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William Shirer
Shirer
Historical Figure
Nationality: United States
Year of Birth: 1904
Year of Death: 1993
Cause of Death: Heart failure
Occupation: Journalist, Broadcaster, Author of Fiction, Author of Non-Fiction
Spouse: Theresa Stiberitz (divorced 1970), Irina Lugovskaya
Fictional Appearances:
The Man With the Iron Heart
POD: May 29, 1942;
Relevant POD: May, 1945
Type of Appearance: Direct
Joe Steele
POD: 1878;
Relevant POD: July, 1932
Novel or Story?: Novel only
Type of Appearance: Direct
Southern Victory
POD: September 10, 1862
Appearance(s): In at the Death
Type of Appearance: Direct

William Lawrence Shirer (February 23, 1904 – December 28, 1993) was an American journalist and historian. He became known for his broadcasts on CBS from Berlin, the capital of Nazi Germany, through the first year of World War II.

Shirer first became famous through his account of those years in his Berlin Diary (published in 1941), but he is probably best remembered for his book The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. He dabbled in alternate history in "If Hitler Had Won WWII" published in Look on December 19, 1961.

William Shirer in The Man With the Iron Heart[]

William Shirer reported on the Werewolf attack that destroyed the Nuremberg Palace of Justice in November 1945. He interviewed US Army Lieutenant Lou Weissberg about the attack. Ed and Diana McGraw listened to that interview at their home in Anderson, Indiana. The death of over 200 people steeled Diana's resolve to end American occupation of Germany.[1]

William Shirer in Joe Steele[]

William Shirer was in Berlin when the Supreme Court Four were arrested in March 1934. Shirer asked Adolf Hitler his opinion of the arrests. Hitler stated that, except for Hollywood, he didn't pay attention to the United States. When Hitler learned that none of the justices were Jews, he suggested that maybe they needed to be arrested anyway.[2]

William Shirer in Southern Victory[]

William Shirer was one of several American journalists who interviewed Cassius Madison, the man who killed Jake Featherston, when Madison toured the U.S. in 1944.[3]

Notes[]

  1. The Man With the Iron Heart, pgs. 116-118, HC.
  2. Joe Steele, pg. 87.
  3. In at the Death, pg. 437 TPB.
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