Was Rolf Hochhuth's Play, The Deputy, the Result of a KGB [Plot]? Assessing a Conspiracy Theory

This article seeks to debunk a conspiracy theory regarding the origins of the German playwright Rolf Hochhuth's incendiary play from 1963, The Deputy, which denounced Pope Pius XII for his alleged silence about German crimes in the Holocaust. According to these conspiracy theories, this play�...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The catholic historical review
Main Author: Ruff, Mark Edward (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: The Catholic University of America Press 2023
In: The catholic historical review
Further subjects:B Conspiracy
B Pius XII
B The Deputy
B Rolf Hochhuth
B Ion Mihai Pacepa
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:This article seeks to debunk a conspiracy theory regarding the origins of the German playwright Rolf Hochhuth's incendiary play from 1963, The Deputy, which denounced Pope Pius XII for his alleged silence about German crimes in the Holocaust. According to these conspiracy theories, this play's success was the result of a masterstroke by Soviet intelligence, which had infiltrated the Vatican and stolen documents from the Vatican archives. By examining letters and correspondence pertaining to the play's origins, including its original drafts, this article argues that this conspiracy theory is chronologically implausible. Hochhuth's own account of the play's origins remains more or less correct, some inaccurate details notwithstanding.
ISSN:1534-0708
Contains:Enthalten in: The catholic historical review