From multi-millionaire 'Saviour of the Philippines' to penniless ostracised criminal - My father's story

Now that I have told you about my mother @cryptogranny, it's my father's turn!

7 months ago I stated my intention here on Steemit to publish the truth about his story for the first time. Since then I have done further research and prepared his life into chapters which will be posted one by one.

I may be one of ten children but I am the youngest son and I feel as if it is my DUTY to tell his story to the world, leaving it permanently fixed on the blockchain and in history forever.

The Steinberg Family, Chicago 1935
My father is the tall one. He changed his name to Stonehill before he enlisted in the army to fight in the Philippines against the Japanese.

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Born into a poor, hard-working Jewish family in 1917, he excelled in business but after being posted in the Philippines, he stayed there for 30 years... mostly because he fell in love with the country & its people, but also because he saw opportunity.

He was ultimately responsible for the industrialisation of the Philippines and as personal friend to Macapagal, the President at the time, he was untouchable.

But as one of the most powerful & influential men in the country he became a threat to America who lost their grip on controlling this nation as they had intended, and after years of undercover U.S. surveillance he was illegally deported, robbed of his 17 corporations and never permitted to return.

He battled against his own government for 40 years in the supreme courts to prove his innocence, yet he died penniless and unvindicated.

I am no longer interested in my lost inheritance. Only in my firm intention to vindicate the Stonehill family name.

I wrote the outline for his story back in 2002, shortly before he died, after asking him to record his entire life onto an old-school tape dictaphone which I used to create this important document.

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A biography was published 20 years ago by Lewis E. Gleeck, JR. who was an American.

And as such he was influenced by his allegiance to the United States.

It is an accurate portrayal in many ways but omits many controversial subjects and never once alludes to the possibility that the U.S. government broke the law by spying on him for years to find a suitable blackmail situation which would force the Philippine government to deport him.

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His close friendship with Stan Lee (creator of Marvel Comics)

My father was best friends with Stan Lee after they served alongside each other in the Philippines.

Dad offered Stan a job working for him in the Philippines after the war, which Stan turned down because he had some crazy idea about a bunch of animated cartoon characters called Spider-man & The Incredible Hulk.

"Yep, any time my ego needs deflating I remember how I was too smart to leave comic books and go into business with ol' Harry."
--- Stan Lee

I was lucky as a child to spend some time at Stan's home in the Hollywood Hills where I pitched him the idea of turning dad's story into a film. He liked the idea very much and told me the only reason the world doesn't already know the name Harry Stonehill is because this film has not yet been made!

For years Stan and I talked about the project but after he sold Marvel to Disney for the meagre sum of $4 Billion he has been a busy man and instead of retiring like any normal person, he has instead pushed himself to work even harder! And consequently has little time now for projects such as this.

If you're interested, you can read more about dad's friendship with Stan Lee here:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/peterjreilly/2011/10/10/stan-lee-was-smarter-than-he-knew-when-he-turned-down-harry-stonehill/#3e2a8f1febbc

Harry in his Philippine office, Manilla 1965.

At that time he was a true patriot who still put an American flag next to his family picture.

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If he were alive today I can assure you he would not permit this flag to be anywhere near his office or home!

I was born in his 60s so I did not experience his glory days.

Only the torment of his ongoing court case which was ripping him up from the inside.

But today I choose to remember him as the kind, loving & generous soul he was.

This photo shows me with my mother and father in 1980.

Thank you my friends for taking the time to read this very personal story and if you found it interesting, please keep following for the full history of his life which will blow your minds.

He was no ordinary man and I am blessed to have had him as a father.

I am particularly blessed to have experienced the perfect mix of a natural earthy spiritual mother and a money-driven, corporate-minded, business genius father.

THANK YOU UNIVERSE!

You have shown me both sides of the coin and I have evolved now beyond the lives of my parents to see a whole new coin.

A coin called STEEM :)