The Hidden Nazi: The Untold Story of America's Deal with the Devil

by Dean Reuter, Colm Lowery, Keith Chester

He’s the worst Nazi war criminal you’ve never heard of

Sidekick to SS Chief Heinrich Himmler and supervisor of Nazi rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, General Hans Kammler was responsible for the construction of Hitler’s slave labor sites and concentration camps. He personally altered the design of Auschwitz to increase crowding, ensuring that epidemic diseases would complement the work of the gas chambers.

Why has the world forgotten this monster? Kammler was declared dead after the war. But the aide who testified to Kammler’s supposed “suicide” never produced the general’s dog tags or any other proof of death.

Dean Reuter, Colm Lowery, and Keith Chester have spent decades on the trail of the elusive Kammler, uncovering documents unseen since the 1940s and visiting the purported site of Kammler’s death, now in the Czech Republic.

Their astonishing US government documents prove that Hans Kammler was in American custody for months after the war—well after his officially declared suicide.

And what happened to him after that? Kammler was kept out of public view, never indicted or tried, but to what end? Did he cooperate with Nuremberg prosecutors investigating Nazi war crimes? Was he protected so the United States could benefit from his intimate knowledge of the Nazi rocket program and Germany’s secret weapons?

The Hidden Nazi is true history more harrowing—and shocking—than the most thrilling fiction.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Holocaust, War, World War II, Historical, American History

396 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2019

Reviews

[Julie Tait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why should this information still be kept under wraps? I can’t see any reason why after many years beyond the end of the war. Very good read and a lot of detail to prove their points. Makes one think about what else is still not readily available.

[Dave Koshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been a reader and researcher of modern history for forty years and my main interest is in World War Two. The Hidden Nazi by Dean Reuter tells the incredible true story of a deal the US government made with SS General Hans Kammler at the end of WW2 - granting him immunity from prosecution as a war criminal in exchange for rocket technology and scientists. These same scientists were brought to the U.S. where they headed up NASA's successful moon shot programme. The story of SS General Hans Kammler - the subject of the book - is itself truly fascinating yet very few people will be familiar with his name. Kammler was instrumental in creating the horrific killing machine that was the holocaust, and continued to rise in the Nazi SS hierarchy to a point just below Heinrich Himmler himself. There, he was also in charge of the German rocket and missile programs. He was also in command of the jet fighter programs - all of which made him particularly valuable to the U.S. and others. There may be no one more responsible for implementing Hitler's wishes. Yet, because of what he knew about the German war machine, the US helped Kammler to escape trial and punishment as a war criminal. That, however, is only one of the gripping elements of this book Another is how the author and his researcher colleagues gradually found and exposed the facts about Kammler, Wernher von Braun, and many others who also escaped punishment as war criminals. The reader is brought along on this voyage of discovery. The book starts with the mere possibility that Kammler did not commit suicide, as many had thought and might have lived out his life in South America or even the US. As the investigation proceeds, this possibility becomes more and more real as new documents come to light. From documents released to the authors under the Freedom of Information Act we learn that the Nazis were closer to developing a nuclear bomb under Kammler's command, and had on the drawing boards a V-2 -like rocket that could conceivably have reached the US. The book even raises the possibility - through the presentation of new archive documents - that these Nazi survivors, including the widely admired rocket expert von Braun, might initially have been planning a Fourth Reich. In other words, the book adds significantly to our knowledge about the Nazis and the Second World War -- something we thought had already been fully researched. It was a much more close run thing than we thought. The Hidden Nazi by Dean Reuter sits firmly within the five star ratings on Amazon and it has received a glowing reviews from people such as Pulitzer prize finalist historian and author Arthur Herman and investigation reporter and author Linda Hunt - award winning author of Secret Agenda: The U.S. Government, Nazi Scientists and Project Paperclip, 1945 to 1991.

[Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I cannot begin to tell you how awful this book was. Let me try anyways.

I listen to audiobooks generally when I drive and this was no exception, I link up my phone via Bluetooth and use audible and drive against traffic each way, thankfully. Oh, do you not care? Yeah, same, with all the inane little anecdotes sprinkled throughout about how he leaves his truck to cool down in the driveway before pulling into the garage, or that his wife was making gluten free something or other, or going for a run, blah blah blah. Cut that out, and we get rid of probably 5% of the book.

Secondly, this was not a book about… Kammler, was it? Because honestly, I have no idea what this book was actually about. It seemed to be mostly about how this document or that document definitely proved that Kammler had had some deal with the US after WW2 except absolutely none of them did. In fact, the majority of these so called smoking gun documents were about von Braun, who most people already knew was brought over to America during Operation Paperclip. Cut out all these documents, and the annoying conversations revolving around them, and you get rid of at least 70% of the book.

You’re left with 25% of this book. Marie, you say, surely that’s about Kammler’s deal with America!! No. No, it’s about Kammler’s stint in the SS, deliberately building the concentration camps to be more miserable and working on the V-2 rockets. Take this away and you have 8% of the book left for the author to speculate wildly on what happened to Kammler after the war. Did he fade away in America? Did he live out his life in Europe? Or did he escape to Argentina? (Here, he spends a great deal of time talking about the Butcher of Lyon, so let’s make it more like 5-6% of the book).

Literally none of this book is about America actually making a deal with this guy. There’s no proof anywhere. This is just three guys conjecturing wildly and going off on tangents and they most definitely are the epitome of that red string guy from Always Sunny.

[Martin Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been reading World War Two books for some 35 plus years. I teach World War Two history for a living and this is without doubt one of the best books I have read in a very long time. Most World War Two history books these days are, unfortunately, just a rehash of previous publications and this is where this book - The Hidden Nazi - is so so different. The original research and archive documents presented by the authors throughout this book are truly jaw dropping. The book provides the first full account of Hitler's secret weapons chief - SS General Hans Kammler - the evil genius of the German rocket programme who vanished without a trace on the last day of the war. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Kammler was a war criminal of the highest order - he was the architect of Auschwitz and all other death camps. This was the man who made the Holocaust possible. Kammler was also wanted by war crimes investigators from many nations to stand trial at Nuremberg. The author's spent some twenty plus years on the hunt for Kammler and they tell the story of their investigation in a briskly moving and engaging way that makes real history accessible to many who might not normally read a history book.

And their findings? (no spoilers!) .... documents - hard evidence - released to the authors under the the Freedom of Information Act - that tell the true story of what really happened to Kammler on the last day of the war. Folks, this is a book that everyone should read as it makes a MAJOR contribution to our knowledge and understanding of World War Two and the Holocaust, and sheds light on the true extent of a previously known German atomic bomb programme under Kammler's charge. Importantly this book also lays out the terms on which World War Two really ended. I look forward to more from these historians. Highly recommended! I'll be reading this one again .... 5 STARS

[Malaise · Rating 2 out of 5]

i was so excited to read this book

heard dean reuter being interviewed about it and sounded just my speed
not only as someone who lost family during the holocaust but as a person interested in history

the case the book presents is completely circumstantial
the so called proof can be proof of about anything
for example
maybe kammler got shot in the head shortly after his surrender

the author spends an inordinate amount of time on personal details that do not bring anything to the book
such as
how much time was spent inside a car while it rained
how his jogging routine was and what he was thinking and feeling for the duration

i could write a book about what went wrong with this book but have to go and read 11 more books to complete my 2020 challenge

[Charity · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt this book could have been so much better if the authors actually told the story through historical narrative. Instead the book swings back and forth between the authors’ modern day musings at writing the book, which quite frankly, I found rather boring and entirely too large a portion of the book itself. In all honesty the book read more like an under budgeted episode of “Nazi Treasure Hunters.” The prior criticisms of speculation don’t necessarily bother me, but if you are looking for NEW groundbreaking evidence for Nazi/American collusion, the book will disappoint, and that collusion is already well established anyway. I regret having bought the book. Maybe pick up at the bargain bin or library if you want to give it a go.

[David W Stevens · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very Dry Read

While this book is seemingly well researched, it only disproves a few relatively minor points and spends way to much time speculating. As far as this reader is concerned, the “Untold Story” remains mainly conjecture.

[Christopher Sweet · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dean Reuter is the lead author. He has apparently compiled research vouched for by biologist Colm Lowery and collected by an expert on UFOs during WWII, Keith Chester. That's right, flying saucers. And I've no idea how an expert on biological warfare gets involved.

Reuter is "General Counsel, Vice President & Director of the Practice Groups of the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy..." Reuter tries to lend an air of legitimacy to the amateur sleuthing and spooky feelings of the other two. But the fact is, their case is circumstantial at best.

The book reads like a teenager's I-Search paper - a kind of pseudo-research paper designed to appeal to unmotivated high school children, which requires the student author to focus on how she did the research, rather than on any conclusions she might derive from the research. It makes the child reveal her own process, rather than evaluate the material she gathers. It's skills are fairly low on Bloom's Taxonomy of educational objectives.

Mr. Reuter is more interested in telling us where he was when he received, say, a midnight call from one of his sources, than in addressing their claims. Often he gives credence to their claims only grudgingly, after creating the spooky atmosphere that almost always accompanies contact with them. "It was a dark and stormy night when I received a shocking phone call..." could be the first line of many chapters.

In short, it's more about Mr. Reuter's life being interrupted by fervid and suggestive but ultimately conjectural messages from persons on his contacts list, than it is about the facts of the case. He's an attorney, not a historian. The case is presented with false dramatization, and is rather jumbled and out of sequence in a lot of its parts. And yet, he's a believer in these midnight rambles.

It appears that he has done little of the research himself; he's too busy at the Federalist Society. He is like a prospector panning for gold with a sieve - swirl, swirl, swirl. What he finds in his pan is, I think, fool's gold. And yet, it doth glitter.

He fails to make a coherent case, but casts doubts like dragons' teeth. That's all he can do given that the subject, Hans Kammler, really has disappeared without a trace. Most of the documents are communications from one military organization asking another, "Where's Kammler? Have you got him?" These questions reveal an absence of evidence. And yet...

Remember: An absence of concrete evidence is not, and cannot be, proof of a conspiracy.

That said, if you're armored against the conspiracy theory aspect of the book, and if you can sort through the rubbish as you read, it does make an interesting "game." Like playing "Clue," but with so many pieces missing that you can't finish the game. Kammler's disappearance is suggestive; so is the way in which the rocket scientists fell into our hands. Reuter does reference other works on that subject, legitimate histories which I now intend to read.

The book may tempt you, or not; but don't let it undermine your judgment. Caveat emptor: "Never eat at a place called Mom's; never play cards with a man called Doc; and never sleep with a woman whose problems are worse than your own." Don't go to bed with this theory.

[Robert Huddleston]

THE HIDDEN NAZI: Untold story?

I was all of two years late in discovering THE HIDDEN NAZI (2019).This was unfortunate as I have had a keen interest in the subject, the German V2 ballistic rocket, Dr. Wernher von Braun, and General Hans Kammler and the use [misuse] of save labor. In fact my attention surfaced as far back as May 1945, all of 15 years before author Dean Reuter was born-1960!

I served as a P-47 combat pilot in the closing months of World War II. When the war ended on May 8, 1945, my unit was located on the edge of what was to be the Soviet Zone of Occupation. With the defeat of Germany, the German military must be disarmed and Disarmament Units were established to do just that. But they were also to [unoficially] remove from the Soviet Zone, which American forces had conquered, advanced military assets such as the V2 rocket, the Me-262 twin-engine jet fighter and the Me-163 rocket aircraft, and much more.

The Allies were due to take over their assigned zones of occupation on June 1, 1945, later extended to July 1, but such a tight schedule that they sought volunteers from nearby bases. I was one of those volunteers and joined, PROJECT LUSTY (Luftwaffe Secret Technology).

I, a 20 year old 1st Lieutenant, was assigned a jeep, a driver,a sargeant armed with a machine gun and a youg Dutch student, who had been forced to work for the Germans, as a translator
My area I was assigned to “disarm” was centered in the city of Nordhause that included the Dora concentration camp and the underground factory producing V2 rockets. The rocket leaders and experts were gone having been loaded into General Kammler's private train and taken to southern Bavaia in late April. As for the V2 rockets,As for the V2 rockets, US Army Ornance had cleared out the underground tunnes before I arrived.
My service with PROJECT LUSTY lasted no more than 21 days bays befor being ortdered back to my squadron as the unit was rlocating to Stutgart in the American Zone. My experience is descrobed in detail in THE GREAT SCAVENGER HUNT published in the Summer 2001 issue of THE FRIENDS JOURNAL published by the Air Force Museum Foundation. And in 2011 I published a history play EXPLOITATION: Dawn of the Cold War. I pointed out in a playwright's note: Exploitation reveals a little-known aspect of the post-World WarTwo exploitation of German technologyand employment of German [rocket experts].

I believe author Dean Reuter will find both of interest as will readers of THE HIDDEN NAZI.

Robert Huddleston
Chapel Hill, NC

[K De · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dean Reuter, Colm Lowery, and Keith Chester's "The Hidden Nazi: The Untold Story of America's Deal with the Devil" is a lively account of their search for Nazi war criminal SS Obergruppenführer Hans Kammler. He oversaw the construction of all SS projects throughout the Third Reich and was instrumental in creating more efficient death camps. He was pivotal in building V-1, V-2, and secret projects involving atomic research not just propulsion but weapons.

The involvement of U.S. military and state departments in the race against the U.S.S.R. in the immediate aftermath of WW2 shows the willingness of the top levels of both departments to ignore war crimes committed by SS scientists and engineers for the Cold War.

Hans Kammler was able to, as many high ranking SS officers, to leverage his knowledge for his personnel benefit to avoid the Nuremberg trails as he, and many prominent scientists, like von Braun to lead the U.S. civilian and military space programs.

The author, Dean Reuter, shows the reader that millions of documents that could have shed light on how the military departments, O.S.S., and state worked to keep these criminals from justice were destroyed to cover all parties involved.

There are copious footnotes which shows the authors intense research into atomic weapons research which is still being uncovered in the 21st century. Nuclear weapons which would have been coupled with von Braun's ballistic missile program. Later in the book is a section detailing von Braun's contradictions, omissions, and evasions as to his knowledge of and used of slave labor for his V-weapons production facilities.

What conclusion is drawn about Obergruppenfuhrer Kammler is much circumstantial evidence that there are several possible scenarios. The most likely is that he was given a new identity and traveled to Ecuador which was the destination of thousands of Third Reich government and military personnel.

This is a very good introduction into the "hidden" actions by the U.S. government for strategic ends during the Cold War which bypassed moral and human rights atrocities by Hans Kammler. A damning indictment.

[Artem Vardanian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never heard about Hans Kammler before and I came across this book rather accidentally. I must admit that it's rather "based on a true story" than "documentary". Through all the pages it's repeated that there are only handful of documents showing that Kammler actually was interviewed (not worked for) US Government. Unlike Wernher von Braun, Hans Kammler is not known. But the book brings up some pretty interesting questions.
-Nuclear weapon development in Nazi Germany.
-Rocket technology breakthrough and development
-Competition between US and USSR to get best scientists from Germany
-Actual cooperation between government agencies in US and Nazi war criminals despite their internationally wanted status (like Klaus Barbier).
The book again ignites the question what could have happened if Nazi Germany succeeded with all the weapon in development? Starting from StG44 the ancestor of an "assault rifle" concept. Messerschmitt Me 262 - the world's first operational jet-powered fighter aircraft. Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant - huge transport aircraft. Messerschmitt Me 264 - long range strategic bomber. V2 rockets. And something totally unbelievable but actually on display in the main hall of the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) - Horten Ho 229 [just google it -you wouldn't believe your eyes].

Many documents of WWII are still kept secret and some of them purposedly destroyed. But neither US or no USSR never hesitated to steal secrets from allies or enemies. It's clear that nobody wanted to waste a unique chance to capitalize on German technology and government sanctioned hiring and even naturalization of bright minds pure and evil alike.

All in all the book was fun to read and can be recommended. I think it would be better to leave the author's description of taking and making phone calls, riding bus, jogging and other unrelated details out of the book but it's still ok.

[Damian Vargas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly compelling. Eye-opening.
This is a mightily impressive work by 2 researchers and the author that collaborated with them to produce it. The topic is familiar - Nazis who escaped justice with (very probably) help from the Allies, but the magnitude of Hans Kammler's crimes and the advances that the Germans almost certainly made in rocketry and nuclear weaponry is shocking. There are so many 'what ifs' to ask here - so many alternative histories that were but a hair's breadth away from becoming reality. We may never know how close the Germans were to unleashing nuclear armageddon on the western allies, but we have a very good idea how far the Americans, in particular, were prepared to go to obtain that knowledge for their own purposes and to keep it out of the hands of the Soviet Union. Justice became but a hindrance when such an advantage was to be gained, and the millions that died at the hands of people like Kammler were swiftly forgotten as a result. Remember that next time you see our nations paying lip service to the holocaust and associated tragedies.

[Ah-Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never been blown away by research skills until reading this book. The depths that this group went to was remarkable and demonstrated a commitment to portraying the truth. I have perhaps an unhealthy obsession with WW2 and this was one of the best reads on this area in history that I’ve come across.

In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I won’t be much further than this, I enjoyed the honest portrayal of America and the Allies. The self righteousness and positioning as holier than thou often portrayed by these countries is completely undermined with the truth ~ they were happy to provide safe harbor to the “worst of the worst” so long as it advanced their individual agendas. Going a step further, their actions were incredibly self serving and for America, directly contributed to them committing (from my perspective) far worse atrocities with the use of nuclear weapons against civilians.

If you’re even remotely interested in this time period, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat.

[Derek Kreider · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting story and theory. Who knows if their hypothesis is true, but I'm not sure it matters all that much if it isn't. I enjoyed how they threw out some other names and situations I didn't know about, like Barbie and Kammler (sp?). The Barbie incident clearly shows the U.S. aiding murderers for their own benefit, as does unit 731 in Japan. So did America make a deal with this particular devil as laid out in the book? Probably. They've made plenty of other deals, so what would one more deal do to their conscience that hasn't already been done?

[AttackGirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

What is to say when they call regular people the Devil. Do people really not understand soldiers do what they are supposed to do to support their country. That the US had relations with Germany before during and yes even now…

How many of you have had a DNA test? Found lost family, or maybe you watched Top Gun and were in awe of their flight gear.

How many people died in WWII, or Korean War, how about Vietnam, Cuba, how about something more recent like the twin towers, pentagon, okay okay how about the first school shooting?

WAKE UP!

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW !!!

that our GOVERNMENT ! Would do this !! BRING NAZIS deliberately into positions of POWER !!! HEADING GOVERNMENT AGENCIES ( think NASA )👹 folks & NOW WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT .... do we really wonder where WE are right now ? .... what did John Lennon ....there's Nazis in the bathroom ,just below the stairs ( nobody told me ) & STOP with the bullshit ...it was the best of the options shit 🤔. documented evidence

[Dannie Larkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

How big a threat to America was the soviet union? Big enough that they would protect nazi war crimnals?

This book starts out fast paced and extremely intriguing, then slows down in the middle. I found myself regularly putting it down in search of something else to read. But I am glad I stuck with it as it does pick up speed again.

I have a casual interest in ww2 history. But if you're a big history buff I think this will be one book you won't want to put down.

[Kimberly Norville · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. As a history lover, I'm glad i read this. However, the chapters describing the science behind the missiles, atomic energy, etc. were a little too detailed for my liking. That is the reason for only 3 stars. I found those chapters to be very slow, even though they were informative.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting and enlightening. We don't tend to think of our government making deals with war criminals who deserve harsh punishments but that's exactly what the author Dean Reuter set out to prove. The book provides lots of detailed information and for me it was almost too much. But that is just me and if you're a history buff then this is probably a good fit.

[Phillip Fitzsimmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is a worthy book. It is good history and an important story. The author gives a lot description of the steps of his research. He describes the weather on days he made discoveries. There is a lot of extraneous verbiage included. In fact, there is more about the author's daily life than history about Hans Kammler. It is a pleasant read.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know who said it first, but I've heard that a reporter tells a story, while a journalist makes the story about himself. Author Dean Reuter clearly wants to be a journalist.

As far as the history goes, there's not much there. Lots of conjecture, lots of established but tangential historical facts, some circumstantial evidence, and a lot of hand-waving. Don't waste your time.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am stunned and appalled at the fact that a notorious Nazi was apparently protected by the US. I knew of Operation Paper Clip, but this is much worse. Very well written story with excellent research. Highly recommended, especially for WW2 history buffs.

[adam moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting I had to stop reading this book a few times cause a lot of what happened during that time really bothered me.but I wanted to keep going cause after doing some digging I for out my grandfather and Uncle were in world war II.

[Doris Raines · Rating 2 out of 5]

MORE LIKE THE UNTOLD WORLD. 🌍

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well... I learned some things (especially about Von Braun) that, at times, infuriated me. Most of the “new” information for me was related to HSV’s well-known, Von Braun. Definitely a dry read.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book

Interesting reading, but the ending was rather abrupt. Not surprised by what you read, considering they were dealing with the Nazis and the third reich.

[Hjörvar Halldórsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good account on Kammler and his alleged escape... ...though not conclusive. I'll wait for the second edition or volume II

[Bill Foppe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope more comes out about how he was hidden and protected. I’d like to know what really happened to him after the war.

[Jan Jaap]

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from : https://youtu.be/ZkkxdwZqA38 39:47
https://www.regnery.com/9781684511945...




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[Kaydie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty decent for the type of book it is.