Adolf Hitler may not have shot himself dead and perhaps did not even die in his bunker, it emerged yesterday. A skull fragment believed for decades to be the Nazi leader’s has turned out to be that of a woman under 40 after DNA analysis.In short, the story narrates about Nick Bellantoni, University of Connecticut archeologist, who, during his visit to Russian National Archives collected DNA swabs of the skull, and concluded that the skull did not belong to Hitler.Scientists and historians had long thought it to be conclusive proof that Hitler shot himself in the head after taking a cyanide pill on 30 April 1945 rather than face the ignominy of capture.
Today, I read another article, published by a Russian website, in which Vladimir Kozlov, the Deputy Director of the Russian State Archive, denied the possibility that Nick Bellantoni visited the State Archive, given the fact that the Archive Registrar has not issued a permit with this name in the last 4 years. In addition, Kozlov mentions that an one hour procedure of drawing DNA samples by cotton swabs, would not be allowed by the archivists. Moreover, he emphasizes the fact that the skull, which was not unanimously accepted as a fragment of Hitler's skull, is not the only proof of Hitler's death. There are another materials such as: the jawbone (which remains away from public view) and the bloodstained sofa segments.
According to The Telegraph's top of the most visited Wikipedia pages for 2008, the page of Adolf Hitler is ranked 17th in the list of 50 pages. The paragraph under the heading Defeat and death contains a very detailed account of these events. Due to the quick reaction of Wikipedia's editors, the entry on the death of Hitler has been completed with the information from "Daily Mail". What about the information from the Russian web site? I guess if Bellantoni did find other ways to approach Hitler's skull, and indeed drew some DNA, then the entry would stay intact, but if Kozlov was right and Bellantoni did not attend Russian State Archive, then it should be deleted.
Until then, my suggestion is to admire the critical thinking of some of the participants in the Discussion section of this Wikipedia page, under the heading The skull proven not to be Hitler's:
No. The link provided says nothing about it not being Hitler's skull. It *is* written in a sensationalist manner though to provoke interest. Clearly a reputable source is needed. srushe (talk) 00:24, 27 September 2009 (UTC)
Should atleast be added as "after DNA testing, doubt was cast..." User:MetallicaAddict-MetalJunkie --MetallicaAddict-MetalJunkie (talk) 05:53, 28 September 2009 (UTC)
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