Nostradamus, astrology and the Bible: Second World War: What will happen in the near future

NOSTRADAMUS, ASTROLOGY AND THE BIBLE
SUBSTUDY "WORLD WAR II"
What will happen in the near future? For an answer we must turn to "Les Vrayes Centuries et Prophéties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus" - The prophecies of the ancient French astrologer Michel Nostradamus and the present war
(baron dr. L.F.W. Staël von Holstein alias Norab, Stockholm, 1940)
- T.W.M. van Berkel -

Nederlandse versie

Index WORLD WAR II

In 1940, Stockholms bokindustri AB printed an English brochure, entitled What will happen in the near future? For an answer we must turn to "Les vrayes centuries et propheties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus" - The prophecies of the ancient French astrologer Michel Nostradamus and the present war - by Norab ("Norab"-1940b). This brochure, which counted 63 pages, was spread in the United States. Between March 27, 1940 and August 31, 1940, 3.000 copies were printed.[1]
The title of this brochure refers to the copy of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition of the Centuries, made by the Frenchman P.V. Piobb. This Century-edition was entitled Les vrayes centuries et propheties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus. The French quatrain texts in What will happen in the near future? originate from the 1927-Piobb-copy.
What will happen in the near future? is the English translation and edition of a German source text, meant to be spread in the "neutral countries", as dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi-minister of Propaganda, called this area. This German source text was written in November - December 1939 by Hans Wolfgang Herwarth von Bittenfeld, prof. dr. Karl Bömer and Leopold Gütterer, managers in Goebbels' Ministry of Propaganda.[2] According to the Svensk Bok-Katalog 1936-1940, the name Norab, a quite common Swedish family name, is a pseudonym of the Swedish baron Lage Fabian Wilhelm Staël von Holstein (1886-1946).[3] Staël von Holstein wrote quite a number of national-socialist books and brochures.[4] He translated the text, written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s., in English and edited it in connection with the spread in the United States.
Staël von Holstein also translated the text, written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s., in Swedish. In 1940, this Swedish version, entitled Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, was published by Neutrala Institutets Förlag and printed by Stockholms bokindustri AB.[5] The main contents of Nostradamus spådomar om kriget correspond with the contents of What will happen in the near future? Differences between these two versions are partly caused by the fact that Nostradamus spådomar om kriget was meant for psychological warfare in Sweden, whereas What will happen in the near future? was meant for psychological warfare in the United States
In 1941, the Fellowship Press in Indianapolis published the brochure Nostradamus, Seer and Prophet: Quatrains that Apply to Today. In this brochure, based upon What will happen in the near future? the Jews and British were equally severely insulted. In connection with this brochure, Leoni attributed to "the pro-nazi Norab" that he supposed that March 23, 1996, was the first time that a configuration, mentioned in the first line of quatrain 02-05, would re-occur. According to "Norab", the word Latine in the last line of this quatrain points towards Latium, a region along the Italian west coast, stretching out from the north of Rome to the north of Capua. According to the site Nostradamus and the final age, "Norab" would have predicted in this brochure that according to quatrain 01-51 the Third World War would begin around September 1994 (in connection with this quatrain, Leoni mentions September 12, 1994, without further details about "Norab's" comment). Michael McClellan, the author of this site, came to the conclusion that the dates, given by a.o. "Norab" and dr. Chr. Wöllner pointed towards a large-scale war between the East and the West, predicted by both Nostradamus and the prophet Daniel. Apparently, McClellan was not aware of the fact that Nostradamus, Seer and Prophet is a propaganda brochure. On another American website, "Norab" was qualified as a Nazi astrologer, a qualification which is entirely wrong.[6]

Contents
The text of What will happen in the near future? is divided in fourteen chapters. This division is different from the division in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget ("Norab"-1940a). What will happen into the near future? contains a table of contents; Nostradamus spådomar om kriget has no such table.

**Contents "Norab"-1940b versus "Norab"-1940a**
What will happen in the near future? ("Norab"-1940b)			Nostradamus spådomar om kriget ("Norab"-1940a)
Page	Ch.	Title	Title	Ch.	Page
5	I.	A Passage from Goethe's Faust	En profet genom tiderna	I.	5
6	II.	A Dramatic Accident	Nostradamus debut	II.	7
9	III.	Some dates	Fjärrskådaren utvecklas	III.	11
11	IV.	Nostradamus develops his Gift of Prophecy	Hur kommo ingivelserna?	IV.	15
17	V.	The "Voices" from Heaven	Fyra hundra års erfarenheter	V.	17
19	VI.	A prediction made Four Hundred Years before the event	Spådomen om Ludvig XVI	VI.	19
21	VII.	The Tragedy of Louis XVI	Profetior om Napoleon	VII.	21
28	VIII.	Astonishing Prophecies about Napoleon	Kung Umberto	VIII.	23
40	IX.	The Great War	Nostradamus om världskriget	IX.	25
44	X.	The Present and the Future	Vad skall hända i morgon?	X.	27
47	XI.	England's fateful Hour	Englands fall	XI.	29
52	XII.	The far-reaching Consequences of the current War	Bekräftelser på britternas nederlag	XII.	33
58	XIII.	Italy's Participation in the War	An mer om England	XIII.	38
60	XIV.	Germany's victorious in the gigantic Struggle	Tysklands triumf	XIV.	41
			Den tysk-ryska pakten	XV.	44
			Var tids profet	XVI.	45
			En dansk nyckel	XVII.	47
			Den gula faran	XVIII.	51

The text of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, the Dutch version of the brochure, written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s., is divided in a preface, two chapters and an appendix with French quatrain texts and French texts of quotes from De Fontbrune's Les Prophéties de Maistre Michel Nostradamus - Expliquées et commentées (Sarlat, 1939 [1938], fifth edition). The preface and the appendix of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? are not included in the translations by Staël von Holstein. In the case of the preface, this is understandable, since this preface especially was written for the Dutch version.

**Pictures**
Century 01 "Norab"-1940b, p.10	The pages of What will happen in the near future? which are at my disposal, contain one picture: a picture of a cut-out of the first page of the first Century, probably taken from the 1927-Piobb-copy, a copy of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition about which in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? was written that it was used as a source text. This picture is also present on p.10 in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget. In Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, this picture is not present. It is quite likely that there are also pictures in the remaining part of What will happen in the near future?. Nostradamus spådomar om kriget contains two other pictures: a portrait of Nostradamus, painted by his son Cesar, and a cut-out of the lower part of the frontispiece of the 1668-Amsterdam-edition.

What will happen in the near future? versus Nostradamus spådomar om kriget
In the next paragraphs, the differences are described between the text of a number of chapters in What will happen in the near future? and parallel texts in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget ("Norab"-1940a). In some cases, comparisons are made with text in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? ("Pasteur"), Le profezie del Maestro Michele Nostradamus ("Genoa"), Sma nai gonosu 1940? ("Belgrade") and Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? ("Rossier").

Chapter I. A Passage from Goethe's Faust (p.5)
The first chapter of What will happen in the near future? is an introductory chapter, which in the beginning contains texts about Nostradamus and astrology, taken from Goethe's Faust, act 1, scene 1. In Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, the three lines which Goethe in Faust devoted to Nostradamus, are at the end of chapter XVI.[7] In Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, the lines which deal with astrology are not quoted.
In the first chapter of Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, the predictions of Nostradamus are introduced in a different way. There, the phenomenon of prophecy is discussed, brief words are spent on the comment on Revelations by the Swedish Bible scholar Stromberg and on Anton Johansson, who foresaw World War I. Most likely, these names were mentioned in order to enforce the impression that Nostradamus spådomar om kriget was written and produced in Sweden. In What will happen in the near future?, the names of Stromberg and Johansson are not mentioned. There is not the slightest reference to their publications. In What will happen in the near future?, the name of Birgitta of Svedenborg, which occurs in chapter IV in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, is also not mentioned.
In chapter I in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, Nostradamus is presented as the best-known prophet, whose predictions have turned out to be reliable and who devoted a number of quatrains to Hitler, the great leader of the German world, as well as he did to the rise and fall of Napoleon.[8] The introduction to What will happen in the near future? only contains the remark that the predictions of the Provencal seer and astrologer raised a lot of interest from the very moment they were published, four hundred years ago.
Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, Sma nai gonosu 1940? and Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? do not contain a single allusion to Goethe or a quote from Faust.

Chapter II. A Dramatic Accident (p.6-8)
In chapter II in What will happen in the near future?, Henry II's injury during a tournament in 1559 is discussed, an injury which finally caused his death, and the quatrains which are linked to these events. In Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, this discussion can be found in chapter II, entitled Nostradamus debut.
What will happen in the near future contains the French texts of the quatrains 01-35 and 01-36 and English translations. In Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, the texts of these quatrains are given in Dutch and - in the appendix - in French.[9] Nostradamus spådomar om kriget only contains the French text of quatrain 01-35 without a full Swedish text; Staël von Holstein contented with a reference to "another quatrain, in which the end of the Valois dynasty is predicted."[10]
A comparison between the English text of the quatrains 01-35 and 01-36 in What will happen in the near future? and the Dutch text of these quatrains in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? shows that these texts are equal with each other. In other words: Staël von Holstein did not translate the French quatrains into English, but the German source text of these quatrains, as given by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s.

**The quatrains 01-35 and 01-36**
"Norab"-1940b, p.7-8	"Pasteur", p.10-11
Quatrain 01-35 The young lion will vanquish the old In single combat on a warlike field. He will split his eyes in a golden cage: The first of two breaks, followed by death in agony. Quatrain 01-36 Too late will the King repent Not to have put his adversary to death: A higher ruling will then prevail, To extinction his whole house is doomed.	Quatrain 01-35 De jonge leeuw overwint nu den ouden, Op het krijgsveld, in den strijd van man tegen man, In een gouden kooi zal hij hem de oogen splijten, De eerste van twee scheidingen, gevolgd door een wreeden dood. Quatrain 01-36 Te laat zal de koning het berouwen, Dat hij den tegenstander niet heeft gedood. Een hooger besluit zal dan over hem komen. Zijn gansche Huis is den dood gewijd.

Corresponding texts:

"Belgrade"

p.3-4

Prediction of the death of a king

"Genoa"

p.5-6

Un terrible evento

"Norab"-1940a

p.7-9

ch. II: Nostradamus debut

"Pasteur"

p.9-11

Verleden, heden en toekomst op wonderbaarlijke wijze voorspeld door den Franschman Michel Nostradamus in zijn "Les vrayes Centuries et Prophéties"

"Rossier"-1940b

p.1

Un mort prophétisée

Chapter III. Some dates (p.9)
Chapter III in What will happen in the near future? contains some facts of the life of Nostradamus from his birth until the death of his first wife and children. This chapter consists of one page only (page 9); page 10 contains a picture of the first page of the first Century. In Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, this picture precedes chapter III. In Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, this picture is not present.
Chapter III in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, entitled Fjärrskåren utvecklas, partly deals with the life of Nostradamus. The pages 11 and 12 contains the text of chapter III in What will happen in the near future? In connection with the plague Nostradamus fought, it is described on p.11 that Boccaccio, at the approach of the plague, withdraw himself in a villa and spent his time with the writing of frivolous novels (an allusion to his Decamerone), whereas Nostradamus put his life in danger. Neither What will happen in the near future?, nor Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, nor Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? or Le profezie del Maestro Michele Nostradamus anno 1558 contain such a note.
Corresponding texts:

"Belgrade"

p.4-5

King of magic

"Genoa"

p.6-7

Un maestro nel regno della magia

"Norab"-1940a

p.11-12

ch. III: Fjärrskådaren utvecklas

"Pasteur"

p.11-12

Verleden, heden en toekomst op wonderbaarlijke wijze voorspeld door den Franschman Michel Nostradamus in zijn "Les vrayes Centuries et Prophéties"

"Rossier"-1940b

p.2

Un maître dans le royaume de la magie

Chapter IV. Nostradamus develops his Gift of Prophecy (p.11-16)
In chapter IV in What will happen in the near future?, it is described how Nostradamus became stronger by his sufferings and the dangerous circumstances in his life. His faith was a source of help. It was also noted that the reverses in his life enabled him to develop the gift of prophecy. Further, it is told that he travelled through France and Italy, married for the second time and had six children. It is also told that he kept on fighting the plague and was amply rewarded. This text corresponds with the text in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget.
On p.12 in What will happen in the near future?, it is described that Nostradamus, in his study room, during the night, studied mysteries. This also corresponds with Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, but in What will happen in the near future?, Staël von Holstein gave English texts of the quatrains 01-01 and 01-02, whereas on p.13 in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, he only give the last two lines of quatrain 01-02, in Swedish. In another line in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, the style of the Centuries is compared with Dante's Inferno. In What will happen in the near future?, Le profezie del Maestro Michele Nostradamus anno 1558, Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? and Sma nai gonosu 1940, there is no such comparison.
Some lines in What will happen in the near future? are devoted to the ability of Nostradamus to mention fulfilment years, something about which nothing is mentioned in either Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? or Nostradamus spådomar om kriget. It is not clear if this text was part of the text, written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s. What will happen in the near future? contains a reference to predictions by Nostradamus about the French Revolution in 1789 and to the Epistle to Henry II, in which "the subject is divided in 117 parts or periods, separated from each other by vertical strokes". In the Epistle, it was written that in 1792, people would try to introduce a new era or a new calendar. In a footnote, there was a reference to the French Republican calendar, of which the first year started on September 22, 1792, a calendar which in 1804 was abolished by Napoleon.
Corresponding texts:

"Belgrade"

p.5-6

King of magic
His prophecies and their features

"Genoa"

p.7-9

Un maestro nel regno della magia
Le profezie di Nostradamus e le loro caratteristiche

"Norab"-1940a

p.12-14

ch. III: Fjärrskådaren utvecklas

"Pasteur"

p.12-14

Verleden, heden en toekomst op wonderbaarlijke wijze voorspeld door den Franschman Michel Nostradamus in zijn "Les vrayes Centuries et Prophéties"

"Rossier"-1940b

p.2

Un maître dans le royaume de la magie
Ses prophéties et leurs particularités

Chapter XII. The far-reaching Consequences of the current War (p.52-57)
In chapter XII in What will happen in the near future?, the quatrains 02-75, 02-83, 02-94, 02-99, 04-46 and 08-37 are discussed. In the corresponding text in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget en Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, the quatrains 02-75, 02-100, 02-83, 08-37 and 02-78 are discussed. In other words, compared with Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, the quatrains 02-78 and 02-100 are replaced by the quatrains 02-94, 02-99 and 04-46. In Le profezie del Maestro Michele Nostradamus anno 1558, the chapter Attorno alle liquidazione della grande questione only contains the quatrains 02-78, 03-32 and 03-71.
The comment in What will happen in the near future? on quatrain 02-94 is that different from the comment by dr. De Fontbrune on p.240 in Les Prophéties de maistre Michel Nostradamus Expliquées et commentées (Sarlat, 1939 [1938]), from which is heavily quoted, that this comment must originate from another source. The text of the first line of quatrain 02-94 reads Grand Paud, grand mal pour Gaulois recevra. The comment on this quatrain is not copied from Les Prophéties... In connection with a remark in 1867 by the French Century-scholar Anatole le Pelletier that the word Paud might refer to a capital I in the shape of a stake, it is written in What will happen in the near future? that the word Paud is an allusion to the English word -I- in the sense that the British selfishness has become a pale or thorn in the flesh of France. The first line would mean that England caused great distress to France. The words maritin Lyon in the second line are explained as a reference to the British Lion, the line as a whole is explained as a remark that fear for England is no longer justified.[11] The third and fourth line of quatrain 02-99 are explained as an allusion to the French-British alliance, which Nostradamus considered to be disastrous for France. In the comment on quatrain 04-456, the words temps de la bruine in the fourth line are explained as an allusion to air raids. The third and the fourth line of this quatrain would mean that London would not outlast the air raids.
The comment on quatrain 08-37 differs from the comment in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget and Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?. According to Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, this quatrain is an allusion to England's defeat. In the comment in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, it further reads that France, being opposed to his dead enemy, soon will seize power. These are quotes from De Fontbrune's Les Prophéties... In What will happen in the near future? however, the comment by De Fontbrune is presented as if the French government near the seashore will fall into the hands of its mortal enemy, i.e. Germany. Next, the - unjustified - impression is raised that De Fontbrune gave an explanation in English in the form of a quatrain of the meaning of quatrain 08-37.[12]
The chapters XII (Bekräftelser på britternas nederlag [Confirmation of the British defeat]) and XIII (Än mer om England [Further information about England]) in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget are pointed to England, as is the parallel text in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?. In hoofdstuk XII in What will happen in the near future?, France is also presented as a party who will be defeated. The propagandistic content of this chapter is different from the parallel Dutch and Swedish texts. The question is if the quatrains 02-94, 02-99 and 04-46 were part of the text, written by Herwarth von Bittenfeld c.s., or if they were inserted by Staël von Holstein.
Corresponding texts:

"Belgrade"

p.13-15

The present and the future

"Norab"-1940a

p.36-37
p.38-39

ch. XII: Bekräftelser på britternas nederlag; :
ch. XIII: Än mer om England

"Pasteur"

p.30-32

Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? Een antwoord op de vele belangrijke vraagstukken die ons bezighouden gegeven door "Les vrayes Centuries et Prophéties de maistre Michel Nostradamus"

"Rossier"-1940b

p.5

La France ne sera pas touchée
Autour de la grande liquidation

Chapter XIII. Italy's Participation in the War (p.58-59)
In this chapter, which covers two pages, the quatrains 03-23 and 02-86 are discussed. These quatrain numbers are correctly given. According to What will happen in the near future?, these quatrains are very important, because they contain predictions about Italy's participation in the war. In quatrain 03-23, a war between France and Italy is predicted, which for France will be disastrous because of a severe famine. In quatrain 02-86, a navy battle between England and Italy is predicted. According to the comment, England will also suffer from a counter-movement in Egypt. None of these comments are copied from De Fontbrune's Les Prophéties... Probably, they were compiled after June 10, 1940, when Italy declared war to England and France.
In Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, p.38-39 and Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, p.33-34, the quatrains 03-23 and 02-86 are not present. In these brochures, the quatrains 03-32, 03-71 and 08-97 are present and in Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? also quatrain 02-85. In the comment on these quatrains in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941?, Sma nai gonosu 1940? and Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, Italy is not presented as a future war participant. Le profezie del Maestro Michele Nostradamus anno 1558, the text of this chapter is not there. It looks as if chapter XIII in What will happen in the near future? was inserted because of Italy's declaration of war to England and France on June 10, 1940. This means that the text of What will happen in the near future? was finished after June 10, 1940.

Chapter XIV. Germany victorious in the gigantic Struggle (p.60-63)
In this chapter, two quatrains are discussed: the quatrains 03-58, (numbered erroneously II-58, as in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget), linked to the birth of Hitler, and quatrain 10-31, in which the coming of the "Holy Empire" to Germany is announced, when England is completely isolated. The rest of the text of this chapter corresponds with the text of chapter XVI in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, except for the lines on Nostradamus, copied from Faust, which in What will happen in the near future? are not given in this chapter, but at the beginning of chapter I.
In What will happen in the near future?, quatrain 01-99 and its link to the Molotov - Von Ribbentrop pact is not discussed at all, in contrast with Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, where this quatrain is discussed in chapter XV (Den tysk-ryska pakten). In Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, quatrain 01-99 and its link to the Molotov - Von Ribbentrop pact is discussed on p.35-36. In Sma nai gonosu 1940?, this quatrain is also discussed.
Corresponding texts:

"Belgrade"

p.15-16

The present and the future

"Genoa"

p.23-24

E la sorte della Germania?

"Norab"-1940a

p.41-43
p.45-46

ch. XIV: Tysklands triumf
ch. XVI: Vår tids profet

"Pasteur"

p.34-35
p.36-37

Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen? Een antwoord op de vele belangrijke vraagstukken die ons bezighouden gegeven door "Les vrayes Centuries et Prophéties de maistre Michel Nostradamus"

"Rossier"-1940b

p.8

Et le sort de l'Allemagne?

The text of the chapters XVII and XVIII in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget is not present in What will happen in the near future? These chapters were written because of the spread of Nostradamus spådomar om kriget in Sweden.

The quatrains in the chapters I - IV and XII - XIV in *What will happen in the near future*
I. A passage from Goethe's Faust
no quatrains discussed
II. A Dramatic Accident
01-35 01-36	decease of Henry II end of the House of Valois
III. Some Dates
no quatrains discussed
IV. Nostradamus develops his Gift of Prophecy
01-01 01-02	method Nostradamus method Nostradamus
XII. The far-reaching Consequences of the Current War
02-75 02-83 02-94 02-99 04-46 08-37	air raids on England blockade of the trade with England, air raids England causes trouble for France the British-French alliance is a disaster for France London fails to withstand German air raids the French government will fall into the hands of Germany
XIII. Italy's Participation in the War
03-23 02-86	war between France and Italy, famine in France navy battle between England and Italy in the Adriatic Sea; England will be defeated
XIV. Germany victorious in the gigantic Struggle
03-58 10-31	birth and rise of Hitler [a] the Holy Empire comes to Germany

Notes

Quatrain 03-5 is erroneously numbered as quatrain II-58. [return]

Propaganda in the United States
Goebbels wrote about the Nostradamus-brochure that it was meant for "the neutrals" and France. Its contents had to anticipate to the omnipresent superstition. Its aimed effects were the raise of commotion and rumours. Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, the Swedish version of this brochure, compiled by Staël von Holstein, contains elements which look Swedish such as the fictitious author's name Norab and in chapter I the name Svensson and references to publications by Stromberg, a Bible scholar, and Johansson, a clairvoyant. In chapter XVII, attention was given to comments by Billenstein and Salamar, Danish Century-scholars; in chapter XVIII, attention was given to comments by the Swedish Century-scholar Ljungström. In other words: the chapters I, XVII and XVIII were meant for Sweden. In Nostradamus spådomar om kriget, the future fall of England is strongly emphasized, which is shown by the fact that the titles of the chapters XI, XII and XIII point to this.
What will happen in the near future? was meant to be spread in the United States. The number of printed copies in the period March 1940 - August 1940 was 3.000, a small number, compared with the 20.000 French copies and the 25.000 Croatian copies. The question is for who in the United States this brochure was meant and what impact it should have. Should it warn the American army, government and/or parliament to stay out of the conflict? Was the aim of this brochure to mobilize the German society in the United States and perhaps the Italian one? The contents of What will happen in the near future? do not offer a clue by which this question can be answered. The Swedish origin of this brochure was not kept secret: on p.2, the name of the printer (Stockholms bokindustri AB) was given. Further, the author's name Norab was used, a name which is not a common American name. What will happen in the near future? does not contain specific American themes or references to American publications about the Centuries or PSI-phenomena. Perhaps Staël von Holstein had no information at hand about this.
May-be the titles of the chapters XI, XII, XIII and XIV in What will happen in the near future? might be a clue to the nature of the propaganda message of this brochure. In these titles, the war is broadly exposed: fatal events for England, the far-reaching consequences of the war, Italy's participation and Germany's victory. The contents of these chapters do not solely deal with England's defeat as is the case in the chapters XI, XII and XIII in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget; France, marked as Germany's mortal enemy, will also be defeated. Perhaps the propagandistic message of this brochure is contained in the presentation of the war in Europe as a war in a continent, with Germany becoming the ruler of this continent. We can only guess why Staël von Holstein left out the comment on the Molotov - Von Ribbentrop pact, a comment which he included in Nostradamus spådomar om kriget and which is also part of Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?.
The paragraph in chapter IV in which the French Republican calendar is discussed as being predicted by Nostradamus, the replacement in chapter XII of the quatrains 02-78 and 02-100 by the quatrains 02-94, 02-99 and 04-46, the insertion of the quatrains 02-86 and 03-23 and the delete of the quatrains 01-99, 02-85, 03-32, 03-71 and 08-97 might indicate that Staël von Holstein tried to enforce the impact of What will happen in the near future? with nostradamic material which in his eyes would be more effective.

De Meern, the Netherlands, November 20, 2006
T.W.M. van Berkel
actualized on April 16, 2007

Expression of thanks
The author wishes to thank the National Swedish Library for sending some parts of What will happen in the near future?, catalogue number 000425033.

Notes

Leoni, p.99. For the copy figures: see: Maichle: Die Nostradamus-Propaganda der Nazis, 1939-1942; Boelcke-1966, p.304 and Boelcke-1989 (1967), p.28.
The author of this article is in possession of the table of contents of What will happen in the near future?, the pages 5-17 and the pages 52-63. [text]
Van Berkel: The German source text of a.o. Hoe zal deze oorlog eindigen?, Nostradamus spådomar om kriget and What will happen in the near future?. [text]
Maichle: Die Nostradamus-Propaganda der Nazis, 1939-1942. [text]
Van Berkel: Information on baron L.F.W. Staël von Holstein alias Norab. [text]
Van Berkel: Nostradamus spådomar om kriget (baron L.F.W. Staël von Holstein alias Norab, Stockholm, 1940). [text]
Leoni, p.73, 99, 579 and 586; McClellan: www.newprophecy.net/thirdkey.htm. The qualification "Norab, nazi-astrologer" can be found on www.mms-italia.us/air_submarine_russian.html.
During World War II, the Fellowship Press published anti-Semitic pamphlets. In one of them, entitled New Dealers in office..., it was suggested that high federal government officials who were Jewish or who had a Jewish-sounding surname (e.g. president Roosevelt) had contacts with Communist-front organizations. It is quite bizarre that Leoni and McClellan discussed Nostradamus, Seer and Prophet as if this pamphlet was the result of a research on Nostradamus, especially since "Norab" was not a Century-scholar, but the translator of a propaganda text, based upon Century-comments. [text]
"Norab"-1940a, p.46. [text]
"Norab"-1940b, p.5; "Norab"-1940a, p.5-6. [text]
"Norab"-1940b, p.7-8; "Pasteur", p.10-11 and 41. [text]
"Norab"-1940a, p.9. [text]
"Norab"-1940b, p.54-55; Le Pelletier-1867-II, p.56 en 345. [text]
"Norab"-1940a, p.38-39; "Norab"-1940b, p.56-57; "Pasteur", p.32; De Fontbrune, p.259. [text]

© Politischen Archiv Auswärtigen Amt, Berlin
In connection with this article, photocopies have been studied of the brochures Que se passera-t-il entre le printemps 1940 et le printemps 1941? (Geneva, 1940, on this website indicated with "Rossier"-1940b) and its Serbian pendant (Sma nai gonosu 1940?, Belgrade, 1940, on this website indicated with "Belgrade"). The originals are owned by the Politischen Archiv Auswärtigen Amt (ref: PA AA R 66658).
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