Doctor Goebbels: His Life & Death

published diary also treats President Hindenburg withfar greater respect (‘this venerable figure’ and ‘the grand old man’)8 than does theoriginal handwritten text.As for Hitler, the image that Goebbels offers readers of his book is of a clear thinking,resolute, pragmatic ‘Führer’ who never hesitates unless for tactical advantage.254 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH‘He has the tougher nerves and the greater staying power,’ writes Goebbels in hisbook.9 Banished from the printed page is the image of Hitler Cunctator, the prevaricatingMunich coffeeshop demagogue familiar from the handwritten diaries of previousyears. ‘The Führer is the best raconteur I know,’ he writes.10 ‘Wonderful,’ hewrites of Hitler’s final appointment as chancellor, ‘how simple the Führer is in hisgreatness, and how great in his simplicity.’11In editing ‘Kaiserhof’ he has however evened up a few old scores. Gregor Strasserlurks through his apparently clairvoyant essay as a sinister figure unrecognizable asthe man of bonhomie and talent of whom Goebbels has in fact written so recently inthe diary. ‘There is one man in the organization trusted by nobody,’ he thunders in‘Kaiserhof’. ‘And this man’s name is Gregor Strasser!’12 Unlike the real man, thebook’s Strasser is a boring and ineffective speaker, ‘the one of us most loved by ouropponents—which tells strongly against him.’13 Hermann Göring too is barely recognizable.Gone are the references to his morphine addiction; no longer a ‘mound offrozen crap,’ Göring is a massive and powerful speaker against defence ministerWilhelm Groener.14 In one handwritten entry he has called Göring an arch prig(urpampig); the published entry reads, ‘I find myself agreeing with Goering [sic] on allfundamental and tactical issues’.15 The difference is that by 1934, the year of publication,Göring has become a very dangerous man to cross indeed.The published diary represents its author, Goebbels, as the one comrade whomHitler trusts and regularly consults: two men sitting like spiders in the centre of theKaiserhof web, watching as their pawns move to topple first Groener, then Brüninghimself in the late spring of 1932.16 There is no trace in it of the depression that laidhim low the year before, and only the most antiseptic glimpses of his private life.17The book records the gau’s crippling financial plight18, but suppresses any referenceto the excesses which the private diary reveals—for instance his craze for the latestautomobiles. On May 22 the diary notes, ‘The gentlemen from Mercedes come tobeg forgiveness. I am to get new coachwork [for the Opel Nuremberg] and a newMercedes open tourer. Now, that’s talking!’19GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 255The published text also casts a discreet veil over Hitler’s private life. On the anniversaryof Geli’s suicide, Hitler tearfully visits her grave in Vienna.20 In ‘Kaiserhof’however he is shown only as driving there for ‘a private visit.’ There is more: the realdiary shows that contrary to popular belief Miss Eva Braun, the blonde laboratoryassistant of Hitler’s photographer, did not step straight into Geli’s shoes, but that aMiss Weinrich briefly claimed Hitler’s attentions first. ‘So that’s Hitler’s pet,’ notesGoebbels. ‘Poor taste. Glum girl. Moist hands. Brr!’ He finds her lunching withHitler at the Osteria restaurant the next day. ‘Pig stupid,’ Goebbels decides, beforeallowing more charitably: ‘How great Hitler’s longing for a woman must be!’ Hewondered what his chief saw in this little floosie—he ought to find a more respectablelady friend.21 There is not even a hint of this in the published ‘Kaiserhof’ ofcourse.NINETEEN thirty-two would be a year of elections—one presidential, two Reichstag,and five provincial. In most the National Socialists would increase their vote. Goebbelsbrought the national propaganda directorate permanently to Berlin from March 1,and campaigned tirelessly. The police dossiers give the flavour of a typical Nazi function—an audience of 2,500 S.A. men, an evening of brass bands, delegations ofstandard bearers, and two musical skits by ‘The Ragdealers’ troupe mocking otherparties.22 Speaking that evening Goebbels shouted: ‘Should the regime try on thebasis of Article 48 to postpone or prevent the Prussian elections legally due underthe Reich constitution then this regime will become illegal and we the Oppositionshall—’ (The police agent missed the last phrase because of the roar of applause, butthe sense was ‘—seize power.’) ‘Dr Goebbels repeatedly stated that the decision willcome in the next four or five months.’ Their party was conscious of its duty, hethreatened: it promised no life of Beauty and Dignity. The police agent had to admitthat Goebbels’ delivery was ‘quite impressive.’He now had a vast following in Berlin. The regime could no longer ignore theNazis. Brüning actually invited Hitler for talks about extending Hindenburg’s term256 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICHof office.23 After discussing it with his partners in the Harzburg Front, Hitler publishedhis refusal in the Völkischer Beobachter, insisting on a new presidential election.24To Brüning’s embarrassment, deputy police chief ‘Isidor’ Weiss chose this momentto ban Angriff for the tenth time in a year, for inciting contempt of the Jews—in 1932there were 172,672 Jews among Berlin’s 4,024,165 population.25 On January 8 heshut down a meeting at the Sport Palace just as Goebbels had begun speaking tofifteen thousand people, for inciting contempt of Weiss in particular.26 Enraged byGoebbels’ outrageous behaviour in court two weeks later during the Helldorff appealhearing—he had demanded that the police informant testify in open court—Weiss slapped a fresh three-week gag on the gauleiter.27 Weiss also warned everyprovincial governor in Germany: ‘National Socialist deputy Dr Göbbels [sic] forbiddento speak here. Meetings only under proviso that G is not speaker. POLICE PRESIDENTBERLIN.’28At the next few meetings organisers read out messages from Goebbels, until thepolice banned these too. The fight continued. On legal advice—and by now Goebbelswas surrounded by eager lawyers willing to help—he deeded his personal library toa third person in case Weiss seized it on the pretext that it served the purposes ofspreading revolution.The tide of political violence was rising. Eighty-six Nazis were murdered during1932; in twelve months Goebbels alone lost seven men, and the police seldom caughtthe murderers.The killing of fifteen year old Herbert Norkus was particularly nasty. With five palshe had been distributing Goebbels leaflets early one Sunday morning, January 24,when they were overwhelmed by five times their number of communists (and, itturned out,