Man Who Invented Hitler [Paperback]

'A fascinating new book' -- A.N.Wilson, Evening Standard

'A stimulating addition to the debate about Hitler's mental state' -- John Crossland, Sunday Times

I first came across the name of Dr Edmund Robert Forster in a recently declassified US Naval Intelligence (OSS) document in the early 1970's.
It revealed how, in 1918, he had treated lance-corporal Adolf Hitler of the List Regiment for hysterical blindness.
For despite what Hitler claimed in Mein Kampf and his subsequent biographers have asserted, his loss of sight in October of that year was psychological and not physical in origins.
Forster was one of Germany's leading neuropsychiatrists and the Lazarett to which Hitler was sent specialised in treatment of hysterical disorders.
During the 1970's it was impossible, for political reasons, for me to travel in the DDR to investigate the surviving records at either Pasewalk, where the lazarett was situated, or at Greisfwald the University where Forster headed the Nerve Clinic. Only with the end of the Cold War did it become possible for me to visit these locations. Since then my researchers and I have devoted some five years to tracking down the documents relating to Forster's strange and tragic story. In doing so we have uncovered clear evidence that, entirely unintentionally, Forster was responsible for creating the monster who became German dictator in 1933. But for the chance encounter between these two men - the pre-war dropout and the eminent Munich born doctor - the entire course of world history would almost certainly have been very different.
In July 1933 Forster, appalled by the unintended consequences of his actions attempted to discredit Hitler by revealing his medical notes to a group of emigre German writers in Paris. The attempt failedand a few weeks later Forster paid with his life. By an astonishing stroke of fortune, however, a record of Forster's encounter with Hitler and the therapy he administered survived Nazi attempts to destroy all evidence relating to Forster and Hitler time at Pasewalk.
For historians, students and anyone else interested in the extraordinary and tragic life and death of Professor Edmund Forster I have set up a web-site dedicated to his memory. On this you will find details of our research findings for which space could not be found in my book.David Lewis --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.