Doctor Goebbels: His Life & Death

these regions. ‘We shall speak of Bohemia and Moraviaas ancient German territories.’)They would be left largely to govern themselves. ‘The Czechs will not be germanized,but will enjoy the protection of the Reich’s military, foreign, and economicpolicies.’ Hitler told him the Wehrmacht would cross the frontier at six A.M. Nosooner had Goebbels predicted that the Czechs would come cap in hand, than theydid just that. Emil Hacha, Benes’ successor, arranged to come by special train toBerlin immediately. ‘Meanwhile we have the first troops move into Czech territory.So Hacha can see what’s what.’ S.S. units stealthily crossed into Moravian Ostrau andWitkowitz, to prevent the Poles seizing the steel mills there; resistance in two placeswas quickly broken. Goebbels found Hitler in a state of calm exhilaration, and determinedto gain a lengthy respite after this new Aktion. Hacha arrived with his foreignminister from Prague the evening. ‘The Führer,’ recorded his admiring propagandaminister, ‘has them wait until midnight, slowly and surely wearing them out. That’swhat they did with us at Versailles. The tried and tested methods of political tactics.’The tension mounts as we all wait for the outcome of their talks… Once Hachacollapses in a faint, then they surrender all down the line. They accept more thanwe ever dreamed possible. And unconditionally. Order their own troops not tooffer any resistance.Hitler dictated a proclamation, which Goebbels himself read out over the microphonesto a sleeping Germany at six A.M.75 When he awoke three hours later Hitlerhad already left to join his troops. In his pocket he carried the new statute for Bohemiaand Moravia, and the Protectorate that he was to establish over this supine neighbour.By evening the entire region had been occupied, a masterpiece of militaryorganisation as Goebbels himself noted.That evening, as Hitler took up residence in the Czech Hradcany castle, Goebbelsfelt suddenly very lonely: ‘I feel a longing for human beings.’ He went over to film-522 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICHstar Zarah Leander’s little birthday party for distraction.76 At first he believed theCzechs had taken the invasion lying down; later he learned there had been a numeroushostile demonstrations. ‘Prague,’ he reflected, ‘still has too many Jews and marxists.But we’ll soon smoke them out.’77 On March 16 he issued an edict: ‘The use of theterm “Grossdeutsches Reich” is not desired. This term is reserved for later eventualities.’He began to plan an Easter journey across the Balkans and Greece. That eveninghe went out for another little drive—after all, Magda was a thousand miles away.WHILE Magda had gallivanted off for six weeks late on March 9, Goebbels enjoyedrenewed access to their children. Sometimes he brought them into his ministry andlet them tumble around his study.78 Still pursuing Magda, his Staatssekretär Hankemeanwhile addressed love letters to her at every station of her journey.Hitler phoned Goebbels from Brno, and told him he was off to Vienna for a privatetrip. Goebbels was planning a hero’s welcome in Berlin. ‘He’s in a brilliant mood,’noted Goebbels, ‘and just laughs when he hears that the mood in London and Parishas stiffened somewhat.’79 Hitler returned on the nineteenth, and told him over supperhow he had found Hradcany castle quite deserted when he arrived in Prague.80Unlike the Czechs however the British did not take this latest outrage lying down.Under pressure, Chamberlain was moved to protest about Hitler’s broken promises.Goebbels launched a vulgar riposte in the press. Hitler refused to take Chamberlainseriously.81Late on Tuesday the twenty-first, Goebbels again took him to the theatre. This timethey had to camouflaged their next move, a crude ultimatum which Ribbentrop wasat that moment issuing to Lithuania over Memel. ‘These petty crooks of Versailles,’chuckled Goebbels, ‘are now having to hand back their loot.’ Waiting for word fromLithuania, Hitler outlined his next plans to Goebbels—first that respite, to regainpeople’s confidence, and then they would raise the question of Germany’s formercolonies. ‘Always the old one-two,’ marvelled Goebbels. At six-thirty A.M. Lithuaniaagreed to relinquish Memel at once. It all seemed so easy: Goebbels realized that thiswas a dangerous notion that he would soon have to counteract.82GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 523Yes, as months went there definitely was something about March. ‘What a weekthat was,’ wrote Goebbels. Could Hitler pull off the hat-trick and recover Danzig—the former German port that the League of Nations had unwisely placed under partialPolish control after the world war—in short order too? After staging a triumphalentry into Memel aboard the battle-cruiser Deutschland on March 23, Hitler talkedin confidence with him again. ‘The Führer,’ wrote Goebbels, ‘is pondering how toresolve the Danzig problem. He’s going to try out a little pressure on the Poles, andhe hopes they’ll respond to that. But we’re going to have to swallow the bitter pilland guarantee Poland’s other frontiers. It will all be decided very soon.’83Ribbentrop told the Polish ambassador Josef Lipski that Hitler’s offer of a deal atSlovakia’s expense was still open, provided that Danzig was returned to Germany.On the twenty-fifth Hitler reassured General von Brauchitsch, his new army commander,that he did not intend to use force against Poland.84 He really did expect adeal, and the navy drafted plans for Hitler to enter Danzig in triumph aboard theDeutschland in a few days’ time.85 Over lunch he said that Poland was still making upher mind. ‘We’re stepping up the pressure,’ wrote Goebbels—impatiently, becauseboth men were planning their vacations, Goebbels in the Mediterranean and Hitlerin Bavaria.Poland however was far from playing ball with Germany. Reports soon reachedHitler that Warsaw had partially mobilized. Ambassador Lipski arrived back on thetwenty-sixth and brusquely warned Ribbentrop that if Hitler still demanded Danzigit would mean war. ‘The Polacks,’ observed Goebbels in disgust, ‘will always be ournatural enemies, however keen in the past they have been, out of pure self-interest,to do us the odd favour.’He set out by train, taking a private secretary and three senior colleagues on thefirst leg of his vacation.86524 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH1 Diary, Jan 1, 1939.2 Ibid., Jan 19, 1939.3 Borresholm, 143ff; the episode was in the autumn of 1938.4 Meissner, 172. Probably the young film actress Anneliese Uhlig. She had tested for thefilm ‘Stimme aus