Over the weeks that followed the eastern front stabilized. Hitler told him how he
had harangued the generals day and night. His elderly field commanders had lost
their head. Not for nothing, he told Goebbels, had he been an ordinary dogface
infantryman for four years. He knew a thing or two about front-line soldiers’ nerves
that their generals did not.
‘He is more admirable than ever,’ dictated Goebbels to Otte for the diary.80
684 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH
1 Hanfstaengl, Report on JG for Roosevelt, Jul 16, 1943 (FDR Libr., PSF box 126, file
‘Source S.’); and see memo by 2nd Lieut Albert F Neumann, Jul 15, 1942 on Hanfstaengl in
NA file RG.219, IRR file XE 714 1141.
2 Minute by Frank Roberts, FO, Nov 8, 1941 (PRO file FO.371/30928).
3 Diary, Feb 1; MinConf., Feb 5; SD Meldung, Feb 7, 1941.
4 Diary, Mar 10, 1941.
5 Ibid., Feb 21, Apr 1, 2, 5; MinConf., Apr 1, 5, 1941.
6 Diary, Feb 21, 22, 28, Mar 8, 1941.
7 JG, ‘So will Roosevelt das USA-Volk kriegsreif machen,’ VB, May 29; diary, May 29,
1941.
8 Diary, Jul 24, 1941.
9 Briefing by Dr Zapf, in unpubl. JG diary, Aug 13; and cf. briefing by Schmitz (Reichsbahn
office New York), ibid., Aug 16, 1941.—A similar briefing by von Gienanth, JG’s press
attaché in Washington, is in ibid., Jun 3, 1942: he told JG the Germans were hated in the
USA, ‘particularly we Nazis’ (NA film T84, roll 267).
10 JG to Weizsäcker, Nov 18, 1941 (ND: NG–4742).
11 PM, New York, Oct 28, 1941. ‘Goebbelsgram contest nears end…’ (FDR Libr., PSF box
44, Germany 1940–41).
12 Heydrich to Luther, Nov 29 (Pol. Archiv AA, Abt. Inl. II geh., file Serial 1513; NA film
T120, roll 780, 372043f); cf. Himmler’s phone conversation with Heydrich, Oct 18, 1941:
‘No overseas emigration of Jews.’ (NA film T84, roll 25). The next day Heydrich wrote to
Himmler, ‘In daily transports of a thousand apiece, 20,000 Jews and 5,000 gypsies are being
sent to the Lodz ghetto between Oct 15 and Nov 8’ (NA film T175, roll 54, 8645).
13 Hildegard Henschel, ‘Gemeindearbeit und Evakuierung von Berlin,’ Oct 16, 1941–Jun
16, 1943, in Zeitschrift für die Geschichte der Juden, vol.ix, 1972, 34ff. Of the 82,457 Jews
registered in Berlin on May 17, 1939, only 5,100 remained on April 1, 1945; 10,351 had
been buried on the Jewish cemetery, the Gestapo had deported 50,535. See the tables in H
G Sellenthin, Geschichte der Juden in Berlin, Berlin 1959, 83.
14 (Genuine) Speer chronicle, 1941, 85; Schmidt, 186, 188.
15 Ibid; Speer to Otto Wetzel, Reichstag deputy, Apr 21, 1942 (BA file R.3/1605).
16 Heinrich Heim, note on Hitler’s (dinner) table talk, Oct 25, (Genoud papers). Ad hoc
liquidations of Russian Jews had begun on a colossal scale, but Himmler, who had witnessed
shootings at Kiev only days earlier, evidently said nothing. On the liquidations, see the report
by Canaris or Lahousen, ‘Observations made on a trip to the operational area,’ Berlin,
Oct 23, 1941 (IWM file AL.1933; ND: NOKW.3147).
17 Thus Stahlecker, commander of Einsatzgruppe A, reported secretly, ‘In the three Baltic
states … the Jews only gained the upper hand after the bolshevik takeover,’ thus ‘all influential
government positions [in Riga] rapidly fell into the hands of the Jews.’ (ND: 2273–PS)
18 According to Dieter Wisliceny, writing in Bratislava, Nov 18, 1946, Eichmann had chosen
the destinations on the premise that since Hitler’s ‘Commissar Order’ was in force there
it would facilitate liquidating the Jews (IfZ, F71/8).
19 Stahlecker report.
20 Richard Kube, governor-general of White Russia, report to Himmler Jul 31, 1942.
GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 685
21 A report by SS Standartenführer Jäger on the activities of a unit of Einsatzkommando 3
states that 2,934 Jewish ‘Umsiedler’ (evacuees) from Berlin, Munich, and Frankfurt/Main
were killed in Kaunas on Nov 25, 1941 (Document courtesy of Gerald Fleming, from Riga
state archives).
22 Stahlecker report. This claims that the deportation was based on preparatory work by
the Jews. There had been over 150,000 Jews in Lithuania in 1940.
23 Stahlecker (who may be exaggerating) states, ‘Altogether 136,421 people were liquidated
in many separate operations’ in Lithuania.
24 Diary, Nov 2, 1941: briefing by Lt Col Zehnpfennig, district commandant of Vilnius.
The Soviet secret police, he said, had rounded up the local businessmen one morning in
1940 and shot them.—On Jul 5, 1941 Field Marshal von Leeb reported on the Lithuanians’
revenge against the Jews to Hitler’s HQ; Schmundt told him not to intervene (Army Group
North war diary, NA film T311, roll 53). See Hitler’s talk with Marshal Kvaternik on Jul 22,
and the diary of Otto Bräutigam, Jul 11, 1941: ‘While we turn a blind eye, the Lithuanian
auxiliary police are carrying out numerous pogroms against the Jews’ (Author’s film DI-97).
SS Standartenführer Jäger (see above note) states that in Vilnius from Aug 12–Sep 1, 1941
there were 425 Jews and 19 Jewesses killed, and that on Sep 2 in a Sonderaktion (Special
operation) 864 more Jews, 2019 Jewesses, and 817 Jewish children were killed ‘because
Jews had opened fire on German soldiers.’
25 Diary, Nov 2, 1941.
26 (Genuine) Speer chronicle, Nov 27, 1941; it quotes JG as being ‘extremely surprised’ at
the scale of the effort.
27 Stahlecker’s report (ND: 2273–PS)
28 Dr Drechlser, Generalkommissar of Latvia, to Lohse, Oct 20; and unsigned memo, Oct
21, 1941 (Yivo, Occ E 3–29).
29 Memo by Lohse’s office, Oct 27; and Regierungsrat Trampedach to Ostministerium,
Nov 9, 1941 (Yivo, Occ E 3–30, 32).
30 Army commander, Baltic, to Lohse, Nov 20, 1941 (Yivo, Occ E 3–34).
31 Note by Ministerialdirektor Lutterloh of the ministry of the interior, Nov 21, 1941
(ND: 4055–PS); however a table, ‘Distribution of the Jews as of Nov 15, 1941’, puts 65,000
Jews in Berlin (and 50,000 in Vienna, 11,000 in Frankfurt/Main, 8,100 in Breslau). (NA
film T81, roll 676, 5695).
32 (Genuine) Speer chronicle, 1941, 87; Matthias Schmidt, 188.
33 MinConf., quoted in Willi Krämer to Tiessler, Oct 25, 1941 (NA film T81, roll 676,
5792).
34 Söderbaum, op. cit.—‘The Golden City,’ premiered Nov 24, 1942, was one of the
wartime movie industry’s biggest money spinners.
35 Diary, Nov 7. The Gottschalk family were buried on Nov 6, 1941 in the Stahnsdorf
cemetery. Sellenthin, 87f.
36 Undated Propaganda-Parole No.6, signed by Berndt, No.413/41g (Yivo, G–44); Berndt’s
signature places it after Sep 9.—And see the proclamation by the Jewish Culture Association,
Berlin, Nov 14, 1941 (Yivo, G–229).
37 JG, ‘Die Juden sind schuld!’ in Das Reich, Nov 16; cf. NYT, Nov 14; broadcast Nov 14,
6:45 P.M. (PRO file FO.371/26569).
686 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH
38 OKW Wi.II, Gruppenleiter, circular, Nov 17, 1941 (NA film T77, roll 672, 8117ff): the
government had ordered steps to get rid of the Jewish danger ‘for all times’. JG wrote in his
unpubl. diary Nov 23, ‘My article on the Jews has been applauded particularly by the party
membership’; it pr
ovided ‘the ordinary member’ with the arguments he needed.
39 Obviously a reference to the Gottschalk tragedy. Typically, JG began even this entry
(diary, Nov 22, 1941) with the words, ‘On the Jewish Problem too the Führer is totally in
agreement with my opinions.’ Clearly he was not.
40 Wisliceny report, Bratislava, Nov 18, 1946 (IfZ, F.71/8).
41 Stahlecker states that ‘at the beginning of Dec 1941’ 27,800 Jews (possibly an exaggeration)
were killed in an Aktion by the SS and police chief in Riga; and see the report by the
army liaison officer to the foreign ministry in Riga, Apr 5, 1943 (NA film T120, roll 780,
372,208ff).—Another report by Einsatzgruppe A (ND: NO–3257) gives the overall total as
four thousand Jews from the Riga ghetto ‘and from an evacuation transport from the Reich.’
42 Conversation of Lt Gen Werner Bruns overheard on Apr 25, 1945, CSDIC(UK) report
SRGG.1158 (PRO file WO.208/4169). The two or three pits 25 metres long which he
described, with the victims forced to lie down with their heads towards the centre ‘like
sardines,’ would have held one or two thousand victims each.—See too his interrogation on
Feb 13, 1948 (NA film M.1019, roll 20), and the interrogations of Rocques and Elke
Sirewitz.—Sellenthin, 85, reproduces a Transportliste confirming that 3,715 Berlin Jews
left to Minsk (Nov 14), Kaunaus (Nov 17), and Riga (Nov 27), and on p.86f a letter written
in Feb 1942 from some of their relatives, published the Neue Volkszeitung, New York, Apr 25,
1942.
Goebbels
43 This is a probable interpretation of Himmler’s note on...
‘bunker’ to Heydrich at 1:30 P.M. Nov 30, 19415: ‘Judentransport aus Berlin. Keine
Liquidierung.’ (NA film T84, roll 25).
44 JG’s adjutant to Bartels, Nov 13 (ZStA Potsdam, Rep.50.01, RMVP, vol.5); on Dec 8,
1941 JG cancelled the piano’s purchase.
45 Unpubl. diary, Nov 30, 1941.
46 Ibid., Nov 22, 1941.
47 Ibid., Nov 22; Speer chronicle, Nov 21, 1941.
48 According to JG this was after his visit to HQ on Aug 18, 1941. Boelcke, 195. Semler,
writes ‘Aug 28, 1941.’
49 Lt Col Martin showed him this months later. Unpubl. diary, Feb 6, 1942: Martin had
handed in his proposal for a ski collection; Jodl had scribbled on it, ‘Our troops have no time
for winter sports.’ (NA film T84, roll 260).—Cf G Sander, op.cit.
50 JG, speech to gauleiters, Aug 3, 1944 (IfZ, Fa.35/3).
51 JG to Hitler, Jul 18 (BA file IBID.,/107); cf. Oven, ‘Jul 25, 1944,’ 434.
52 Eduard Wagner, private letter to his wife, Oct 19, 1941 (BA: Irving collection.)
53 Koeppen report on Hitler’s table talk, Oct 26 (NA film T84, roll 387, 0830); letter by
Wagner, Oct 26, 1941 (loc. cit.)
54 JG, speech to gauleiters Aug 3, 1944 (IfZ, Fa.35/3).
55 Diary, Nov 1; Bormann diary, Nov 1, and letter by Wagner, Nov 1, 1941.
56 Testimonies of Puttkamer, Mar 21, 1953 (IfZ, ZS.285) and Canstein (ZS.345).
57 JG, speech to the gauleiters, Aug 3, 1944.
GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 687
58 Lutze diary, Nov 9; JG diary, Nov 10, 1941.
59 Diary, Nov 22, 1941.
60 Unpubl. diary, Nov 22; in his MinConf on Nov 18 JG stated that the winter gear had
reached the railheads but was held up by transport problems, so the press should not mention
it and there should be no photos of German troops without coats. On Nov 24 Hitler’s
HQ repeated these instructions by phone to him: they had to avoid creating ill feeling (unpubl.
diary, Nov 25, 1941.)
61 Unpubl. diary, Nov 22, 1941.
62 Ibid., Nov 30, 1941.
63 Diary, Nov 22, 1941.
64 Ibid., Nov 9, 1941.
65 Hewel Diary, Dec 7, 1941.
66 Unpubl. diary, Dec 10, 1941 (Moscow archives, microfiches).
67 Ibid., Dec 10, 1941.
68 Ibid., Dec 11, 1941.
69 Ibid.
70 Führer’s speech in Verhandlungen des Reichstags, vol.460, 93ff; cf. diaries of Milch and
Schmundt, Dec 11, and unpubl. JG diary, Dec 12, 1941.
71 MinConf., Dec 12, 1941.
72 Ambassador Hiroshi Oshima had confided to JG that Japan would capture Singapore
shortly. ‘He [Oshima] is already forging plans for a joint [Japanese-German] assault on India.
But we’re some way short of that yet.’
73 Unpubl. diary, Dec 13, 1941.
74 Ibid., Dec 13; JG had said that such a meeting with the gauleiters was necessary (ibid.,
Dec 11, 1941.)
75 G Sander.
76 Diary, Dec 20, 1941.
77 MinConf., Dec 19, 1941.
78 Diary, Jan 1, 1942.
79 Ibid., 1942.
80 Von Weizsäcker, note, Jan 6, 1942: Leonidas Hill, 284.
81 Diary, Jan 7, 1942.
688 GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH
Goebbels
44: A Fate which Beggars all Description
IN New York an old enemy, Albert C. Grzesinski, former police chief in Berlin,
proclaimed his intention of overthrowing the Nazis and taking power himself.
With enemies like Grzesinski, reflected Goebbels, one barely needed allies.1 He was
not afraid of the Americans. There were limits to what even they could do. ‘It isn’t
easy to raise and equip an army,’ he commented, ‘as we know only too well.’2 He
ordered anti-American propaganda prepared however, mocking their lack of culture
and their grotesque jazz music.3 He had discussed a Japanese fanfare for announcing
the coming Far East victories; a corresponding Italian fanfare was also to be selected
‘in case there are any Italian victories.’4 Foreseeing race problems, he forbade any
hint of the phrase Yellow Peril in their domestic propaganda.5
He found it difficult now to fault British propaganda. Dietrich had not helped with
his premature announcement of victory in October. ‘It’s a pity,’ Goebbels wrote,
“that we have had so many different agencies cutting the ground away beneath our
feet with their silliness.’6 He told his staff that Churchill had done the right thing in
promising his people only blood, sweat, and tears. He had learned to allow morale to
slump after set-backs; it was easier to restore afterwards.7 He proposed to copy
Churchill’s methods. He actually asked Backe if planned food ration cuts could be
brought forward.8 ‘The German people,’ he said, ‘should get in tune with the war
situation and not sustain false hopes.’9 Once he defined it as his classical mission in
this war to become ‘the architect of the German soul.’10
GOEBBELS. MASTERMIND OF THE THIRD REICH 689
He would willingly have proclaimed Total War, the mobilisation of all available
manpower from the home economy for the war effort, there and then. When
Schirmeister returned from the eastern front in January 1942 he heard Goebbels
expatiate several times during meals on the need for the government to implement
total war.11 The media were still showing peacetime-flavoured pictures of lavish social
functions even now.12 Putting deeds before words, he replaced three hundred
Doctor Goebbels: His Life & Death Page 112
