Doctor Goebbels: His Life & Death

diary, Jun 11, 16, 1934.83 Ibid., Jun 18; according to newspaper reports JG attacked Papen indirectly, referringto Centre politicians who made much of their personal friendship with God; but it was theNazis, he said, who were meanwhile restoring full employment. See e.g. Gladbach-RheydterTageblatt, Jun 18, 1934.84 Unpubl. diary, Jun 18; and cf. Jun 20, 1934.85 Papen, Der Wahrheit einer Gasse (Munich, 1952), 349; Borresholm, 125ff.86 Phipps to Simon, Jun 22, explaining JG’s attack on Papen in his speech that night (PROfile FO.371/17707); Lochner to Betty, Jul 27, 1934 (Lochner papers, loc. cit.)—JG’s diarydoes not mention the painful episode.87 Der Tag, and DNB night release Jun 22, 1934.88 Papen, memoirs, 310ff; information from the Forschungsstelle für die Geschichte desNationalsozialismus in Hamburg, May 1991.89 Unpubl. diary, Jun 25, 1934.90 Ibid.342 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH91 The Hallischer Nachrichten put the figure at 225,000; and see 12 Uhr Blatt, Jun 23, 1934.92 12 Uhr Blatt, Jun 25 (‘Outright fight against the Reaktion. Dr Goebbels against thehidden enemies of state’); National Zeitung, Jun 25 (PRO file FO.371/17707). JG wrote(unpubl. diary, Jun 25, 1934) with satisfaction that everybody took his words as directedagainst Papen.93 DNB press release, e.g. in Deutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, Jul 8, 1934.94 ‘Diary of Viktor Lutze beginning with the ill-starred Jun 30, 1934,’ handwritten volumein Friedrich Ebert Foundation archives, partially transcribed by Dr Ulrich Cartarius.—Publ. in part by Frankfurter Rundschau, May 14–16, 1957, and Hannoversche Presse, May 17,1957. It was probably retrospectively written up from early 1936. Cited hereafter as Lutzediary.95 His London press attaché Fitz Randolph reported to JG (unpubl. diary, Jun 27) on thedamage Papen’s speech had done there. ‘The Herren-clique cynically make use of foreigners,and hate me most of all.’96 Unpubl. diary, Jun 27, 1934.97 Ibid.98 Diary, Jun 29, 1934.99 Flensburger Nachrichten, Jun 28; Hamburger Nachrichten, Jun 28, 1934 (‘Dr Goebbelssettles accounts with the critics and grousers.’)100 On Jun 25. See the 1966 Heidelberg dissertation by Karl Martin Grass, Edgar Jung.Papenkreis und Röhmkrise 1933/4, p.242; cited by Heinz Höhne, Mordsache Röhm (Hamburg,1984), 247. Jung’s arrest was reported in Basler Nachrichten, Jun 30, 1934. See too SeftonDelmer’s well-informed account of JG’s clash with Papen and Jung in Daily Express, Jun 29,1934.101 Diary, Jun 29, 1934.102 Ibid.GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 34323: Inkpot HeroTO consolidate his absolute authority, Hitler was about to become a murderer,and Goebbels would finally cast his lot in with him. They suddenly neededeach other urgently: Hitler feared that Goebbels might yet rally the S.A. againsthim—for they were indeed plotting an uprising, though not yet; Goebbels for hispart had so many enemies that he felt safe only at his Führer’s side.1In Essen strange things were happening that Thursday June 28, 1934. Lutze sawHitler called away from the wedding feast to the telephone. A clammy atmosphere,an atmosphere of mistrust, descended on the festivities. Lutze felt that people weresetting Hitler up.2 More phone calls came, from Himmler, from the Gestapo, andfrom Paul Körner in Berlin (Körner presided over Göring’s nationwide telephonetapping monopoly.)3 Hours later, dapper and businesslike, Körner arrived in person,bringing more reports. These indicated that Röhm and the S.A. were planning toputsch at fourÊ P.M. on Saturday.4 Hitler snapped: ‘I’m going to make an example ofthem!5 He phoned Röhm’s adjutant at Bad Wiessee, and ordered a meeting there ateleven A.M.With Hitler in the Ruhr, Dr Goebbels felt very vulnerable, but Hitler had notforgotten him. On Friday morning June 29, 1934 he phoned Dr Goebbels fromEssen and summoned him to the Hotel Dreesen at Bad Godesberg that evening.(‘Thus,’ sneered Alfred Rosenberg a few days later, ‘he was allowed to join the bigboys.’)6344 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH‘So—it’s on,’ Goebbels wrote, probably quoting Hitler’s words, though still in thedark about precisely what it was.7 ‘In God’s name!’ he added. ‘But anything is betterthan this awful waiting.’8 Hitler also ordered his new private secretary, ChristaSchroeder, twenty-five, to fly west to Godesberg in Goebbels’ plane.Goebbels, wearing a lightweight white summer coat, was met by the local Nazigauleiter Grohé at the airfield. ‘We’ve got to act,’ agreed Goebbels—whose unpublisheddiary of these days’ grim events has now been obtained by this author from thesecret Moscow archives: it shows him taking a detached interest in the massacre,thrilled to be so close to the killing though relieved not to have wielded the murderinstruments himself. Goebbels drove to the Hotel Dreesen, followed by Hitler (‘heis very grim’) at four P.M. Shortly, Viktor Lutze also arrived. Lutze and Goebbels hadbeen friends since the early days in the Ruhr. Other veteran Nazis gradually crowdedonto the hotel terraces. Hitler, noted Goebbels, told him in detail what was goingon. To his astonishment he learned that Hitler was about to act the next day, Saturday,not against the conservative Reaktion, but against Röhm and his Brownshirt rebels.Not for a moment did he betray his dismay that Hitler was proving more reactionarythan the Reaktion itself. ‘Drawing blood,’ recorded Goebbels approvingly: ‘Gotta realizethat mutiny costs them their neck. I agree with this. If do it you must, thenruthlessly. Proofs that Röhm was conspiring with [the French ambassador] François-Poncet, Schleicher, and Strasser. So, action!’9 Goebbels recalled: ‘After reaching hisdecision the Führer is very calm. We pass the hours in discussions. Nobody mustnotice a thing. Talk with Lutze, the new [S.A.] chief of staff. He’s very good.’ For awhile they watched a tattoo by the Labour Service. As six hundred torchbearersmarked out a fiery swastika on the far bank of the Rhine, they watched the sun set,and waited in Hitler’s suite. ‘The Führer,’ noted Goebbels, ‘is tense but very firm. Weall keep silent.’ Toward midnight there was a phone call from Berlin—both Lutzeand Goebbels recorded it: ‘The rebels are arming themselves,’ wrote Goebbels. ‘Nota moment to be lost.’Hitler went pale, and announced: ‘We’re on our way.’10 Goebbelssent a message to Magda to take the children from the Cladow cottage to the safetyof their ministerial villa in Berlin; he ordered police protection for them.GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 345It was now June 30, 1934. Shortly before two A.M. their plane took off for Munich.The broad