Transcription of Concise Biography of Hitler
1 Ifyoupurchasedthisbookwithouta cover, "unsoldanddestroyed"tothepublisherandnei thertheauthornorthepublisherhasreceiveda nypaymentforthis"strippedbook." 1990, ,bymimeographoranyothermeans, :TheBerkleyPublishingGroup,a divisionofPenguinPutnamInc.,375 HudsonStreet,NewYork, :0-425-17340-2 BERKLEY-BerkleyBooksarepublishedbyTheBer kleyPublishingGroup,a divisionofPenguinPutnamInc.,375 HudsonStreet,NewYork, "B" 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 CONTENTSP reface:HowtoUseThisBook, ' ' , Hitler ' ' ' ' ' ' WasHitler' ' 'sBookshelfHitlerattheMoviesHitlerLaughs GamestheFuehrerPlayedHitlerandMusicTheAr tDictatorHitlertheBuilderPrivateFinances Mussolini,Stalin,FrancoHitlerandtheUSAH itler'sHoroscopeHitler'sAtomicBombTheOly mpicPatronWhyDidn'tSomebodyKillHim?WasHi tlerReallyAnti-Semitic? Hitler 'sCorpseHer mannGoeringJosephGoebbelsHeinrichHimmler NotesandSourcesBibliographyChronologyInd ex91959910410911411912413013514014415015 6164172177183189197235245271 PREFACEH owtoUseThisBook,andWhyWasHitlerreallya vegetarian?Isit truehehelpeddesigntheVolkswagen?
2 Washehomosexual?Didheconsultwithastrolog ersbeforemakingdeci-sions?Fortheforeseea blefuture,forbetterorworse,storieswillbe toldaboutHitler, usefulreference, legendarycreature,ratherlikeDraculaorFra nkenstein'sMonster, Hitlercastoutfromthehumanrace, ,andsincethisbookfirstappearedin1990,the streamofbooksandviitempttounderstandHitl er'scharacter-howit fonned;indeed,whatwasitsrealnature?Forex ample,didHitlerkillonlybecausehebelieved murderwasnecessarytoaccomplishhisends,or didherevelinit,findingexul-tationindestr uctionanddeath?ThedustjacketofRosenbaum' sbookfeaturesHitler'sbabypicture, , a :Doesevilexistapartfromevilacts?Isit onlyanadjectiveordoesit namesomething-per-hapsaninchoate,incompl eteformofhumannature? believeit continuestobeofvaluebecauseit servesa simplerfunction, straightthroughor,guidedbythecontentsand index, ,thereaderwillsoonconfrontthemalevolents tormofHit-ler'ssoul-hishatredofJews,hisw armongering, particularitemliterallyincred-ibleorwish estopursueit keyedtothebibliography, organizedbysubjectareasratherthandates,r eadersinterestedinthesequenceofevents ,nonewfactsthatmightalterthestorybutpart icularauthorscontinuetobringtheirparticu larsensibilitiestobearondifferentaspects ofHitler' ,thedistinguishedhistorianJohnLukacspub- lishedTheHitlerofHistory,a bookwhich,inlargepart, , pointofview,whichshapestheiraccount;fore xample,wasHitlera naturalconsequenceoftheGermanhistoryprec edinghimoranaberration?
3 SomeofHitler'sbiographershavearguedthatH itlerwaslittlemorethana power-hungryopportunist;others,thathewas drivenbypsychosexualobsessions;stilloth- ers,thathewasa oftenportrayedasa reactionarydeterminedtoreturntheworldtos omevaguelydefinedpre-modemcondition,Luka csbelieveshewasactuallya revolutionary,inspiredandabettedbysocial , ,Lukacsrefutesthosehistorianswho,intheir portrayalofHitlerandhishistoricalcontext , ,theessayistandnovelistRonRosenbaumpubli shedExplainingHitler,anaccountofhisownat -Pll fACfIxmightwishtorefertothechronology, manthantoprovidea physicaldescriptionofhim,inthiscasebegin ningwiththatfeaturewhichis 'sMustache.. theridiculouslittlesmudgewhichmadehimloo kasif 'smustachewasa traditionaltype,butevenamonghissupporter sit ,ErnstHanfstaengl,a closeassociate,suggestedheletit , 'sresponsewascharacteristic."Ifit isnotthefashionnow,it willbelater,"hesaid,"becauseI wearit."AnecdoteslikethismayhelpmakeHitl eraccessible-ifnotfullyunderstandable-an dthisisnecessarybe-causetheveryenormityo fhiscrimesleadstohisoftenbeingrepresente daseithersub-humanorasa supernat-uralfigure,a , 'shairwasdarkbrown, 'SMUSTACHEH itler'sheadwasnotremarkable,althoughheth oughtit distinguishedsurgeon,ProfessorFerdinandS auerbruck,anda 'shead( ,fromeyesockettoeyesocket,andsoon)were:" JustlikeNa-poleon's"and"Nothinglikeitsin ceFredericktheGreat!
4 "Hitlerwasdelightedandhadtheirfindingswr ittenupHeregularlyusedeyeglassesandaltho ughhewasphotographedwearingthem, ,however,includingonewithanXthroughit, 'seyesareimportanthistoricallybecauseoft hemysticalqualitiessometimesattributedto them;fol-lowersfrequentlydescribethemasb lazing,hypnotic, , washispractice,whenmeetingsomeoneforthef irsttime,tostarewithwhatheimaginedtobea ,thismadea profoundimpressiononmanyvisitors,especia llythosewhohadcometotheinterviewwantingt histobetheirunforgettablemeetingwiththes elf-described"greatestGermanofalltime."O thersfoundthefamousstare"opaque,dull."Hi Uer'sHeadAConciseBiographyofAdolfHitler2 Hewouldbendoverforwardandcombhishairdown beforehiseyesjustlikea womandoes,thenhewouldmakethepartandjustl ooselycombbacktheleftportionsothatwitha , ,likehismustache, ,oneofhissecretariesdescribedtheprocedur etoanAlliedinterrogator: Hitler 'seyeswere blue, ,"injest."BythetimeHitlerwasinhislatefor ties, "Fuehrertypewriter,"thelettersofwhichwer eabouttwicenormalsize,(almosthalfaninchh igh).
5 HeightandWeiglltina ,butofcoursethis"science" ' ,whenHitlerwasontrialforhisfailedearlyat tempttoseizethegovernment,theprosecution producedMaxvonGruber,Professorofsomethin gcalled"racialhy-giene,"whotestifiedthat Hitler 'sfeaturesdemonstrated,"badrace, ,uglynose,broadcheekbones,smalleyes, "Forsomereason,a ,hewasjustunderfivefeet, ,butthisis ," neversawhimcompletelyunclothed,letalonec heckedhimoverinthatstate."A wartimeAlliedsongbegan," Hitler , " Sincethen,perhapshundredsofpageshavebeen writteninseriousdebateastowhetherornotth erewasanythingunusualaboutHitler'sgenita ls,oftenfo-5 Hitler 'SMUSTACHEA lthoughinclinedtohypochondria,Hitlerinmi ddleagewasa ,particularlybecauseit ,hesaidsomethingelsetohisGeneralsonApril 20,1939, warsoon, ,heexplained, ,onSeptemberI,hein-vadedPolandandbeganWo rldWarll.(FranklinRoo-seveltwasfifty-sev en;WinstonChurchill,sixty-five.) ,BIondiwentwithhim,tohismountainvilla,to thegovernmentChancelleryinBerlin, ,Blondi-ina , Hitler 'sGeneralswailteddesperatelytowit hdrawandconsolidatetheirforces, , , ,Hitlertookbreaksbetweenconferences, ,whooftenwentalong,discoveredthatwhenBIo ndiperformedwell,Hit-lermellowed, ,if BIondididn'tdowell, ,"Isometimeshadtheimpressionthattheoutco meoftheRussiancampaigndependedmoreuponBI ondithantheGermangeneralstaff.
6 "DespiteBIondi(orperhapsshereallywasn'tv eryca-pable), ,astheRussiansclosedinonBerlin,Hitlermov edintohisbomb-proofbunkerbeneaththeChan- cellerygarden,fromwhichhecontinuedtoissu eordersandbattleplans,concoctingelaborat ebutcompletelyTWOH itler'sDogI loveanimals, ,butineverythinghedid, ,MartinBormann,a topaide,soughttoingratiatehimselfbygivin ghisFuehrera ,jumpthroughhoops,cleara six-footfence,evenclimba ,Hitlerwouldhaveher"sing" , 'sbedroom,inherspecial6 Hitler ' ,meanwhile,hadmanagedtogivebirthtofivepu ps,speciallyaccommodatedina ,Hitlerwasparticularlytakenbyonehedubbed Wolf,a , , , morbidfearofbeingcapturedalivebytheRussi ans,imaginingamongotherthingsthattheymig htputhimonexhibitina , ("thefaithfulHeinrich,"Hitlercalledhim), andHitlerlearnedthatHimmler,operatingout ofreachinthenorth, ' , ,BIondi'skeeper, ,TornowheldherjawsopenwhileHaaseuseda , wasover, , ,forsomereasonwhichisnotrecorded, ConciseBiographyofAdolfHitlerHITLER' , Hitler 'SBOOK11 THREfMeinKampf, Hitler 'sBookHitler'sfirst battlewaswiththeGermanlan-guage,andthisf ight,atleast, ,1939 Tolearnabouta man'smind,it is ,it madehima ,andmuchofit ,Hitlerwasservinga ,blatantlyillegalepisodehadresultedinthe deathsofsixteenNazisandthreepolicemen,bu tkeymembersofthegovern-mentsecretlysympa thizedwithHitler' "HeilHitler!
7 ";admirerssentsomanygiftshissuiteofrooms begantolooklikea crossbe-tweena delicatessenanda ,lifewasnotunpleasantexceptforoneproblem - Hitler ' ,hetalkedonandonabouthisideas,hisplans,h isdestiny, ,whynotsavethemforposteritybywritingthem down?Whynotwritea book?HitlerpromptlyborrowedaRemingtontyp ewriterfromtheprisonwardenandsettowork,d ictatingtohischauffeur,EmilMaurice,whoty ped.(MauricewassoonreplacedbyRudolfHess. )Hitlerlatersaidhewasspurredonbytheheavy clackingoftheRemington' , "forgoodbehavior"attheendof1924, (whichmeans"MyStruggle"),thiswasnotHitle r' ,hehadplannedtocallhisbook:Fouranda HalfYearsofStruggleAgainstLies, viciousbook--chaoticandvile, ,HitlerexpoundstheideathattheGermanpeopl earea superiorracewhooughttoruletheworld;hecal lsfora ,wearetold,istherapingof12 AConciseBiogr8 JIhyofAdolfHitlerMElfiKAIIPF, Hitler ' ,thesectionofMeinKampfdevotedtotheusesof propagandawaslargelyliftedfromothersourc es(seechapter17," Hitler 'sBookshelf").f q, 'sbookwasnota bigselleratfirstbutafterhebecameChancell orin1933it becamerequiredreading-oratleastarequired ornament-inalmosteveryGermanhomeandoffic e, ,a lawwaspassedrequiringeverymunicipalityin thelandtobuyandgivea 'sroyalty,andMeinKampfsoonmadehima (aNazifirm) ,itsstylewassoconvolutedandrepetitiousev endedicatedNaziscouldn' ,OttoStrasser,pickedouta fewshortpassagesandquotedthemina speechhegaveat a ' ,ata dinnernotattendedbyHitler,someofStrasser 'scolleaguesaskedifhehadactuallyreadMein KampfWhenheadmittedhehadnot, ,sothosealreadypresentmadea , , ,futureheadofPropagandafortheThirdReich, admitted(withsomeshowofguilt)thathehadbe enunabletogetthroughHitler' 'send,reportsStrasser, , ,however,thathadtheleadersofothercountri esreadHitler'sbook, ,understandably, , ,includ-inghisplanstodestroytheworld' , ,PresidentRooseveltwrotethis.
8 TheWhiteHouse-1933-Thistranslationissoex purgatedastogivea whollyfalseviewofwhat14 AConciseBiographyofAdolfHitlerIIEIIKAMPF , Hitler 'SBOOK15 Hitlerisandsays-theGermanoriginalwouldma kea ,afterall,a ,BritishandAmericanpublishersissuedcom-p letetranslationsofMeinKampfwithoutHitler ' asa mainselection,buthadtodowngradeit to"alternate" numberofshortpamphletsanddigestshighligh tingMeinKampf'struenaturedidachievesales inthehundredsofthousands,includingonepre paredbyAlanCranston,wholaterbecamethesen iorSenatorfromCalifornia.(TheAmericanpub lishersofMeinKampfsuedCranston' )HitlermadeanynumberofpredictionsinMeinK ampfSomewerewildlywrong;forexample,hedid saythatultimatelyJapanandtheUnitedStates wouldgotowarbuthealsoassertedthatBritain wouldbeJapan' , warthatwouldresultin"theendofGermany."Mo rethana decadelater, ,hecon-cludedanalliancewiththeSovietUnio nthatallowedGermanytoseizehalfofPoland(a ndtheSovietstotaketheotherhalf).Andthat, ofcourse, 'SNAIIESAIDTITLES17 FOURH itler' ,soboorish, ,BOYHOODFRIENDOFHITLERB ecauseHitler'scareerdependedtosucha greatde-greeontheimageheprojected,anawkw ardnamewouldhavebeena crisp"HeilSchicklgrober!
9 "JournalistsinAustria,intheyearswhenHitl erwasstillonlythreateningtoannexthatcoun try,werethefirsttoclaimHitler' , ,HitlerwasbornHitler,butthetruthaboutSch i-. 'sname,andshewasunmarriedwhenhersonAlois wasborn;thus,Hit-ler' ,Alois's claimwasacceptedandSchicklgroberbe-cameH iedler-whichcanbespelledseveralways, 'smotiveforthenamechangeisobscure;evi-de ncesuggestsa maneuvertoobtaina 'sfather- Hitler 'sgrand-father-cannotbees tablished,manymythshaveflour-ished, , (orperhapsbecauseofthisuncertainty,accor dingtohistorianswhohavein-vestigatedhisp sychology),a ,a citizenwhowishedtoprovehewas"uncontamina ted"bynon-German(mostparticu-larly,Jewis h)blood,hadtobeabletotracehislineageatle astthroughhisgrandparents, con-tractionoftwooldGermanwords,"Altha"a nd"Wolfa,"whichtakentogethermeanNobleWol f."HerrWolf"wasthenamehechosewhenit 'SNAIIESAlnTITLES19 Wagner,thegreatcomposer'sdaughter-in-law andanimportantearlysupporter,heidentifie dhimselfwithacoy"ConductorWolfcalling."A notherdotingdowageraddressedhimas"mylitt lewolfie.
10 "Inlateryears,afterhehadpitchedtheworldi ntowar,hegavemanyofhisfieldheadquartersm elodramaticwolfdesignations-Wolf'sGlen,W olf'sLair, ,itisreliablyreportedthatHitler'sself-id entificationwithwolveswentsofarthatinmom entsofdistractionhewouldabsentmindedlywh istlea favor-itetune,"Who'sAfraidoftheBigBadWol f?"IdeIntheearlydays, Hitler 'sassociateso ftenaddressedhimwithnicknamessuchas"Ade, ""Adi"and"Ahi."Incon-versation,manyusedt hefamiliarsecondpersonpro-noun,"du,"rath erthanthemoreformal"sie."Behindhisback,s omeNazisreferredtohimas"theManitou.""Man itou"isanAmericanIndiantermforakindofhau ntingspirit, "Fuehrer" ,1921,HitlerquittheNaziPartyina disputeoverpolicy,sayinghewouldreturnonl yifhewereacknowledgedastheParty' 'ssingle-mindedenergyandoratoricalpowerw hichhadearnedtheobscurePartyanyattention atall, "derChef,"(theChief).Ashispowergrew, ,Partymemberswereofficiallydi-rectedhenc eforthtoaddresshimalwaysandasnothingless than,"meinFuehrer."OnJanuary30,1933,Hitl eracquireda newandverysignificanttitlewhenPresidentH indenburgappointedhimChancellorofGermany .
