Stone: 'Hitler is an easy scapegoat'

Oliver Stone has sparked controversy by claiming that Hitler is an "easy scapegoat".

The Wall Street 2 director made the comments while promoting his new documentary series, The Daily Telegraph reports.

The Secret History Of America, which Stone claims will put historical figures such as Hitler and Stalin "in context", aims to discover hidden facts about the United States.

In a trailer for the show, Stone says: "You cannot approach history unless you have empathy for the person you may hate."

Meanwhile, at a press conference at the Television Critics Association he explained: "We can't judge people as only 'bad' or 'good'. Hitler is an easy scapegoat throughout history and it's been used cheaply. He's the product of a series of actions. It's cause and effect."

The show's lead writer Professor Peter Kuznick insisted that Hitler will not be portrayed positively in the series, but said that he will be discussed in the context of the time instead of as "somebody who appeared out of nowhere".

Stone, who revealed that he did not want to make an "easy" history programme, added that he expects the series to be criticised.

"Obviously, Rush Limbaugh is not going to like this history and, as usual, we're going to get those kind of ignorant attacks," he said.

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