Willem Oltmans

Willem Leonard Oltmans (addressed as William Oltmans in some English publications; 10 June 1925 – 30 September 2004) was a Dutch investigative journalist and author active in international politics.

Due to the highly critical stance he often took towards Dutch foreign policy, as of 1956, the Dutch government conspired to keep him out of work. A lengthy lawsuit (1991–2000) involving the Royal family led to the state having to pay him damages.

Early life

Oltmans was born into a wealthy family with roots in the Dutch East Indies. During the Second World War he was a member of the Dutch Resistance. "We blew up a German train," Oltmans told the Dutch daily Reformatorisch Dagblad in 2003. "Hitler called me a terrorist, but I saw myself as a freedom fighter."

He studied at Nyenrode Business University (1946) and Yale University (1948), without graduating. Originally intent on a career with the diplomatic corps of the foreign service, he ended up working in press offices in the Netherlands (1953–1955). He was a close confidant of both Beatrix and Gertrude Büringh Boekhoudt (24 March 1893 – 3 September 1982) who had been Crown Princess Beatrix's tutor since April 1951. He married in 1955 and worked as a freelance reporter in Rome in 1956 for De Telegraaf when he interviewed and befriended Indonesian president Sukarno during Sukarno's trip to Italy in 1956. This started his career as a controversial journalist which the Dutch Security Service would closely watch for many decades.

On 10 June 1958, he moved to the United States.

Convinced that a well connected and informed individual could play a decisive role in the international political arena, he assumed a pro-active part in global political developments, becoming both a news reporter and news maker.