the nazis took over austria.
Harrer joined the party the day after it began.
yeah, it was all about being on german climbing teams.
not.
here's what he himself says:
As a result of the interest the project excited during the production stage, an investigation undertaken by an Austrian radio presenter, Gerald Lehner, in the German Federal Archives in Berlin and then published in Stern magazine, revealed Harrer to have had a Nazi past. It emerged that less than a month after the Anschluss in 1938, he had joined the SS.
He did not attempt to deny this. When asked for an explanation, he said: "Well, I was young. I was, I admit it, extremely ambitious and I was asked if I would become the teacher of the SS at skiing. I have to say I jumped at the chance. I also have to say that if the Communist party had invited me I would have joined. And if the very Devil had invited me I would have gone with the Devil."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1507308/Heinrich-Harrer.html
he also worked for the cia post-war:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=de&u=http://www.salzburg.com/nachrichten/welt/politik/sn/artikel/heinrich-harrer-war-offenbar-auch-fuer-cia-taetig-18584/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dheinrich%2Bharrer%2Bwikileaks%26hl%3Den%26biw%3D994%26bih%3D574&sa=X&ei=U8NMUbC6Ko_yiQLpu4CoDw&ved=0CGgQ7gEwCQ