Doctor Goebbels: His Life & Death

on this earth.’ He toreapart Strasser’s arguments of the day before. Strasser had hinted at the path of illegality.But General Walter von Reichenau had warned that the army and police wouldopen fire. Reichenau himself had urged patience—the party, he said, was bound toachieve power legally sooner or later. The whole speech was ‘fabulously surefooted,’in Goebbels’ words—annihilating for Strasser… Spontaneous ovation at the end, everybody gave Hitlerhis hand. Strasser is isolated. A dead man! I have fought for six years for this.65Hitler was unquestionably the master, and Strasser only the sorcerer’s apprentice.Two months later, events would prove Hitler’s strategy correct: and this would temperthe loyalty of every high party official who had tortured his conscience this day.Still reluctant to make a final break, Hitler’s press office announced that Strasserhad only gone on three weeks’ leave.66 Goebbels’ newspaper published a more maliciousvaledictory; he had to disown it the same day.67 He would continue his feudwith Strasser to the bitter end. As for Strasser, he had left for the sunnier climes ofGOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 281Italy; he told friends afterwards that Germany was now at the mercy of a congenitalliar from Austria and a clubfooted dwarf, of which the latter was the worst. ‘He isSatan in a human’s image.’681 Göring had met Emmy in the spring of 1932 on the Weimar stage, and sent her a telegramfrom Capri in May.2 Quoted by Erwin Giesing in USFET MISC report OI SR/36, ‘Adolf Hitler. A CompositePicture,’ Mar 12, 1947 (NA: RG.407, entry 427, box 1954F).3 Diary, Jun 13, 1932.4 For the prosecution of Röhm for homosexual offences since 1925 see LandesarchivBerlin, Rep.58, item 517; a case against Berlin editors for publishing Munich court documentsagainst Röhm is ibid., item 710.5 See e.g. Konstantin Hierl to Hitler, Mar 24, 1932 (Hoover Libr., NSDAP papers, box 2.)6 H R Knickerbocker MS, ‘Nazi Germany’ (Syracuse Univ. George Arents Research Libr.,Dorothy Thompson papers, box 2); for JG’s letter to Knickerbocker, Mar 8, 1932 see Columbiauniv., New York, Rare Book and MS Libr., Knickerbocker papers).7 Landesarchiv Berlin, Rep.58, vol.iii,.8 Kaiserhof, Apr 26–30, 1932.9 Diary, May 25; Kaiserhof, May 24, 1932.10 Lohse MS; Kaiserhof, May 12, 1932.—Case files on JG’s antisemitic libels against Weisson May 12 are in Landesarchiv Berlin, Rep.58, item 721.11 JG’s secretariat to lawyer Dr Otto Kamecke, Sep 2, 1932 (ZStA Potsdam, Rep 90 Go 1,Bd.2).12 Tax accountant Paul Schüler to JG, Jan 2, 1933 (Hoover Libr., JG papers, box 2).13 Diary, May 22–23, 1932. Not all was idyllic’ the diary on May 24 has Magda ‘irritating’JG, but on May 30 ‘she is clever and pretty.’14 Kampmann MS, May 13, 1938 (op. cit.)15 JG to Otto Born et al., Jun 9, 1932 (NSDAP archives. NA film T581, roll 11a, BA fileNS.26/1224).16 Angriff, Jun 14, 1932; Grzesinski MS.17 Kaiserhof, Jun 24–25; diary Jul 2, 1932.18 BA file R.55/1280.19 Diary, Jul 6; Kaiserhof, Jul 10, 18, 1932. For JG’s broadcast script, with Gayl’s handwrittencuts, see BA file R.55/1273.20 Gau Gross-Berlin, candidates’ list, Jul 4, 1932 (NSDAP archives, NA film T581, roll 29,BA file NS.26/546).282 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH21 JG, declaration, Berlin, Jul 6, 1932 (original in Princeton Univ., Seeley Mudd Libr.,Adolf Hitler collection.); for the one signed by Gauleiter Herbert Albrecht, Jul 5, 1932 seehis BDC file.22 The Neuer Deutscher Verlag was prosecuted for publishing Goebbels’ picture with thecaption: ‘How’d it be, aside from murdering the workers, to bump off Superman Goebbelstoo!’ (Landesarchiv Berlin, Rep.58, item 705.)23 See the report in Hamburger Volkszeitung, Jul 16–17, 1932, and the Severing papers,folder 192, in the Friedrich Ebert foundation.—Dokumente; Grzesinski MS; Kaiserhof, Jul17, 1932.24 For Severing’s dismissal see folders 193–6 and 317–322 of his papers in the FriedrichEbert foundation in Bonn; for his intercession on Dr Weiss’ behalf, folder 50.25 Grzesinski MS.26 Captured by the Nazis, they were put on display in 1936. Angriff Oct 30, 1936.27 Kampmann, op.cit.28 Milch diary, Aug 1932; for correspondence on these negotiatons see BA file NS.51/14.29 Diary, Aug 8–11, 1932.30 The Wirtin in Fröhlich’s transcription of the diary, Aug 10, should of course read ‘Werlin’—Jakob Werlin.31 Diary, Aug 11, 1932.32 Press release, Aug 12, 1932.33 Papers and correspondence on Hitler’s talks with Papen, Aug 13, 1932, are in Partychancellery files, NA film T120, roll 2621, pp. E381901ff; BA file NS.51/14).34 Diary, Aug 15–18, 1932.35 Kaiserhof, Aug 30–31, 1932; Milch diary, Aug 31, Sep 8, 1932 (Author’s film DJ-59).36 Diary, Sep 19, 1932.37 Ibid.38 RPL, circular to gauleiters, Oct 17, 1932 (BA file NS.26/263).39 Ditto, Oct 19 (ibid); and Angriff, Oct 20, 1932.40 RPL circular to gauleiters, Oct 20, 1932.41 Ditto, Oct 25, 1932.42 Unsere Nation, No.18, Sep 15, and No.19, Oct 1, 1932.43 RPL circular to gauleiters, Oct 27, 1932 (loc. cit.)44 Kampmann, op. cit.45 DAZ, Nov 3, 1932.46 Leopold Gutterer, MS, 28 (Niedersächsisches Staatsarchiv, Wolfenbüttel: File 250 N.317).47 Diary, Nov 8, 1932.48 Angriff, No.230, Nov 7, 1932.49 Diary, Nov 9; Kaiserhof, Nov 8, 1932.50 Hitler to Papen, Nov 16, 1932 (NA film T120, roll 2621).51 See note by Reichstag deputy Dr Hans Eugen Fabricius on this resignation, Nov 17,1932 (BA file NS.26/4).52 Hitler to Hindenburg, Nov 21 (NA film T120, roll 2621).53 Hitler to Meissner, Nov 23, 1932 (ibid.)GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 28354 VB,Ê Nov 25, 1932.—The original draft dated Nov 23 has all four signatures in the samehand and Strasser’s appears to have been rubbed out (ibid.) Lohse, MS, doubts he did sign.55 Lohse MS.56 Diary, Dec 1, 1932.57 For remarks by Schleicher and Ott on why they accepted, at defence ministry conferencesDec 13–15, 1932 see General Liebmann’s papers in IfZ, ED.1, pp.257ff; also Dr OttoMeissner’s MS, ‘Der Weg der Regierung,’ Sep 22, 1945 (US State dept. files.)58 Diary, Dec 9, 1932; according to Wagener (IfZ: ZS.1732), Funk’s former secretary oncetold him that Goebbels had helped Strasser dictate the letter in Funk’s apartment. There is noconfirmation of this odd detail in the diary.59 Hans Frank, Im Angesicht des Galgens. Deutung Hitlers und seiner Zeit auf Grund eigener Erlebnisseund Erkenntnisse (Munich, 1953), 108. Frank wrote this MS in Nuremberg prison, and