Family Tales: The family of real estate...

Family Tales: The family of real estate mogul Donald Trump is of German origin, not Swedish as Trump wrote in his recent book, a writer suggests in the September Vanity Fair magazine. Trump’s father, Fred, hid his German background because most of his tenants in Brooklyn were Jewish, writer Marie Brenner quoted family members as saying. Estranged wife Ivana Trump believes “her husband reads a book of Hitler’s collected speeches, ‘My New Order,’ which he keeps in a cabinet by his bed,” the article says. When questioned about the book, Trump told Brenner he did indeed have it.

Money Tales: Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch will talk about anything. Except money. The former mayor is out on the national talk-circuit, doing daily radio commentaries, dishing out opinions on weekly television news-shows and even talking up a diet drink. But as far as his earnings, mum’s the word. “I never discuss money. It’s gauche,” he said in a recent interview. Koch is expected to earn nearly $2 million this year, including $1.6 million from speaking fees of $20,000 a speech, the Daily News said Sunday.

Tall Tales: Convicted Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy said in a television interview late last week despite mistakes, he didn’t consider Watergate a totally botched job. “What I would do different is . . . . I would absolutely have nothing to do with Messrs. (John) Dean and (Jeb) Magruder. If you and I were together on the deck of the Titanic, Magruder would be trying to get in (the lifeboat) before his mother. Dean, on the other hand, would be trying to get in there ahead of your mother.”

Silent Tales: Princess Diana used sign language Thursday to address a meeting in Brighton, England, thanking delegates for a book she was given. “I am very proud to receive this book, thank you,” she signed. “I offer my congratulations to the British Deaf Assn.” The delegates gave her a standing ovation. “There were no mistakes, no fluffs,” said the group’s spokesman.