Doctor Goebbels: His Life & Death

already been concerned about the prevailingsocial injustices in Germany. A young man had invited him to a Nazi discussionevening and he fell in with them at once, joining the party late in 1928; in Berlin hehad befriended Horst Wessel, and worked on Goebbels’ propaganda staff in Berlin in1929. Voluble and hard-working, self-assured but moody, Naumann would becomeGoebbels’ closest confidant, outlasting all the others, and in the final days succeedinghim as minister.7 His party record had in fact been seriously flawed: in 1933 he hadbecome commander of No.9 S.A. Brigade in Stettin and at the time of the Röhmputsch he was an S.A. Standartenführer. After trying unsuccessfully to flee that dayhe was relieved of his command, and imprisoned for eight weeks accused of havingknown of the plot. ‘Naumann,’ his successor Friedrich spitefully reported, ‘a §175er[homosexual], was introduced to Pomerania by Heines. He got No.9 Brigade, Stettin,immediately. Heydebreck and Naumann were close friends.”8 (The S.A. commandersHeines, Heydebreck, and Spreti—all his friends—were shot.) Accused too ofGOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 429homosexuality and of permitting financial irregularities in his brigade Naumann hadbeen expelled from the S.A., and then from the party on December 3, 1934. He hadreturned to university in 1935, studied oriental languages, and gained a doctorate inpolitics before being rehabilitated in 1936 when the principal accusations againsthim proved unfounded.In his little speech introducing Hanke and Dietrich to their respective staffs,Goebbels made clear that Dietrich would have no say in the ministry, and that hispreferred confidant was Hanke.9 His faith in Hanke, this handsome, dynamic Silesian,was unspoken and implicit. Hanke gained automatic in-and-out access to Hitler’schancellery.10 He was privy to Goebbels’ tax affairs11, he had introduced him to thearchitect Albert Speer, he would undertake delicate missions for him.12 Goebbelsgave him the keys to his private despatch box—an act of trust which ultimately ledto his undoing, because Hanke became an even firmer friend and adviser of Magdatoo.From now until 1945 Otto Dietrich was a thorn in Goebbels’ flesh. Dietrich claimedto be, not Reich minister Goebbels’ subordinate as Staatssekretär, but his equal asReichsleiter, with only Hitler having the authority to arbitrate between them; andsince he was attached to Hitler’s personal staff he—and not Goebbels—effectivelycontrolled the essential political news output of the daily press. Nor was Goebbels’ministry later able to attach its own man to Hitler’s headquarters comparable withHewel, Koeppen, Bodenschatz, and the military adjutants. The minister swore laterthat Dietrich was not even a real Reichsleiter—he had had a tailor run up a fantasyuniform for him as ‘Reichspressechef’ to which he had stitched the same badges ofrank as a Reichleiter; Hitler, said Goebbels, had good-naturedly allowed Dietrich hisconceit.13 There is a ring of authenticity about the story.AS a storm rumbles and lashes the little lake at Lanke in August 1937 Goebbels findsit too melancholy there and drives back to Berlin where he sends for Lida’s film‘Patriots’ once more.14 He and Magda are drifting apart. As in 1936, she stays awayfrom the 1937 Nuremberg rally. Unhappy at the multiplying rumours of her hus-430 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICHband’s behaviour, she accusingly sends him a copy of the latest communist Red Flagwhich contains the latest scandal. Goebbels splutters, ‘A pack of bloody lies,’ andbuys her off with a silver coffee service.15 Despite all her doctor’s warnings she hasbecome pregnant again. Professor Walter Stöckel, her gynæcologist, urges her towithdraw entirely from social life and to rest out at Schwanenwerder.16 Goebbelsspends more and more time out at Lanke, although Lida is not always there. Nowapproaching the apogee of her career, she often films in Prague as well as inBabelsberg.17 For whatever the reason Goebbels spends much of his time away fromMagda and the children. His diary makes no explicit comment on this, but notes thedays when he is with his home and family.18 No matter how late he arrives whenvisiting Schwanenwerder, he wraps his toddlers in blankets and shows them the latestmovie. They become his best critics. ‘He acts so well,’ says Helga about film starOtto Gebühr, ‘that you can’t even tell he’s acting.’ (He records too her cute praise forMussolini, paying a state visit to Berlin: ‘The other Führer’s quite nice too!’ shesays.)19There is no doubt about his own favourite film star. In October 1937 he reads afilm treatment of Dostoyevsky’s novel ‘The Gambler.’ The lead role goes to LidaBaarova. She signs up with Tobis to play Rosalinde in a film version of ‘Die Fledermaus’.Simultaneously she makes a successful stage debut in Berlin, taking the title role inHermann Bahr’s ‘Josephine’ in December. Goebbels rapturously leads the applause,and is enchanted all over again by his Liduschka’s performance.20 ‘I have never lovedanother woman as much as you,’ he confesses to her.The raise in his ministerial salary has resolved some problems, but invited others.21Magda has inspected a tempting neighbouring lot at Schwanenwerder, Nos.12/14Insel Strasse. It is owned by a Jew, Samuel Goldschmidt, director of the Goldschmidt-Rothschild bank.22 Goebbels’ friend Dr Lippert, erstwhile editor of Angriff and nowmayor of Berlin, forces Goldschmidt to sell it to the city for only 117,500 marks;after the sale, Goebbels emerges as the real purchaser.23 He will rebuild this art decobuilding, converting its stables into a private cinema and the house into what he callshis Burg (citadel)—another refuge from Magda and her tantrums. Sometimes he willGOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 431withdraw to his citadel with a guest, explaining to Magda with a heartless wink thathe wants to play the latest records to her.24 Thus all seems set in December 1937 fora ménage à trois—as soon as Lida is ready. On the eleventh he drives out toSchwanenwerder, talks things over with Magda, and decides to move next door ‘toget some peace.’25 They have been married for six years. ‘We are all so happy,’ hehypocritically informs his diary. ‘The children are playing all around us. I am sittingin my new home in the next door house. Deep snow lies round about. Slept in.’26Often that January of 1938 he drives out to Lanke where his villa is embedded insnow so deep that his new Maybach barely gets through.