Hitler's Son

"I am a racist. I believe in racial purity ... I do not want my race to be polluted. The Jews? It is their own fault. They never did want to be true citizens of one country ... It is a legend that 6,000,000 of them were killed ..."

Was it Adolf Hitler speaking from his grave? No, but close enough. Those words were spoken in an interview for Dutch television--and they came from Belgium's leading Nazi collaborator in World War II. Of Leon Degrelle, the speaker, who had been a Belgian right-wing politician in the 1930s, Hitler once reportedly said: "If I had a son, I would want him to be like Degrelle."

Other major collaborators--Norway's Vidkun Quisling, France's Pierre Laval--were executed long ago by their countrymen, but Degrelle managed to escape to Spain. Though a Belgian court later sentenced him to death for high treason, the Franco regime has continued to insist that no one by the name of Leon Degrelle lives in Spain.

A Dutch television team, however, had no trouble locating him. He lives in a luxurious apartment in Madrid under an assumed name. He has made a fortune in real estate and owns five villas. He was eager to give the interview because he is obsessed with justifying his views to the Belgian people. Knowing that Belgian TV would not send a reporter to talk with a convicted traitor, Degrelle chose a Dutch network, which has a wide audience in Belgium.

As the interview was aired last week, listeners had the eerie impression that they were hearing some ugly echo of the past. Degrelle, now 65, proved himself to be still a dedicated fascist. He praised Hitler as the greatest statesman of his age. "No feelings of regret at all?" asked the interviewer after he had quizzed Degrelle about his wartime experiences. Replied Degrelle: "I am only sorry that I didn't succeed, but if I had the chance I would do it all again but much more forcefully."

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