Doctor Goebbels: His Life & Death

that he was invading Denmark and Norway atdawn. Guns, troops, and ammunition were at that very moment entering Norwegianwaters, concealed inside colliers.45 Asked by an astonished Dr Goebbels how heexpected the Americans to take this new operation, Hitler responded that he did notreally care. ‘Material aid from them cannot come into play for about eight months,and manpower about a year and a half.’ This did however make it essential to win thewar before 1941 ended. Hitler had sent off all the foreign military attachés to inspecttheir western defences to get them out of the way. Only one, the Norwegian, haddeclined to go. Goebbels added to the smoke-screen by organising a mass meeting inthat evening. Meanwhile he secretly mobilized key staff members without being ableto tell them exactly why. To those asked why he had spent so long over at the Chancellery,he explained that the Führer was dissatisfied with his work.That Hitler pulled off this master-stroke on the ninth only hours before Churchilllanded his own expeditionary force in Norway gave Hitler an aura of semi-right-GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 587eousness. At lunch that day he was again speaking of a new Germanic empire. Goebbelswarned editors not to mention their paratroop operations.46 On the tenth, as victoryseemed assured, he directed that the German public must be left in no doubt thatthis had been the most audacious wartime operation ever staged.47 The German navallosses were severe. An ancient Norwegian coastal battery had torpedoed the cruiserBlücher in Oslo fiord with heavy loss of life. Eberhard Taubert, one of his best men,gave him an eye-witness account (‘As the Blücher went down there was one lastinfantryman on deck. He saluted and the survivors stood to attention. A cheer wentup for the Führer.’)48Hitler spoke again to Goebbels of a nordic German league. Politically, however, hefumbled, putting the renegade Norwegian Vidkun Quisling in charge of acollaborationist government. It was an unpopular move in Norway, but Goebbelsordered his press to back Quisling so long as their Führer did.49The fighting unexpectedly grew stiffer, particularly at Narvik.50 Fritzsche warnedthat the British were fighting vigorously and with great courage; Goebbels becamequite thoughtful. ‘We’re going to have to take them more seriously,’ he decided.511 Diary, Jan 24, 25, 1940.2 Ibid., Feb 2, 3, 1940.3 Ibid., Jan 17, Mar 10, 1940.4 Ibid., Feb 10, 1940.5 Ibid., Feb 17, 22, 23, 1940.6 Ibid., Jan 9, 1940.7 JG to Hitler, Jan 10; Hitler read it Jan 29: Lammers to JG, Jan 29, 1940 (Reich Chancelleryfiles, NA film T120, roll 3198, E530667ff)8 MinConf., Jan 19, 104; the editor was Gunter d’Alquèn—see his affidavit, Apr 22, 1948(StA Nurnberg, G-15).9 MinConf., Jan 5, Feb 6, 1940. A second foreign press club was opened on Jan 10, 1941.‘Dr Goebbels delivered the speech of welcome,’ reported Louis Lochner on Jan 26, ‘andturned the club rooms over to us. They are beautifully appointed and there are plenty oftelephone lines, typewriters, newspapers, and news bulletins available.’ (FDR Libr: Tolandpapers, box 52).588 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH10 MinConf., Mar 1, 1940.11 Ibid., Jan 2; diary Jan 3, 1940.12 MinConf., Feb 8, 1940.13 VB, Apr 6; diary, Aug 2, 1940.14 Meldung, Jan 5; MinConf., Jan 9, 1940.15 MinConf, Jan 13, 1940.16 Ibid., May 18, 20, Dec 23, 1940, Feb 7, 1941.17 Ibid., Jan 17, 31, Mar 7, 1940.18 Ibid., Apr 10, May 11, 25, 1941.19 Unpubl. diary, Nov 19, 1941.20 MinConf., Jan 27, 1940.21 Ibid., Apr 12, 1940.22 Ibid., May 9, 1940.23 Minutes by Dr Immanuel Schäffer, Sep 7, and by Werner Naumann, Sep 12, 1944 (Yivo,Occ E2-68).24 MinConf., Apr 13, 1940.25 Ibid, May 25, 1940.26 Diary, Jul 8, 1941.27 Ibid., Feb 19, 20, 1940.28 Directive No.368 from RMVP press conf., Feb 18, 1940 (BA, Brammer files).29 Press conf., Feb 19, 1940; Boelcke, 289.30 This Aufklärungsausschuß Hamburg, run by a Dr Johannsen with Staatsrat Dr Helferich,had agents in Budapest, Ankara, Stockholm, Sofia, Bratislava, Madrid and (Bertram deColonna) in Lisbon; see SAIC report CIR.4 on the organisation of the RMVP and RPL, Jul19, 1945 (NA: RG.332, ETO MIS-Y, box 116). Some of the agency’s files are in BAMilitärarchiv (BA-MA): RW.49 (in records of the Abwehr’s Bremen field office) with a supplementarycollection in Hamburg city archives. For its finances see BA files R.55/381, /382, and /383 (with a note on its origins, Dec 1, 1939), duties, /1338; organisation, /1425,and ZStA Potsdam, Rep.50.01, RMVP, vols.994, 995.—Yivo, and BA file R.55/1425.—Unpubl. diary, May 1, 1942.31 Rosenberg diary, May 8, 1940.32 Diary, Mar 2, 1940.33 Lammers, decree of Mar 1940 (NA film T84, roll 175, 4957).34 Affidavit by Karl-Jesco von Puttkamer, May 25, 1948 (StA Nuremberg, G15).35 Diary, Apr 6, 7, 8, 1940.36 Ibid., Apr 6; VB, Apr 6; text publ. by H A Jacobsen, Der Zweite Weltkrieg (Frankfurt, 1965),180f.37 Diary, Apr 16, 1940.38 Ibid., Jan 17, Mar 5, 1940.39 Ibid., Jan 3, 4, 20, 23, Feb 10, 1940. For Humanité’s broadcasts May 1 to Jun 24, 1940see Ortwin Buchbinder, Geheimsender gegen Frankreich (Bonn, 1984).40 Diary, Jan 5, 6, Mar 14, 1930.41 Ibid., Feb 13, Mar 12, 15, 1940; Gutterer MS (loc. cit), 84f, and interview. The Frenchretaliated with their own porno-leaflets (MinConf., Feb 17, 1940).GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 58942 Diary, Mar 27, 28, Apr 25, 26, May 8, 1940.43 MinConf., Apr 4; Life, Aug 5, 19, Sep 23, Dec 30, 1940.44 L’Illustration, Paris, Mar 16, 1940. Bernd Martin, Friedensinitiativen, 220; Reuth, Goebbels,442f.45 Diary, Apr 9; Lieutenant Colonel Hasso von Wedel, chief of Wehrmacht propaganda,handed him Keitel’s directive on the operation (Weserübung) on Apr 9, 1940 (ZStA Potsdam,Rep.50.01, RMVP, vol.878). Wedel, a passionate and amply proportioned gourmet cook,became JG’s bête noire. Wedel’s papers are in BA-MA, RW.4 and see his memoirs, DiePropagandatruppen (Neckargemünd, 1962).46 Diary, Apr 10; MinConf., Apr 9, 1940.47 MinConf., Apr 10, 1940.48 Diary, Apr 18, 1940.49 Ibid., Apr 12, 14, 18, 25; MinConf., Apr 26, 1940.50 Diary, Apr 25, 1940.51 Ibid., Apr 30, 1940. In fact the French Alpine chasseurs and some Norwegian unitsfought with conspicuous gallantry; the English bravely, but less so.590 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH

Goebbels38: Knocking out Front TeethJOSEPH