The master plan: Himmler's scholars and the Holocaust

Heinrich Himmler, SS Chief and architect of the Nazi death camps, was convinced that archaeologists had long ignored the great accomplishments of a primeval race of blond haired, blue eyed conquerors - the Aryans. Himmler's history was pure fiction, but his conviction was unshakable. In 1935 he founded a research institute, the Ahnenerbe, to manufacture archaeological evidence for political purposes, and he set about recruiting a bizarre mix of adventurers, mystics and reputable scholars to help rewrite human history. As well as describing their covert expeditions to Iraq, Finland, Tibet and beyond, "The Master Plan" is a chilling expose of the scientists and scholars who allowed their research to be used to justify extermination. Brilliantly told and meticulously researched, this is a gripping account of delusion and excess; of scientific and political abuse on a terrifying scale.