Bernhard von Biesterfeld

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Bernhard von Biesterfeld  link Powerbase Sourcewatch (Soldier, Netherlands/Royalty,Pilot, Arms dealer, deep politician)
Born	Bernhard Friedrich Eberhard Leopold Julius Kurt Carl Gottfried Peter Graf von Biesterfeld 1911-06-29 Jena, Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, German Empire
Died	1 December 2004 University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
Nationality	Netherlands
Religion	Protestant Church in the Netherlands
Spouse	Juliana of the Netherlands
Nazi arms dealer. Alleged bodyguard of Hitler, early member of the SS, requested presidency under Hitler during WW2. An early leader of the Dutch Deep State, founded Dutch division of Operation Gladio named Inlichtingen en Operatiën, co-founded Bilderberg as Steering Committee chairman. Started 1001 Club, WWF, Rijkens Club. Linked to Klaas Bruinsma.

Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld (later Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands; German: Bernhard Friedrich Eberhard Leopold Julius Kurt Carl Gottfried Peter Graf von Biesterfeld; 29 June 1911 – 1 December 2004) was the consort of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands and father of her four children, including the former Queen of the Netherlands, Princess Beatrix.

Activities

Nazi

Bernhard repeatedly denied being a member of the Nazi Party, but a 2014 article in the Daily Mirror claimed that "membership documents were found in Berlin's Humboldt University by historian Annejet van der Zijl, proving he was in the party until 1934."

Bernhard appeared to have been part of bodyguard-unit of Hitler and/or a associate during the 1930s. Multiple national and international newspapers reported incidents that were resolved with intervention with Bernhard, named an SS-member multiple times mentioned in diplomatic telegrams and NSDAP member. Bernhard has never denied to not have been a part of the SA or SS or to been part of the Night of the Long Knives although the Dutch official narrative maintains Bernhard's SS-division was more of a "motor-club".

Bernhard allegedly send a secret letter to Adolf Hitler requesting to become "Head of State under the German Reich" if the Germans would - after discussing it with the British - pull out of the Netherlands in 1942, even having the CIA involved after their formation when this rumour was still heard of in the 1970s according to a French secret agent working for a well-known Dutch newspaper.

Groups

Bernhard emerged during the 1940s as a kingpin of the Dutch Deep State, heading the Dutch division of Operation Gladio, setting up NGOs aimed at seizing hidden networks of power. He started the 1001 Club and Józef Retinger chose him to head the Bilderberg meeting. He also helped found the World Wildlife Fund (later renamed World Wide Fund for Nature).

Arms dealing

Cercle visitor, Frans Otten may have assisted his arms dealing.

Lockheed/Bribery scandals

Full article: Lockheed/Bribery scandals

Bernhard received a $1.1 million bribe from Lockheed to ensure the Lockheed F-104 would win out over the Mirage 5 for the purchase contract. The commotion lead to his resignation as Bilderberg Steering committee Chairman and to the first cancellation of a Bilderberg meeting. He publicly denied wrongdoing during his lifetime, but but two days after his death, interviews were published in which he admitted taking a $1.1 million bribe from Lockheed to ensure the Lockheed F-104 would win out over the Mirage 5 for the purchase contract. He said: "I have accepted that the word Lockheed will be carved on my tombstone."

Investigation

Dutch Prime Minister Joop den Uyl ordered an inquiry into the affair, while Bernhard refused to answer reporters' questions, stating: "I am above such things". The results of the inquiry led to a constitutional crisis in which Juliana Wilhelmina threatened to abdicate if Bernhard was prosecuted. In the event he was spared, but stepped down from several public positions and was forbidden to wear his military uniforms again, a shock as Den Uyl was reported saying to several cabinet members that wanted to resign immediately that he simply could not jail the husband of the head of state. The Dutch Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, Marcel van Dam, was reported as "calling in his resignation immediately", with several following in a night long chaos with nobody daring to publicly announce the report in parliament.

Deep State intervention?

Unbeknownst to many, after the final report revealing the Lockheed scandal with Prince Bernhard was uncovered to Den Uyl and the Dutch public (becoming a bestseller along the way), the Dutch Commission of Three consisting of Henri Peschar, Marius Holtrop & André Donner included a secret chapter of 12 pages in the version to Den Uyl. The secret pages described Bernhard having orchrestrated a similar deal with US Aerospace manufacturer Northrop Grumman, Den Uyl chose to secretly stash this part away in a secret safe in the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam for a minimum of 50 years, only to be revealed in 2005 by a scholar from the University of Amsterdam, as Queen Juliana threatened to abolish the whole monarchy (with Queen Beatrix refusing to take the throne), and presumably their contacts and influence as well, as several scholars ensured Bernhard was to be convicted if this passage was not hidden.

Secret Service File Missing

In 2023, the AIVD told newspaper NRC "a file containing potentially incriminating facts about Prince Bernhard has disappeared from the archives of the Internal Security Service (BVD). It concerns a folder that could contain information about spying by the prince for the Nazis, and about the so-called Stadholder Letter, in which the prince allegedly offered his services to the German occupiers during the war.".