Doctor Goebbels: His Life & Death

Ibid., May 28, 1934.30 Ibid., Jun 3, 1934.31 See the reference, ibid., Jun 7, 1934, to a countess with whom he sees the film ‘ZwischenHeute und Morgen’; he ‘parlavers’ (as he routinely spells this buzz-word) at length with her,finds ‘she is very nice.’ On Jun 13 he notes meeting Käthe Kruse, ‘She is very nice. Drive latethrough the Grunewald.’32 JG (ibid., Jun 22) also called it eine Art Profanierung, ‘a kind of blasphemy.’33 NYT, May 13, 27, 28; unpubl. diary, May 13, 1934.34 See the German FO file on the ‘Jewish atrocity lies’ on NA film T120, roll 4673.35 A Turkish Jew, Wilhelm Rose, born Aug 18, 1898, who had repeatedly been arrestedduring the Weimar period for passport forgeries, etc., and was arrested and deported onFeb 22, 1934. Ibid.36 Unpubl. diary, Apr 24, 1934.37 DNB release, Feb 27; and see Berliner Börsenzeitung, Jan 31, 1934.38 Unpubl. diary, Apr 13, 1934.39 Gauleiter conference in Berlin, Feb 2, 1934 (BA file NS.26/1290).40 Thus spake JG in Essen, Jun 24: OUTRIGHT FIGHT AGAINST THE DIEHARDS. DR GOEBBELSSPEAKS OUT AGAINST THE HIDDEN ENEMIES OF STATE. National Zeitung, Essen, Jun 25, 1934.41 VB, Jan 15, 1934.42 Memo by WIIb, Jan 18, initialled by Fritsch and Reichenau (Reich defence ministry fileH35/29 on JG’s lectures: NA film T78, roll 372, p.5199f); VB, Jan 19, 1934.43 His speech on all these occasions was the 16pp. ‘Wesen und Grundbegriffe desNationalsozialismus.’ (ibid., pp.5229ff).44 Unpubl. diary, Mar 16, 1934. ‘Spoke to Reichswehr. On top form. General von Kleistvery pleasant. I speak two hours.’340 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH45 For JG’s speech in Königsberg, May 14, see ibid., 5292ff; and the Ostpreussische Zeitung,May 15 (with photo), and unpubl. diary, May 15, 1934. He found Brauchitsch ‘very nice, buta monarchist like many in the army.’ He also spoke in Munich, and Münster.46 E.g., ibid, pp.5262f.47 See the Braunbuch des Hitler-Terrors, p.62; and JG’s testimony at the Reichstag fire trial,Nov 8, 1933, p.28.—Afterwards, JG’s condemnation of homosexuals became extreme, e.g.after Gauleiter Helmuth Brückner, founder of the Nazi party in Silesia, was arrested forhomosexual offences (unpubl. diary, Dec 6, 10, 11, 1934).48 Diary, Mar 1, 31, 1934.49 Text of JG’s speech in SA Standarte No.8’s files, NSDAP archives (BA file NS.26/322).50 Unpubl. diary, Mar 17, 1934.51 Ibid., Apr 20, 22, 1934.52 Ibid., May 7, 9, 1934.53 Ibid., May 17, 1934. For an article on JG’s interest in American films, see NYT, Sep 30,1945.54 Ibid., May 28. Karl von Eberstein, in charge of Hitler’s security, reported: ‘During thesupper Hitler treated the baroness with great distinction, and talked to her almost exclusively.’USFET OI SR/36, May 12, 1947: ‘Adolf Hitler. A Composite Picture.’ (NA file RG.407,entry 427, box 1954f).55 Unpubl. diary, Apr 13, 1934.56 Ibid., Apr 18 and 20, 1934: ‘Midday at Führer’s re Harald, with Röhm and Göring.Both back me to the hilt. Göring very decent. Talk with Dr Quandt. I stand firm in face of hissentimentalism. He yields. Magda gets her Harald back. She is delighted.’.57 NYT, Apr 27; unpubl. diary, Apr 26, 1934.58 Ibid., Apr 28, 1934.59 Ibid., Apr 30, 1934.60 Ibid., May 5, 1934.61 Ibid., May 23, 1934.62 Ibid., May 9, 1934.63 Diary, May 28, 30, 1934.64 Unpubl. diary, Jun 3, 1934.65 Fischer (Potsdam) to Hitler, Nov 1, 1932 (BDC file, Helldorff).66 Darré diary, Oct 15, Dec 18, 1933, Jan 17, 27, 1934.67 Rosenberg to Hess, Mar 15 (BA file NS8/171 and Rosenberg papers, NA film T454,roll 63, pp.0584ff); JG publ. and unpubl. diaries, Apr 14, 18, 24, 26, Jul 22 (‘I can’t put up[with Rosenberg] much longer’), Jul 28, Aug 24, 26, 29, 31, Dec 13, 15,1934.68 Diary, Jan 2–3 (‘feelings running hard against Göring’ in the Brown House); VB, Jan 2,1934. In his unpubl. diary of Mar 29, JG noted: ‘With the Führer. Things just as they were.He’s so nice to me… Long time with Führer in the evening. He sets out his foreign policyplans. Great stuff. Our Hitler!’69 Unpubl. diary, May 26, 1934.70 Ibid., Apr 11; and see May 7 and 17 (‘I’m on good terms with Göring now’) 1934.71 DNB release, May 3, 1934.GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 34172 DNB night release, Jun 6–7; JG unpubl. diary, Jun 7, puts the audience at 80,000.—The NYT reported on May 19, 1934 that SA men had invaded Berlin cafes and restaurantsand delivered scorching speeches while comrades prevented customers from leaving.73 NYT, May 13, 1934.74 Ernst ‘Putzi’ Hanfstaengel, report on JG for FDR, Jul 16, 1943 (FDR Libr. PSF box126)75 NA negatives 242-HLM 1013; unpubl. diary, Jun 5, 1934.76 Fromm diary, Jun 21; and ibid., Jun 22: ‘The Schleichers came to dinner with me, and[Major-General Ferdinand von] Bredow [all were victims of the purge eight days later]. …Of course Papen’s Marburg speech was the main topic. We were glad he’d taken a swipe atGoebbels and his endeavours to muzzle public opinion.’ (Boston Univ. Libr., Fromm papers,box 2).77 Orme Sargent to F.O., Jun 27 (i.e., written before the purge), quoting Glass of theAustrian News Agency (PRO file FO.371/17707); it is worth commenting that, speaking toGestapo officials on Oct 11 about these events, Himmler referred to rumours in the foreignemigré press, prior to Jun 30, 1934, ‘that I was hoping to overthrow Minister Goebbels …and that Goebbels no longer had the Führer’s confidence.’ (NA film T175. roll 89, pp.1536ff).78 Unpubl. diary, Jun 7, 1934.79 Czas (Warsaw), Jun 11, 1934, emphasized this point. Speaking to Polish journalists onMay 8 (diary, May 9, and DNB release), JG had talked about the desire for peaceful rapprochement;Pilsudski, the Polish president, and Hitler, he said, both knew what war meant;National Socialism was ‘not for export.’80 Diary, May 11, 13 (‘Midday with the Führer. He’s weighed down with worries. Andnobody helps share the load’) and 17; Jun 7, 1934.81 JG, Das nationalsozialistische Deutschland als Faktor des europäischen Friedens. Rede vor derIntellektuellen-Union in Warschau, 13. Juni 1934 (Berlin, 1934); DNB special release, Jun 12,1934; Westdeutscher Beobachter (‘Our hand is extended’) and Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, Jun14, 1934.—And Sir W Erskine, Warsaw, to Simon, FO, Jun 19, 1934 (PRO file FO.371/17745).82 Unpubl.