Goebbels: A Biography (114 page)

1.
Below,
Als Hitlers Adjutant 1937–1945
, 20; Hanfstaengl,
Zwischen Weißem und Braunem Haus
, 309ff.; Reichspressechef Dietrich remembered that the lunches were so long that they were “almost unbearable” for the participants who had work to do.
Zwölf Jahre mit Hitler
, 152.

2.
Speer,
Erinnnerungen
, 131ff. On Goebbels’s needling to advance his intrigues, see also Hanfstaengl,
Zwischen Weißem und Braunem Haus
, 199ff.

3.
E.g. 4 July, 24 November 1934, 25 January 1935, 31 January 1936, 13 January 1938.

4.
TB, 24 February 1940.

5.
Goebbels noted his participation in film evenings for the first months of the year
on the following dates: 28 January, 8, 14, and 21 February, 2, 13, 16 (“With the Führer. As always a film. […] We soon slip away”) and 24 March, 9, 11, and 26 April, 4, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 26, and 28 May, 7, 11, 20, and 27 June 1934.

6.
Examples from the first half of 1934: 3 February, 7, 9, 11, and 13 March, 28 April, 4 and 10 May, 9 June.

7.
TB, 27 January: “Magda was […] with him in the evening.” 8 June 1934: “Magda has spoken to the Führer. I must take a vacation. As soon as possible.” 19 October 1934: “Magda is received by the Führer.” See also 23 January 1936: “Call Magda. Everything’s fine in Berlin. She was with the Führer.”

8.
TB, 23 September 1933: “Magda with the Führer in ‘Krach um Jolanthe.’ ” TB, 6 December 1935, about a conversation with Funk: “Führer was with him and Magda on Wednesday evening at the Artists’ Club.” See also TB, 10 February 1934: “Führer with Magda at the Eltz-Rübenachs.”

9.
TB, 20 January 1934. “Führer at home with us.” Similarly 21 and 24 January, 10 and 13 February 1934, 10 April 1934, 1, 6, 7, and 17 May 1934, and so on.

10.
TB, 4 February 1934: “The Führer arrives unexpectedly late in the evening.”

11.
TB, 11, 13, 17 (about the move) and 19 March 1934 and 26 September (move to Berlin).

12.
TB, 13, 17, and 25 March 1934.

13.
Boat trips: 27 and 31 March, 25 May, 11 and 29 June, 13 July, 22 August, 17 September 1934.

14.
TB, 21 May (Blomberg), 31 March (Helldorf), 13 July (v. Pfeffer), 13 May (Schwarz).

15.
TB, 14 April 1934.

16.
TB, 18 April 1934. On the dispute about Harald, see also 13 April, 5 and 9 May.

17.
TB, 30 May 1934.

18.
TB, 19 May 1934.

19.
TB, 21 May 1934.

20.
TB, 27 and 28 May 1934, 5 and 13 June 1934.

21.
TB, 3 June 1934.

22.
TB, 22 and 23 June 1934.

23.
TB, 31 January 1934.

24.
RGBl
. 1934 I, 75; for Hitler’s Reichstag speech, see
Adolf Hitler, Reden und Proklamationen 1933–1945
, 352ff. (hereafter
Domarus I and Domarus II
); on his participation in the session, see TB, 31 January 1933; on the preparation of the law, see 11 January 1933 (conversation with Frick).

25.
TB, 31 January 1934: “A terrific ovation. I’m really happy.”
Der Angriff
, 31 January 1934.

26.
TB, 2 and 4 February 1934.

27.
Der Angriff
, 25 January 1934; TB, 26 January 1934.

28.
VB
(B), 28/29 January 1934.

29.
TB, 28 January 1934. Here too: “Everybody is enthusiastic about my article.”

30.
Der Angriff
, 12 February 1934; TB, 12 February 1934.

31.
FZ
, 11 February 1934, (2nd M), “Das empfindliche Instrument.” See also Gillesen,
Auf verlorenem Posten
, 203f.; TB, 8 February 1934.

32.
FZ
, 24 March 1934, “Sind wir langweilig? Über die Krisis der Presse.”

33.
Der Angriff
, 20 April 1934, “Gegen die Gesinnungslumpen. Minister Dr. Goebbels und Pg. Weiß vor der deutschen Presse.”

34.
PA
1934, 195 (20 April), letter from Dertinger.

35.
Die Grüne Post
, 29 April 1923, “Herr Reichsminister—Ein Wort bitte!” Welk signed the article as Thomas Trimm. The article is published in Mendelssohn,
Zeitungsstadt Berlin
, 437ff., which also contains an account of the background to the affair. TB, 30 April 1934: “ ‘Grüne Post’ is offensive to me. It will be banned today. I’ll show these impudent Jews that I can behave very differently.” The comment referred to the fact that the
Grüne Post
was published by the Ullstein-Verlag. On the ban, see TB, 2 and 11 May 1934.

36.
VB
(N), 10 May 1934, “Bericht über die Reichspressetagung der NSDAP,” reproduces the decree word for word.

37.
VB
(N), 13/14 May 1934, “Die Bewegung appelliert an die Nation–‘Schluß mit ihnen!’–Offensive gegen Miesmacher, Kritikaster und Konfessionshetzer” (headline).

38.
TB, 13 May 1934.

39.
VB
(B), 1 June 1934, “Reichsminister Dr. Goebbels: Wesen und Aufbau der nationalsozialistischen Propaganda” (headline).

40.
K. Pfeil, “Wie wir unsere Aktion gegen Miesmacher und Kritikaster organisierten,” in
Unser Wille und Weg
, 1934, 226–30.

41.
TB, 3 January 1934.

42.
TB, 11 January 1934. See also
BK
, 184ff.

43.
Hitler had assured him of this once more in December: TB, 15 December 1933.

44.
TB, 16 and 20 December 1933.

45.
There was a press statement on this:
VB
(B), 23 December 1933, “Vereinheitlichung der deutschen Kulturpolitik. Besprechung Göring–Goebbels–Richtlinien für die zukünftige Arbeit.”

46.
Erlaß über die Errichtung des Reichsministeriums für Wissenschaft, Erziehung und Volksbildung vom 1. Mai 1934,
RGBl
. 1934 I, 365.

47.
TB, 7 May 1935; see also 5 May 1935.

48.
TB, 9 May 1935.

49.
BAB, R 43 II/1149: Reichsministerium für Kultur und Volksaufklärung.

50.
TB, 11 May 1933; BAB, R 43 II/1149, Vortragsvermerk Lammers and message to Funk, 9 May 1934.

51.
The negotiations concerning this matter had been going on for several months: TB, 6, 16/18 and 21 February 1934, 21, 22, 24, and 27 March 1934.

52.
TB, 13 January 1934.

53.
TB, 17 May 1934: “Afternoon. Cabinet. My theater law gets through. All German theaters are subordinated to me. That means I have a free rein. I’m well in with Göring.” Theater Law of 15 May 1934,
RGBl
. 1934 I, 411f.; see Rischbieter, “NS-Theaterpolitik,” 20ff.

54.
Rischbieter, “NS-Theaterpolitik,” 23.

55.
TB, 20 June 1934.

56.
PA
1934, p. 221 (25 May).

57.
Bollmus,
Das Amt Rosenberg und seine Gegner
, 54f., Piper,
Alfred Rosenberg
, 323f.

58.
TB, 16 February, 9 March 1934.

59.
TB, 18 June 1934; Bollmus,
Das Amt Rosenberg
, 63ff., also on various other aspects of the dispute.

60.
Bollmus,
Das Amt Rosenberg
, 52.

61.
Piper,
Alfred Rosenberg
, 373. TB, 6 February 1934: “Weidemann gets a bloody nose. Does ‘modern art.’ Ruins many possibilities for me and only helps the reactionaries in the process.” 8 February 1934: “[…] Discussion about modern art with Weidemann. He now knows what it’s all about. He’ll exercise restraint.”

62.
Rave,
Kunstdiktatur im Dritten Reich
, 43; in 1935 he assigned Weidemann other tasks in the ministry: TB, 7, 9, and 31 May 1935.

63.
On the SA after the “seizure of power,” see Longerich,
Geschichte der SA
, 179ff.; on
the prehistory of 30 June, see, in particular, Sauer, “Die Mobilmachung der Gewalt,” 897ff.; Höhne,
Mordsache Röhm
.

64.
TB, 2 February 1934.

65.
TB, 21 February, 2 and 24 March (on the Reichsstatthalters) and 5 and 23 May 1934.

66.
TB, 15 May 1934.

67.
TB, 26 May, 3 June 1934.

68.
TB, 20 April 1934: “Röhm makes an excellent speech about the S.A.”
PA
1934, p. 190f. (18 April);
FZ
, 20 April 1934.

69.
TB, 30 May 1934.

70.
TB, 24 January 1934, also 9 and 31 January 1934.

71.
On this campaign, see
VB
(N), 15 May 1934, “SA-Feindliches Treiben im N.S.D.F.B. (Stahlhelm)” (headline);
VB
(N), 18 May 1934, “Gegen Miesmacher und Nörgler. Gauleiter-Stellvertreter Dr. Görlitzer auf der Massenversammlung des Kreises VI”;
Der Angriff
, 7 June 1933, “Dr. Goebbels unter schlesischen Kumpels. Gegen Kritikaster und Nörgler”; 9 June 1934, “Goebbels im Meer der Begeisterung” (about an event in Bremen); 19 June, “Schluß mit ihnen!” (Poem).

72.
TB, 16 May 1934: “I warn about monarchists. R.W. still very strong. Hindenburg has made a will. Contents unknown. Papen has it and informed the Führer. Won’t be published without the Führer’s approval.”

73.
TB, 21 May 1934.

74.
Text in
Ursachen und Folgen X
, no. 2375.

75.
TB, 18 June 1933;
PA
1934 (18 June), ban on reporting Papen’s speech.
PA
1934 (18 June), Dertinger to editor.

76.
TB, 20 and 23 June 1934.

77.
TB, 25 June 1934;
Der Angriff
, 25 June 1934, “Achtung, Mauselöcher. Dr. Goebbels vor dem großen Gaukongreß der NSDAP in Essen.”

78.
Text in
VB
(N), 26 June 1934; TB, 27 June 1934. In the same edition the VB reported on the continuation of the campaign in Pomerania under the heading “Gegen Miesmacher und Kritiker.”

79.
TB, 29 June 1934.

80.
TB, 20 June 1934.

81.
TB, 1 July 1934.

82.
These and the other entries about the immediate consequences of the action are in TB, 4 July 1934.

83.
On the course of the 30th of June, see Longerich,
Geschichte der SA
, 216ff.; Höhne,
Mordsache
, 247ff.

84.
Der Angriff
, 2 July 1934, “Die Niederschlagung der Hochverräter. Wortlaut der Rede, die Dr. Goebbels am Sonntag an das deutsche Volk richtete”; TB, 4 July 1934: “I give a twenty-minute report on the radio in the evening.”

85.
Höhne,
Mordsache
, 271f.;
Domarus I
, p. 398.

86.
TB, 4 July 1934;
Regierung Hitler
, vol. 1, no. 376, Kabinettssitzung vom 3. Juli 1934.

87.
TB, 16 and 18 July 1934.

88.
TB, 17 March 1934, negative assessments also in entries for 11 and 28 April 1934.

89.
TB, 24 July 1934.

90.
Gerhard Jagschitz assumed that the coup was caused by the competition between Reschny and Habicht. Jagschitz,
Der Putsch, 82ff
. A similar approach is taken by Norbert Schausberger, who doubts Hitler’s involement. Schausberger,
Der Griff nach Österreich
, 289. However, Gerhard Weinberg and Gottfried-Karl Kindermann argued that it was improbable that the coup occurred without Hitler’s
knowledge. Weinberg, “Die deutsche Außenpolitik und Österreich 1937/38”; Kindermann,
Hitlers Niederlage in Österreich
, esp. 151f. They could base this view among other things on the memoirs of the Gauleiter of Vienna, Alfred Frauenfeld. See Frauenfeld,
Und trage keine Reu’
, 113. Hitherto this debate has been considered undecided; see Schlafranek,
Sommerfest und Preisschießen
, 214; Kurt Bauer assumes that Hitler had “simply let [things] take their course.” Bauer,
Elementar-Ereignis
, 120.

91.
TB, 13 July 1934.

92.
What was known was simply that on the morning of 25 July the commander of Military District VII, Colonel-General Adam, was informed by Hitler of an imminent coup by the Austrian army. Hoch and Weiss, “Die Erinnerungen des Generalobersten Wilhelm Adam.” Jagschitz maintained that Habicht had misled Hitler about the prospects for the coup by claiming that the Austrian federal army was planning a coup. Jagschitz,
Putsch
, 78f. At the beginning of June von Reichenau had already taken part in a meeting in Hitler’s private apartment at which Reschny was also present. Schausberger,
Griff
, 287f.

93.
Jagschitz,
Putsch
, 99ff.; Bauer,
Elementar-Ereignis
.

94.
TB, 26 July 1934.

95.
TB, 26 July 1934; here too: “Pfeffer and Habicht very subdued.”

96.
On this, see above all Bauer,
Elementar-Ereignis
, which provides a detailed account of the uprising.

97.
TB, 28 July 1934; on the immediate consequences, see Jagschitz,
Putsch
, 182.

98.
Bauer,
Elementar-Ereignis
, 120.

99.
Hitler to Goebbels according to TB, 18 June 1934. On the Hitler-Mussolini conversation on 14 June in Venice, see
ADAP
C III 1, no. 5, Aufzeichnung Neuraths, 15 June 1934 and no. 7, nicht unterzeichnete Aufzeichnung, 15 June 1934.

100.
TB, 28–31 July 1934.

101.
TB, 23 October 1934.

102.
TB, 31 July 1934; on the death of Hindenburg, see also Reuth,
Goebbels
, 319ff.

103.
TB, 2 August 1934.

104.
Regierung Hitler
, vol. 1, no. 382, Ministerbesprechung on 1 August 1934;
RGBl
. 1934 I, 747, Law concerning the Head of State of the German Reich; TB, 2 August 1934.

105.
TB, 2 August 1934.