Willem Oltmans
Encyclopedia
Willem Leonard Oltmans was a Dutch
investigative journalist and author who did not hesitate to pro-actively intervene in international politics.
Due to the highly critical and opposite stance he often took towards Dutch global politics, as of 1956 the Dutch government conspired to keep him out of work. During a lingering lawsuit (1991–2000), involving the Royal family, parties agreed to a binding arbitration in which the state had to pay him 8 million guilders in damages in 2000 (approx. 4 million in 2000 US dollars, 3.6 million euro's, over 5.6 million dollar these days). As an erudite orator Oltmans straightforward and uncompromising behaviour made him a striking media personality and unique phenomenon in Dutch society.
. He studied at the prestigious Nyenrode Business University (1946) and Yale University
(1948), without graduading. Originally intend on a career with the diplomatic corps of the foreign service, he ended up working in press offices in the Netherlands (1953–1955). He married in 1955 and worked as a free lance reporter in Rome in 1956. There he befriended Indonesian president Sukarno
, which started his remarkable career as a controversial journalist.
Convinced that a well connected and informed individual could play a decisive role in the international political arena, he assumed a pro-active part in global political developments, becoming both a news reporter and news maker.
n president Sukarno
in 1956. Once he became a confidant of Sukarno and part of his inner circle he took it upon himself to convince the broader public in the Netherlands of the legitimacy of Sukarno's viewpoints. In 1957 he pleaded for the transfer of Dutch New Guinea to Indonesia while in Indonesia. He claimed to have prevented a Dutch war against Indonesia over New Guinea by sending a memo to US president Kennedy. Since then Joseph Luns
, minister of foreign affairs covertly tried everything to sabotage Oltmans' career, with much success: for a long time, Oltmans was forced to live off welfare. Luns who now had become Oltmans' nemesis called him a 'one engine mosquito'. In 1995 Oltmans published his book 'My friend Sukarno'.
He fought a long law suit (1991–2000) against the Dutch state, which he eventually won. In 2000 a commission awarded him eight million guilders (four million dollars) in damages, after taxes. Having paid two million guilders in lawyer's fees, Oltmans bought a penthouse on a canal in Amsterdam and a Steinway piano.
and established ties to president Kennedy's closest circle of advisors. After US president John Kennedy
was assassinated in Dallas in 1963, Oltmans interviewed the mother of accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald
: Marguerite Oswald. Further investigation led him to Oswald's babysitter baron de Mohrenschildt. According to Oltmans, baron George de Mohrenschildt
, who had ties to the CIA, was the architect behind the killing. In 1977 de Mohrenschildt agreed to disclose information to Oltmans, but disappeared from their meeting place and was found dead in Florida
a few weeks later.
Intent on irony, Oltmans played the role of de Mohrenschildt in Oliver Stone
's 1991 film about the assassination, JFK
. b
. Looking for a more poised perspective on the one sided bad image of the evil empire
's communist power he often traveled to Russia
. Together with the Kremlin's foreign expert Georgi Arbatov he wrote the book 'The Soviet position' elaborating on Moscow
's perspective on the East-West issues in 1981. The book received much attention and was published in several languages.
to interview military dictator Bouterse. He published a book that was banned in Suriname and misunderstood in the Netherlands.
.
Both his brothers had settled in South Africa in 1948. He had visited the country regularly and in 1990 decided to settle there permanently. In South Africa he continued his tendency of actively intervening in local politics. His investgative reporting was not appreciated by the shaky South African regime of the time and in August 1992 he was deported on charges of espionage
. Oltmans always insited the Dutch Security Service was involved in his deportation.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
investigative journalist and author who did not hesitate to pro-actively intervene in international politics.
Due to the highly critical and opposite stance he often took towards Dutch global politics, as of 1956 the Dutch government conspired to keep him out of work. During a lingering lawsuit (1991–2000), involving the Royal family, parties agreed to a binding arbitration in which the state had to pay him 8 million guilders in damages in 2000 (approx. 4 million in 2000 US dollars, 3.6 million euro's, over 5.6 million dollar these days). As an erudite orator Oltmans straightforward and uncompromising behaviour made him a striking media personality and unique phenomenon in Dutch society.
Early life
Oltmans was born into a wealthy family with roots in the Dutch East IndiesDutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
. He studied at the prestigious Nyenrode Business University (1946) and Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
(1948), without graduading. Originally intend on a career with the diplomatic corps of the foreign service, he ended up working in press offices in the Netherlands (1953–1955). He married in 1955 and worked as a free lance reporter in Rome in 1956. There he befriended Indonesian president Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
, which started his remarkable career as a controversial journalist.
Convinced that a well connected and informed individual could play a decisive role in the international political arena, he assumed a pro-active part in global political developments, becoming both a news reporter and news maker.
Dutch state conspiracy
Against the will of the Dutch government, Oltmans interviewed IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n president Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
in 1956. Once he became a confidant of Sukarno and part of his inner circle he took it upon himself to convince the broader public in the Netherlands of the legitimacy of Sukarno's viewpoints. In 1957 he pleaded for the transfer of Dutch New Guinea to Indonesia while in Indonesia. He claimed to have prevented a Dutch war against Indonesia over New Guinea by sending a memo to US president Kennedy. Since then Joseph Luns
Joseph Luns
Joseph Marie Antoine Hubert Luns was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the defunct Catholic People's Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal . He was the longest-serving Minister of Foreign Affairs from September 2, 1952 until July 6, 1971...
, minister of foreign affairs covertly tried everything to sabotage Oltmans' career, with much success: for a long time, Oltmans was forced to live off welfare. Luns who now had become Oltmans' nemesis called him a 'one engine mosquito'. In 1995 Oltmans published his book 'My friend Sukarno'.
He fought a long law suit (1991–2000) against the Dutch state, which he eventually won. In 2000 a commission awarded him eight million guilders (four million dollars) in damages, after taxes. Having paid two million guilders in lawyer's fees, Oltmans bought a penthouse on a canal in Amsterdam and a Steinway piano.
Kennedy conspiracy
Oltmans was based in the USA in the 1960s, where he worked as a reporter for Dutch TV broadcaster NOSNederlandse Omroep Stichting
The Nederlandse Omroep Stichting , English: Netherlands Broadcasting Foundation, is one of the broadcasters in the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system...
and established ties to president Kennedy's closest circle of advisors. After US president John Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
was assassinated in Dallas in 1963, Oltmans interviewed the mother of accused assassin Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
: Marguerite Oswald. Further investigation led him to Oswald's babysitter baron de Mohrenschildt. According to Oltmans, baron George de Mohrenschildt
George de Mohrenschildt
George de Mohrenschildt was a petroleum geologist and professor who befriended Lee Harvey Oswald in the summer of 1962 and maintained that friendship until Oswald's death two days after the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy. He had personal acquaintance with the Bush family,...
, who had ties to the CIA, was the architect behind the killing. In 1977 de Mohrenschildt agreed to disclose information to Oltmans, but disappeared from their meeting place and was found dead in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
a few weeks later.
Intent on irony, Oltmans played the role of de Mohrenschildt in Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
's 1991 film about the assassination, JFK
JFK (film)
JFK is a 1991 American film directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and alleged subsequent cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison .Garrison filed charges against New Orleans businessman Clay...
. b
Oltmans in the Soviet Union
In the eighties Oltmans endeavoured to create a more balanced opinion in the West about the Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Looking for a more poised perspective on the one sided bad image of the evil empire
Evil empire
The phrase evil empire was applied to the Soviet Union especially by U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who took an aggressive, hard-line stance that favored matching and exceeding the Soviet Union's strategic and global military capabilities, in calling for a rollback strategy that would, in his words,...
's communist power he often traveled to Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Together with the Kremlin's foreign expert Georgi Arbatov he wrote the book 'The Soviet position' elaborating on Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
's perspective on the East-West issues in 1981. The book received much attention and was published in several languages.
Oltmans in Suriname
In the eighthies Oltmans also actively interfered with the post-colonial Dutch-Suriname relationship. He recognised a bilateral relationship based in negative sentiments similar to the Dutch-Indonesian relationship. Intend on playing a mediating role Oltmans traveled to SurinameSuriname
Suriname , officially the Republic of Suriname , is a country in northern South America. It borders French Guiana to the east, Guyana to the west, Brazil to the south, and on the north by the Atlantic Ocean. Suriname was a former colony of the British and of the Dutch, and was previously known as...
to interview military dictator Bouterse. He published a book that was banned in Suriname and misunderstood in the Netherlands.
Oltmans in South Africa
Due to the ban imposed on him by Luns Oltmans was forced to help support himself through his family's inheritance. With the death of his parents (1966 and 1974) and after some bad financial investments he was to seek additional means of livelihood. In the late eighties he intended to use his large global network as a consultant to introduce entrepreneurs to Eastern European business opportunities. Through a string of quarrels with his stakeholders this initiative failed completely and Oltmans left for South AfricaSouth Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Both his brothers had settled in South Africa in 1948. He had visited the country regularly and in 1990 decided to settle there permanently. In South Africa he continued his tendency of actively intervening in local politics. His investgative reporting was not appreciated by the shaky South African regime of the time and in August 1992 he was deported on charges of espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
. Oltmans always insited the Dutch Security Service was involved in his deportation.
Publications (selection)
- Persona Non Grata (Papieren Tijger, Breda, 1994) ISBN-13: 978-90-6728-081-5
- Mijn vriend Sukarno (Spectrum, Utrecht, 1995) ISBN 9027447624
- De staat van bedrog (Papieren Tijger, Breda, 1998) ISBN-13: 978-90-6728-095-2
- Cry for war (Papieren Tijger, Breda, 2003) ISBN-13: 978-90-6728-151-5
- Laatste wapenfeiten (Papieren Tijger, Breda, 2009) ISBN-13: 978-90-6728-239-0