By: Ambeth R. Ocampo
Philippines Daily Inquirer
Lifestyle (C3)
Monday, June 19, 1995
EVERYWHERE I lecture on Rizal, one question never fail to arise in the open forum—"Is it true that Adolf Hitler is the son of Rizal?
This is absolutely absurd, but since some fairly educated people actually want to believe it, I write this column.The argument is that Rizal had a German connection, he studied in Heildelberg, and being the Pinoy Don Juan he probably sired a son (why not a Daughter?) who later turned out to Adolf Hitler. Hitler was born 1889, and Rizal left Germany in 1887. Unless Hitler was a delayed baby, that is highly improbable.
Although there is no resemblance between the two, it is argued that unlike the tall, blond and blue-eyed Germans, Hitler wanted to propagate into the "master race,’ Hitler himself was small of stature had dark hair and dark eyes. I would counter this argument by explaining that, contrary to popular belief, Hitler was Austrian not a German.
But then Rizal visited in Austria in May 1887 and according to Rizal’s traveling companion, Max Viola, he did spend a night with an unknown Austrian woman. Viola remembers that they were billeted in the Hotel Metropole, Vienna and Rizal "…encountered the figure of a temptress in the form of Viennese woman, of the family of the Camelliasor Margarite of extraordinary beauty and irresistible attraction, who seemingly had been expressly invited to offer for a moment the cup of mundane pleasure to the apostle of the Philippine freedom who until the had enjoyed among his intimates the fame worthy of his glorious namesake, St. Joseph. With the exception of this case I knew of no other slip of Rizal during more than six months of our living together."
Amazing, what yarns can be pulled off a one-night stand with a Viennese