Gerd Heidemann, a Stern employee who patronised Mr Kujau's shop, was intensely interested in the diary.

ECONOMIST: Konrad Kujau

According to True Value CEO Lyle Heidemann, changing a corporate culture is a five year effort.

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Stern agreed to buy the diaries under conditions of strict secrecy, and several million dollars were passed to Mr Kujau via Gerd Heidemann, who took a generous commission (and, like his accomplice, was later jailed).

ECONOMIST: Konrad Kujau

The story that Mr Heidemann subsequently told Stern was that diaries kept by Hitler over a period of 12 years had been salvaged from a German aircraft that had crashed after leaving Berlin just before the city fell to the Russians and were now for sale.

ECONOMIST: Konrad Kujau