Een fantast schrijft geschiedenis

Weinreb (1910-1988), a Jew, was born in Lvov; his family fled to the Netherlands during World War I. He became an economist and senior staff member of the Nederlands Economisch Instituut. At the time of the Nazi occupation, he had a wife and two daughters. In November 1941, Weinreb lost his job due to the anti-Jewish measures. He then started an emigration swindle, telling Jews in distress that he had permission from the Nazis to organize Jewish emigration to unoccupied France and Portugal; he charged 100 guilders per adult. The Nazis arrested him in September 1942; after three days he was freed. He then became an informer for the Nazis. After the liberation he was accused of betrayal and arrested; he was sentenced to six years in prison, but was released after two months. In the 1950s, he was appointed professor of economics in Jakarta, and then in Ankara. He was involved in scandals relating to Dutch-Indonesian politics and false representation of himself as a gynecologist. However, he developed a following due to his charismatic personality, and became a type of "guru". In the 1960s a furor arose in the Netherlands as to whether Weinreb was a wartime hero (as he described himself in his memoirs) or a collaborator. In 1976, after a thorough investigation, the RIOD published a report concluding that he was a liar and a swindler, and that his collaboration with the Germans had resulted in 70 deaths. Examines Weinreb's life and personality - his fantasies, deceit and credibility - and his interaction with the groups he dealt with - the persecuted, his defenders, civil servants, his "patients", and the social critics.