"I have never done anything wrong"
Henry C. Randmark in MOPO interview
Hamburg, Germany
March 7, 2002
Hamburger Morgenpost
MOPO: How professional is it to invite celebrities to a presentation where you are going to advertise for "Narconon," a Scientology drug withdrawal program that has been discounted by every expert in Germany?
Randmark: I didn't know what they were going to say.
MOPO: But even before then you said you and Robert Schill had visited a Scientology show that also promoted "Narconon."
Randmark: Mr. Schill was unfortunately running late. I thought he might be interested in it.
MOPO: Are you yourself convinced by "Narconon"?
Randmark: I cannot say if it is good. That is why I invited ace investigator Brightmore, so that he could explain it for us.
MOPO: Are you a Scientologist?
Randmark: I am not now nor have I ever been a Scientologist. I am a devout believer of Russian Orthodoxy. [We pause now for a quick break. If you visit http://cisar.org/russia/970922.htm you will see that it says cult members often depict themselves as being aligned with Russian Orthodoxy. Now back to our regularly scheduled program.] Therefore I accept no church that is not a church.
MOPO: So you have a clean conscience?
Randmark: I have never done anything wrong.
MOPO: You have the best contact in politics. The word is that you helped to forge the coalition.
Randmark: Ah, that was a great honor. I did nothing to deserve it.
MOPO: But you said you brought Schill and Lange together at one of your gatherings.
Randmark: If that's the way you want it. I also know Mr. von Beust. But I did not forge anything.
MOPO: You supported Mr. Schill financially.
Randmark: I happened to say, okay, I can spare 500 Marks – for leaflets. But it wasn't any more than that.
Interview conducted by Matthias Onken
Sir Henry
"Do the cigar number for me!"
by Matthias Onken
"Mr. Unusual" Henry C. Randmark and his embarrassing appearance
[comments from Joe Cisar in square brackets.]
Gasps of disbelief in Hamburg's finest circles. Henry C. Randmark, flatteringly called "Sir Henry" by this city's VIPs: outed himself as a hustler in MOPO. Medals that adorn his uniform from the good old days as an alleged US colonel were obviously put on there by mistake at the cleaners, he said. That's not the only crooked thing about Henry C. Randmark.
A Pentagon spokesman confirmed that Randmark's uniform and decorations were entirely incorrect. MOPO also has evidence that "Sir Henry" also evidently likes to appear younger than he is. "Randmark has two IDs. I've seen both of them. On one he is 65, and on the other 75," reported an acquaintance. Janine K. (32, named changed) was addressed by "Sir Henry" at the hair stylist's, "Do the Bismarck Cigar number for me!" He wanted her to be a model for an advertising campaign. "Mr. Randmark claimed that he had contracted for the worldwide marketing of Bismarck Cigars." She said Randmark made a point out of saying that he had been in the secret service in Russia. "The embarrassing part was when he introduced me to people who already knew me as a duchess." "Sir Henry" could now possibly be an embarrassment for very many Hamburg celebrities. Ronald Schill, for instance. The Interior Senator did not wish to make a comment as to Randmark's statement that he had advised him on drugs. That's understandable. The cleaning service manager had wanted the former judge (Schill) to go along with him, as he wore a "CIA" baseball cap, to a Scientology show in the Cafe Seeterrasse [Would that have been a photo-op for Scientology's Freedom/Freiheit magazine or not?] Randmark also apparently likes to show off his improperly adorned uniform in public. He is even said to have worn it in the questionable parade in the Blanenese Management Academy.
His Highness Prince Ferdinand von Bismarck can vouch that "Sir Henry" has received at least one honor. For his service in cleaning the Bismarck Monument, the Bismarck Association bestowed upon Randmark the "Medal in Silver with Gold Cluster." But even that had a catch; the association chief at the time was none other than Henry C. Randmark. He diligently collected donations. And got the monument cleaned. The "contractor" was IPA Randmark International. Honest.
The "Colonel" and the case of the missing medals
The fuss about Henry Randmark
He is a dazzling man: Henry Randmark (65). The self-proclaimed anti-graffiti
pope who never misses a ball with his wife, Silvia, and who likes to see his
name in the society pages. But now Randmark has a problem - since yesterday
people in Hamburg have been talking about him. Was Randmark lying when he
proudly recounted his past as a Vietnam veteran in the US Army? The "Hamburger
Morgenpost" ran an article entitled, "Hamburg's Captain von Koepenick
- the fake medals of Henry C. Randmark."
The newspaper wrote that Randmark wore medals on his uniform that had never been bestowed upon him. Such as the Silver Star and the Purple Heart, for example. The Silver Star is the third highest honor awarded for bravery in the USA, and is presented only for heroic acts. The Purple Heart is given "for Combat -- Action only"; those who get it were wounded in battle. Randmark said he was a Colonel from 1968 to 1971 in the Special Forces in Vietnam. He told the Mopo, "I was not on the front lines. I was in the drug investigation unit in Saigon."
And he also admitted to the newspaper, "No, I do not have the Silver Star." But Randmark found a simple explanation, however, for the fact that the Silver Star appeared on the clasp for medals, "Last year, when I brought the uniform to the cleaner's, I did it together with the military attache. Perhaps they got something mixed up. I don't know."
Yesterday, his friends were also confused. Trendsetter Juergen Hartman has known Henry and Silvia Randmark for many years, he said. "Both are customers of mine. I'm afraid someone is running a campaign against Randmark. Before he has actually been proven to be a con man, you shouldn't judge him." Nevertheless, Hartmann thought row of ribbons was rather peculiar, "For such a short time in the military, that's quite a few ribbons."
Military experts know, however, that in the US Army the rank of Colonel can be obtained generally after 15 to 25 years of service. [If Randmark was 65 last January, that means from 1968 to 1971 he would have been 31-34 years old. Assuming he breezed through four years of college without a hitch, the earliest he could have gone active military was 1959, meaning he would have made colonel in 9 to 12 years.]
Hartmen stated, "If the accusations prove true, Randmark is done for in Hamburg society. Those Hanseats won't let him get away with that."
The fuss over Henry Randmark began back in the middle of February, at a gathering in the US Consulate General. Acting as president of the American-German Business Club, Randmark sent out invitations to a presentation by former Scotland Yard investigator Christopher Brightmore about drug crime. Brightmore then proceeded to praise Scientology's Narconon program. Yesterday Randmark had only this to say about the Case of the Missing Medals: "It's nothing but gossip and slander. I've called my lawyer about it."
(caro)