Books


Tycoons Made Billions From Horrors of Third Reich


Beloved brands amassed fortunes by using Nazi slave labor, says new book.


T those


he families who own some of the world’s most beloved brands — including BMW, Dr. Pepper, Krispy Kreme,


and Peet’s Coff ee — amassed their fortunes in Nazi Germany using slave labor supplied by the Third Reich, a new book claims. “Many German business dynasties continue to sidestep a complete reck- oning with the dark history that stains their fortunes,” said David de Jong, author of Nazi Bil- lionaires: The Dark History of


Germany’s Dynasties.


According to de Jong, families who col-


laborated with the Nazis include:


The Reimanns — current owners of Krispy Kreme, Panera Bread, Peet’s Cof- fee, Keurig Green Mountain,


Pret a Manger, Dr. Pepper, Insomnia Cookies, Snapple, and the beauty label Coty.


The Porsche-Piëchs — who control Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi, Bentley,


Waiting for ‘Crismis’ J


ust because a book’s not a bestseller doesn’t mean it can’t be the most


popular read in town. At a library in Boise, Idaho, there’s a


years-long waiting list for one title. You’d think they’d order another copy, right? Well, they can’t because the book’s


never been published. Its author, Dillon Helbig, 8, slipped his handwritten, 81-page, self-illustrated masterpiece into the children’s section because he wanted to share a story he’d created with other kids. He hid the lone copy of The Adventures of Dillon Helbig’s Crismis, signed by Dillon “his self”), on the shelf.


50 NEWSMAX | MAY 2022 Wealthiest


and Lamborghini. The Oetkers — whose empires


include Henkell Freixenet, the world’s largest sparkling wine producer, and luxury hotels in London, Paris, and the French Riviera. The Quandts — who dominate the


car brands BMW, Mini, and Rolls- Royce via the BMW Group. De Jong said that with the help of the Nazis, the families seized Jew- ish businesses and shipped their owners and families to concentration camps like Auschwitz There,


and the Nazis rented


them out as day laborers. De Jong’s book recounts how the Reimann family’s Albert Reimann encour- aged the mistreatment of prisoners — particularly women.


It also details the cru-


elty of the Quandt family’s Günther Quandt, who refused to let slaves wear protective clothing as they toiled in his lead factory. Those unlucky enough to contract lead poisoning were forced to


keep working despite being in intense pain.


Workers who were accidentally


scalded by boiling-hot lead would have their limbs amputated. At one Volkswagen plant, pregnant


prisoners were forced to give up their babies, who were sent to a bug-infest- ed “nursery” where they often died from neglect, infections, and insuffi - cient care, de Jong said. According to the Jewish Virtual


Library, prisoners were also subjected to frequent beatings with sand-fi lled hoses. But after these companies were


Dachau.


seized by the allies when Nazi Ger- many fell in 1945 and the cruelties exposed, how did they avoid a come- uppance? “For the sake of political expedien-


cy, and for fear of the looming threat of communism, the United States and United Kingdom quietly handed most of these tycoons back over to Germany — which in turn allowed the moguls to walk free, with little more than a slap on the wrist,” de Jong said. Nazi Billionaires: The Dark History


of Germany’s Wealthiest Dynasties by David de Jong is published by Mariner Books.


When he got home, he confessed


his exploits to his mom, Susan Helbig. Concerned the book would be discarded or lost, she contacted the library to see if they would hold onto it. Not only had the staff found it, but


they thought it was pretty exceptional and felt it would be a perfect addition to their collection. “Dillon is a generous guy,” said branch manager Alex Hartman. “He


just wanted other people to be able to enjoy his story.” With an of icial bar code, Dillon’s wish of earning a place in the


library’s card catalog came true. Flush with success, he’s already working on his next opus. “It’s about a jacket-eating closet,” he said.


©SUSAN HELBIG/FACEBOOK


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