Doctor Goebbels: His Life & Death

giving his life for his people. In the Rheingold afterwards she yet again poursout her heart about her unhappy marriage, until two A.M. They sit side by side atSunday’s premiere of his play, which events in Schleswig Holstein have suddenly150 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICHrendered so topical. Over a meal at Kempinski’s he has one unexpected differencewith Anka, on the Jewish Problem: now it is she who does not grasp it. Privately hereflects on the happiness that might have been: ‘But,’ he adds, priggishly distortinghistory, ‘I had to choose: her, or something greater, my Mission.’ Then, ‘Leavetaking!Farewell,’ he writes, slipping effortlessly into the role of scriptwriter again. ‘Shesmiles.’82His private life is becoming more dishonest. While he writes, and his teenagedJutta cooks for him, he is agonizing over the married Anka returning to her worthlessGeorg. A few days later his diary encodes him as gossipping with ‘the Gipsy,’—Anneliese Haegert, another ‘darling child.’ ‘Most women are boring,’ he concludes,‘particularly the good lookers. But I suppose it’s enough that they do look good.’83After he sees Anka again at Weimar on March 19, her husband comes to fetch her.She seems ashamed of Georg. ‘That is her husband?’ sympathises Goebbels. ‘Oh,Anka!’ Georg Mumme civilly invites him to lunch the next day. It is his first visit totheir little household at No.14 Johann-Albrecht Strasse, which he has so often triedto visualise. Her baby Christian is a stubborn little boy; seeing the child hurts Goebbelsmore than he expects. ‘That was some situation you snared me in,’ he reproaches herin a letter. ‘I felt like a fifth wheel on the wagon.’ Later he invites her to join the gau’sEaster outing to the Harz mountains (‘The car’s at the doctor’s,’ he writes with alevity that belies his nervousness, ‘but will be discharged at the weekend.’) He addsthat she must of course invite her Georg along too. ‘Pity you can’t see from the letterhow I stammer out those words.’ ‘Say hello to your little boy,’ he continues. ‘Heshould always stay so obstinate, and learn never to give way. Then he might make it tominister one day.’84Goebbels has the dull but comforting sensation that perhaps he can never marry,because there are so many women that he is fond of. Anka turns up in Berlin, sits latewith him in a Kurfürstendamm bar talking, crying, and laughing. She visits gau HQthe next day and there are gratifyingly wet tears in her eyes as she leaves his city.85GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 151MARCH 24, 1929. Afternoon at home. Anneliese Haegert is coming round. Howam I to meet her? Anka, sweet woman!Evidently he comes clean about Anka because The Gipsy also leaves in tears. Women,he ruminates, have only one real use—as moles planted inside hostile agencies likepolice HQ or the League of Human Rights.86On the Easter outing Anka arrives wearing a costly leather coat, as green as hereyes are grey. She has brought Georg Mumme along but pointedly ignores himthroughout although he continues to sing the gauleiter’s praises to her. Goebbelsfinds him insufferable: he gulps his beer and cracks painfully pointless jokes; but it isGeorg who shares Anka’s bed each night and not the gauleiter. ‘Thus,’ writes Goebbels,‘vengeance exacts a belated, but infinitely crueller, revenge.’ Georg utters not amurmur of protest as Goebbels squeezes into the back seat next to Anka and, Goebbelssilently asks himself, staring at the husband, why should he? ‘Don’t I have a greaterright to this woman than you, you ignoramus?’ In ancient Goslar Georg tactfully letsthem stroll off together like lovers and returns that evening reeking of lust and liquor.Goebbels spends another sleepless night elsewhere under the same roof.At daybreak they drive off through the rain, snow, and ice. Beneath the warmingtravel rug Goebbels feels Anka’s hand seeking his. Unseen, she slips onto his fingerthe ring her widowed mother gave her.871 Diary, Aug 20, 1928.2 Ibid., Feb 4, 24, 1929.3 Ibid., Aug 12, 1930. The correct transcription is ‘Auwi’—I disagree with Dr Fröhlich’s‘Anni.’ In an entry for Mar 11, 1930 he however scoffed at magnetopaths, and in the unpubl.diary, Jun 22, 1939 he mocks that ‘Görlitzer has comically enough become a sucker forastrology.’4 Ibid., Oct 2, 1930.5 Ibid., Jul 20, 1928.6 Ibid., Aug 8, 10, 13, 1928.7 Ibid., Aug 24, 1928.8 Under Emil Holtz. Diary, Sep 1, 8, 1928; Dokumente, 280f.152 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH9 Diary, Sep 23-25, 1928.10 Facsimile in Dokumente, 285.11 He was prosecuted for cursing the Republic at this Sport Palace meeting. Case files inLandesarchiv Berlin, Rep.58, item 697.12 Diary Oct 1, 1928.13 Ibid., Oct 4, 1928.14 Ibid., Oct 4-6, 9, 11; Nov 2, 1928.15 Ibid., Nov 5, 1928.16 Confidential circular, Oct 31, 1928, signing off: ‘Mit Hitler Heil!’ (Irene Prange papers).17 Diary, Oct 21, Nov 4, 1928. Schweitzer ‘thinks just as I do.’18 Ibid., Nov 2, 1928.19 Ibid., Jan 22, 1929.20 Ibid., Jun 6, 1929.21 Ibid., Oct 13, 27, 30; Nov 3, 4, 1928.22 Ibid., Nov 8, 1928.23 Ibid., Nov 15, 1928.24 Ibid., Nov 21, 27, 29; Dec 1, 2, 1928.25 Ibid., Nov 4, 1928.26 Public prosecutor, letter of Dec 20, 1928 (police file).27 Diary, Nov 10, 13, 1928.28 Ibid., Nov 25, 1928.29 Ibid., Nov 13, 15, 16, 1928.30 Ibid.and VB Nov 17, 1928.31 JG, ‘Kütemeyer,’ in Angriff, Nov 26, 1928.32 Diary, Nov 23, 24, 1928.33 Dokumente, 283.34 Diary, Jun 20, 1929.35 Ibid., Apr 26, May 30, Jun 11, 1929.36 Ibid., Jun 18, 1928.37 Ibid., Dec 3, 1928.38 Ibid., Jan 31, 1929.39 Ibid., Feb 15, 1929.40 Ibid., Apr 26, 1928.41 Ibid., Jan 3, 1929.42 Ibid., Jun 30, 1928.43 Ibid., Jun 24, Jul 5, 1928.44 Ibid., Feb 3, 8, 9-11; Mar 2, 3, 192945 Ibid., Apr 5, 1929.46 Ibid., Apr 21, 28, 1929.47 Ibid., Sep 22, Oct 24, 1928.48 Ibid., Dec 8, 1928; Feb 5, 6, 9, 1929; premiered on Mar 10.49 JG to Ilse Hess, Dec 22, 1928 (Hess papers, Hindelang).50 Diary, Dec 14, 1928.GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 15351 Ibid., Dec 15, 16, 1928.52 JG to Anka Stalherm, Dec 16, 1928, handwritten on Reichstag notepaper (Irene Prangepapers).53 Diary, Dec 18, 1928;