The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

by William L. Shirer

  30. Paul Reynaud, In the Thick of the Fight, p. 212. Reynaud, pp. 210–33, gives the French version of the Allied negotiations in Moscow in August 1939. He gives his sources on p. 211. Bonnet gives his version in his book Fin d’une Europe.

  31. The documents are in DBrFP, VII (see note 29 above). It is interesting that not a line on the Anglo–French diplomatic efforts in Warsaw to get the Poles to accept Russian help nor on the course of the military talks in Moscow was published in either the British Blue Book or the French Yellow Book.

  32. Dispatch of Ribbentrop, 9:05 P.M., Aug. 23, from Moscow, DGFP, VII, p. 220.

  33. Secret German memoranda, Aug. 24, ibid., pp. 225–29.

  34. Text of the Soviet draft, DGFP, VII, pp. 150–51.

  35. Gaus affidavit at Nuremberg, TMWC, X, p. 312.

  36. Text of the German–Soviet nonaggression pact and of secret additional protocol, signed in Moscow Aug. 23, 1939, DGFP, VII, pp. 245–47.

  37. Churchill, The Gathering Storm, p. 394.

  CHAPTER 16

  1. British Blue Book, pp. 96–98.

  2. Henderson’s dispatch, Aug. 23, 1939, ibid., pp. 98–100. German Foreign Office memo of meeting, DGFP, VII, pp. 210–15. Henderson reported on the second meeting on Aug. 24 (British Blue Book, pp. 100–2).

  3. Text of Hitler’s letter of Aug. 23 to Chamberlain, ibid., pp. 102–4. It is also printed in DGFP, VII, pp. 216–19.

  4. Text of Hitler’s letter to Mussolini, Aug. 25, DGFP, VII, pp. 281–83.

  5. Text of verbal declaration of Hitler to Henderson, Aug. 25, drawn up by Ribbentrop and Dr. Schmidt, DGFP, VII, pp. 279–84; also in British Blue Book, pp. 120–22. Henderson’s dispatch of Aug. 25 describing interview, British Blue Book, pp. 122–23. See also Henderson’s Failure of a Mission, p. 270.

  6. Coulondre’s dispatch, Aug. 25, French Yellow Book, Fr. ed., pp. 312–14.

  7. NCA, VI, pp. 977–98. From a file on Russo–German relations found in the files of the Navy High Command.

  8. Schmidt, op. cit., p. 144.

  9. Ibid., pp. 143–44.

  10. Ciano Diaries, pp. 120–29.

  11. Weizsaecker memorandum, Aug. 20, DGFP, VII, p. 160.

  12. Mackensen letter to Weizsaecker, Aug. 23, ibid., pp. 240–43.

  13. Dispatch of Mackensen, Aug. 25, ibid., pp. 291–93.

  14. See DGFP, VII, note on p. 285.

  15. Mussolini’s letter to Hitler, Aug. 25, ibid., pp. 285–86.

  16. NCA, VI, pp. 977–78 (N.D. 170).

  17. Ribbentrop’s interrogation, Aug. 29, 1945, NCA, VII, pp. 535–36; Goering’s interrogation, Aug. 29, 1945, ibid., pp. 534–35; Keitel’s testimony on the stand at Nuremberg under direct examination, Apr. 4, 1946, TMWC, X, pp. 514–15.

  18. NCA, Suppl. B, pp. 1561–63.

  19. Gisevius, op. cit., pp. 358–59.

  20. Hassell, op. cit., p. 59.

  21. Thomas, “Gedanken und Ereignisse,” loe. cit.

  22. Testimony of Dr. Schacht, May 2, 1946, at Nuremberg, TMWC. XII, pp. 545–46.

  23. Testimony of Gisevius, Apr. 25, 1946, at Nuremberg, ibid., pp. 224–25.

  24. The texts of all these appeals are in the British Blue Book, pp. 122–42.

  25. Hitler to Mussolini, Aug. 25, 7:40 P.M., DGFP, VII, p. 289.

  26. Ciano Diaries, p. 129.

  27. Mussolini to Hitler, Aug. 26, 12:10 P.M., DGFP, VII, pp. 309–10.

  28. Ciano Diaries, p. 129. Mackensen’s report, DGFP, VII, p. 325.

  29. Hitler to Mussolini, Aug. 26, 3:08 P.M., DGFP, VII, pp. 313–14.

  30. Mussolini to Hitler, 6:42 P.M., Aug. 26, ibid., p. 323.

  31. Hitler to Mussolini, 12:10 A.M., Aug. 27, ibid., pp. 346–47.

  32. Mussolini to Hitler, 4:30 P.M., Aug. 27, ibid., pp. 353–54.

  33. Dispatch of Mackensen, Aug. 27, ibid., pp. 351–53.

  34. Daladier to Hitler, Aug. 26, ibid., pp. 330–31. Also in the French Yellow Book, Fr. ed., pp. 321–22.

  35. Halder’s diary, entry of Aug. 28, recapitulating “sequence of events” of previous five days. This portion is in DGFP, VII, pp. 564–66.

  36. Goering’s interrogation, Aug. 29, 1945, at Nuremberg, NCA, VIII, p. 534 (N.D.TC–90).

  37. TMWC, IX,p.498.

  38. The account of the doings of Dahlerus is based on his book, op. cit., and on his testimony at Nuremberg, where he learned how naïve he had been about his German friends. See above, note 4 for Chapter 15. It is substantiated by a great deal of material from the British Foreign Office published in DBrFP, Third Series, Vol. VII.

  39. DBrFP, VII, p. 287.

  40. Testimony of Dahlerus at Nuremberg, TMWC, IX, p. 465.

  41. DBrFP, VII, p. 319n.

  42. TMWC, IX, p. 466.

  43. DBrFP, VII, pp. 321–22.

  44. British Blue Book, p. 125, and DBrFP, VII, p. 318.

  45. Text of British note to Germany, Aug. 28, British Blue Book, pp. 126–28.

  46. Dispatch of Henderson to Halifax, 2:35 A.M., Aug. 29, ibid., pp. 128–31.

  47. Dispatch of Henderson to Halifax, Aug. 29, ibid., p. 131.

  48. Dispatch of Henderson, Aug. 29, DBrFP, VII, p. 360.

  49. Ibid.,

  50. Text of German reply, Aug. 29, British Blue Book, pp. 135–37.

  51. DBrFP, Third Series, VII, p. 393.

  52. Henderson, Failure of a Mission, p. 281.

  53. British Blue Book, p. 139.

  54. Text of Chamberlain’s note to Hitler, Aug. 30, DGFP, VII, p. 441.

  55. British Blue Book, pp. 139–40.

  56. Ibid., p. 140.

  57. lbid., p. 142.

  58. Schmidt, op. cit., pp. 150–55. Also Schmidt’s testimony at Nuremberg, TMWC, X, pp. 196–222.

  59. TMWC, X, p. 275.

  60. Schmidt, op. cit., p. 152.

  61. DGFP, VII, pp. 447–50.

  62. Henderson’s Final Report, Cmd. 6115, p. 17. Also his book, op. cit., p. 287.

  63. DBrFP, VII, No. 575, p. 433.

  64. TMWC, IX, p. 493.

  65. Henderson’s wire to Halifax, 12:30 P.M., Aug. 31, DBrFP, VII, p. 440; letter to Halifax, ibid., pp. 465–67; wire, 12:30 A.M., Sept. 1, ibid., pp. 468–69. Kennard’s wire to Halifax, Aug. 31, ibid., No. 618.

  66. DBrFP, VII, pp. 441–43.

  67. British Blue Book, p. 144.

  68. Ibid., p. 147.

  69. Ibid., p. 147.

  70. Text of Polish written reply to Britain, Aug. 31, ibid., pp. 148–49; Kennard’s dispatch, Aug. 31 (it was not received in London until 7:15p.M.), ibid., p. l48.

  71. For Lipski’s Final Report, see Polish White Book. Extracts are published in NCA, VIII, pp. 499–512.

  72. DGFP, VII, p. 462.

  73. Lipski’s version in his Final Report, loc. cit. Dr. Schmidt’s German account of the interview is in DGFP, VII, p. 463.

  74. The German text of Hitler’s directive is in TMWC, XXXIV, pp. 456–59 (N.D. C–126). English translations are given in NCA, VI, pp. 935–39, and DGFP, VII, pp. 477–79.

  75. Hassell, op. cit., pp. 68–73.

  76. Dahlems’ testimony at Nuremberg, TMWC, IX, pp. 470–71; Forbes’s answer to questionnaire submitted by Goering’s lawyer at Nuremberg is quoted in Namier, Diplomatic Prelude, pp. 376–77. Henderson’s account is in his Final Report, p. 19.

  77. DBrFP, VII, p. 483. Henderson’s later account of the dispatch is given in his Final Report, p. 20, and in his book, op. cit., pp. 291–92.

  78. TMWC, II, p. 451.

  79. Naujocks affidavit, loc. cit.

  80. DGFP, VII, p. 472.

  81. Gisevius, op. cit., pp. 374–75.

  CHAPTER 17

  1. DGFP, VII, p. 491.

  2. From Dahlems’ book, op. cit., pp. 119–20; and from his testimony on the stand at Nuremberg, TMWC, IX, p. 471.

  3. DBrFP, VII, pp. 466–67.

  4. ibid.

  5. TMWC, IX, p. 436. Dahlems testimony, as printed here, contains a typographical error which makes him say the Poles “had been
attacked,” and is therefore totally misleading.

  6. DBrFP, VII, pp. 474–75.

  7. Ibid., Nos. 651, 652, pp. 479–80.

  8. The text is in DGFP, VII, p. 492, and in the British Blue Book, p. 168. Dr. Schmidt’s notes on Ribbentrop’s comments to Henderson and Coulondre are in DGFP, VII, pp. 493 and 495, respectively.

  9. Schmidt’s version of the argument in DGFP, VII, p. 493; Henderson gave his account briefly in his dispatch on the evening of Sept. 1, 1939 (British Blue Book, p. 169).

  10. DBrFP, VII, No. 621, p. 459.

  11. Ciano Diaries, p. 135.

  12. DGFP, VII, p. 483.

  13. Ibid., pp. 485–86.

  14. Bonnet to François-Poncet, 11:45 A.M., Sept. 1, French Yellow Book, Fr. ed., pp. 377–78. Mussolini’s proposal for a conference on September 5 was outlined in a dispatch from François-Poncet to Bonnet Aug. 31, ibid., pp. 360–61.

  15. DBrFP, VII, pp. 530–31.

  16. Henderson’s Final Report, p. 22.

  17. Text in DGFP, VII, pp. 509–10.

  18. From Schmidt’s memo, on which this scene is based, ibid., pp. 512–13.

  19. Schmidt, op. cit., p. 156.

  20. Ciano Diaries, pp. 136–37.

  21. DGFP, VII, pp. 524–25.

  22. Ciano Diaries, p. 137. De Monzie, a defeatist French senator, confirms the story in his book Ci-Devant, pp. 146–47.

  23. Corbin’s dispatch, French Yellow Book, Fr. ed., p. 395.

  24. This section is based on DBrFP, VII, covering Sept. 2–3. There is an excellent summary, based on the confidential British Foreign Office papers and on the scant French sources available, in The Eve of the War, 1939, ed. by Arnold and Veronica M. Toynbee. Namier, Diplomatic Prelude, also is useful. I have purposely omitted the references to scores of documents in DBrFP in order to avoid cluttering the pages with numerals.

  25. Halifax wires to Henderson: 11:50 P.M., Sept. 2, DBrFP, VII, No. 746, p. 528; 12:25 A.M., Sept. 3, ibid., p. 533.

  26. The text is in the British Blue Book, p. 175, and in DGFP, VII. p. 529.

  27. DBrFP, VII, No. 758, p. 535.

  28. Schmidt’s account is in his book, op. cit., p. 157; see also his testimony on the stand at Nuremberg. TMWC, X, p. 200.

  29. Schmidt, op. cit., pp. 157–58; also his testimony at Nuremberg, TMWC, X, pp. 200–1.

  30. Ibid.

  31. DBrFP, VII, No. 762, p. 537, n. 1.

  32. Ibid.

  33. TMWC, IX, p. 473.

  34. Bonnet recounts this himself, op. cit., pp. 365–68.

  35. Weizsaecker’s memo of the meeting, DGFP, VII, p. 532.

  36. The text is in DGFP, VII, pp. 54849.

  37. The text is given in DGFP, VII, pp. 538–39.

  38. This is revealed in the German Foreign Office papers, ibid., p. 480.

  39. Text of telegram, ibid., pp. 540–41.

  40. Fuehrer Conferences on Naval Affairs [hereafter referred to as FCNA], 1939, pp. 13–14.

  CHAPTER 18

  1. Text of Russian reply, DGFP, VIII, p. 4. A number of these Nazi–Soviet exchanges are printed in NSR, but DGFP gives a fuller account.

  2. Ibid., pp. 33–34.

  3. Molotov’s congratulations, ibid., p. 34. His promise of military action, p. 35.

  4. Schulenburg dispatch, Sept. 10, ibid., pp. 44–45.

  5. Ibid., pp. 60–61.

  6. Ibid., pp. 68–70.

  7. Ibid., pp. 76–77.

  8. Ibid., pp. 79–80.

  9. Schulenburg dispatch, ibid., p. 92.

  10. Ibid., p. 103.

  11. Ibid., p. 105.

  12. Ibid., pp. 123–24.

  13. Ibid., p. 130.

  14. The two telegrams, ibid., pp. 147–48.

  15. Ibid., p. 162.

  16. Ibid., Appendix 1.

  17. Text of the treaty, including the secret protocols, a public declaration, and exchanges of two letters between Molotov and Ribbentrop, ibid., pp. 164–68.

  CHAPTER 19

  1. Maj.-Gen. J. F. C. Fuller, The Second World War, p. 55. Quoted from The First Quarter, p. 343.

  2. Text of Directive No. 3, DGFP, VIII, p. 41.

  3. Namier, op. cit., pp. 459–60. He quotes the French text of the convention.

  4. Testimony of Halder for defendants in the “Ministries Case” trial, on Sept. 8–9, 1948, at Nuremberg, TWC, XII, p. 1086.

  5. Testimony of Jodl in his own defense on June 4, 1946, at Nuremberg, TMWC, XV, p. 350.

  6. Testimony of Keitel in his own defense on April 4, 1946, at Nuremberg, ibid., X, p. 519.

  7. Churchill, The Gathering Storm, p. 478.

  8. FCNA, 1939, pp. 16–17.

  9. Weizsaecker’s memorandum of his talk with Kirk, DGFP, VIII, pp. 3–4. His testimony at Nuremberg on his talk with Raeder, TMWC, XIV, p. 278.

  10. Ibid., XXXV, pp. 527–29 (N.D. 804–D). The document gives both Raeder’s memorandum of his conversation and the text of the American naval attaché’s cable to Washington.

  11. Sworn statement of Doenitz at Nuremberg, NCA, VII, pp. 114–15 (N.D. 638–D).

  12. Ibid., pp. 156–58.

  13. Nuremberg testimony of Raeder, TMWC, XIV, p. 78; of Weizsaecker, ibid., pp. 277, 279, 293; of Hans Fritzsche, a high official in the Propaganda Ministry and an acquitted defendant in the trial. ibid., XVII, pp. 191, 234–35. The Voelkischer Beobachter article is in NCA, V, p. 1008 (N.D. 3260–PS). For Goebbels’ broadcast, see Berlin Diary, p. 238.

  14. Schmidt memorandum of the talk, DGFP, VIII, pp. 140–45.

  15. Brauchitsch’s testimony at Nuremberg, TMWC, XX, p. 573. A note in the OKW War Diary confirms the quotation.

  16. Ciano Diaries, pp. 154–55. Ciano’s Diplomatic Papers, pp. 309–16.

  17. DGFP, VIII, p. 24.

  18. Ibid., pp. 197–98.

  19. DGFP, VII, p. 414.

  20. Hitler’s memorandum, NCA, VII, pp. 800–14 (N.D. L–52); Directive No. 6, NCA, VI, pp. 880–81 (N.D.C–62).

  21. The text is in TWC, X, pp. 864–72 (N.D. NOKW–3433).

  22. Both Schlabrendorff, op. cit., p. 25, and Gisevius, op. cit., p. 431, tell of this plot.

  23. Wheeler-Bennett in Nemesis, p. 491n., gives the German sources. See also Hassell, op. cit., and Thomas, “Gedanken und Ereignisse,” loc. cit.

  24. Halder’s interrogation at Nuremberg, Feb. 26, 1946, NCA; Suppl. B, pp. 1564–75.

  25. Rothfels, The German Opposition to Hitler.

  26. They are given in NCA, VI, pp. 893–905 (N.D.C–72).

  27. Buelow-Schwante testified in the “Ministries Case” before the Nuremberg Military Tribunal about Goerdeler’s message and his own private audience with King Leopold. See transcript, English edition, pp. 9807–11. It is also mentioned in DGFP, VIII, p. 384n. His telegram of warning to Berlin is printed in DGFP, VIII, p. 386.

  28. For the varied accounts of the Venlo kidnaping, see S. Payne Best, The Venlo Incident; Schellenberg, The Labyrinth; Wheeler-Bennett, Nemesis.

  An official Dutch account is given in the protest of the Netherlands government to Germany, DGFP, VIII, pp. 395–96. Additional material was given at the “Ministries Case” trial at Nuremberg. See TWC, XII.

  29. TWC, XII, pp. 1206–8, and DGFP, VIII, pp. 395–96.

  30. For various accounts of the bomb attempt, see Best, op. cit.; Schellenberg, op. cit.; Wheeler-Bennett, Nemesis; Reitlinger, The S.S.; Berlin Diary; Gisevius, op. cit. There was also some material at Nuremberg from which I made notes and which I have used here, though I cannot find it in the NCA and TMWC volumes.

  31. The textual notes are given in NCA, III, pp. 572–80, and also in DGFP, VIII, pp. 439–46 (N.D. 789–PS).

  32. Halder’s diary for Nov. 23 and his footnote added later. Brauchitsch’s testimony at Nuremberg, TMWC, XX, p. 575.