Tuesday, Sep. 23, 2008
Idi Amin's Idols
Ugandan President Idi Amin Dada, then the chairman of the Organization of African Unity, held court and gave a spirited yet cringe-worthy performance. The leader, reviled for the imprisonment and execution of his enemies, praised British Prime Minister Edward Heath by comparing him to Adolf Hitler. A German correspondent, eager to hear more of Amin's admiration of Hitler, urged him to continue. Thinking on his feet, Amin — who had once sent a letter praising Hitler's extermination of the Jews — quickly retracted the statement, saying, "Not Hitler — I meant Winston Churchill. Mr. Heath is like Winston Churchill. Please make that Churchill. I don't want to quarrel with my friends. I don't want to open a second-line front against me."