Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Was Adolph Hitler in Los Angeles in 1932?

This is an image grab from the official 1932 Los Angeles Olympic movie reel archived at the LA84 Foundation Sports Library. On three separate occasions the cameraman leaves the athletic field and lingers on these two men in the crowd. The camera stays on these men and ignores the action on the field.

The man in the Scottish cap does not appear to be an ordinary spectator as he turns and stares straight at the camera. He bears a striking resemblance to Adolph Hitler. The man standing to his right looks remarkably like Rudolph Hess, Hitler's closest advisor.

The idea is not as strange as it appears at first. Hitler would host host the Berlin Games in 1936, along with three winter Olympics. He was clearly obsessed with the subject and it wouldn't be that surprising for him to show up at the X Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

In 1932 Hitler would be 43 and Hess 38 years old. Hitler was not well-known at this point, but the following year, he would become Chancellor of Germany. If this is Hitler, what could it mean? Whom did he meet with? Why hasn't it been reported before? What facts can you add on this topic?

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