Doctor Goebbels: His Life & Death

Ost), proposal for erection of propaganda apparatus in the easternregion on the basis of the Führer’s decision, Auf 21, 1943 (Hoover Libr., Fritzsche papers.)41 Taubert report (Yivo, G–PA–14).42 Diary, Feb 5, 1944.43 Himmler to Stuckart, Jul 16, 1943 (NA film T175, roll 33, 2113).44 Führer conf. with Keitel and Zeitzler, Jun 8 (stenogramm on NA film T78, roll 788,ND: 1384–PS); and see Heinz Danko-Herre (Foreign Armies East) diary (IfZ, ZS.406), andEtzdorf to German foreign ministry, Jun 17, 1943 (Pol.Archiv des AA, Etzdorf papers.)45 Himmler to Gunter d’Alquèn, Jul 11, 1943 (BDC file, d’Alquèn).46 On this committee see Gutterer’s files in ZStA Potsdam, Rep.50.01, vol.799 and Yivofiles Occ E FD.1 and 4.47 On whom see JG’s diary, Sep 23–24, 1943 and Feb 5, 1944 (‘a swine without a fatherland’.Yivo also has good files of the League’s publications (Occ E FD.9, 10, and 13).48 The problem of the prisoners’ letters now arriving was dealt with by Wächter andBerndt in Propaganda Parole No.57, May 26, 1943 (NA film T81, roll 672, 0773ff).49 Unpubl. diary, May 1, 14, 16, 27, 1943.50 Ibid., May 22, 1943.51 Dr Immanuel Schäffer, interrogation, PWB report SAIC.16, Jun 6, 1945 (NA file RG.332,entry ETO, Mis-Y, Sect., box 116).—See too the FCC Foreign Broadcast Intelligence specialreport No.84, Jun 26, 1943: ‘Nazi Predictions and the Present Propaganda Crisis’ (NAfile RG.226, entry 16, box 384, OSS file 37319).—The SD also reported on May 28, 1943that the public were baffled by the war and growing apathetic (NA film T175, roll 265,0543ff.)52 Diary, May 7, 1943.53 Unpubl. diary, Apr 9, 11, 14, 19, 1943; diary, May 8, 1943.54 Unpubl. diary, May 10 (NA film T84, roll 264); Hans Junge diary, May 9, 1943.55 ‘That’s not going to be easy.’ Unpubl. diary, May 9, 10, 11 (NA film T84, roll 264);Rommel diary, May 10 (author’s film DI–160), and letter to his wife, May 10, 1943 (NAfilm T84, roll R274, 1099).56 Unpubl. diary, May 25, 1943. On the ‘corpse’ see naval staff archives, PG.33216, andNA film T78, roll 343.57 Martin, 142ff; diary, Apr 9, 1943.58 Unpubl. diary, Apr 11, 16, 1943.—The naval staff war diary shows that the Abwehr hadgot every prediction about ‘Torch’ wrong. As for the Soviet armour, see Colonel Lahousen’snote of Jul 20, 1941 (IWM file, AL.1933).59 Diary, May 14, 22, 1943.60 JG, ‘Mit souveräner Ruhe,’ in Das Reich, May 23, 1943.61 Diary, May 16, 17, 1945.62 See the final report of the SS Führungshauptamt, Jun 10 (NA film T611, roll 16); navalstaff war diary, May 20, 22; report by deputy gauleiter Albert Hoffmann, BA file Kl.Erw.854; Speer chronicle, May 17; Hitler’s war conference, May 22 (Heiber, 238ff); and reportsof the operations of the NSV on reel 6 of the microfilm files of the NSDAP archives.GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 77963 Diary, May 19, 20, 1943 (NA film T84, roll 265). There is no truth in the claim: thereference was perhaps to Churchill’s advisor Professor Friedrich Lindemann (Lord Cherwell),but he was not Jewish.64 JG, ‘Vom Wesen der Krise,’ in Das Reich, May 30; diary, May 17, 1943.65 JG’s speech draft for Jun 5 with Hitler’s handwritten amendments is in BA file NS.6/129. Hitler also deleted three whole pages referring to North Africa. See the analysis of thespeech by the British air ministry Director of Intelligence (Ops), Jun 6, 1943 in NA fileRG.226, entry 16, box 417, file 3610.66 For the public’s reaction to this speech, see SD report of Jun 10 (NA film T175, roll 265,9632ff); to Allied air raids, Jun 28 (pp.9758ff); to rumours of new weapons, Jul 1, 1943(pp.9750ff.)67 Unpubl. diary, May 21, 22; Sep 10, 1943.68 Morell/Weber correspondence, Jun, Jul 1943 (Morell papers on NA film T253, rollR34, 3552ff); Naumann note, and Weber to JG, Sep 22, 1943 (ZStA Potsdam, Rep 90, Go 1,vol.3)69 Unpubl. diary, Jul 25–28, 1943 (NA film T84, roll 265).70 Oven, 32ff. On Jul 8, 1943 the SD report mentioned that the public was beginning tobandy around spiteful jokes about Hitler and other bigwigs (NA film T175, roll 265, 9821ff.)71 Semler, ‘Jun 14, 15, 1943.’72 Oven, 43, ‘Jun 27, 1943’ Gutterer independently recalled the taunt, in interviews ofSep 1992 and Jun 30, 1993.73 Martin, 42f.74 JG circular to gauleiters, Jun 14, 1943 (NA film T81, roll 322, 1076ff).75 Index of these circulars on NA film T81, roll 322, 1070ff.76 Berndt, circular to gauletiers, Jun 19, 1943 (NA film T81, roll 322, 1083ff)77 JG’s speech in Wuppertal, ‘In vorderster Reihe,’ text in Der steile Aufstieg (Munich, 1944),323ff.—On Jul 1 the SD reported rumours about the new ‘revenge’ weapons (NA filmT175, roll 265, 9758ff); on Jul 2 Tiessler circularised gau propaganda officials on this point,and reminded them that in the Sports Palace (on Jun 5, 1943) JG had referred to it as a‘scientific race,’ i.e. a question of time (NA film T58, roll 16; BA file NS.26/291).78 Oven, ‘Jun 23, 1943.’79 Unpubl. diary, Jun 25, 1943 (author’s film DI–52; IfZ); on Mar 14, 1944 JG noted thesame arguments from Hitler. On Apr 27, 1944 however JG noted that the Führer was ‘sufferingenormously under the heavy losses being inflicted, particularly on our population andon our cultural artefacts.’80 Unpubl. diary, Jun 25, 1943 (author’s film DI–52; IfZ).780 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH

Goebbels50: The First Battle of BerlinTHE truth,’ defined Joseph Goebbels that summer, ‘is whatever helps bringvictory.’1 German propaganda could no longer afford the luxuries of 1940.They would have to lie and deceive to survive. The moral high ground was no longerrefuge enough, when the very skies rained phosphorus and death.2If July 1942 had brought victories on every front, July 1943 brought only adversity—in Italy, in Russia, and in the air. Historic air and tank battles raged as Hitler’sfield marshals staged Citadel, their classic pincer attack on Kursk. A week later Stalinlaunched his counter-offensive at Orel, and Hitler called off the attack.More than half the letters adressed to Goebbels’ special Berlin post-box now wereanonymous, a bad sign. Many asked why Hitler and Göring did not speak or visit thebombing disaster zones—Goebbels had banned the use of ‘air war