British Intel Astrology Psy-op

[Guest guest]

Devilish plot of Hitler's horoscope

Peter Day and Maurice Chittenden

 

BRITISH intelligence hatched a plot during the second world war to

flood the world of astrology with fake horoscopes in an attempt to

influence Hitler.

They planted fake predictions of his imminent death in a bid to

destabilise his regime. Details of the plot are divulged in papers

released last week at the National Archives in Kew, southwest

London.

 

 

 

It was devised as a propaganda weapon by the Special Operations

Executive (SOE), set up by Winston Churchill to sabotage the Third

Reich.

 

Hitler was known to be interested in astrology. As early as 1923 he

had taken heed of a prediction that a man with his birth date would

sweep to power, although his beer hall putsch in Munich later that

year ended in imprisonment.

 

He subsequently retained the services of Karl Krafft, a Swiss

astrologer, who warned of dark powers at work in November 1939.

Hitler ignored the warning and attended an anniversary celebration

of the putsch in the beer hall, leaving just before a bomb exploded,

killing eight people.

 

British agents decided to exploit Hitler's interest in the stars by

inserting bogus horoscopes in newspapers around the world, knowing

that reports of his impending demise would get back to Berlin.

 

It was hoped that the weight of celestial opinion would undermine

Hitler's authority and cause him to doubt his own decision-making

ability.

 

A Colonial Office file kept secret for 63 years shows that Charles

Hambro, deputy director of SOE, introduced the plan.

 

"I am always asked to do curious things and this is probably one of

the most curious I have ever been asked to arrange but nonetheless

most important," he wrote in April 1941.

 

"The whole subject has been carefully discussed and is being done on

a worldwide basis according to a definite plan."

 

Major Leslie Sheridan, an SOE operative, duly arrived at the

Colonial Office bringing with him "accurate" data on which to

predict the dictator's downfall.

 

Hitler's birth time of 6.30pm on April 20, 1889, made him a Taurus

by a few hours. As his birthday approached in 1941, Neptune would be

in opposition to his birth sign.

 

Sheridan wrote: "Neptunian fate is always mysterious, usually

violent and full of conspiratorial danger from closest associates.

 

"Hitler maintains astrologer Krafft and fears death before

completion of his work. His decisions are reported to be influenced

by portents in the stars."

 

He added: "If we can organise an elaborate orchestra of Hitler's

fate which will echo round the world, the result will not only be

the breaking down of the belief that Hitler is superman, but also

music may be heard within Germany, where astrology is now a

recognised science, and even reach the ears of Hitler himself, with

unsettling effect on his judgment."

 

Agents were dispatched to spread the word in Turkey, Egypt,

Singapore and West Africa.

Sir Geoffrey Northcote, the British governor of Hong Kong, entered

into the spirit of the plot, briefing a Chinese contact who arranged

for the prediction to emerge from a planchette message — a type of

séance — at a Chinese temple in Macao.

 

 

 

This was passed to Reuters news agency, which filed a dispatch

reporting the prediction that Hitler would suffer a great reverse in

the second half of 1941 and die in 1942.

 

Unbeknown to the British, however, Hitler had lost some of his faith

in stargazers after Rudolf Hess, his deputy, had used astrological

charts to plan a flight to Britain that ended with him being

incarcerated for the rest of his life. Krafft later died of typhoid

on the eve of being sent to Buchenwald concentration camp.

 

Nicholas Campion, editor of the Astrological Association's

historical journal Culture and Cosmos, said: "British intelligence

made a convincing job of Hitler's horoscope. The stuff about his

closest associates conspiring against him is plausible and Neptune

is said to be the symbol of deception and illusion."

 

However, Shelley von Strunckel, the Sunday Times astrologer,

said: "It appears Hitler ignored his astrologer anyway. Krafft was

arrested after the beer hall bomb on suspicion of being involved.

Talk about shooting the messenger."

 

YOUR STARS . . . WITH MYSTIC WINSTON

 

September 1, 1939: The stars have nothing to offer you but blood,

sweat and tears. If you were thinking of spending a day in the

country — any country — cancel your trip. Your chart suggests this

is a rest day. Why not abandon military expansion and think about

decorating?

 

 

 

December 29, 1940: Venus indicates that love is in the air this

evening. So why ruin the romantic atmosphere by dropping bombs on

London. Just in case you were considering it. Not that we know, of

course.

 

 

October 23, 1942: Taureans are loving, warmhearted and reliable. For

those Taureans who are unstable fascist dictators with ambitions to

conquer Europe, it's time to think about a new job. Bad luck awaits

you in Egypt.

 

June 5, 1944: The sign of Mars sweeping through Europe is a warning

to any moustachioed statesman connected with the letter A. Your

enemies are massing in, let me see, the Dardanelles. Yes, send

absolutely everyone you've got down to the Dardenelles. Anybody left

on a French beach will be completely wasting their time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

April 20, 1945: Don't let problems build up. It's good to talk. A

stranger with the initials SOE would love to hear from you.

 

 

 

 

April 21, 1945: With Mars in the ascendant, you will have your

astrologer taken away and . . . oh dear . . . shot. Mind you, if he

didn't see it coming he's not much of an astrologer, is he?

 

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1399895_1,00.html