 By Warwick Evans
- Interviewer:
- Tell me Dieter, how long have you been running the Luftgarten Hotel here in Kowloon?
- Dieter:
- Well, I took over as General ... Ah, General Manager shortly after the end of the last
war ... ah, holiday season. Yar , yar.
- Interviewer:
- Now, I understand the Luftgarten is organising a food festival.
- Dieter:
- Yar yar. It's a Hitler bit ... er, er, a little bit like the one we had last
year. That was a European festival - this one a pure German fortnight. And if you look
around the town, you will see many swastikas ... ah, car stickers advertising the
event. Now, all the hotel waiters will be wearing brown shirts ... and jackboots ... er, black
boots ... er, black shoes. And also arm-bands ... they will have ... I mean
there will also be an army band to play for the entire two weeks.
- Interviewer:
- You have many guests passing through?
- Dieter:
- Through the camp ... the ah, hotel you mean? Yar. There are whole trainloads ...
I mean planeloads arriving every day. They are met outside at the front gate by
members of my general staff. And then ... hustled ... I mean ah, ushered in and ah
... lined up in the lobby ... and counted to make sure no one has escaped ... ah, I mean,
ah, you know ... got lost ... on the way.
- Interviewer:
- How many guests did you deal with last year?
- Dieter:
- Oh God, how many? Well now, I'm sorry, I seem to have a complete mental Dachau ... ah, blackout
about the precise number of prison ... er, personnel involved. I'd have to consult
my Buchenwald ... er, booking folder. It was around 30,000 or something Himmler ...
er, similar. I do remember it was a very large ... um ... concentration ... of
people. I don't involve myself personally, you understand.
- Interviewer:
- So who is in charge of the day-to-day handling of these matters?
- Dieter:
- Oh, my right-hand man there is undoubtedly Heinrich. Most efficient! I give him his
orders in the morning ... telling him how to deal with the guests ... and I normally find
that he executes them very well.
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