Part V of the SWC Operation Report PERSONALITIES ALTHANS, B. EWALD From contacts established by Ron Furey, it is obvious that Ewald Althans is not the neo-Nazi leader that the press has, over the years, made him out to be. Though intelligent and well- spoken, Althans' extravagant lifestyle and sexual preference have made him a pariah within the movement. When Furey asked the neo- Nazi leadership about the possibility of meeting with Althans, several simultaneously answered, "We don't want another Michael Kuhnen." (Kuhnen, a one-time major leader of Germany's neo-Nazis, died of AIDS while in prison.) Althans, however, is apparently not totally out of favor with the Carto organization (see separate entry). He has attended two of the most recent conventions of the Institute for Historical Review. While Althans has been played up in the past, it is obvious that he has fallen from grace. BURWITZ, GUDRUN Gudrun Burwitz is the daughter of one-time SS Chief, Heinrich Himmler. Roy Godenau (see separate entry) tried to secure an appointment for Ron Furey with Gudrun Burwitz for an interview for The Right Way. Though an icon of the neo-Nazi movement, Burwitz is reluctant to speak to anyone either about her father or her political views because her husband is vehemently opposed to any such discussions. Nevertheless, Gudrun Burwitz consented to speak with Ron for a few minutes over the phone, where she expressed her satisfaction with his involvement "in the movement." Gudrun Burwitz is a close friend of Florrie Rost van Tonningen (see separate entry). BUSSE, FRIEDHELM Friedhelm Busse is a veteran of Germany's radical right. In 1971 Busse founded the People's Socialist League Party of Labor. Busse has spent time in prison for inciting racial hatred. Today he is the leader of Freiheitliche Deutsche Arbeiterpartei (F.A.P.) which declares as its aim, the realization of national socialism. Reisz introduced Furey to Busse, who was also taken in by Furey's performance. Busse showed Furey his membership list of 980 names and addresses. This is very significant because the government has put Busse's membership at less than 200. Busse has particular power with German skinheads. He believes in the use of violence and has discussed various "actions" with Ron Furey. He is an admirer of Hitler, denier of the Holocaust, and an advocate of overthrowing the government. Busse has relationships to the icons of the movement (the offspring of the leadership of the Third Reich) and is a powerful speaker...filmed with Furey by CBS camera crew. Busse's weakness, however, is that is headstrong and totally unadaptable. He cannot change his image as a hardened Nazi, and it is this inflexibility which will probably prevent him from uniting and taking over Germany's radical right. Busse's F.A.P., however, continues to grow with Germany's economic woes, is prone to violence, and is a force to be reckoned with. CARTO, WILLIS Willis Carto is the most influential professional antisemite in the United States. He is the founder of Liberty Lobby, the Institute for Historical Review, the Noontide Press (which distributes a wide range of racist and antisemitic titles), and the Populist Party, whose 1988 Presidential candidate was David Duke. Carto's name came up in nearly every conversation held between Ron Furey, S.W.C. researcher, Richard Eaton, and the neo- Nazis. Literature produced by the Carto organization is widely read by German's radical right. In addition, several of those interviewed know Mr. Carto personally. (see entries for Godenau and Rost von Tonningen) CHRISTOPHERSEN, THIES Thies Christophersen maintains a relationship with the Carto organization (see separate entry) which distributes his materials. A notorious antisemite, Christophersen avoided a jail term for antisemitic activities in Germany by making his way to Denmark, where he now lives. Christophersen was not interviewed on this trip, but his name was brought up by Meinolf Schoenborn (see separate entry) who is also considering moving to Denmark where he and Christophersen can join forces in helping to lay the groundwork for the establishment of a 4th Reich in Germany. "DEEP THROAT" Heinz Reisz (see separate entry) gets advance warning of police raids on his operation from a sympathetic official within Hesse's state police. Reisz, himself, does not know who his benefactor is, but the raids of which he was warned did, in fact, take place. It is reasonable to assume that "Deep Throat" must be fairly high up within the department to have access to this kind of information. DEGRELLE, LEON Leon Degrelle achieved the rank of SS general while in the service of Adolf Hitler as leader of the "Walloon Legion" (Belgian SS). Condemned to death after the war by a court in his native Belgium, Degrelle escaped to Spain where he remains active as a Nazi apologist. Praising Hitler as "the greatest genius of all time," Degrelle lectures positively about the SS and is the author of equally positive articles and books about the SS which are published and distributed in the United States by the Institute for Historical Review (see separate entry for Willis Carto). Video tapes featuring Degrelle's Nazi apologetics were viewed by Ron Furey in the video production facilities of D. Warmt, brother-in-law of Heinz Reisz (see separate entries for both). Although no meeting took place between Mr. Degrelle and Simon Wiesenthal Center researchers, the name of his "go-between" was learned - Erich Norling. GELLER, OTTO A native of Germany now living in Ventura, California. Otto Geller was named by Juchem as an American connection. GODENAU, ROY (REAL NAME: ARMSTRONG) Roy Godenau is a former G.I. who was stationed in Germany in the 70's. He is married to a German woman, a fact which he feels has prevented the government from deporting him. Godenau has been unemployed for the better part of the last 10 years. He is a walking encyclopedia of Nazism and believes in classical Jewish and freemason conspiracy theories. Godenau comes from Washington state where he attended school. Godenau has very negative feelings toward the United States and more than anything else, wants to be a German - something the radical right is not prepared to do. Godenau uses his American passport to travel the world selling antisemitic and anti-masonic literature written and published by one Juan Maler of Argentina. Godenau claims that Maler is Reinhold Kopps (see separate entry). Godenau played a role in the attempted overthrow of Surinam. During "Desert Storm," he was put under house arrest by the German government for allegedly supplying Iraq with information on NATO tank movements on the Turkish border. Godenau has extensive contacts with both the Iraqi and Libyan governments and actually tried to enlist Ron Furey to join up. He claims to have attempted to sell atomic secrets to various governments and says if it will hurt U.S. interests, he will forgo payment. Godenau claims to communicate with Willis Carto (see separate entry) and Mark Weber (see separate entry) who is in Carto's employ. In fact, Weber called The Right Way, (actually a cold phone line at the Center) to authenticate Ron Furey's credentials. Since there is no The Right Way and the cold line number was given out only to neo-Nazis in Germany, we are convinced that Godenau was telling the truth about his connections to the Carto organization. Godenau also knows David Duke, Tom Metzger, and Ernst Zuendel. Although Godenau's ideas may be considered to be those of a crackpot, he speaks calmly with authority, eloquence, and sincerity. Most important, he is Wolfgang Juchem's right-hand man and exerts very strong influence on him. End of Part V