When Heesters was asked on the 2008 TV show about Hitler - he assumed - as anyone would with any intelligence - that as a 105 year old man who was old enough to have met him - and under his status of being an entertainer - the interviewer wanted a personal recollection and comment from him about Hitler - i.e. something that anyone and everyone would not necessarily know . Otherwise why ask him ? Why not just ask anyone - as we all know the terrible deeds Hitler committed . The whole point surely of bringing up the subject of Hitler to Heesters who met him in casual entertainment circumstances was the rarity of being able to speak to someone who could give a personal insight or commemt . Heesters just said that Hitler had been pleasant to him but in German what he said was that he was a nice guy ( to him )- we know better not said like that - but all he meant was and what he should have said was that inspite of what we all know about Hitler he was pleasant to him when he met him on a personal level . Something like that . How interesting would the show have been if when asked about Hitler Heesters said - well of course he was a monster and do you know he killed so many people in World War Two . We all know that - obviously something individual to Heesters was what was required and at 105 he tried to give it but was persecuted on a renewed basis ever after very unfairly . There is no evidence that he ever had any Nazi sympathies whatsoever . He just made a very successful career PRIOR to the war in Germany which he continued . Due to Holland being occupied they always held it against him . He just got on the best he could with his career as anyone of us would have done . He cannot help it if Hitler liked his singing - atleast it proved he had good taste in something as alot of other people also liked his singing but he is not persecuted constantly because of any other admirer only a supposed Hitler/Nazi connection . Perhaps now the poor guy has passed away these persecutors may give him the respect in death they failed to give him in life .