A PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ADOLPH HITLER HIS LIFE AND LEGEND

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A PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
OF
ADOLPH HITLER
HIS LIFE AND LEGEND
by
WALTER C.
LANGER
M. O. Branch
Office of Strategic Services
Washington, D. C.
With the collaboration of
PROF. HENRY A. MURRAY, Harvard Psychological Clinic
DR. EidrsT KRIS, New School for Social Research
DR. BERTRAM D. LEWIN, New York Psychoanalytic Institute
STT
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A PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS
OF
ADOLPH HITLER
HIS LIFE AND LEGEND
by
WALTER C. LANGER
M. 0. Branch
Office of Strategic Services
Washington, D. C.
With the collaboration of
PROF. HENRY A. MURRAY, Harvard Psychological Clinic
DR. ERNST KRIS, New School for Social Research
DR. BERTRAM D. LEWIN, New York Psychoanalytic Institute
111111.111ftikir
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CONTENTS
PREFACE vii
PART I
HITLER - AS HE BELIEVES HIMSELF TO BE . 1
PART II
HITLER - AS THE GERMAN PEOPLE KNOW HIM . 11
PART III
HITLER - AS HIS ASSOCIATES KNOW HIM . . 29
PART IV
HITLER AS HE KNOWS HIMSELF . . 61
PART V
PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS AND RECONSTRUCTION 95
HITLER'S PROBABLE BEHAVIOR IN THE FUTURE . 153
APPENDIX - COMPLETE BIBLIOGRAPHY . . 157
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PREFACE
This study is not propagandistic in any sense of the term. It represents
an attempt to screen the wealth of contradictory, conflicting and unreliable ma-
terial concerning Hitler into strata which will be helpful to the policy-makers
and those who wish to frame a counter-propaganda. For this reason the first
three parts are purely descriptive and deal with the man (1) as he appears to
himself, (2) as he has been pictured to the German people, and (3) as he is
known to his associates. These sections contain the basic material for the psy-
chological anaylses in sections IV and V in which an attempt is made to under-
stand Hitler as a person and the motivations underlying his actions.
The material available for such an analysis is extremely scant and
spotty. Fortunately, we have had at our disposal a number of informants who
knew Hitler well and who have been willing to cooperate to the best of their
abilities. The study would have been entirely impossible were it not for the fact
that there is a relatively high degree of agreement in the descriptions of Hitler's
behavior, sentiments and attitudes given by these several informants. With this
as a basis it seemed worthwhile to proceed with the study filling in the lacunae
with knowledge gained from clinical experience in dealing with individuals of
a similar type. This is not an entirely satisfactory procedure, from a scientific
point of view, but it is the only feasible method at the present time. Throughout
the study we have tried to be as objective as possible in evaluating his strengths
as well as his weaknesses.
All plain numbers in parentheses refer to the page of The Hitler Source-
Book, a companion volume in which the original material is to be found together
with the complete reference. Numbers in parentheses preceded by M. K. or M.
N. 0. refer to pages in Mein Kampf and My New Order, respectively. A detailed
Index to the original material is to be found at the beginning of the Source-Book.
A complete Bibliography is appended to this study.
It is hoped that the study may be helpful in gaining a deeper insight
into Adolph Hitler and the German people and that it may serve as a guide for
our propaganda activities as well as our future dealings with them.
Walter C. Langer
CONSULTANT, M. 0. BRANCH, OSS
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PART I
HITLER ? AS HE BELIEVES HIMSELF TO BE
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HITLER ? AS HE BELIEVES HIMSELF TO BE
At the time of the reoccupation of the Rhineland, in 1936, Hitler
made use of an extraordinary figure of speech in describing his own con-
duct. He said:
"I follow my course with the precision and security of a
sleep-walker."
Even at that time it struck the world as an unusual statement for the
undisputed leader of 67,000,000 people to make in the midst of an inter-
national crisis. Hitler meant it to be a kind of reassurance for his more
wary followers who questioned the wisdom of his course. It seems, how-
ever, that it was a true confession and had his wary followers only real-
ized its significance and implications they would have had grounds for
far greater concern than that aroused by his proposal to reoccupy the
Rhineland. For the course of this sleep-walker has carried him over
many untravelled roads which finally led him unerringly to a pinnacle
of success and power never reached before. And still it lured him on
until today he stands on the brink of disaster. He will go down in history
as the most worshipped and the most despised man the world has ever
known.
Many people have stopped and asked themselves: "Is this man
sincere in his undertakings or is he a fraud?" Certainly even a fragmen-
tary knowledge of his past life warrants such a question, particularly
since our correspondents have presented us with many conflicting views.
At times it seemed almost inconceivable that a man could be sincere and
do what Hitler has done in the course of his career. And yet all of his
former associates, whom we have been able to contact, as well as many of
our most capable foreign correspondents, are firmly convinced that Hit-
ler actually does believe in his own greatness. Fuchs reports that Hitler
said to Schuschnigg during the Berchtesgaden interviews:
"Do you realize that you are in the presence of the greatest
German of all time?"
It makes little difference for our own purpose whether he actu-
ally spoke these words or not at this particular time, as alleged. In this
sentence he has summed up in a very few words an attitude which he
has expressed to some of our informants in person. To Rauschning, for
example, he once said:
"Aber ich brauche sie nicht, urn mir von ihnen meine
geschichtiche Groesse bestaltigen zu lassen." (717)
And to Strasser, who once took the liberty of saying that he was afraid
that Hitler was mistaken, he said:
"I cannot be mistaken. What I do and say is historical!' (378)
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Many other such personal statements could be given. Oechsner has sum-
med up his attitude in this respect very well in the following words:
"He feels that no one in German history was equipped as he
is to bring the Germans to the position of supremacy which
all German statesmen have felt they deserved but were un-
able to achieve." (669)
This attitude is not confined to himself as a statesman. He also
believes himself to be the greatest war lord as, for example, when he says
to Rauschning :
"Ich spiele nicht Krieg. Ich lasse mich nicht von Teldherrn'
kommandieren. Den Krieg fuehre i c h. Den eigentlichen
guenstigen. Ich werde auf ihn warten. Mit eiserner Ent-
Zeitpunkt zum Angriff bestimme i c h. Es gibt nur einen
schlossenheit. Und ich werde ihn nicht verpassen " (701)
And it seems to be true that he has made a number of contributions to
German offensive and defensive tactics and strategy. He believes himself
to be an outstanding judge in legal matters and does not blush when he
stands before the Reichstag, while speaking to the whole world, and says:
"For the last twenty-four hours I was the supreme court of
the German people." (255)
Then, too, he believes himself to be the greatest of all German
architects and spends a great deal of his time in sketching new buildings
and planning the remodeling of entire cities. In spite of the fact that he
failed to pass the examinations for admission to the Art School he believes
himself to be the only competent judge in this field. A few years ago he
appointed a committee of three to act as final judges on all matters of
art, but when their verdicts did not please him he dismissed them and
assumed their duties himself. It makes little difference whether the field
be economics, education, foreign affairs, propaganda, movies, music or
women's dress. In each and every field he believes himself to be an un-
questioned authority.
He also prides himself on his hardness and brutality.
"I am one of the hardest men Germany has had for decades,
perhaps for centuries, equipped with the greatest authority
of any German leader. . . but above all, I believe in my suc-
cess. I believe in it unconditionally." (M.N.O. 871)
This belief in his own power actually borders on a feeling of omnipotence
which he is not reluctant to display.
"Since the events of last year, his faith in his own genius, in
his instinct, or as one might say, in his star, is boundless.
Those who surround him are the first to admit that he now
thinks himself infallible and invincible. That explains why
he can no longer bear either criticism or contradiction. To
contradict him is in his eyes a crime of `lese majeste'; opposi-
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tion to his plans, from whatever side it may come, is a definite
sacrilege, to which the only reply is an immediate and strik-
ing display of his omnipotence." (French Yellow Book, 945)
Another diplomat reports a similar impression:
"When I first met him, his logic and sense of realities had im-
pressed me, but as time went on he appeared to me to become
more and more unreasonable and more and more convinced
of his own infallibility and greatness . . ." (Henderson, 129)
There seems, therefore, to be little room for doubt concerning
Hitler's firm belief in his own greatness. We must now inquire into the
sources of this belief. Almost all writers have attributed Hitler's confi-
dence to the fact that he is a great believer in astrology and that he is
constantly in touch with astrologers who advise him concerning his
course of action. This is almost certainly untrue. All of our informants
who have known Hitler rather intimately discard the idea as absurd.
They all agree that nothing is more foreign to Hitler's personality than to
seek help from outside sources of this type. The informant of the Dutch
Legation holds a similar view. He says:
"Not only has the Fuehrer never had his horoscope cast, but
he is in principle against horoscopes because he feels he
might be unconsciously influenced by them." (655)
It is also indicative that Hitler, some time before the war, forbade the
practice of fortune-telling and star-reading in Germany.
It is true that it looks as though Hitler might be acting under
some guidance of this sort which gives him the feeling and conviction
in his own infallibility. These stories probably originated in the
very early days of the Party. According to Strasser, during the early
1920's Hitler took regular lessons in speaking and in mass psychology
from a man named Hanussen who was also a practicing astrologer and
fortune-teller. He was an extremely clever individual who taught Hitler a
great deal concerning the importance of staging meetings to obtain the
greatest dramatic effect. As far as can be learned, he never had any
particular interest in the movement or any say on what course it should
follow. It is possible that Hanussen had some contact with a group of
astrologers, referred to by von Wiegand, who were very active in
Munich at this time. Through Hanussen Hitler too may have come in
contact with this group, for von Wiegand writes:
"When I first knew Adolph Hitler in Munich, in 1921 and
1922, he was in touch with a circle that believed firmly in
the portents of the stars. There was much whispering of the
coming of 'another Charlemagne and a new Reich.' How far
Hitler believed in these astrological forecasts and prophecies
in those days I never could get out of Der Fuehrer. He neither
denied nor affirmed belief. He was not averse, however, to
making use of the forecasts to advance popular faith in him-
self and his then young and struggling movement."
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It is quite possible that from these beginnings the myth of his associa-
tions with astrologers has grown.
Although Hitler has done considerable reading in a variety of
fields of study, he does not in any way attribute his infallibility or om-
niscience to any intellectual endeavor on his part. On the contrary, he
frowns on such sources when it comes to guiding the destiny of nations.
His opinion of the intellect is, in fact, extremely low, for in various places
he makes such statements as the following:
"Of secondary importance is the training of mental abilities."
"Over-educated people, stuffed with knowledge and intellect,
but bare of any sound instincts."
"These impudent rascals (intellectuals) who always know
everything better than anybody else . . ."
"The intellect has grown autocratic, and has become a dis-
ease of life."
Hitler's guide is something different entirely. It seems certain
that Hitler believes that he has been sent to Germany by Providence and
that he has a particular mission to perform. He is probably not clear on
the scope of this mission beyond the fact that he has been chosen to re-
deem the German people and re-shape Europe. Just how this is to be ac-
complished is also rather vague in his mind, but this does not concern
him greatly because an "inner voice" communicates to him the steps he
is to take. This is the guide which leads him on his course with the pre-
cision and security of a sleep-walker.
"I carry out the commands that Providence has laid upon
me." (490)
"No power on earth can shake the German Reich now, Divine
Providence has willed it that I carry through the fulfillment
of the Germanic task." (413)
"But if the voice speaks, then I know the time has come to
act." (714)
It is this firm conviction that he has a mission and is under the guidance
and protection of Providence which is responsible in large part for the
contagious effect he has had on the German people.
Many people believe that this feeling of Destiny and mission
have come to Hitler through his successes. This is probably false. Later
in our study (Part V) we will try to show that Hitler has had this feeling
for a great many years although it may not have become a conscious con-
viction until much later. In any case it was forcing its way into conscious-
ness during the last war and has played a dominant role in his actions
ever since. Mend (one of his comrades) , for example, reports :?
"An eine eigenartige Propheseiung errinere ich nich noch in
diesem Zusammenhang: Kurz vor Weihnachten (1915) aeus-
serte er sich, dass wir noch vieles von ihm hoeren werden.
Wir sollen nur abwarten, bis seine Zeit gekommen ist." (208)
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Then, too, Hitler has reported several incidents during the war which
proved to him that he was under Divine protection. The most startling
of these is the following:
"I was eating my dinner in a trench with several comrades.
Suddenly a voice seemed to be saying to me, 'Get up and go
over there.' It was so clear and insistent that I obeyed auto-
matically, as if it had been a military order. I rose at once to
my feet and walked twenty yards along the trench carrying
my dinner in its tin can with me. Then I sat down to go on
eating, my mind being once more at rest. Hardly had I done
so when a flash and deafening report came from the part of
the trench I had just left. A stray shell had burst over the
group in which I had been sitting, and every member of it was
killed." (Price, 241)
Then, also, there was the vision he had while in hospital at Pasewalk suf-
fering from blindness allegedly caused by gas:
"Als ich im Bett lag kam mir der Gedanke, dass ich Deutsch-
land befreien wuerde, dass ich es gross machen wuerde, und
ich habe sofort gewusst, dass das verwirklicht werden
wuerde." (429)
These experiences must later have fit in beautifully with the
views of the Munich astrologers and it is possible that underneath Hitler
felt that if there was any truth in their predictions they probably referred
to him. But in those days he did mention any connection between them
or dwell on the Divine guidance he believed he possessed. Perhaps he felt
that such claims at the beginning of the movement might hinder rather
than help it. However, as von Wiegand has pointed out, he was not averse
to making use of the forecasts to advance his own ends. At that time he
was content with the role of a "drummer" who was heralding the coming
of the real savior. Even then, however, the role of drummer was not as
innocent or as insignificant in Hitler's mind as might be supposed. This
was brought out in his testimony during the trial following the unsuc-
cessful Beerhall Putsch of 1923. At that time he said:
"Nehmen Sie die Ueberzeugung hin, dass ich die Erringung
eines Ministerpostens nicht als erstrebenswert ansehe. Ich
halte es eine grossen Mannes nicht fuer wuerdige semen Na-
men der Geschichte nur dadurch ueberliefern zu wollen,
dass er Minister wird. Was mir vor Augen stand, das war vom
ersten Tage tausendmal mehr: ich wollte der Zerbrecher der
Marxismus werden. Ich werde die Ausfgabe loesen, und wenn
ich sie loese, dann waere der Titel eines Ministers fuer mich
eine Laecherlichkeit. Als ich zum ersten Mal vor Richard
Wagners Grab stand, da quoll mir das Herz ueber vor Stolz,
dass hier em n Mann ruht, der es sich verbeten hat, hinauf-
zuschreiben: Hier ruht Geheimrat Musikdirektor Excellenz
Baron Richard von Wagner. Ich war stolz darauf, dass dieser
Mann und so viele Maenner der deutschen Geschichte sich
damit begnuegten, ihren Namen der Nachwelt zu ueber-
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liefern, nicht ihren Titel. Nicht aus Bescheidenheit wollte
ich Trommler' sein. Das 1st das Hoechste, das andere ist
eine Kleinigkeit."
After his stay in Landsberg Hitler no longer referred to himself
as the "drummer." Occasionally he would describe himself in the words
of St. Matthew, "as a voice crying in the wilderness," or as St. John the
Baptist whose duty was to hew a path for him who was to come and lead
the nation to power and glory. More frequently, however, he referred to
himself as "the Fuehrer", a name chosen by Hess during their imprison-
ment. (901)
As time went on, it became clearer that he was thinking of him-
self as the Messiah and that it was he who was destined to lead Germany
to glory. His references to the Bible became more frequent and the move-
ment began to take on a religious atmosphere. Comparisons between
Christ and himself became more numerous and found their way into his
conversation and speeches. For example, he would say:
"When I came to Berlin a few weeks ago and looked at the
traffic in the Kurfuerstendamm, the luxury, the perversion,
the iniquity, the wanton display, and the Jewish materialism
disgusted me so thoroughly, that I was almost beside myself.
I nearly imagined myself to be Jesus Christ when He came to
His Father's temple and found it taken by the money-chang-
ers. I can well imagine how He felt when He seized a whip
and scourged them out." (903)
During his speech, according to Hanfstaengl, he swung his whip
around violently as though to drive out the Jews and the forces of dark-
ness, the enemies of Germany and German honor. Dietrich Eckart, who
discovered Hitler as a possible leader and had witnessed this perform-
ance, said later, "When a man gets to the point of identifying himself
with Jesus Christ, then he is ripe for an insane asylum." The identifica-
tion in all this was not with Jesus Christ, the Crucified, but with Jesus
Christ, the furious, lashing the crowds.
As a matter of fact, Hitler has very little admiration for Christ,
the Crucified. Although he was brought up a Catholic, and received
Communion, during the war, he severed his connection with the Church
directly afterwards. This kind of Christ he considers soft and weak and
unsuitable as a German Messiah. The latter must be hard and brutal if
he is to save Germany and lead it to its destiny.
"My feeling as a Christian points me to my Lord and Saviour
as a fighter. It points me to the man who once in loneliness,
surrounded by only a few followers, recognized these Jews for
what they were and summoned men to fight against them
and who, God's truth! was greatest not as a sufferer but as
a fighter. In boundless love, as a Christian and as a man, I
read through the passage which tells us how the Lord rose
at last in His might and seized the scourge to drive out of
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the Temple the brood of vipers and adders. How terrific was
the fight for the world against the Jewish poison." (M.N.O.
26)
And to Rauschning he once referred to "the Jewish Christ-creed with its
effeminate, pity-ethics."
It is not clear from the evidence whether the new State religion
was part of Hitler's plan or whether developments were such that it be-
came feasible. It is true that Rosenberg had long advocated such a move,
but there is no evidence that Hitler was inclined to take such a drastic
step until after he had come to power. It is possible that he felt he needed
the power before he could initiate such a change, or it may be that his
series of successes were so startling that the people spontaneously adopt-
ed a religious attitude towards him which made the move more or less ob-
vious. In any case, he has accepted this God-like role without any hesi-
tation or embarrassment. White tells us that now when he is addressed
with the salutation, "Heil Hitler, our Savior," he bows slightly at the
compliment in the phrase? and believes it. (664) As time goes on, it
becomes more and more certain that Hitler believes that he is really the
"Chosen One" and that in his thinking he conceives of himself as a sec-
ond Christ who has been sent to institute in the world a new system of
values based on brutality and violence. He has fallen in love with the
image of himself in this role and has surrounded himself with his own
portraits.
His mission seems to lure him to still greater heights. Not con-
tent with the role of transitory savior it pushes him on to higher goals ?
he must set the pattern for generations to come. Von Wiegan.d says:
"In vital matters Hitler is far from unmindful of the name
and record of success and failure he will leave to posterity."
(493)
Nor is he content to allow these patterns to evolve in a natural way. In
order to guarantee the future he feels that he alone can bind it to these
principles. He believes, therefore, that he must become an immortal to
the German people. Everything must be huge and befitting as a monu-
ment to the honor of Hitler. His idea of a permanent building is one which
will endure at least a thousand years. His highways must be known as
"Hitler Highways," and they must endure for longer periods of time than
the Napoleonic roads. He must always be doing the impossible and leav-
ing his mark on the country. This is one of the ways in which he hopes
to stay alive in the minds of the German people for generations to come.
It is alleged by many writers, among them Haffner (418) , Huss
(410) and Wagner (489) , that he has already drawn extensive plans for
his own mausoleum. Our informants, who left Germany some time ago,
are not in a position to verify these reports. They consider them well
within the realm of possibility, however. This mausoleum is to be the
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mecca of Germany after his death. It is to be a tremendous monument
about 700 feet high, with all the details worked out so that the greatest
psychological effect might be attained. It is also alleged that his first
errand in Paris after the conquest in 1940 was a visit to the Dome des
Invalides to study the monument to Napoleon. He found this lacking in
many respects. For example, they had put him down in a hole which
forced people to look down rather than high up.
"I shall never make such a mistake," Hitler said suddenly.
"I know how to keep my hold on people after I have passed
on. I shall be the Fuehrer they look up at and go home to
talk of and remember. My life shall not end in the mere form
of death. It will, on the contrary, begin then." (410)
It was believed for a time that the Kehlstein had been originally
built as an eternal mausoleum by Hitler. It seems, however, that if that
was his original intention he has abandoned it in favor of something even
more grandiose. Perhaps the Kehlstein was too inaccessible to enable
large numbers of people to come and touch his tomb in order to become
inspired. In any case, it seems that far more extravagant plans have been
developed. His plan, if it is to be successful, needs constant emotional
play on hysteric mass minds, and the more he can arrange the ways and
means of achieving this, after he dies, the more assured he is of attaining
his final goal.
"He is firmly convinced that the furious pace and the epochal
age in which he lived and moved (he really is convinced that
he is the motivating force and the moulder of that age) will
terminate soon after his death, swinging the world by nature
and inclination into a long span of digestive process marked
by a sort of quiet inactivity. People in his '1000 year Reich'
will build monuments to him and go around to touch and
look at the things he has built, he thought. He said as much
on that glorified visit of his to Rome in 1938, adding that a
thousand years hence the greatness and not the ruins of his
own time must intrigue the people of those far-away days.
For, believe it or not, that is how the mind of this man Hitler
projects itself without a blush over the centuries." (410)
There was also a time a few years ago when he spoke a good deal
about retiring when his work was done. It was assumed that he would
then take up his residence in Berchtesgaden and sit as God who guides
the destinies of the Reich until he dies. In July, 1933, while visiting the
Wagner family, he talked at length about getting old and complained
bitterly that ten years of valuable time had been lost between the Beer-
hall Putsch in 1923 and his accession to power. This was all very regret-
table since he predicted that it would take twenty-two years to get things
in adequate shape so that he could turn them over to his successor. (936)
It is supposed by some writers that during this period of retirement he
would also write a book which would stand for eternity as a great bible of
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National Socialism. (3) This is all rather interesting in view of Roehm's
statement made many years ago:
"Am liebsten taet er Heute schon in den Bergen sitzen und
den lieben Gott spielen." (715)
A survey of all the evidence forces us to conclude that Hitler be-
lieves himself destined to become an Immortal Hitler, chosen by God to be
the New Deliverer of Germany and the Founder of a new social order for
the world. He firmly believes this and is certain that in spite of all the
trials and tribulations through which he must pass he will finally attain
that goal. The one condition is that he follow the dictates of the inner
voice which have guided and protected him in the past. This conviction
is not rooted in the truth of the ideas he imparts but is based on the
conviction of his own personal greatness. (146) Howard K. Smith makes
an interesting observation:
"I was convinced that of all the millions on whom the Hitler
Myth had fastened itself, the most carried away was Adolph
Hitler, himself." (290)
We will have occasion in Part V to examine the origins of this
conviction and the role it plays in Hitler's psychological economy.
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PART II
HITLER ? AS THE GERMAN PEOPLE KNOW HIM
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HITLER ? AS THE GERMAN PEOPLE KNOW HIM
When we try to formulate a conception of Adolph Hitler as the
German people know him we must not forget that their knowledge of
him is limited by a controlled press. Many thousands of Germans have
seen him in person, particularly in the past, and can use this experience
as a basis for their individual conception of him.
Hitler, from a physical point of view, is not, however, a very im-
posing figure ? certainly not the Platonic idea of a great, fighting Leader
or the Deliverer of Germany and the creator of a New Reich. In height
he is a little below average. His hips are wide and his shoulders relatively
narrow. His muscles are flabby; his legs short, thin and spindly, the
latter being hidden in the past by heavy boots and more recently by long
trousers. He has a large torso and is hollow-chested to the point where
it is said that he has his uniforms padded. From a physical point of view
he could not pass the requirements to his own elite guard.
His dress, in the early days, was no more attractive. He fre-
quently wore the Bavarian mountain costume of leather shorts with
white shirt and suspenders. These were not always too clean and with
his mouth full of brown, rotten teeth and his long dirty fingernails he
presented rather a grotesque picture. (F. Wagner) At this time he also
had a pointed beard, and his dark brown hair was parted in the middle
and pasted down flat against his head with oil. Nor was his gait that of
a soldier. "It was a very ladylike walk. Dainty little steps. Every few
steps he cocked his right shoulder nervously, his left leg snapping up as
he did so." (279) He also had a tic in his face which caused the corner
of his lips curl upward. (483) When speaking he always dressed in a
common-looking blue suit which robbed him of all distinctiveness. At
the trial following the unsuccessful Beerhall Putsch Edgar Mowrer, who
saw him for the first time, asked himself:
"Was this provincial dandy, with his slick dark hair, his cut-
away coat, his awkward gestures and glib tongue, the terrible
rebel? He seemed for all the world like a traveling sales-
man for a clothing firm." (642)
Nor did he make a much better impression later on. Dorothy
Thompson, upon her first meeting, described him in the following terms:
"He is formless, almost faceless, a man whose countenance
is a caricature, a man whose framework seems cartilaginous,
without bones. He is inconsequent and voluble, ill poised and
insecure. He is the very prototype of the little man." (307)
Smith (289) also found him "the apotheosis of the little man," funny
looking, self-conscious and unsure of himself.
It may be supposed that this is only the judgment of American
journalists who have a different standard of masculine beauty. However,
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Hitler in Bavarian Costume
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while testifying as a witness in the law court in 1923, Professor Max von
Gruber of the University of Munich, and the most eminent eugenist in
Germany, stated:
"It was the first time I had seen Hitler close at hand. Face
and head of inferior type, cross-breed; low receding forehead,
ugly nose, broad cheekbones, little eyes, dark hair. Expres-
sion not of a man exercising authority in perfect self-com-
mand, but of raving excitement. At the end an expression of
satisfied egotism." (575)
A great deal has been written about his eyes which have been
described in terms of almost every color of the rainbow. As a matter of
fact, they seem to be rather a bright blue ? bordering on the violet. But
it is not the color which has attracted people, but rather their depth and
a glint which makes them appear to have a hypnotic quality. One finds
stories like the following recurring over and over again in the literature.
A policeman who is noted for his antipathy to the Nazi movement is sent
to a Hitler meeting to maintain order. While standing at his post Hitler
enters:
"He gazed into the police officer's eye with that fatal hypno-
tizing and irresistible glare, which swept the poor officer
right off his feet. Clicking to attention he confessed to me
this morning: 'Since last night I am a National Socialist.
Heil Hitler.'" (Fromm, 369)
These stories are not all from the Nazi propaganda agencies.
Very reliable people, now in this country, have reported similar incidents
among their own personal acquaintances. Even outstanding diplomats
have commented on the nature of his eyes and the way in which he uses
them when meeting people, often with disastrous effects.
Then there are others, like Rauschning, who find his look star-
ing and dead ? lacking in brilliance and the sparkle of genuine anima-
tion. (257) We need not dwell on his eyes and their peculiar quality,
however, since relatively few Germans have come in such close contact
with him that they could be seriously affected by them.
Whatever effect Hitler's personal appearance may have had on
the German people in the past, it is safe to assume that this has been
greatly tempered by millions of posters, pasted in every conceivable place,
which show the Fuehrer as a fairly good-looking individual with a very
determined attitude. In addition, the press, news-reels, etc., are continu-
ally flooded with carefully prepared photographs showing Hitler at his
very best. These have undoubtedly, in the course of time, blotted out any
unfavorable impressions he may have created as a real person in the past.
The physical Hitler most Germans know now is a fairly presentable in-
dividual.
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Hitler Entering Meeting in Hamburg
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The only other real contact the overwhelming majority of people
have had with Hitler is through his voice. He was a tireless speaker and
before he came to power would sometimes give as many as three or four
speeches on the same day, often in different cities. Even his greatest op-
ponents concede that he is the greatest orator that Germany has ever
known. This is a great concession in view of the fact that the qualities of
his voice are far from pleasant ? many, in fact, find it distinctly un-
pleasant. It has a rasping quality which often breaks into a shrill falsetto
when he becomes aroused. Nor is it his diction which makes him a great
orator. In the early days this was particularly bad. It was a conglomera-
tion of high German with an Austrian dialect which Tschuppik (317)
describes as a "knoedlige Sprache." Nor was it the structure of his
speeches which made him a great orator. On the whole, his speeches
were sinfully long, badly structured and very repetitious. Some of them
are positively painful to read but nevertheless, when he delivered them
they had an extraordinary effect upon his audiences.
His power and fascination in speaking lay almost wholly in his
ability to sense what a given audience wanted to hear and then to ma-
nipulate his theme in such a way that he would arouse the emotions of
the crowd. Strasser says of this talent:
"Hitler responds to the vibration of the human heart with
the delicacy of a seismograph. . . enabling him, with a cer-
tainty with which no conscious gift could endow him, to act
as a loudspeaker proclaiming the most secret desires, the
least permissible instincts, the sufferings and personal re-
volts of a whole nation." (376)
Before coming to power almost all of his speeches centered
around the following three themes: (1) the treason of the November
criminals; (2) the rule of the Marxists must be broken; and (3) the
world domination of the Jews. No matter what topic was advertised for
a given speech he almost invariably would wind up on one or more of
these three themes. And yet people liked it and would attend one meeting
after another to hear him speak. It was not, therefore, so much what he
said that appealed to his audiences as how he said it.
Even in the early days Hitler was a showman with a great sense
for the dramatic. Not only did he schedule his speeches late in the eve-
ning when his audience would be tired and their resistance lowered
through natural causes, but he would always send an assistant ahead of
time to make a short speech and warm the audience up. Storm-troopers
always played an important role at these meetings and would line the
aisle through which he would pass. At the psychological moment, Hitler
would appear in the door at the back of the hall. Then with a small group
behind him, he would march through the rows of S.A. men to reach the
speaker's table. He never glanced to the right or to the left as he came
down the aisle and became greatly annoyed if anyone tried to accost him
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or hampered his progress. Whenever possible he would have a band pre-
sent and they would strike up a lively military march as he came down
the aisle.
When he began to speak he usually manifested signs of nervous-
ness. Usually he was unable to say anything of consequence until he had
gotten the feel of his audience. On one occasion, Heiden (499) reports,
he was so nervous that he could think of nothing to say. In order to do
something he picked up the table and moved it around on the platform.
Then suddenly he got the "feel" and was able to go on. Price (241)
describes his speaking in the following way:
"The beginning is slow and halting. Gradually he warms up
when the spiritual atmosphere of the great crowd is engen-
dered. For he responds to this metaphysical contact in such
a way that each member of the multitude feels bound to him
by an individual link of sympathy."
All of our informants report the slow start, waiting for the feel of the
audience. As soon as he has found it, the tempo increases in smooth
rhythm and volume until he is shouting at the climax. Through all this,
the listener seems to identify himself with Hitler's voice which becomes
the voice of Germany.
This is all in keeping with Hitler's own conception of mass psy-
chology as given in MEIN KAMPF where he says:
"The psyche of the broad masses does not respond to any-
thing weak or half-way. Like a woman, whose spiritual sen-
sitiveness is determined less by abstract reason than by an
indefinable emotional longing for fulfilling power and who,
for that reason, prefers to submit to the strong rather than
the weakling ?the mass, too, prefers the ruler to a pleader."
And Hitler let them have it. NEWSWEEK (572) reported:
"Women faint, when, with face purpled and contorted with
effort, he blows forth his magic oratory. "
Flanner (558) says:
"His oratory used to wilt his collar, unglue his forelock, glaze
his eyes; he was like a man hypnotized, repeating himself
into a frenzy."
Yeates-Brown (592)
"He was a man transformed and possessed. We were in the
presence of a miracle."
This fiery oratory was something new to the Germans and par-
ticularly to the slow-tongued, lower-class Bavarians. In Munich his
shouting and gesturing were a spectacle men paid to see (216) . It was
not only his fiery oratory, however, that won the crowds to his cause. This
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was certainly something new, but far more important was the serious-
ness with which his words were spoken.
"Everyone of his words comes out charged with a powerful
current of energy; at times it seems as if they are torn from
the very heart of the man, causing him indescribable an-
guish." (Fry, 577)
"Leaning from the tribune, as if he were trying to impel his
inner self into the consciousness of all these thousands, he
was holding the masses and me with them under a hypnotic
spell. . . It was clear that Hitler was feeling the exaltation of
the emotional response now surging up toward him . . . his
voice rising to passionate climaxes. . . his words were like a
scourge. When he stopped speaking his chest was still heav-
ing with emotion." (Ludecke, 164)
Many writers have commented upon his ability to hypnotize his audi-
ences. Stanley High (453) reports:
"When, at the climax, he sways from one side to the other
his listeners sway with him; when he leans forward they also
lean forward and when he concludes they either are awed
and silent or on their feet in a frenzy."
Unquestionably, as a speaker, he has had a powerful influence
on the common run of German people. His meetings were always crowd-
ed and by the time he got through speaking he had completely numbed
the critical faculties of his listeners to the point where they were willing
to believe almost anything he said. He flattered them and cajoled them.
He hurled accusations at them one moment and amused them the next
by building up straw men which he promptly knocked down. His tongue
was like a lash which whipped up the emotions of his audience. And
somehow he always managed to say what the majority of the audience
were already secretly thinking but could not verbalize. When the audi-
ence began to respond, it affected him in return. Before long due to this
reciprocal relationship, he and his audience became intoxicated with the
emotional appeal of his oratory. (Strasser, 295)
It was this Hitler that the German people knew at first hand.
Hitler,the fiery orator,who tirelessly rushed from one meeting to another,
working himself to the point of exhaustion in their behalf. Hitler, whose
heart and soul were in the Cause and who struggled endlessly against
overwhelming odds and obstacles to open their eyes to the true state of
affairs. Hitler, who could arouse their emotions and channelize them
towards goals of national aggrandizement. Hitler the courageous, who
dared to speak the truth and defy the national authorities as well as the
international oppressors. It was a sincere Hitler that they knew, whose
words burned into the most secret recesses of their minds and rebuked
them for their own shortcomings. It was the Hitler who would lead them
back to self-respect because he had faith in them.
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Hitter Addressing an Audience
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This fundamental conception of Hitler made a beautiful foundation
for a propaganda build-up. He was so convincing on the speaker's plat-
form and appeared to be so sincere in what he said that the majority of
his listeners were ready to believe almost anything good about him be-
cause they wanted to believe it. The Nazi propaganda agencies were not
slow in making the most of their opportunities.
Hitler, himself, had provided an excellent background for a
propaganda build-up. From the earliest days of his political career he
had steadfastly refused to divulge anything about his personal life, past
or present. To his most immediate associates he was, in reality, a man
of mystery. There was no clearing away of unpleasant incidents to be
done before the building-up process could begin. In fact, the more secrecy
he maintained about his personal life the more curious his followers be-
came. This was, indeed, fertile ground on which to build a myth or legend.
The Nazi propaganda machine devoted all its efforts to the task
of portraying Hitler as something extra-human. Everything he did was
written up in such a way that it portrayed his superlative character. If
he does not eat meat, drink alcoholic beverages, or smoke, it is not due
to the fact that he has some kind of inhibition or does it because he be-
lieves it will improve his health. Such things are not worthy of the
Fuehrer. He abstains from these because he is following the example of
the great German, Richard Wagner, or because he has discovered that
Hitler's Meals are Very Simple. Only One Pot for Everybody.
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it increases his energy and endurance to such a degree that he can give
much more of himself to the creation of the new German Reich.
Such abstinence also indicates, according to the propaganda,
that the Fuehrer is a person with tremendous will-power and self-disci-
pline. Hitler himself fosters this conception, according to Hanfstaengl,
for, when someone asked him how he managed to give up these things, he
replied: "It is a matter of will. Once I make up my mind not to do a thing,
I just don't do it. And once that decision is made, it is taken for always.
Is that so wonderful?"
The same is true in the field of sex. As far as the German people
lmow he has no sex life and this too is clothed, not as an abnormality,
but as a great virtue. The Fuehrer is above human weaknesses of this sort
and von Wiegand (494) tells us that he "has a profound contempt for
the weakness in men for sex and the fools that it makes of them".
Hanfstaengl reports that Hitler frequently makes the statement that he
will never marry a woman since Germany is his only bride. However,
Hitler with his deep insight into human nature, appreciates these weak-
nesses in others and is tolerant of them. He does not even condemn them
or forbid them among his closest associates.
He is also portrayed in the propaganda as the soul of kindliness
and generosity. Endless stories that illustrate these virtues are found
over and over again in the literature. Price (236) cites a typical example:
an attractive young peasant girl tries to approach him but is prevented
from doing so by the guards. She bursts into tears and Hitler, seeing her
distress, inquires into the cause. She tells him that her fiance had been
expelled from Austria for his Nazi principles and that he cannot find
work and consequently they cannot get married. Hitler is deeply touched.
He promises to find the young man a job and, in addition, completely
furnishes a flat for them to live in, even down to a baby's cot. Every at-
tempt is made to present him as extremely human, with a deep feeling
for the problems of ordinary people.
A great many writers, both Nazi and anti-Nazi, have written
extensively about his great love for children and the Nazi press is
certainly full of pictures showing Hitler in the company of little tots.
It is alleged that when he is at Berchtesgaden he always has the children
from the neighborhood visit him in the afternoon and that he serves
them candy, ice cream, cake, etc. Phayre (225) says, "Never was there a
middle-aged bachelor who so delighted in the company of children".
Princess Olga reported that when she visited Hitler in Berlin and the
topic of children came up during the conversation, Hitler's eyes filled
with tears. The Nazi press had made extremely good use of this and end-
less stories accompany the pictures. Likewise, a great deal is written
about his fondness for animals, particularly dogs. Here again, there
are numberless pictures to prove it is so. As far as dogs are concerned, the
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propaganda build-up is Hitler's modesty and simplicity. His successes
point in other respects. One writer even went so far as to attribute his
vegetarianism to his inability to tolerate the thought of animals being
slaughtered for human consumption (405) . Hitler is pictured as an
"affable lord of the manor", full of gentleness, kindliness and helpfulness,
or, as Oechsner puts it, he is the Great Comforter?father, husband,
brother or son to every German who lacks or has lost such a relative (668) .
Another trait which has received a great deal of comment in the
propaganda is probably fairly near the truth but it goes far beyond that
have never gone to his head. At bottom he is still the simple soul he was
when he founded the Party and his greatest joy is to be considered as
"one of the boys". As proof of this they point to the fact that he has
never sought a crown, that he never appears in gaudy uniforms or does
a great deal of entertaining. Even after he came to power he continued
to wear his old trench coat and slouch hat for a time and when he donned
a uniform it was always that of a simple storm-trooper. Much was written
about his fondness for visits from early acquaintances and how he loved
to sit down in the midst of his busy day in order to talk over old times.
There was really nothing he liked better than to frequent his old haunts
and meet old friends while he was in Munich, or to take part in their
festivities. At heart he was still a worker and his interests were always
with the working classes with whom he felt thoroughly at home.
Hitler is also a man of incredible energy and endurance. His day
consists of sixteen and eighteen hours of uninterrupted work. He is
absolutely tireless when it comes to working for Germany and its future
welfare and no personal pleasures are permitted to interfere with the
carrying out of his mission. The ordinary man in the street cannot
imagine a human being in Hitler's position not taking advantage of his
opportunity. He can only imagine himself in the same position revelling
in luxuries and yet here is Hitler who scorns them all. His only conclusion
is that Hitler is not an ordinary mortal. Phillips (868) reports the case
of a young Nazi who once confided to him: "I would die for Hitler, but
I would not change places with Hitler. At least when I wake every
morning I can say, 'Heil Hitler!', but this man, he has no fun in life. No
smoking, no drinking, no women! ?only work, until he falls asleep at
night!"
A great deal is made of Hitler's determination. It is pointed out
over and over again that he never gives up once he has made up his mind
to attain a particular goal. No matter how rough the road, he plods along
in unswerving determination. Even though he receives serious set-backs
and the situation appears to be hopeless, he never loses faith and always
gets what he goes after. He refuses to be coerced into compromises of
any sort and is always ready to assume the full responsibility for his
actions. The great trials and tribulations through which the. Party had
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Typical Picture Illustrating Hitler's Love for Children
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Typical Picture Illustrating Hitler's Love for Children
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to pass on its way to power are cited over and over again and all the credit
is given to Hitler and his fanatical faith in the future. Even his refusal
to permit ordinary scruples to get in his way is given as a sign of his
greatness. The fact that he did not communicate with his family for
over ten years becomes a great virtue since it meant a severe deprivation
to the young man who was determined to make something of himself
before he returned home!
A great deal of publicity has also been given to his breadth of
vision, ability to penetrate the future and his ability to organize both
the Party and the country in preparation for obstacles they will have to
overcome. According to the propagandists, Hitler is the soul of efficiency
and has an extraordinary power of resolving conflicts and simplifying
problems which have stumped all experts in the past. In fact, his infalli-
bility and incorruptibility throughout are not only implied but openly
stated in no uncertain terms.
He is also a person of great patience who would never spill u
drop of human blood if it could possibly be avoided. Over and over again
one hears of his great patience with the democracies, with Czechoslovakia
and with Poland. But here, as in his private life, he never loses control of
his emotions. Fundamentally, he is a man of peace who desires nothing
quite so much as to be left alone to work out the destiny of Germany in
a quiet and constructive manner. For he is a builder at heart and an
artist, and these prove that the creative and constructive elements in
his nature are predominant.
This does not mean, however, that he is a coward. On the
contrary, he is a person of outstanding courage. His way of life is proof
of this, as well as his enviable record during the last war. A great many
stories about his decorations for bravery have been circulated and
particularly for his outstanding heroism when he was awarded the Iron
Cross first-class. The fact that the stories of his performance vary from
one time to another does not seem to disturb the people in the least.
Fundamentally, according to the Nazi press, Hitler is a man of
steel. He is well aware of his mission and no amount of persuasion, co-
ercion, sacrifices or unpleasant duties can persuade him to alter his
course. In the face of all sorts of disasters and disagreeable happenings
and necessary measures, he never loses his nerve for a moment. But he is
not hard in human qualities. He places loyalty and justice as the two of
the greatest virtues and observes them with scrupulous care. Loyalty
means so much to him that the inscription over his door at Berchtes-
gaden reads, "Meine Ehre heisst Treue". He is the acme of German
honor and purity; the Resurrector of the German family and home. He
is the greatest architect of all time; the greatest military genius in all
history. He has an inexhaustible fount of knowledge. He is a man of
action and the creator of new social values. He is indeed, according to the
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Nazi propaganda bureau, the paragon of all virtues. A few typical
examples may illustrate the extent to which they are carried in their
praise of him.
"Zunaechst Hitler selbst : Hitler is der Mann ohne Kom-
promiss. Vor allem kennt er keinen Kompromiss mit sicht
selbts. Er hat einen einzigen Gedanken, der ihn leitet :
Deutschland wieder aufzurichten. Diese Idee verdraengt
alles urn ihn. Er kennt kein Privatleben. Er kennt Familien-
leben ebensowenig, wie er em n Laster kennt. Er ist die Ver-
koerperung des nationalen Willens.
"Die Ritterschaft eines heiligen Zieles, das sich kein Mensch
hoeher steken kann: Deutschland! . . . Hitler. . . ueberracht
(durch) seine warme Liebenswuerdigkeit. 'Lieber die Ruhe
und Kraft, die beinahe physisch von diesem Mann ausstraht.
Man waechst in der Naehe dieses Menschen Wie er auf alle
Dinge reagiert! . . . Eisern werden die Zuege und die Worte
fallen wie Bein . . Der klassische Ernst, mit dem Hitler und
seine urn den Fuehrer gescharten Mitarbeiter ihre Sendung
nehmen, hat in der Geschichte dieser Welt nur wenige Par-
alellen." Czech-Jochberg : Adolph Hitler und sein Stab, 1933.
(861)
". . . auch in den privaten Dingen des Lebens Vorbildlichkeit
und menschliche Groesse . . . ob Hitler . . . umbraust wird
vom jubelnden Zuruf der Strassenarbeiter, oder aufgewuehlt
und erschuettert am Lager seine ermordeten Kameraden
steht, immer ist urn ihn diese Hoheit und tiefste Menschlich-
keit . . . dieser einzigartigen Perseonlichkeit . . . em n grosser
und guter Mensch. Hitler ist em n universaler Geist. Es ist
unmoeglich der Mannigfaltigkeit seines Wesens mit 100
Aufnahmen gerecht zu werden. Auch auf diesen beiden
Bebieten (Architecture and History) ist Hitler eine unangreif-
bare Autoritaet. Unsere Zeit wird diesen Ueberragenden
vielleicht verehren und lieben, aber wird ihn nicht in seiner
grossen Tief ermessen koennen." Hoffman: Hitler, wie ihn
keiner kennt, 1932 (899)
"Hitler is a modest man ? and the world needs modest men.
Therefore the people love him. Like every good leader, he
must be an efficient follower. He makes himself the humblest
disciple of himself, the severest of all disciplinarians with
himself. In fact, Hitler is a modern monk, with the three
knots of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience tied in his invisible
girdle. A zealot among zealots. He eats no meat, drinks no
wine, does not smoke. I am told he takes for himself no salary
but lives privately from the income of his book, "Mein
Kampf" . . . Surplus funds he turns back to the S.A. His work
day consists of eighteen hours, usually, and he often falls
asleep in the last hour of his work. There have been four
women in his life ? but only to help him along with service
and money. . . He once gave a lecture at Bayreuth on Wagner
and "Deutsche Lieder" that astounded the musical critics
and revealed him as a musical scholar of parts.. . . Sheer op-
portunism never lured him as much as the opportunity to
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preach his doctrines. His quality is Messianic; his spiritual
trend is ascetic; his reaction is medieval . . ." Phillips: Ger-
many Today and Tomorrow. (868)
Hitler not only knows about all these writings but since he has
always been the guiding spirit in all German propaganda and usually
plans the broad lines that are to be followed, it is safe to assume that he
himself is responsible for the instigation and development of this mythi-
cal personality. When we look back over the development of this build-up
we can see clearly that Hitler, from the very beginning, planned on
making himself a mythological figure. He opens MEIN KAMPF with
the following passage:
"In this little town on the river Inn, Bavarian by blood and
Austrian by nationality, gilded by the light of German mar-
tyrdom, there lived, at the end of the '80's of the last century,
my parents: the father a faithful civil servant, the mother
devoting herself to the cares of the household and looking
after her children with eternally the same loving kindness."
This is the classic way of beginning a fairy tale rather than a serious
autobiography or a political treatise. In the very first sentence of the
book he implies that Fate was already smiling on him at the time of his
birth, for it reads:
"Today I consider it my good fortune that Fate designated
Braunau on the Inn as the place of my birth."
As soon as Hitler came to power new weapons for self-aggrand-
izement were put into the hands of the propagandists and they made
good use of them. Unemployment dropped off rapidly, roads that the
Germans never dreamed of sprung up over night, new and imposing
buildings were erected with astounding rapidity. The face of Germany
was being lifted at an incredible speed. Hitler was keeping his promises;
he was accomplishing the impossible. Every success in diplomacy, every
social reform was heralded as world-shaking in its importance. And for
each success, Hitler modestly accepted all the credit. It was always Hitler
that did this, and Hitler who did that, provided these acts were spec-
tacular and met with the approval of the public. If they happened to meet
with disapproval, it was always one of his assistants who was to blame.
Every effort was made to cultivate the attitude that Hitler was infallible
and was carrying through his mission of saving Germany.
It was not long before the German people were prepared to take
the short step of seeing Hitler, not as a man, but as a Messiah of Ger-
many. Public meetings and particularly the Nurnburg took on a religious
atmosphere. All the stagings were designated to create a supernatural
and religious atmosphere and Hitler's entry was more befitting a god than
a man. In Berlin one of the large art shops on Unter den Linden exhibited
a large portrait of Hitler in the center of its display window. Hitler's
portrait was entirely surrounded as though by a halo, with various
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copies of a painting of Christ (High, 453) . Notes appeared in the press
to the effect that, "Als er sprach, hoerte man den Mantel Gottes durch
den Saal rauschen!" Ziemar reports that on the side of a hill in Odenwald,
conspicious as a waterfall, painted on white canvas were the black words:
"We believe in Holy Germany
Holy Germany is Hitler!
We believe in Holy Hitler! !" (763)
Roberts reports:
"In Munich in the early autumn of 1936 I saw colored pic-
tures of Hitler in the actual silver garments of the Knights
of the Grail; but these were soon withdrawn. They gave the
show away; they were too near the truth of Hitler's men-
tality." (876)
Teeling (565) writes that at the Nurnburg Nazi Party Rally in Septem-
ber, 1937, there was a hugh photograph of Hitler underneath which was
the inscription, "In the beginning was the Word . . .". He also says that
the Mayor of Hamburg assured him, "We need no priests or parsons. We
communicate direct with God through Adolph Hitler. He has many
Christ-like qualities." Soon these sentiments were introduced by official
circles. Rauschning (552) reports that the Party has adopted this creed:
"Wir alle glauben auf dieser Erde an Adolph Hitler, unseren
Fuehrer, und wir bekennen, dass der National-sozialismus
der allein seligmachende Glaube fuer unser Volk 1st."
A Rhenish group of German "Christians" in April, 1937, passed this
resolution:
"Hitler's word is God's law, the decrees and laws which repre-
sent it possess divine authority." (550)
And Reichsminister for Church Affairs, Hans Kerrl, says:
"There has arisen a new authority as to what Christ and
Christianity really are ? that is Adolph Hitler. Adolph Hit-
ler . . . is the true Holy Ghost." (749)
This is the way Hitler hopes to pave his path to immortality. It
has been carefully planned and consistently executed in a step by step
fashion. The Hitler the German people know is fundamentally the fiery
orator who fascinated them and this has gradually been embroidered
by the propaganda until he is now presented to them as a full-fledged
deity. Everything else is carefully concealed from them as a whole. How
many Germans believe it we do not know. Some, certainly, believe it
wholeheartedly. Dorothy Thompson writes of such a case:
"At Garmisch I met an American from Chicago. He had
been at Oberammergau, at the Passion Play. 'These people
are all crazy,' he said. 'This is not a revolution, it's a revival.
They think Hitler is God. Believe it or not, a German woman
sat next to me at the Passion Play and when they hoisted
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Jesus on the Cross, she said, 'There he is. That is our
Fuehrer, our Hitler.' And when they paid out the thirty
pieces of silver to Judas, she said: 'That is Roehm, who be-
trayed the Leader.'" (568)
Extreme cases of this kind are probably not very numerous but it would
be amazing if a small degree of the same type of thinking had not seeped
into the picture of Hitler which many Germans hold.
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PART III
HITLER - AS HIS ASSOCIATES KNOW HIM
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HITLER ? AS HIS ASSOCIATES KNOW HIM
The picture the Nazi propaganda machine has painted of Hitler
certainly seems like an extravagant one. Even if we ignore the deifying
elements, it seems like the fantasy of a superman ? the paragon of
all virtues. Extraordinary as it may seem, however, there are times at
which he approximates such a personality and wins the respect and ad-
miration of all his associates.
At such times he is a veritable demon for work and often works
for several days on end with little or no sleep. His powers of concentration
are extraordinary and he is able to penetrate very complex problems and
reduce them to a few simple, fundamental factors. He prides himself on
this talent and has said to various people:
"I have the gift of reducing all problems to their simplest
foundations . . . A gift for tracing back all theories to their
roots in reality."
And he really has it. Unencumbered with abstract theories or tradi-
tional points of view and prejudices he is able to look at complex problems
in a rather naive way and pick out the most salient and significant ele-
ments and apply them to the present situation in a fairly simple and
workable manner. To be sure, he never solves the entire problem in this
way but only the human elements involved. Since this is the part which
interests him most and produces immediate results, it has been rated
very highly and has won the admiration of his close associates from the
earliest days of his political career.
During these periods of activity Hitler is completely absorbed in
the task confronting him. Conference follows conference with great
rapidity. His judgments are quick and decisive. He is impatient to get
things done and expects everyone to apply himself with an ardor equal to
his own. He, therefore, demands great sacrifices from his associates.
At such times, however, he is also very human. He shows an un-
usual degree of considerateness toward others and a certain tolerance
of their weaknesses. When he calls a halt for meals he will not eat until
his entire staff has been served. When an overzealous servant insists on
serving him before others he will often get up and take the plate over to
one of his lowly assistants. During all of this he is in the best of spirits
and jokes with everyone around him.
He has an extraordinary memory and continuously recalls
amusing incidents from the past lives of those around him. These he
tells to his staff at large. He is an excellent mimic and often plays out the
role of the individual involved to the great amusement of the staff while
the individual must sit by and witness the performance much to his own
embarrassment. Nevertheless he is thoroughly flattered that the Fuehrer
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should single him out and remember him and his actions in such detail.
During these periods Hitler is also the soul of kindliness and generosity.
He acts more like a big brother to his staff than as a Fuehrer and manages
to endear himself to each and every one of them.
But, underneath, he is every inch the Fuehrer. He displays
extraordinary courage and determination. He shows a great deal of in-
itiative and is willing to assume full responsibility for the wisdom of the
course he has mapped out. He is very persuasive and is able to muster and
organize his people into an efficient smooth-running unit. Personal fric-
tions disappear, for the time being, and everybody has but a single
thought in mind: To do what the Fuehrer wishes.
He works with great certainty and security and appears to have
the situation entirely in hand. All kinds of facts and figures relevant to
the problem flow from him without the slightest hesitation or effort,
much to the amazement of those about him. He can cite the tonnages of
ships in various navies:
"He knows exactly what kind of armament, the kind of armor
plates, the weight, the speed and the number of the crew
of every ship in the British Navy. He knows the number of
rotations of airplane motors in every model and type existent.
He knows the number of shots a machine gun fires a minute,
whether it is a light, medium or heavy one, whether it was
made in the United States, Czecho-Slovakia or France."
(Russell, 747)
Then, too, his staff has learned from past experience, that when
Hitler is in one of these moods he approximates infallibility particularly
when the support of the people is needed to carry through the project on
which he is engaged. This may seem like an unwarranted statement but,
if our study is to be complete, we must appraise his strengths as well as
his weaknesses. It can scarcely be denied that he has some extraordinary
abilities where the psychology of the average man is concerned. He has
been able, in some manner or other, to unearth and apply successfully
many factors pertaining to group psychology, the importance of which
has not been generally recognized and some of which we might adopt to
good advantage. These might be briefly summarized as follows:
(1) Full appreciation of the importance of the masses in the
success of any movement. Hitler has phrased this very well in MEIN
KAMPF :
"The lack of knowledge of the internal driving forces of great
changes led to an insufficient evaluation of the importance
of the great masses of the people; from this resulted the
scanty interest in the social question, the deficient courting
of the soul of the nation's lower classes . . . ." (p. 138)
(2) Recognition of the inestimable value of winning the support
of youth; realization of the immense momentum given a social movement
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by the wild fervor and enthusiasm of young people as well as the import-
ance of early training and indoctrination.
(3) Recognition of the role of women in advancing a new move-
ment and of the fact that the reactions of the masses as a whole have
many feminine characteristics. As early as 1923, he said to Hanfstaengl
(902) :
"Do you know the audience at a circus is just like a woman
(Die Masse, das Volk is wie em n Weib) . Someone who does
not understand the intrinsicly feminine character of the
masses will never be an effective speaker. Ask yourself:
'What does a woman expect from a man?' Clearness, deci-
sion, power and action. What we want is to get the masses
to act. Like a woman, the masses fluctuate between extremes
. The crowd is not only like a woman, but women consti-
tute the most important element in an audience. The women
usually lead, then follow the children and at last, when I have
already won over the whole family ? follow the fathers."
And in MEIN KAMPF, he writes:
"The people, in an overwhelming majority, are so feminine
in their nature and attitude that their activities and
thoughts are motivated, less by sober consideration than by
feeling and sentiment." (p. 237)
(4) The ability to feel, identify with and express in passionate
language the deepest needs and sentiments of the average German and
to present oportunities or possibilities for their gratification.
(5) Capacity to appeal to the most primitive, as well as the most
ideal inclinations in man, to arouse the basest instincts and yet cloak
them with nobility, justifying all actions as means to the attainment of
an ideal goal. Hitler realized that men will not combine and dedicate
themselves to a common purpose unless this purpose be an ideal one cap-
able of survival beyond their generation. He has also perceived that al-
though men will die only for an ideal their continued zest and enterprise
can be maintained only by a succession of more immediate and earthly
satisfactions.
(6) Appreciation of the fact that the masses are as hungry for
a sustaining ideology in political action as they are for daily bread. Any
movement which does not satisfy this spiritual hunger in the masses will
not mobolize their whole-hearted support and is destined to fail.
"All force which does not spring from a firm spiritual founda-
tion will be hesitating and uncertain. It lacks the stability
which can only rest on a fanatical view of life. (MK 222)
"Every attempt at fighting a view of life by means of force
will finally fail, unless the fight against it represents the
form of an attack for the sake of a new spiritual direction.
Only in the struggle of two views of life with each other can
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the weapon of brute force, used continuously and ruthlessly,
bring about the decision in favor of the side it supports."
(MK 223)
(7) The ability to portray conflicting human forces in vivid,
concrete imagery that is understandable and moving to the ordinary
man. This comes down to the use of metaphors in the form of imagery
which, as Aristotle has said, is the most powerful force on earth.
(8) The faculty of drawing on the traditions of the people and
by reference to the great classical mythological themes evoke the deep-
est unconscious emotions of the audience. The fact that the unconscious
mind is more intensely affected by the great eternal symbols and themes
is not generally understood by most modern speakers and writers.
(9) Realization that enthusiastic political action does not take
place if the emotions are not deeply involved.
(10) Appreciation of the willingness, almost desire, of the masses
to sacrifice themselves on the altar of social improvement or spiritual
values.
(11) Realization of the importance of artistry and dramatic in-
tensity in conducting large meetings, rallies and festivals. This involves
not only an appreciation of what the artist ? the writer, musician and
painter ? can accomplish in the way of evoking emotional responses but
also the leader's recognition of the necessity of his participation in the
total dramatic effect as chief character and hero. Hitler has become mas-
ter of all the arts of high-lighting his own role in the movement for a
Greater Germany. Shirer (157) describes this very well:
"A searchlight plays upon his lone figure as he slowly walks
through the hall, never looking to right or left, his right hand
raised in salute, his left hand at the buckle of his belt. He
never smiles ? it is a religious rite, this procession of the
modern Messiah incarnate. Behind him are his adjutants
and secret service men. But his figure alone is flooded with
light.
"By the time Hitler has reached the rostrum, the masses have
been so worked upon that they are ready to do his will. . . ."
(12) A keen appreciation of the value of slogans, catchwords,
dramatic phrases and happy epigrams in penetrating the deeper levels
of the psyche. In speaking to Hanfstaengl on this point he once used the
following figure of speech:
"There is only so much room in a brain, so much wall space,
as it were, and if you furnish it with your slogans, the oppo-
sition has no place to put up any pictures later on, because
the apartment of the brain is already crowded with your fur-
niture." Hanfstaengl adds that Hitler has always admired
the use the Catholic Church made of slogans and has tried
to imitate it." (899)
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pec acu ar an rama lc ec s rn r ee zngs
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Spectacular and Dramatic Effects in Meeting.;
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Spectacular and Dramatic Effects in Meetings
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(13) Realization of a fundamental loneliness and feeling of isola-
tion in people living under modern conditions and a craving to "belong"
to an active group which carries a certain status, provides cohesiveness
and gives the individual a feeling of personal worth and belonging:ness.
(14) Appreciation of the value underlying a hierarchical political
organization which affords direct contact with each individual.
(15) Ability to surround himself with and maintain the allegi-
ance of a group of devoted aides whose talents complement his own.
(16) Appreciation of winning confidence from the people by a
show of efficiency within the organization and government. It is said
that foods and supplies are already in the local warehouses when the an-
nouncement concerning the date of distribution is made. Although they
could be distributed immediately the date is set for several weeks ahead
in order to create an impression of super-efficiency and win the confi-
dence of the people. Every effort is made to avoid making a promise
which cannot be fulfilled at precisely the appointed time.
(17) Appreciation of the important role played by little things
which affect the everyday life of the ordinary man in building up and
maintaining the morale of the people.
(18) Full recognition of the fact that the overwhelming majority
of the people want to be led and are ready and willing to submit if the
le.ader can win their respect and confidence. Hitler has been very suc-
cessful in this respect because he has been able to convince his followers
of his own self-confidence and because he has guessed right on so many
occasions that he has created the impression of infallibility.
Spectacular and Dramatic Effects in Meetings
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(19) This was largely possible because he is naturally a tactical
genius. His timing of decisions and actions has almost been uncanny. As
Thyssen puts it:
"Sometimes his intelligence is astonishing . . . miraculous
political intuition, devoid of all moral sense, but extraordin-
arily precise. Even in a very complex situation he discerns
what is possible and what is not."
(20) Hitler's strongest point is, perhaps, his firm belief in his
mission and,in public, the complete dedication of his life to its fulfillment.
It is the spectacle of a man whose convictions are so strong that he sac-
rifices himself for the cause which appeals to others and induces them to
follow his example. This demands a fanatical stubbornness which Hitler
possesses to a high degree.
"Only a storm of glowing passion can turn the destinies of
nations, but this passion can only be roused by a man who
carries it within himself."
(21) He also has the ability to appeal to and arouse the sympa-
thetic concern and protectiveness of his people, to represent himself as
the bearer of their burdens and their future, with the result that he be-
comes a personal concern to individuals and many, particularly the
women, feel tenderly and compassionately about him. They must always
be careful not to inflict undue annoyance or suffering on the Fuehrer.
(22) Hitler's ability to repudiate his own conscience in arriving
at political decisions has eliminated the force which usually checks and
complicates the forward-going thoughts and resolutions of most socially
responsible statesmen. He has, therefore, been able to take that course
of action which appeals to him as most effective without pulling his
punches. The result has been that he has frequently outwitted his ad-
versaries and attained ends which would not have been as easily attained
by a normal course. Nevertheless, it has helped to build up the myth of
his infallibility and invincibility.
? (23) Equally important has been his ability to persuade others to
repudiate their individual consciences and assume that role himself. He
can then decree for the individual what is right and wrong, permissible
or unpermissible and can use them freely in the attainment of his own
ends. As Goering has said: "I have no conscience. My conscience is
Adolph Hitler."
(24) This has enabled Hitler to make full use of terror and mobi-
lize the fears of the people which he evaluated with an almost uncanny
precision.
(25) He has a capacity for learning from others even though he
may be violently opposed to everything they believe and stand for. The
use of terror, for example, he says he learned from the Communists, the
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use of slogans from the Catholic Church, the use of propaganda from
the democracies, etc.
(26) He is a master of the art of propaganda. Ludecke writes:
"He has a matchless instinct for taking advantage of every
breeze to raise a political whirlwind. No official scandal was
so petty that he could not magnify it into high treason; he
could ferret out the most deviously ramified corruption in
high places and plaster the town with the bad news." (169)
His primary rules were: never allow the public to cool off; never admit a
fault or wrong; never concede that there may be some good in your en-
emy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate
on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong;
people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one; and if you repeat it
frequently enough people will sooner or later believe it.
(27) He has the "never-say-die" spirit. After some of his severest
set-backs he has been able to get his immediate associates together and
begin making plans for a "come-back." Events which would crush most
individuals, at least temporarily, seem to act as stimulants to greater
efforts in Hitler.
These are some of Hitler's outstanding talents and capacities.
They have enabled him to attain a position of unprecedented power in an
incredibly short period of time, over a rarely used route. No other Nazi
in a high position possesses these abilities in any comparable degree and
consequently they could not displace him in the minds of the masses.
His associates recognize these capacities in Hitler and they ad-
mire and respect his extraordinary leadership qualities, particularly the
influence he has over people. In addition they love him for his very hu-
man qualities when he is at his best and is engaged in some important
undertaking. These are aspects of Hitler's personality we should never
lose sight of when evaluating his hold on his associates or on the German
people. He has a magnetic quality about him which, together with his
past accomplishments, wins the allegiance of people and seems to rob
them of their critical functions. It is a bond which does not easily dissolve
even in the face of evidence that he is not always what he pretends to be
? in fact is more often than not, the exact opposite.
We have reviewed Hitler's strength and briefly portrayed his
character when he is at his best. It is now time to look at the other side
of his personality ? the side which is known only to those who are on
fairly intimate terms with him.
Perhaps the truest words that Goebbels ever wrote are:
"The Fuehrer does not change. He is the same now as he
was when he was a boy." (387)
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If we glance at his boyhood we find that Hitler was far from a model stud-
ent. He studied what he wanted to study and did fairly well in these sub-
jects. Things which did not interest him he simply ignored even though
his marks were "unsatisfactory" or "failing." For over a year before his
mother died, he did nothing, as far as can be determined, except lie
around the house or occasionally paint a few water-colors. Although they
were in difficult financial circumstances he did not seek work or try to
improve himself in school. He was self-willed, shy and inactive. In
Vienna, after his mother died, he continued this pattern even though he
was frequently on the verge of starvation and reduced to begging on the
streets. Hanisch, who was his flop-house buddy, reports that "he was
never an ardent worker, was unable to get up in the morning, had dif-
ficulty in getting started and seemed to be suffering from a paralysis of
the will." As soon as he had sold a picture and had a little money in his
pocket he stopped work and spent his time listening to parliament, read-
ing newspapers in the cafes, or delivering lengthy political dissertations
to his fellows in the hostel. This behavior he justified on the grounds that
"he must have leisure, he was not a coolie." When Hanisch asked him
one day what he was waiting for, Hitler replied: "I don't know myself."
As an adult he is still this little boy except when he is in one of his
active moods. In 1931. Billing wrote:
"Die inneren Schwierigkeiten einer Regierung Hitlers werden
in der Person Hitler selbts liegen. Hitler wird nicht umhin
koennen, sich an eine geregelte Geistige Taetigkeit zu ge-
woehnen." (588)
Ludecke (168) also wrote:
"He had a typical Austrian `Schlamperei.' He suffered from
an all-embracing disorderliness. Naturally this grew less in
time but in the beginning it was apparent in everything."
It was indeed so apparent that early in the history of the movement the
party engaged a secretary whose duty it was to keep track of Hitler and
see to it that he fulfilled his duties and obligations. The move was only
partially succesful, however: "Hitler was always on the go but rarely on
time" (Ludecke, 168) . He is still rarely on time and frequently keeps im-
portant foreign diplomats, as well as his own staff, waiting for consider-
able periods of time.
He is unable to maintain any kind of a working schedule. His
hours are most irregular and he may go to bed any time between mid-
night and seven o'clock in the morning and get up anywhere from nine
o'clock in the morning to two in the afternoon. In later years the hours
tended to get later and it was unusual for him, just before the war, to go
to bed before daybreak. The night, however, was not spent in working
as his propaganda agents allege but in viewing one or two feature movies,
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endless newsreels, listening to music, entertaining film stars or just sit-
ting around chatting with his staff. He seemed to have a violent dislike
for going to bed or being alone. Frequently, he would ring for his adju-
tants in the middle of the night, after his guests had gone home, and de-
mand that they sit up and talk to him. It was not that he had anything
to say and often the adjutants would fall asleep listening to him talk
about nothing of importance. As long as one of them remained awake,
however, he would not be offended. There was an unwritten law among
his immediate staff never to ask a question at these early morning ses-
sions because to do so might get Hitler off on another subject and force
them to remain for another hour.
Hitler sleeps very badly and has been in the habit for some years
of taking a sleeping powder every night before retiring. It is possible
that he demands someone to be with him in the hope that the powder
will take effect and he will be overcome with sleep. His behavior, how-
ever, is not in keeping with this hypothesis for he carries on a monologue
and frequently gets very much stirred up about the topic. This is hardly
conducive to sleep and we must suppose that there is some other reason
for his late hours. Even after he has dismissed his adjutants and goes to
bed he usually takes an armful of illustrated periodicals with him. These
are usually magazines with pictures concerning naval and military mat-
ters and American magazines are usually included. Shirer (280) reports
that he has been informed that since the war broke out Hitler has been
keeping better hours and regularly has his first breakfast at seven A.M.
and his second breakfast at nine A.M. This may have been so during the
early days of the war but it is very doubtful that Hitler could keep up
this schedule for any length of time. Rauschning (275) claims that Hitler
has a bed compulsion which demands that the bed be made in a particu-
lar way with the quilt folded according to a prescribed pattern and that
a man must make the bed, before he can go to sleep. We have no other
information on this subject but from his general psychological structure
such a compulsion would be possible.
His working day before the war was equally disorderly. Rausch-
ning reports, "He does not know how to work steadily. Indeed, he is in-
capable of working." He dislikes desk work and seldom glances at the
piles of reports which are placed on his desk daily. No matter how im-
portant these may be or how much his adjutants may urge him to attend
to a particular matter, he refuses to take them seriously unless it hap-
pens to be a project which interests him. On the whole, few reports inter-
est him unless they deal with military or naval affairs or political matters.
He seldom sits in a cabinet meeting because they bore him. On several
occasions when sufficient pressure was brought to bear he did attend but
got up abruptly during the session and left without apology. Later it was
discovered that he had gone to his private theater and had the operator
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show some film that he liked particularly. On the whole, he prefers to
discuss cabinet matters with each member in person and then communi-
cate his decision to the group as a whole.
He has a passion for the latest news and for photographs of him-
self. If Hoffmann, the official Party photographer, happens to appear or
someone happens to enter his office with a newspaper he will interrupt
the most important meeting in order to scan through it. Very fre-
quently he becomes so absorbed in the news or in his own photographs
that he completely forgets the topic under discussion. Ludecke (165)
writes:
"Even on ordinary days in those times, it was almost possible
to keep Hitler concentrated on one point. His quick mind
would run away with the talk, or his attention would be dis-
tracted by the sudden discovery of the newspaper and he
would stop to read it avidly, or he would interrupt your care-
fully prepared report with a long speech as though you were
an audience
And Hanfstaengl reports that "his staff is usually in despair on account
of his procrastination . . . He never takes their protests in this respect
very seriously and usually brushes them aside by saying, 'Problems are
not solved by getting fidgety. If the time is ripe, the matter will be set-
tled one way or another.'" (899)
Although Hitler tries to present? himself as a very decisive in-
dividual who never hesitates when he is confronted by a difficult situa-
tion, he is usually far from it. It is at just these times that his procras-
tination becomes most marked. At such times it is almost impossible to
get him to take action on anything. He stays very much by himself and
is frequently almost inaccessible to his immediate staff. He often becomes
depressed, is in bad humor, talks little, and prefers to read a book, look
at movies or play with architectural models. According to the Dutch
report (656) his hesitation to act is not due to divergent views among his
advisors. At such times, he seldom pays very much attention to them and
prefers not to discuss the matter.
"What is known as the mastery of material was quite unim-
portant to him. He quickly became impatient if the details
of a problem were brought to him. He was greatly adverse to
experts' and had little regard for their opinion. He looked
upon them as mere hacks, as brush-cleaners and color
grinders . " (269)
On some occasions he has been known to leave Berlin without a word
and go to Berchtesgaden where he spends his time walking in the country
entirely by himself. Rauschning, who has met him on such occasions,
says:
"He recognizes nobody then. He wants to be alone. There
are times when he flees from human society." (275)
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Roehm (176) frequently said, "Usually he solves suddenly, at the very last
minute, a situation that has become intolerable and dangerous only be-
cause :he vacillates and procrastinates."
It is during these periods of inactivity that Hitler is waiting for
his "inner voice" to guide him. He does not think the problem through
in a normal way but waits until the solution is presented to him. To
Rausc Luling he said
"Unless I have the incorruptible conviction: This is the solu-
tion, I do nothing. Not even if the whole party tried to drive
me to action. I will not act; I will wait, no matter what hap-
pens. But if the voice speaks, then I know the time has come
to act." (268)
These periods of indecision may last from a few days to several
weeks. If he is induced to talk about the problem during this time he
becomes ill-natured and bad-tempered. However, when the solution
has been given to him he has a great desire to express himself. He then
calls in his adjutants and they must sit and listen to him until he is fin-
ished no matter what time it happens to be. On these occasions he does
not want them to question him or even to understand him. It seems that
he just wants to talk.
After this recital to his adjutants Hitler calls in his advisers and
informs them of his decision. When he has finished they are free to ex-
press their opinions. If Hitler thinks that one of these opinions is worth-
while he will listen for a long time but usually these opinions have little
influence on his decision when this stage has been reached. Only if
someone succeeds in introducing new factors is there any possibility of
getting him to change his mind. If someone voices the opinion that the
proposed plan is too difficult or onerous he becomes extremely angry and
frequently says:
"I do not look for people having clever ideas of their own
but rather people who are clever in finding ways and means
of carrying out my ideas." (654)
As soon as he has the solution to a problem his mood changes
very radically. He is again the Fuehrer we have described at the begin-
ning of this section.
"He is very cheerful, jokes all the time and does not give any-
body an opportunity to speak, while he himself makes fun of
everybody."
This mood lasts throughout the period when necessary work has to be
done. As soon as the requisite orders have been given to put the plan into
execution, however, Hitler seems to lose interest in it. He becomes per-
fectly calm, occupies himself with other matters and sleeps unusually
long hours. (654)
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This is a very fundamental trait in Hitler's character structure.
He does not think things out in a logical and consistent fashion, gather-
ing all available information pertinent to the problem, mapping out al-
ternative courses of action and then weighing the evidence pro and con
for each of them before reaching a decision. His mental processes operate
in reverse. Instead of studying the problem as an intellectual would do
he avoids it and occupies himself with other things until unconscious
processes furnish him with a solution. Having the solution he then begins
to look for facts which will prove that it is correct. In this procedure he
is very clever and by the time he presents it to his associates, it has the
appearance of a rational judgment. Nevertheless, his thought processes
proceed from the emotional to the factual instead of starting with the
facts as an intellectual normally does. It is this characteristic of his
thinking process which makes it difficult for ordinary people to under-
stand Hitler or to predict his future actions. His orientation in this re-
spect is that of an artist and not that of a statesman.
Although Hitler has been extremely successful in using this in-
spirational technique in determining his course of action (and we are
reminded of his following his course with the precision of a sleep-walker)
it is not without its shortcomings. He becomes dependent on his inner
guide which makes for unpredictability on the one hand and rigidity on
the other. The result is that he cannot modify his course in the face of
unexpected developments or firm opposition. Strasser (297) tell us that:
"When he was then confronted by contradictory facts he was
left floundering."
And Roehm says that there is:
"No system in the execution of his thoughts. He wants things
his own way and gets mad when he strikes firm opposition
on solid ground." (176)
This rigidity of mental functioning is obvious even in ordinary everyday
interviews. When an unexpected question is asked, he is completely at a
loss. Lochner (154) supplies us with an excellent description of this re-
action:
"I saw this seemingly super-self-confident man actually blush
when I broached the theme of German-American relations
. . This evidently caught him off-guard. He was not used to
having his infallibility challenged. For a moment he blushed
like a schoolboy, hemmed and hawed, then stammered an
embarrassed something about having so many problems to
ponder that he had not yet had time to take up America."
Almost everyone who has written about Hitler has commented
upon his rages. These are well-known to all of his associates and they
have learned to fear them. The descriptions of his behavior during these
rages vary considerably. The more extreme descriptions claim that at
43
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the climax he rolls on the floor and chews on the carpets. Shirer (279)
reports that in 1938 he did this so often that his associates frequently
referred to him as "Teppichfresser." Not one of our informants who has
been close to Hitler, people like Hanfstaengl, Strasser, Rauschning,
Hohenlohe, Friedelinde Wagner, and Ludecke, have ever seen him behave
in this manner. Moreover they are all firmly convinced that this is a
gross exaggeration and the informant of the Dutch Legation (655) says
that this aspect must be relegated to the domain of "Greuelmaerchen."
Even without this added touch of chewing the carpet, his be-
havior is still extremely violent and shows an utter lack of emotional
control. In the worst rages he undoubtedly acts like a spoiled child who
cannot have his own way and bangs his fists on the tables and walls. He
scolds and shouts and stammers and on some occasions foaming saliva
gathers in the corners of his mouth. Rauschning, in describing one of
these uncontrolled exhibitions, says:
"He was an alarming sight, his hair disheveled, his eyes fixed,
and his face distorted and purple. I feared that he would
collapse or have a stroke." (710)
It must not be supposed, however, that these rages occur only
when he is crossed on major issues. On the contrary, very insignificant
matters might call out this reaction. In general they are brought on
whenever anyone contradicts him, when there is unpleasant news for
which he might feel responsible, when there is any skepticism concern-
ing his judgment or when a situation arises in which his infallibility
might be challenged or belittled. Von Wiegand (492) reports that among
his staff there is a tactic understanding:
"For God's sake don't excite the Fuehrer ? which means do
not tell him bad news ? do not mention things which are
not as he conceives them to be."
Voigt (591) says that:
"Close collaborators for many years said that Hitler was al-
ways like this ? that the slightest difficulty or obstacle could
make him scream with rage. . . ."
Many writers believe that these rages are just play acting. There
is much to be said for this point of view since Hitler's first reaction to the
unpleasant situation is not indignation, as one would ordinarily expect.
He goes off into a rage or tirade without warning. Similarly, when he has
finished, there is no aftermath. He immediately cools down and begins
to talk about other matters in a perfectly calm tone of voice as though
nohting had happened. Occasionally he will look around sheepishly, as if
to see if anyone is laughing, and then proceeds with other matters, with-
out the slightest trace of resentment.
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Some of his closest associates have felt that he induces these
rages consciously to frighten those about him. Rauschning (261) , for
example, says it is a: ?
" . . . . technique by which he would throw his entire entour-
age into confusion by well-timed fits of rage and thus make
them more submissive."
Strasser (377) also believes this to be the case for he says:
"Rage and abuse became the favorite weapons in his armory."
This is not the time to enter into a detailed discussion concerning the
nature and purpose of the rages. It is sufficient, for the present time, to
realize that his associates are well aware that Hitler can and does behave
in this way. It is a part of the Hitler they know and are forced to deal
with. We may point out, however, that they are not conscious acting
alone since it is almost impossible for an actor to actually become purple
in the face unless he really is in an emotional state.
There are many other aspects of Hitler's personality, as it is
known to his associates, which do not fit into the picture of the Fuehrer
as it is presented to the German people. A few of the more important of
these merit mention. Hitler is represented as a man of great courage,
with nerves of steel who is always in complete control of every situation.
Nevertheless, he often runs away from an unpleasant, unexpected or
difficult situation.
Bayles (2) reports two incidents that illustrate this reaction:
"Particularly noticeable is his inability to cope with unex-
pected situations, this having been amusingly revealed when
he laid the cornerstone of the House of German Art in Mu-
nich. On this occasion he was handed a dainty, rococo ham-
mer for delivering the three traditional strokes to the corner-
stone, but not realizing the fragility of the rococo, he
brought the hammer down with such force that at the very
first stroke it broke into bits. Then, instead of waiting for
another hammer, Hitler completely lost his composure,
blushed, looked wildly about him in the manner of a small
boy caught stealing jam, and almost ran from the scene
leaving the cornerstone unlaid. His enjoyment of the Berlin
Olympic Games was completely spoilt when a fanatical
Dutch woman who had achieved a personal presentation sud-
denly clasped him in two hefty arms and tried to kiss him in
plain view of 100,000 spectators. Hitler could not regain his
composure or stand the irreverent guffaws of foreign visitors,
and left the Stadium."
This type of behavior is illustrated even more clearly in relation to Gregor
Strasser because the occasion was one of extreme importance to Hitler.
Strasser threatened to split the Party if a definite program could not be
agreed upon. Hitler avoided the situation as long as he possibly could
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in the hope that something might happen, that the situation would
somehow solve itself. When it did not he agreed to Strasser's demand for
a meeting in Leipzig at which their differences could be thrashed out.
Strasser was in the restaurant at the appointed hour. Hitler came late.
Hardly had he sat down to the table when he excused himself in order
to go to the toilet. Strasser waited for some time and when Hitler did not
return he began making inquiries. To his amazement he discovered that
instead of going to the toilet Hitler had slipped out of the back door and
driven back to Munich without discussing a single point. (378)
Heiden (527) also tells us that in 1923 he was in conference with
Ludendorff when he suddenly rushed off without as much as an apology.
In the spring of 1932 he ran out on a meeting of the Verband Bayrischer
Industrieller before which he was to speak. This group was not kindly
disposed to him but it was important for Hitler to win them over. He got
up to speak:
" er stockt, sieht auf den Tisch, Schweigen alles sieht sich
verbluefft an. Peinliche Minuten. Ploetzlich dreht sich Hit-
ler auf dem Absatz urn und geht ohne em n Wort an die Tuer."
The same thing happened a year later when, as Chancellor, he was to
speak to the Reichsverband der Deutschen Presse. Again he sensed op-
position in the group and again he fled from the scene. Olden (611) says:
"Das 1st em Trick, den der Fuehrer noch oft anwenden wird:
wenn die Situation peinlich wird, versteckt er sich."
At other times, when he finds himself in difficult situations, the
great dictator who prides himself on his decisiveness, hardness, and other
leadership qualities, breaks down and weeps like a child appealing for
sympathy. Rauschning (267) writes:
"In 1934 as in 1932 he complained of the ingratitude of the
German people in the sobbing tones of a down-at-the-heel
music-hall performer! A weakling who accused and sulked,
appealed and implored, and retired in wounded vanity (If
the German people don't want me!') instead of acting."
Otto Strasser reports that on one occasion:
"He seized my hands, as he had done two years before. His
voice was choked with sobs, and tears flowed down his
cheeks." (381)
Heiden (280) reporting a scene at which the Party leaders were waiting
for the arrival of Gregor Strasser:
"'Never would I have believed it of Strasser,' he (Hitler)
cried, and he laid his head on the table and sobbed. Tears
came to the eyes of many of those present, as they saw their
Fuehrer weeping. Julius Streicher, who had been snubbed by
Strasser for years, called out from his humble place in the
background: 'Shameful that Strasser should treat our
Fuehrer like that!'"
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In extremely difficult situation he has openly threatened to
commit suicide. Sometimes it seems that he uses this as a form of black-
mail while at other times the situation seems to be more than he can bear.
During the Beer Hall Putsch he said to the officials he was holding as
prisoners:
"There are still five bullets in my pistol?four for the traitors,
and one, if things go wrong, for myself." (253)
He also threatened to commit suicide before Mrs. Hanfstaengl directly
after the failure of the Putsch, while he was hiding from the police in the
Hanfstaengl home. Again in Landsberg he went on a hunger strike and
threatened to martyr himself ? in imitation of the Mayor of Cork. In
1930, he threatened to commit suicide after the strange murder of his
niece, Geli, (302) of whom we shall speak later. In 1932, he again threat-
ened to carry out this action if Strasser split the (98) Party. In 1933 he
threatened to do so if he was not appointed Chancellor (6), and in 1936,
he promised to do so if the Occupation of the Rhineland failed. (255)
These, however, are relatively infrequent exhibitions although
his associates have learned that they are always a possibility and that it
is wise not to push the Fuehrer too far. More frequent are his depressions
about which a great deal has been written. It is certain that he does have
very deep depressions from time to time. During his years in Vienna
(1907-1912) , he undoubtedly suffered from them a great deal. Hanisch
reports (64) :
"I have never seen such helpless letting down in distress."
It is probably also true that he suffered from depressions during the war
as Mend (199) reports.
After the death of his niece, Geli (19:30), he also went into a
severe depression which lasted for some time. Gregor Strasser actually
feared that he might commit suicide during this period and stayed with
him for several days. There is some evidence (Strasser, 302) that he
actually tried to do so and was prevented from carrying it out. It is also
interesting to note that for several years after her death he went into a
depression during the Christmas holidays and wandered around Ger-
many alone for days on end (937) .
Rauschning gives us a vivid description of his condition after
the :Blood Purge of 1934. He writes (716) :
"Aber zunaechst machte auch er nicht den Eindruck des
Siegers. Mit gedunsenen, verzerrten Zuegen sass er mir
gegenueber, als ich ihm Vortrag hielt. Seine Augen waren
erloschen, er sah mich nicht an. Er spielte mit seien Fingern.
Ich hatte nicht den Eindruck, dass er mir zuhoerte Wae-
hrend der ganzen Zeit hatte ich den Eindruck, dass Ekel,
Ueberdruss und Verachtung in ihm herumstritten, und dass
er mit seinen Gedanken ganz wo anders war . Ich hatte
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gehoert, er sollte nur noch stundenweise schlafen koennen
. . . . Nachts irrte er ruhelos umher. Schlafmittel halfen nicht
. . . . Mit Weinkraempfen sollte er aus dem kurzen Schlaf
aufwachen. Er haette sich wiederholt erbrochen. Mit Schuet-
telfrost habe er in Decken gehuellt im Sessel gesessen
Einmal wollte er alles erleuchtet und Menschen, viel Men-
schen urn sich haben; im gleichen Augenblick haette er
wieder neimanden sehen wollen
These were major crises in his life and we can assume that they probably
represent his worst depressions. Undoubtedly he very frequently has
minor ones when he withdraws from his associates and broods by himself,
or periods when he refuses to see anyone and is irritable and impatient
with those around him. On the whole, however, it appears that the re-
ports of Hitler's depressions have been grossly exaggerated. Not one of
our informants who has had close contact with him has any knowledge
of his ever retiring to a sanatarium during such times and there is only
one source which indicates that he ever sought psychiatric help and that
was not accepted. We must assume that the many reports that have
flourished in the newspapers have been plants by the Nazi Propaganda
agencies to lure us into false expectations.
There are a number of other respects in which Hitler does not
appear before his associates as the self-confident Fuehrer he likes to be-
lieve himself to be. One of the most marked of these is his behavior in the
presence of accepted authority. Under these circumstances he is ob-
viously nervous and very ill at ease. Many times he is downright submis-
sive. As far back as 1923, Ludecke (166) reports that:
"In conference with Poehner, Hitler sat with his felt hat
crushed shapeless in his hands. His mien was almost hum-
ble. .
Fromm (371) writes that at a dinner:
"Hitler's eagerness to obtain the good graces of the princes
present was subject to much comment. He bowed and clicked
and all but knelt in his zeal to please oversized, ugly Princess
Luise von Sachsen-Meiningen, her brother, hereditary Prince
George, and their sister, Grand Duchess of Sachsen-Weimar.
Beaming in his servile attitude he dashed personally to
bring refreshments from the buffet."
On his visit to Rome, Huss (406) writes:
"When leading Queen Helene in Rome he was like a fish out
of water. He didn't know what to do with his hands."
To Hindenburg, he was extremely submissive. Pictures taken of their
meetings illustrate his attitude very clearly. In some of them it looks al-
most as though he were about to kiss the President's hand. Flannery
(698) also reports that when Hitler first met Petain he took him by the
arm and escorted him to his car. Hanfstaengl (912) reports that he found
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Hitler Greeting President Hindenburg, March 1933
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Hitler outside the door of the banquet hall in which a dinner and recep-
tion were being given to the former Kaiser's wife. He was unable to bring
himself to go in and meet her Highness alone. When Hanfstaengl finally
persuaded Hitler to go in he was so ill at ease that he could only stammer
a few words to Hermine and then excused himself. Many other examples
could be cited. From the weight of evidence it seems certain that Hitler
does lose his self-confidence badly when he is brought face to face with an
accepted authority of high standing, particularly royalty.
This subservient attitude is also obvious in his use of titles. This
is well described by Lania (148) reporting on Hitler's trial:
avoids contact with them as much as possible. Fromm (369) describes
his behavior at a diplomatic dinner in the following words:
"The corporal seemed to be ill at ease, awkward and moody.
His coat-tails embarrassed him. Again and again his hand
fumbled for the encouraging support of his sword belt. Each
time he missed the familiar cold and bracing support, his
uneasiness grew. He crumpled his handkerchief, tugged it,
rolled it, just plain stage-fright."
Many others have also commented on this tendency to use the full title.
It also fits in with his very submissive behavior to his officers during the
last war which has been commented upon by several of his comrades. It
seems safe to assume that this is a fundamental trait in his character
which becomes less obvious as he climbs the ladder but is present never-
theless.
The Fuehrer is also ill at ease in the company of diplomats and
"In the course of his peroration he came to speak of Generals
Ludendorff and von Seeckt; at such moments, he stood at at-
tention and trumpeted forth the words 'General' and 'Excel-
lency.' It made no difference that one of the generals was
on his side, while the other, von Seeckt, Commander-in-Chief
of the Reichswehr, was his enemy; he abandoned himself en-
tirely to the pleasure of pronouncing the high-sounding
titles. He never said 'General Seeckt,' he said 'His Excellency
Herr Colonel General von Seeckt,' letting the words melt on
his tongue and savoring their after-taste."
Henderson (124) writes:
"It will always be a matter of regret to me that I was never
able to study Hitler in private life, as this might have given
me the chance to see him under normal conditions and to
talk with him as man to man. Except for a few brief words
at chance meetings, I never met him except upon official and
invariably disagreeable, business. He never attended informal
parties at which diplomats might be present, and when
friends of mine did try to arrange it, he always got out of
meeting me in such a manner on the ground of precedent
But he always looked self-conscious when he had to entertain
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the diplomatic corps, which happened normally three times
a year."
Hitler also becomes nervous and tends to lose his composure
when he has to meet newspapermen. Being a genius of propaganda he
realizes the power of the press in influencing public opinion and he al-
ways provides the press with choice seats at all ceremonies. When it
comes to interviews, however, he feels himself on the defensive and in-
sists that the questions be submitted in advance. When the interview
takes place he is able to maintain considerable poise because he has his
answers prepared. Even then he gives no opportunity to ask for further
clarification because he immediately launches into a lengthy disserta-
tion, which sometimes develops into a tirade. When this is finished, the
interview is over (Oechsner, 665).
He is also terrified when he is called upon to speak to intel-
lectuals (Wagner, 487) or any group in which he feels opposition or the
possibility of criticism.
Hitler's adjustment to people in general is very poor. He is not
really on intimate terms with any of his associates. Hess is the only
associate, with the possible exception of Streicher, who has ever had the
privilege of addressing him with the familiar "Du". Even Goering,
Goebbels and Himmler must address him with the more formal "Sie"
although each of them would undoubtedly be willing to sacrifice his
right hand for the privilege of addressing him in the informal manner.
It is true that outside of his official family there are a few people in Ger-
many, notably Mrs. Bechstein and the Winifred Wagner family who
address him as "Du" and call him by his nickname, "Wolf", but even
these are few and far between. On the whole, he always maintains a
considerable distance from other people. Ludecke, who was very close to
him for a while, writes:
"Even in his intimate and cozy moments, I sensed no attitude
of familiarity towards him on the part of his staff; there was
always a certain distance about him, that subtle quality of
aloofness . . " (180).
And Fry (577) says:
"He lives in the midst of many men and yet he lives alone."
It is well-known that he cannot carry on a normal conversation
or discussion with people. Even if only one person is present he must do
all the talking. His manner of speech soon loses any conversational
qualities it might have had and takes on all the characteristics of a
lecture and may easily develop into a tirade. He simply forgets his com-
panions and behaves as though he were addressing a multitude. Strasser
(297) has given a good, brief description of his manner:
"Now Hitler drew himself erect and by the far-away look in
his eyes showed plainly that he was not speaking merely to
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me; he was addressing an imaginary audience that stretched
far beyond the walls of the living room."
This is not only true in connection with political matters. Even
when he is alone with his adjutants or immediate staff and tries to be
friendly he is unable to enter into a give-and-take conversation. At times
he seems to want to get closer to people and relates personal experiences,
such as, "When I was in Vienna," or "When I was in the Army." But
under these circumstances, too, he insists on doing all the talking and
always repeats the same stories over and over again in exactly the same
form? almost as though he had memorized them. The gist of most of these
stories is contained in MEIN KAMPF. His friends have all heard them
dozens of times but this does not deter him from repeating them again
with great enthusiasm. Nothing but the most superficial aspects of these
experiences are ever touched upon. It seems as though he is unable to
give more of himself than that (Hanfstaengl, 898) .
Price (230) says: "When more than two people are present, even
though they are his intimate circle, there is no general discourse. Either
Hitler talks and they listen, or else they talk among themselves and
Hitler sits silent." And this is the way it seems to be. He is not at all
annoyed when members of the group talk to each other unless of course
he feels like doing the talking himself. But ordinarily he seems to enjoy
listening to others while he makes believe that he is attending to some-
thing else. Nevertheless, he overhears everything which is being said
and often uses it later on (Hanfstaengl, 914) . However, he does not give
credit to the individual from whom he has learned it but simply gives it
out as his own. Rauschning (266) says:
"He has always been a poseur. He remembers things that he
has heard and has a faculty for repeating them in such a
way that the listener is lead to believe that they are his own."
Roehna also complained of this:
"If you try to tell him anything, he knows everything al-
ready. Though he often does what we advise, he laughs in
our faces at the moment, and later does the very thing as if
it were all his own idea and creation. He doesn't even seem
to be aware of how dishonest he is." (176)
Another one of his tricks which drives people and particularly
his associates to distraction is his capacity for forgetting. This trait has
been commented upon so much that it scarcely needs mentioning here.
We all know how he can say something one day and a few days later say
the opposite, completely oblivious of his earlier statement. He does not
only do this in connection with international affairs but also with his
closest associates. When they show their dismay and call his attention
to the inconsistency he flies off into a rage and demands to know if the
other person thinks he is a liar. Evidently the other leading Nazis have
also learned the trick, for Rauschning (266) says:
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"Most of the Nazis with Hitler at their head, literally, forget,
like hysterical women, anything they have no desire to re-
member."
Although Hitler almost invariably introduces a few humorous
elements into his speeches and gives the impression of considerable wit,
he seems to lack any real sense of humor. He can never take a joke on
himself. Heyst (600) says, "He is unable to purify his gloomy self with
self-irony and humor." Von Wiegand (492) says he is extremely sensitive
to ridicule and Huss says (408) , "He takes himself seriously and will
flare up in a temperamental rage at the least impingement by act or
attitude on the dignity and holiness of state and Fuehrer." When every-
thing is going well he sometimes gets into a gay and whimsical mood in
a circle of close friends. His humor then is confined almost wholly to a
kind of teasing or ribbing. The ribbing is usually in connection with
alleged love affairs of his associates but are never vulgar and only hint
at sexual factors (Hanfstaengl, 910) . Friedelinde Wagner provides us
with an example of his teasing. Goering and Goebbels were both present
at the time that he said to the Wagner family:
"You all know what a volt is and an ampere, don't you?
Right. But do you know what a goebbels, a goering are? A
goebbels is the amount of nonsense a man can speak in an
hour and a goering is the amount of metal that can be
pinned on a man's breast." (632)
His other form of humor is mimicking. Almost everyone con-
cedes that he has great talent along these lines and he frequently mimics
his associates in their presence much to the amusement of everyone ex-
cept the victim. He also loved to mimic Sir Eric Phipps and later
Chamberlain.
Hitler's poor adaptation to people is perhaps most obvious in
his relations to women. Since he has become a political figure, his name
has been linked with a great many women, particularly in the foreign
press. Although the German public seem to know very little about this
phase of his life, his associates have seen a great deal of it and the topic
is always one for all kinds of conjectures. Roughly speaking, his relations
to women fall into three categories: (a) much older women; (b) actresses
and passing fancies, and (c) more or less enduring relationships.
A. As early as 1920 Frau Carola Hofman, a 61 year old widow,
took him under her wing and for years played the part of foster mother.
Then came Frau Helena Bechstein, the wife of the famous Berlin piano
manufacturer, who took over the role. She spent large quantities of
money on Hitler in the early days of the Party, introduced him to her
social circle and lavished maternal affection on him. She often said that
she wished that Hitler were her son and while he was imprisoned in
Landsberg she claimed that she was his adopted mother in order that
she might visit him. Strasser (300) says that Hitler would often sit at
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her feet and lay his head against her bosom while she stroked his hair
tenderly and murmured, "Mein Woelfchen". Since he came to power
things have not gone so smoothly. She seemed to find fault with every-
thing he did and would scold him unmercifully, even in public. According
to Friedelinde Wagner (939) , she is the one person in Germany who can
carry on a monologue in Hitler's presence and who would actually tell
him what she thought. During these violent scoldings Hitler would stand
there like an abashed schoolboy who had committed a misdemeanor.
According to Hanfstaengl, Mrs. Bechstein had groomed Hitler in the
expectation that he would marry her daughter, Lottie, who was far from
attractive. Out of sense of obligation, Hitler did ask Lottie, but was re-
fused, (904) . Mrs. Bechstein was disconsolate over the failure of her
plans and began to criticize Hitler's social reforms as well as his actions.
Nevertheless, Hitler made duty calls fairly regularly even though he
postponed them as long as possible (939) .
Then there was also Frau Victoria von Dirksen, who is alleged to
have spent a fortune on him and his career (554) , and a number of others.
In more recent years, Mrs. Goebbels has taken over the role of foster-
mother and looks after his comforts, supervises his household and bakes
delicacies of which he is particularly fond. She, too, has been acting as a
matchmaker in the hope that he might marry one of her friends and
thereby draw the bond between them even tighter. To Ludecke, (177)
she complained, "I am no good as a matchmaker. I would leave him alone
with my most charming friends but he wouldn't respond." There was also
his older half-sister, Angela, who kept house for him at Munich and
Berchtesgaden and, for a time, seemed to play a mother's role.
Winifred Wagner, the daughter-in-law of Richard Wagner, has
also caused a great deal of comment. She is English by birth, and, from
all accounts, is very attractive and about Hitler's own age. She met
Hitler in the early 1920's and since that time has been one of his staunch
supporters. He became a frequent visitor at the Wagner home in Bay-
reuth and after his accession to power, built a house on the Wagner estate
for himself and his staff. After the death of Siegfried Wagner, reports all
over the world had it that she would become Hitler's wife. But nothing
happened in spite of the fact that it seemed like an ideal union from the
point of view of both parties.
Nevertheless, Hitler continued to be a frequent guest at the
Wagner's. It probably was the nearest thing to a home he has known
since his own home broke up in 1907. Mrs. Wagner undoubtedly did
everything in her power to make him comfortable and Hitler felt very
much at home. There were three small children, a boy and two girls (one
of them is our informant, Friedelinde) which added considerably to the
home atmosphere. The entire family called him by his nickname "Wolf"
and addressed him as "Du". He felt so secure in this house that he often
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came and stayed without his bodyguard. He sometimes spent his Christ-
mas holidays with the family and became very much a part of it. But
further than that he was unwilling to go, even though the marriage
would have been exceedingly popular with the German people.
B. Then there were a long line of "passing fancies". For the
most part these were screen and stage stars. Hitler likes to be surrounded
with pretty women and usually requests the moving picture companies
to send over a number of actresses whenever there is a party in the
Chancellory. He seems to get an extraordinary delight in fascinating
these girls with stories about what he is going to do in the future or the
same old stories about his past life. He also likes to impress them with his
power by ordering the studios to provide them with better roles, or prom-
ising that he will see to it that they are starred in some forthcoming
picture. Most of his associations with women of this type, and their
number is legion, does not go beyond this point as far as we have been
able to discover. On the whole he seems to feel more comfortable in the
company of stage people than with any other group and often went down
to the studio restaurants for lunch.
C. There have been several other women who have played a
more or less important role in Hitler's life. The first of which we have any
knowledge was Henny Hoffmann, the daughter of the official Party pho-
tographer. Henny, according to reports, was little more than a prostitute
and spent most of her time among the students in Munich, who alleged
that she could be had for a few marks. Heinrich Hoffmann, her father,
was a member of the Party and a close friend of Hitler. By a queer twist of
Fate, Hoffmann had taken a picture of the crowds in Munich at the out-
break of the last war. Later, when Hitler became prominent in Munich
politics, Hoffmann discovered Hitler in the picture and called it to his
attention. Hitler was delighted and a close relationship sprung up be-
tween them. Hoffmann's wife was also very fond of Hitler and played a
mother role towards him for a time.
With the death of Mrs. Hoffmann, the home went to pieces from
a moral point of view and became a kind of meeting place for homo-
sexuals of both sexes. There was a good deal of drinking and great free-
dom in sexual activities of all kinds. Hitler was frequently present at
parties given in the Hoffmann home and became very friendly with
Henny. The relationship continued for some time until Henny, who was
a very garrulous person by nature, got drunk one night and began to
talk about her relationship to Hitler. Her father became enraged and
for a time had little to do with Hitler.
Up to this time Hitler had steadfastly refused to have his photo-
graph taken for publication on the grounds that it was better publicity
to remain a mystery man and also, because if his picture appeared it
would be too easy to identify him when he crossed Communist territories.
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Shortly after the above described episode, Hitler named Hoffmann as
the official Party photographer and gave him the exclusive right to his
photographs. These privileges, so it is alleged, have, in the course of
years, netted Hoffmann millions of dollars. Among Hitler's associates,
it was supposed that Hitler had committed some kind of sexual indiscre-
tion with Henny and bought Hoffmann's silence by granting him these
exclusive rights. In any event, Henny was soon married to Baldur von
Schirach, the Leader of the Nazi Youth Movement who is reputed to be ?
a homosexual. His family were violently opposed to the marriage but
Hitler insisted. All differences between Hitler and Hoffmann seem to
have disappeared and today he is one of Hitler's closest associates and
exerts a great personal influence on the Fuehrer. We shall consider the
nature of Hitler's indiscretion later in our study since it is not a matter
of common knowledge and would lead us too far afield at the present time.
After the Henny Hoffmann episode, Hitler began to appear in
public with his niece, Geli, the daughter of his half-sister, Angela, who
had come to keep house for Hitler in 1924. At the time this relationship
matured her mother had gone to Berchtesgaden and Hitler and Geli were
living alone in his Munich flat. They became inseparable companions
and the subject of much comment in Party circles. Many of the mem-
bers, particularly Gregor Strasser, felt that this was poor publicity and
was creating a good deal of unfavorable talk. Other members had Hitler
brought on the carpet to explain where he was getting the money to
clothe Geli and sport her around if he was not using Party funds for
this purpose.
Hitler became very jealous of Geli's attention and refused to
let her go out with any other men. Some claim that he kept her locked
in during the day when he could not take her with him. For several years
the relationship continued over the opposition of the Party. Then one
day Geli was found dead in Hitler's apartment ? she had died from a
bullet fired from Hitler's revolver. There was considerable commotion.
The coroner's verdict was suicide but Geli was buried in hallowed ground
by a Catholic clergy. There was much speculation whether she killed
herself or was killed by Hitler. Whatever the facts may be, Hitler went
into a profound depression which lasted for months. During the first days
after the funeral, Gregor Strasser remained with him in order to prevent
him from committing suicide. Ludecke (178) says: "The special quality
of Hitler's affection (for Geli) is still a mystery to those closest to him."
For a few years after Geli's death, Hitler had little to do with
women except in a very superficial way. Along about 1932, however, he
became interested in Eva Braun,Hoffmann's photographic assistant. This
relationship did not develop very rapidly but it has continued. In the
course of time, Hitler has bought her many things including high-pow-
ered automobiles and a house between Munich and Berchtesgaden where,
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it ,is alleged, he frequently spends the night on the way to or from his
country estate. Eva Braun is also frequently a guest at Berchtesgaden
and in Berlin. Oechsner was told that after one of her visits in Berchtes-
gaden, some of her underwear was found in Hitler's bedroom. Wiedemann,
according to Hohenlohe, says that she has sometimes spent the entire
night in Hitler's bedroom in Berlin. It is reported by Norburt (605) that
Eva moved into the Chancellory on December 16, 1939 and it is said that
Hitler intends to marry her when the war is over. Beyond that, we know
nothing about this affair except that Eva Braun has twice tried to com-
mit suicide and that one of Hitler's bodyguards hurled himself from the
Kehlstein because he was in love with her but could not trespass on the
Fuehrer's domain.
The affair with Eva Braun was not exclusive, however. During
this period he has also seen a good deal of at least two moving picture
actresses. These have been more enduring than most of his associations
with actresses and much more intimate. Both of these girls were fre-
quently invited alone to the Chancellory late at night and departed in the
early hours of the morning. During their stay they were alone with Hitler
behind closed doors so that not even his immediate staff knew what
transpired between them. The first of these relationships was with
Renarte Mueller who committed suicide by throwing herself from the
window of a Berlin hotel. The other was with Leni Riefenstahl who con-
tinued to be a guest at the Chancellory up to the outbreak of the war.
Hitler's associates know that in respect to women Hitler is far
from the ascetic he and the Propaganda Bureau would like to have the
German public believe. None of them with the possible exception of
Hoffmann and Schaub (his personal adjutant) , know the nature of his
sexual activities. This has led to a great deal of conjecture in Party
circles. There are some who believe that his sex life is perfectly normal
but restricted. Others, that he is immune from such temptations and
that nothing happens when he is alone with girls. Still others believe
that he is homosexual.
The latter belief is based largely on the fact that during the
early days of the Party many of the inner circle were well-known homo-
sexuals. Roehm made no attempt to hide his homosexual activities and
Hess was generally known as "Fraulein Anna." There were also many
others, and it was supposed, for this reason, that Hitler, too, belonged to
this category.
In view of Hitler's pretense at purity and the importance of his
mission for building a Greater Germany, it is extraordinary that he
should be so careless about his associates. He has never restricted them
in any way except at the time of the Blood Purge in 1934 when his excuse
was that he had to purge the Party of these undesirable elements. At
all other times, he has been liberal to a fault. Lochner reports:
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"The only criterion for membership in the Party was mat
the applicant be 'Unconditionally obedient and faithfully de-
voted to me.' When someone asked if that applied to thieves
and criminals, Hitler said, 'Their private lives don't concern
me.'" (157)
Ludecke (179) claims that in speaking of some of the moralists
who were complaining about the actions of his S.A. men, Hitler said:
He would rather his S.A. men took the women than some fat-
bellied moneybag. "Why should I concern myself with the
private lives of my followers . . apart from Roehm's achieve-
ments, I know that I can absolutely depend on him "
Rauschning says (264) that the general attitude in the Party was:
"Do anything you like but don't get caught at it."
This attitude towards his associates certainly did not make for
high standards in the Party. Capt. von Mueke resigned from the Party
On the grounds that:
"Die Voelkische Partei ist nicht mehr die Partei der anstaen-
digen Leute, sie ist herunter gekommen und korrupt. Kurz,
das ist em n Saustall." (614)
Rauschning (276) expresses a similar sentiment:
"Most loathsome of all is the reeking miasma of furtive, un-
natural sexuality that fills and fouls the whole atmosphere
around him, like an evil emanation. Nothing in this environ-
ment is straightforward. Surreptitious relationships, substi-
tutes and symbols, false sentiments and secret lusts -- noth-
ing in this man's surroundings is natural and genuine, noth-
ing has the openness of a natural instinct."
One of Hitler's hobbies which is carefully hidden from the public
is his love for pornography. He can scarcely wait for the next edition of
DER STUERMER to appear and when it reaches him he goes through it
avidly. He seems to get great pleasure out of the dirty stories and the
cartoons that feature this sheet. (658: 261) . To Rauschning Hitler said
that the STUERMER "was a form of pornography permitted in the Third
Reich." In addition, Hitler has a large collection of nudes and, according
to Hanfstaengl and others, he also enjoys viewing lewd movies in his pri-
vate theater, some of which are prepared by Hoffmann for his benefit.
He also likes to present himself as a great authority and lover of
good music. One of his favorite pastimes is to lecture on Wagner and the
beauty of his operatic music. There can be no doubt concerning his en-
joyment of Wagnerian music and that he gets considerable inspiration
from it. Oechsner (675) reports that he has been able to observe Hitler
closely while he was listening to music and saw, "grimaces of pain and
pleasure contort his face, his brows knit, his eyes close, his mouth con-
tract tightly." Hitler has said, "For me, Wagner is something godly, and
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his music is my religion. I go to his concerts as others go to church." Ac-
cording to Hanfstaengl, however, he is not a lover of good music in gen-
eral (895) . He says that about 85% of Hitler's preferences in music are
the normal program music in Viennese cafes. This is probably why Hitler
rarely attends concerts and in later years, seldom goes to the opera. His
preferences now seem to run to musical comedies and cabarets in addition
to the movies he sees at the Chancellory. Pope (229) says that Hitler
frequently visited the MERRY WIDOW in which an American actress
played the lead. He says, "I have seen Hitler nudge his gauleiter, Wagner,
and smirk when Dorothy does her famous backbending number in the
spotlight." In this number, Dorothy's costume consists of a pair of trans-
parent butterfly wings, or sometimes nothing at all. Hitler watches the
performance through opera glasses and sometimes has command per-
formances for his private benefit.
Much has been written by the Nazi propaganda bureau about
his modest way of living. This, through the eyes of his associates, has also
been vastly overrated. Although he is a vegetarian, most of them feel
that his meals are scarcely to be considered as a form of deprivation. He
eats large quantities of eggs prepared in 101 different ways by the best
chef in Germany and there are always quantities and a large variety of
fresh vegetables prepared in unusual ways. In addition, Hitler consumes
incredible quantities of pastries and often as much as two pounds of
chocolates in the course of a single day. Nor are his personal tastes par-
ticularly inexpensive. Although his clothes are simple, he has an incred-
ible number of each article of clothing. All are made of the finest mater-
ials that can be procured and made up by the best workmen. He also
has a passion for collecting paintings and when he has his heart set on
one, the sky is the limit as far as price is concerned. The only thing that
is really modest about his living arrangements is his bedroom which is
extremely simple and contains only a white metal bed (decorated with
ribbons at the head) , a painted chest of drawers and a few straight
chairs. Friedelinde Wagner and Hanfstaengl, both of whom have seen
the room with their own eyes, have described it in identical terms:
namely, that it is a room that one would expect a maid to have and not a
Chancellor.
Although he is presented to the German public as a man of
extraordinary courage, his immediate associates frequently have occa-
sion to question this. Several occasions have been reported on which he
has not carried through his own program because he feared opposition.
This is particularly true in connection with his Gauleiters. He seems to
have a particular fear of these people and rather than meet opposition
from them, he usually tries to find out on which side of an issue the
majority have aligned themselves before he meets with them. When the
meeting takes place, he proposes a plan or course of action which will
fit in with the sentiments of the majority. (718)
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According to Hohenlohe he also backed down before three Army
generals when they protested against the rapid developments in the
Danzig question, and that before Munich, he decided to postpone the
War because he discovered that the crowds watching the troops march-
ing under the Chancellory windows were unenthusiastic (661) .
Furthermore, they must wonder about the necessity of the ex-
treme precautions that are taken for his safety. Most of these are care-
fully concealed from the German public. When Hitler appears he looks
for all the world like an extremely brave man as he stands up in the front
seat of his open car and salutes. The people do not know of the tre-
mendous number of secret service men who constantly mingle with the
crowds in addition to the guards who line the streets through which he
is to pass. Neither do they know of all the precautions taken at the Chan-
cellory or at Berchtesgaden. Before the war his house at Berchtesgaden
was surrounded with eight miles of electrified wire. . Pillboxes and anti-
aircraft batteries were set up in the surrounding hills (Morrell, 462) .
When he visited at Bayreuth, troops were sent in weeks in advance to set
up machine-gun nests and anti-aircraft batteries in the hills immedi-
ately adjoining (Wagner, 934) . Lochner (156) reports that when he
travels in a special train he is accompanied by 200 SS guards who are
more heavily armed than the retinue of any German emperor. After the
war started, his train was heavily armored and equipped with anti-air-
craft fore and aft. And, yet, when the newsreels show him at the front,
he is the only one who does not wear a steel helmet.
There is, consequently, a considerable discrepancy between Hit-
ler as he is known to the German people and Hitler as he is known to his
associates. Nevertheless, it appears that most of his associates have a
deep allegiance to Hitler personally and are quite ready to forgive or ig-
nore his shortcomings. In many cases, it seems as though his associates
are quite oblivious to the contradictory traits in his character ? to them
he is still the Fuehrer and they live for the moments when he actually
plays this role.
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PART IV
HITLER - AS HE KNOWS HIMSELF
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HITLER ? AS HE KNOWS HIMSELF
Hitler has always been extremely secretive in all his dealings.
Hanfstaengl tells us that this trait is carried to such a degree that he nev-
er tells one of his immediate associates what he has been talking about or
arranged with another. His mind is full of compartments, Hanfstaengl
says, and his dealings with every individual are carefully pigeon-holed.
What has been filed in one pigeon-hole is never permitted to mix with
that in another. Everything is scrupulously kept locked up in his mind
and is only opened when he needs the material.
This is also true of himself. We have already seen how he has
steadfastly refused to divulge anything about his past to his associates.
This, he believed, was something which did not concern them in any
way and consequently he has kept the pigeon-hole tightly closed. He
talks almost continually about everything under the sun ? except him-
self. What really goes on in his mind is almost as great a mystery as his
past life.
Nevertheless, it would be helpful and interesting to open this
pigeon-hole and examine its contents. Fortunately, a few fragments of
information concerning his past life have been unearthed in the course
of time and these are extremely valuable as a background for understand-
ing his present behavior. Then, too, we have records of attitudes and
sentiments expressed in speeches and writings. Although these utter-
ances are confined to a rather limited area, they do represent the prod-
ucts of some of his mental processes and consequently give us some clue
to what goes on behind those much discussed eyes, of which Rausch-
ning writes:
"Anyone who has seen this man face to face, has met his
uncertain glance, without depth or warmth, from eyes that
seem hard and remote, and has then seen that gaze grow
rigid, will certainly have experienced the uncanny feeling:
'That man is not normal.' " (273)
In addition, we have descriptions of his overt behavior in the face of
varied circumstances. We must assume that these, too, are the products
of his psychological processes and that they reflect what is going on be-
hind the scenes.
All of this, however, would be insufficient data for an adequate
picture of Hitler, as he knows himself, in everyday life. Fortunately, pa-
tients with behavior patterns, tendencies and sentiments very similar
to those that Hitler has expressed are not unknown in psychoanalytical
practice. From our knowledge of what goes on in the minds of these
patients, together with a knowledge of their past histories, it may be
possible to fill in some of the gaps and make some deductions concerning
his extraordinary mode of adjustment.
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We have learned from the study of many cases that the present
character of an individual is the product of an evolutionary process, the
beginnings of which are to be found in infancy. The very earliest exper-
iences in the lifetime of the individual form the foundation upon which
the character is gradually structured as the individual passes through
successive stages of development and is exposed to the demands and in-
fluences of the world around him. If this is true, it would be well
for us to review briefly Hitler's past history, as far as it is known, in
the hope that it may cast some light upon his present behavior and the
course he is most likely to pursue in the future. Such a review of his
past is also pertinent to our study insofar as it forms the background
through which Hitler sees himself. It is a part of him he must live with,
whether he likes it or not.
THE HITLER FAMILY
Father.
There is a great deal of confusion in studying Hitler's family
tree. Much of this is due to the fact that the name has been spelled in
various ways: Hitler, Hidler, Hiedler and Huettler. It seems reasonable
to suppose, however, that it is fundamentally the same name spelled in
various ways by different members of what was basically an illiterate
peasant family. Adolph Hitler himself signed his name Hittler on the
first party membership blanks, and his sister usually spells her name
as Hiedler. Another element of confusion is introduced by the fact
that Adolph's mother's mother was also named Hitler which later be-
came the family name of his father. Some of this confusion is dissipated,
however, when we realize that Adolph's parents had a common ancestor
(father's grandfather and mother's great-grandfather) , an inhabitant
of the culturally backward Waldviertel district of Austria.
Adolph's father, Alois Hitler, was the illegitimate son of Maria
Anna Schicklgruber. It is generally supposed that the father of Alois
Hitler was a Johann Georg Hiedler, a miller's assistant. Alois, however,
was not legitimized, and bore his mother's name until he was forty years
of age when he changed it to Hitler. Just why this was done is not clear,
but it is generally said among the villagers that it was necessary in order
to obtain a legacy. Where the legacy came from is unknown. One could
suppose that Johann Georg Hiedler relented on his deathbed and left an
inheritance to his illegitimate son together with his name. It seems
strange, however, that he did not legitimize the son when he married
Anna Schicklgruber thirty-five years earlier. Why the son chose to take
the name Hitler instead of Hiedler, if this is the case, is also a mystery
which has remained unsolved. Unfortunately, the date of the death of
Hiedler has not been established and consequently we are unable to relate
these two events in time. A peculiar series of events, prior to Hitler's birth,
furnishes plenty of food for speculation.
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Hitler's Father
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There are some people who seriously doubt that Johann Georg
Hiedler was the father of Alois. Thyssen and Koehler, for example, claim
that Chancellor Dollfuss had ordered the Austrian police to conduct a
thorough investigation into the Hitler family. As a result of this investi-
gation a secret document was prepared which proved that Maria Anna
Schicklgruber was living in Vienna at the time she conceived. At that
time she was employed as a servant in the home of Baron Rothschild. As
soon as the family discovered her pregnancy she was sent back to her
home in Spital where Alois was born. If it is true that one of the Roths-
childs is the real father of Alois Hitler, it would make Adolph a quarter
Jew. According to these sources, Adolph Hitler knew of the existence of
this document and the incriminating evidence it contained. In order to
obtain it he precipitated events in Austria and initiated the assassination
of Dollfuss. According to this story, he failed to obtain the document at
that time since Dollfuss had secreted it and had told Schuschnigg of its
whereabouts so that in the event of his death the independence of Austria
would remain assured. Several stories of this general character are in
circulation.
Those who lend credence to this story point out several factors
which seem to favor its plausibility:
(a) That it is unlikely that the miller's assistant in a small
village in this district would have very much to leave in the form of a
legacy.
(b) That it is strange that Johann Hiedler should not claim the
boy until thirty-five years after he had married the mother and the
mother had died.
(c) That if the legacy were left by Hiedler on the condition that
Alois take his name, it would not have been possible for him to change it
to Hitler.
(d) That the intelligence and behavior of Alois as well as that
of his two sons, is completely out of keeping with that usually found in
Austrian peasant families. They point out that their ambitiousness and
extraordinary political intuition is much more in harmony with the
Rothschild tradition.
(e) That Alois Schicklgruber left his home village at an early
age to seek his fortune in Vienna where his mother had worked.
(f) That it would be peculiar for Alois Hitler, while working as
a customs official in Braunau, to choose a Jew named Prinz, of Vien-
na, to act as Adolph's godfather unless he felt some kinship with the
Jews himself.
This is certainly a very intriguing hypothesis and much of
Adolph's later behavior could be explained in rather easy terms on this
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basis. However, it is not absolutely necessary to assume that he has
Jewish blood in his veins in order to make a comprehensive picture of his
character with its manifold traits and sentiments. From a purely scien-
tific point of view, therefore, it is sounder not to base our reconstruction
on such slim evidence but to seek firmer foundations. Nevertheless, we
can leave it as a possibility which requires further verification.
In any event, Maria Anna Schicklgruber died when Alois was five
years of age. When he was thirteen he left the Waldviertel and went to
Vienna where he learned to be a cobbler. The next twenty-three years of
his life are largely unaccounted for. It seems probable that during this
tim e he joined the army and had perhaps been advanced to the rank of
non-commissioned officer. His service in the army may have helped him
to enter the Civil Service as Zollamtsoffizial later on.
His married life was stormy. His first wife (born Glasl-Hoerer)
was about thirteen years older than himself. She is alleged to have been
the daughter of one of his superiors and seems to have been in poor
health. In any event, the marriage turned out badly and they finally
separated since, as Catholics, a complete divorce was not possible. His
first wife died in 1883.
In January, 1882, Franziska Matzelsberger gave birth to an il-
legitimate son who was named Alois. After the death of his first wife on
April 6, 1883, Alois Hitler married Franziska Matzelsberger on May 22,
1883 and legitimized his son. On July 28, 1883, his second wife bore him
another child, Angela, and a year later, on August 10, 1884, she also died.
During the time of his first marriage the couple had taken as a foster-
daughter Klara Poelzl, Alois Hitler's second cousin once removed. He had
reared her up to the time of the separation from his first wife when she
went to Vienna as a servant. During the last months of the life of his sec-
ond wife, Klara Poelzl returned to his home to look after the invalid and
the two children. She remained in his home as housekeeper after the
death of his second wife and on January 7, 1885 he married her. On May
17, 1885 she gave birth to a son who died in infancy. It is alleged by Wil-
liam Patrick Hitler, Adolph's nephew, that an illegitimate child was born
previously, but we have no other record of this. In any event, at least one
child was conceived out of wedlock. Four more children were born of this
union. This is certainly a tempestuous married life for a customs officer?
three wives, seven or possibly eight children, one divorce, at least one birth
and possibly two before marriage, two directly after the wedding, one wife
thirteen years older than himself and another twenty-three years
younger, one the daughter of a superior, one a waitress, and the third a
servant and his foster-daughter. All of this, of course, has never been
mentioned by Hitler. In MEIN KAMPF he gives a very simple picture of
conditions in his father's home.
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Relatively little is known about Alois Hitler. It seems that
he was very proud of his achievements in the Civil Service and yet he re-
tired from this service at the astonishing age of fifty-six, four years after
Adolph was born. In very rapid succession the family moved into several
different villages and the father tried his hand at farming. It is said,
however, that he always wore his customs official's uniform and insisted
on being addressed as Herr Oberoffizial Hitler. According to reports, he
liked to lord it over his neighbors whom he may have looked down upon
as "mere" peasants. In any event, it seems quite certain that he enjoyed
sitting in the tavern and relating his adventures as a customs official and
also in discussing political topics. He died on his way to the tavern in
Leonding from a stroke of apoplexy in 1903.
He is generally described as a very domineering individual who
was a veritable tyrant in his home. William Patrick Hitler says that he
has heard from his father, Adolph's elder half-brother, that he used to
beat the children unmercifully. On one occasion it is alleged he beat the
older son into a state of unconsciousness and on another occasion beat
Adolph so severely that he left him for dead. It is also alleged that he was
somewhat of a drunkard and that frequently the children would have to
bring him home from the taverns. When he reached home a grand scene
would take place during which he would beat wife, children and dog
rather indiscriminately. Although this story is rather generally accepted
it is probably an exaggeration. Heiden, who interviewed a number of the
villagers in various places where the family had lived, could not find
substantiating evidence. Many found the old man rather amusing and
claimed that his home life was fairly happy and quiet except when his
wife's sister came to visit with the family. Why this should be a disturbing
factor is unknown. Heiden suspects that the legacy was a bone of
contention.
There is also some doubt about the complexion of Alois Hitler's
political sentiments. Hanisch reports: "Hitler heard from his father only
praise of Germany and all the faults of Austria." According to Heiden,
more reliable informants claim that the father, though full of complaints
and criticisms of the government he served, was by no means a German
nationalist. They say he favored Austria against Germany and this coin-
cides with William Patrick Hitler's information that his grandfather was
definitely anti-German just as his own father was.
Mother.
Klara Poelzl, as has been said, was the foster-daughter of her
husband and twenty-three years his junior. She came from old peasant
stock, was hard-working, energetic, pious and conscientious. Whether it
was due to her years of domestic service or to her upbringing, her home
was always spotlessly clean, everything had its place and not a speck of
dust was to be found on the furniture. She was very devoted to her
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children and, according to William Patrick Hitler, was a typical step-
mother to her step-children. According to Dr. Bloch who treated her, she
was a very quiet, sweet and affectionate woman whose life centered
around her children and particularly Adolph, who was her pet. She spoke
highly of her husband and the life they had had together. She felt
it was a real deprivation for the children to have lost their father while
they were still so young.
One could question her background. Her sister is married and
has two sons, one of whom is a hunchback and has an impediment in his
speech. When we consider that Klara Poelzl may have lost one child be-
fore her marriage to Alois Hitler, another son born in 1885 who died in
1887, another son born in 1894 who died in 1900, and a girl who was born
in 1886 and died in 1888, one has grounds to question the purity of the
blood. There is even cause for greater suspicion when we learn from Dr.
Bloch that he is certain that there was a daughter slightly older than
Adolph who was an imbecile. He is absolutely certain of this because he
noticed at the time that the family always tried to hide the child and keep
her out of the way when he came to attend the mother. It is possible that
this is Ida who was born in 1886 and who is alleged to have died in 1888, ex-
cept that Dr. Bloch believes that this girl's name was Klara. He may, how-
ever, be mistaken in this particularly since both names end in "a" and
he never had any close contact with her. There is no other mention of a
Klara anywhere in the records. The younger sister, Paula, is also said to be
a little on the stupid side, perhaps a high-grade moron. This is certainly
a poor record and one is justified in suspecting some constitutional weak-
ness. A syphilitic taint is not beyond the realm of possibility. The mother
died following an operation for cancer of the breast on December 21, 1907.
All biographers have given the date of her death as December 21, 1908
but Dr. Bloch's records show clearly that she died in 1907 and John
Gunther's record of the inscription on her tombstone corroborates this.
The last six months of, her life were spent in extreme pain and during the
last weeks it was necessary to give her injections of morphine daily.
It is often alleged that she was of Czech origin and spoke only a
broken German and that consequently Adolph may have been ashamed
of her among his playmates. This is almost certainly untrue. Dr. Bloch
reports that she did not have any trace of an accent of any kind nor did
she show any Czech characteristics. Alois Hitler's first wife was of Czech
origin and later :writers may have confused her with Adolph's mother.
Siblings Alois, Jr.
Alois Hitler, Jr., was born January 13, 1882, the illegitimate son
of the father's second wife but was born during the lifetime of the first
wife. He is the father of William Patrick Hitler, one of our informants. He
seems to have taken very much after his father in some respects. He left
the parental home before the death of his father because, according to his
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son, he could tolerate it no longer. His step-mother, according to the
story, made life very difficult for him and continually antagonized her
husband against him. It seems that Alois, Jr., had considerable talent for
mechanical pursuits and his father had planned on sending him to a
technical school for training as an engineer. Until his third marriage the
father was very fond of his oldest boy and all his ambitions were wrapped
up in him. But the step-mother systematically undermined this relation-
ship and finally persuaded the father that Alois, Jr. was unworthy and
that he should save his money for the education of her son, Adolph. She
was finally successful and Alois, Jr. was sent away from home as an ap-
prentice waiter.
Evidently the profession of waiter did not intrigue him, for in
1900 he received a five-months' sentence for thievery and in 1902 he was
sentenced to eight months in jail for the same reason. He then went to
London where he obtained a position as a waiter and, in 1909, married
Bridget Dowling, an Irish girl. In 1911 William Patrick Hitler was born
and in 1913 his father deserted the family and returned to Germany. The
family was not a happy one and broke up several times in the course of
these four years. It is alleged that the father drank quite frequently and
would then come home and create tremendous scenes during which he fre-
quently beat his wife and tried to beat the small infant. During these four
years when his mother and father had separated for a time, his father
did go to Vienna. This would agree with Hanfstaengl's conviction that
Alois, Jr. was in Vienna at the same time that Adolph was there.
In 1924 Alois, Jr. was brought before the court of Hamburg
charged with bigamy. He was sentenced to six months in prison but since
his first wife did not prosecute the sentence was suspended. He has an
illegitimate child by the second wife who lives in Germany. During all
these years he has never sent any money for the support of his first wife
or child. Up until the time of the inflation it is alleged that he had a very
successful business in Germany. The business failed and he has had
various jobs up until 1934 when he opened a restaurant in Berlin which
became a popular meeting-place for S.A. men.
According to the son, Alois, Jr: heartily disliked Adolph as a boy.
He always felt that Adolph was spoiled by his mother and that he was
forced to do many of the chores that Adolph should have done. Further-
more, it seems that Adolph occasionally got into mischief which his
mother would blame on Alois and Alois would have to take the punish-
ment from his father. He used to say as a boy he would have liked to
have wrung Adolph's neck on more than one occasion and considering
the circumstances this is probably not far from the truth. Since Hitler
came to power, the two brothers have practically no contact with each
other. They have come together a few times but the meeting is usually
unpleasant, with Adolph taking a very high-handed attitude and laying
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down the law to the, rest of the family. Alois, Jr. is not mentioned in
MEIN KAMPF and only a few people in Germany know of his relation-
ship to Hitler. According to a newspaper report he was sent to a concen-
tration camp in 1942 because he talked too much.
William Patrick Hitler.
He is a young man of thirty-two, the son of Alois, Jr. who has
not amounted to much. Before his uncle came to power he worked as a
bookkeeper in London. When his uncle became famous he obviously ex-
pected that something would be done for his family. He gave up his job
in London and went to Germany where he had some contact with Adolph
Hitler. The latter, however, was chiefly interested in keeping him under
cover and provided him with a minor job in the Opal Automobile Com-
pany. It is my impression that William Patrick was quite ready to black-
mail both his father and his uncle but that things did not work out as
planned. He returned to England and, as a British subject came to this
country where he is a professional speaker. He is also engaged in writing a
book about his associations and experiences in Hitler Germany.
Angela.
She is an elder half-sister of Adolph. She seems to be the most
normal one in the family and from all reports is rather a decent and in-
dustrious person. During her childhood she became very fond of Adolph
despite the fact that she had the feeling that his mother was spoiling
him. She is the only one of the family with whom Adolph has had any
contact in later years and the only living relative Hitler ever mentioned.
When his mother died in 1907 there was a small inheritance which was to
be divided among the children. Since the two girls had no immediate
means of earning a livelihood the brothers turned over their share to help
the girls along. Adolph turned his share over to Angela while Alois turned
his over to a younger sister, Paula. Angela later married an official named
Raubal in Linz who died not long afterwards. She then went to Vienna
where, after the war, she was manager of the Mensa Academica Judaica.
Some of our informants knew her during this time and report that in the
student riots Angela defended the Jewish students from attack, and on
several occasions beat the Aryan students off the steps of the dining hall
with a club, She is a rather large, strong peasant type of person who is
well able to take an active part.
After Adolph was discharged from the army at the close of the
last war, it is alleged that he went to Vienna and visited Angela with
whom he had had no contact for ten years. While he was confined in
Landsberg she made the trip from Vienna to visit him. In 1924 she moved
to Munich with her daughter, Geli, and kept house for Adolph. Later,
she took over the management of Berchtesgaden. In 1936 friction de-
veloped between Adolph and Angela and she left Berchtesgaden and
moved to Dresden where she married Professor Hamitsch. It is reported
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Hitler with His Half-Sister Angela
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by William Patrick that the cause of the break was the discovery by Hit-
ler that she was in a conspiracy with Goering to purchase the land ad-
joining Hitler's house at Berchtesgaden. This enraged Hitler to the
extent that he ordered her from?the,house and has had little contact with
her since. In any case, Adolph did not attend her second wedding.
Hitler's relationship with Geli, Angela's daughter, has already
been described in the previous section. She died irk 1930.
Leo'nau6a/.
It has been generally assumed that Geli was the only, child of
ela. William Patrick itler, however, reports that there was also a
?
on named. Leo. Not much is known ,of him except that he refused to have
anything to do with his uncle Adolph after the death of Geli. He had a
job in Salzburg and frequently 'came to Berchtesgaden to visit his mother
when Hitter was in Berlin, but woulclJeave again just. as soon as word was
received that Hitler was on his way there. According to William Patrick,
he openly accused Hitler of causing Geli's death and refused to speak to
lihri again as long as he lived. Word has been received that he was killed in
1042 while in the Balkans.
Paula Hitler.
Paula Hitler, or HiPdle,r:is Adolph's real sister and is seven years
younger. What happened to her after her mother's death is a mystery
until she was discovered living very poorly in an attic in Vienna where
be has a position addressing envelopes for an insurance company. She
now lives under the name of Frau 'Wolf (Hitler's nickname is Wolf) and
is alleged to be very queer and to receive no one in her home. Dr. Bloch
went to visit her in the hope that she might intercede with her brother
and obtain permission for him to take some money out of the country
when he was exiled, He rapped on her door a number of times but received
no answer. Finally, the neighbor on the same landing came to the door
and asked who he was and what he wanted. The neighbor explained that
Frau Wolf never received anyone and intimated that she was very queer
(other writers have also reported this) . She promised, however, to de-
liver any message he might give her. Dr. Bloch explained his predicament
in detail. The next day when he returned, hoping that he would have an
opportunity of speaking to Paula Hitler personally, the neighbor reported
that Paula was very glad to hear from him and that she would do every-
thing she could to help him. Nothing more.
During her childhood, according to William Patrick Hitler, she
and Adolph did not get on very well together. There seems to have been
considerable friction and jealousy between them, particularly since Alois,
Jr. was always taking her side. As far as is known, Hitler had no contact
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with her whatever from the time his mother died until 1933 when he be-
came Chancellor. He has never mentioned her anywhere, as far as can
be determined. It is alleged that he now sends her a small allowance each
month to alleviate her poverty and keep her out of the limelight. Accord-
ing to William Patrick Hitler, his uncle became more interested in her as
the friction with Angela increased. It is said that he has had her visit
him at Berchtesgaden and William Patrick met her at the Bayreuth Fes-
tival in 1939 where she went by the name of Frau Wolf, but Hitler did not
mention to anyone that it was his sister. He said she is a little on the
stupid side and not very interesting to talk to since she rarely opens her
mouth.
This is Adolph Hitler's family, past and present. It is possible
that there is another sister, Ida, an imbecile, who is still living, but if so
we have no knowledge of her whereabouts. On the whole, it is nothing to
be proud of and Hitler may be wise in keeping it well under cover.
If we let our imaginations carry us back into the early '90's it
is not difficult to picture what life was like for Adolph in his earliest
years. His father was probably not much company for his mother. Not
only was he twenty-three years older but, it seems, he spent most of his
spare time in the taverns or gossiping with the neighbors. Furthermore,
his mother knew only too well the past history of her husband, who was
also her foster-father, and one can imagine that for a twenty-five year
old woman this was not what might be called a romantic marriage. More-
over, Klara Hitler had lost her first two children, and possibly a third, in
the course of three or four years. Then Adolph arrived. Under these cir-
cumstances, it is almost inevitable that he became the focal point in her
life and that she left no stone unturned to keep him alive. All of the af-
fection that normally would have gone to her husband and to her other
children now became lavished on this newly born son.
It is safe to assume that for five years little Adolph was the cen-
ter of attraction in this home. But then a terrible event happened in
Adolph's life ? another son was born. No longer was he the center of
attraction, no longer was he the king of the roost. The newcomer usurp-
ed all this and little Adolph, who was on his way to growing up, was left
to shift more or less for himself ? at least, so it probably seemed to him.
Sharing was something he had not learned up to this time, and it was
probably a bitter experience for him as it is for most children who have
a sibling born when they are in this age period. In fact, in view of the
earlier experiences of his parents it is reasonable to suppose that it was
probably more acute in his case than it is with the average boy.
For two years he had to put up with this state of affairs. Then
matters went from bad to worse ? a baby sister was born. More competi-
tion and still less attention for the baby sister and the ailing brother were
consuming all of his mother's time while he was being sent off to school
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and made to take care of himself. Four years later tragedy again visited
the Hitler household. When Adolph was eleven years old (in 1900) his
baby brother, Edmund, died. Again we can imagine that Adolph reaped
an additional harvest of affection and again became the apple of his
mother's eye.
This is certainly an extraordinary series of events which must
have left their mark on Adolph's immature personality. What probably
went on in his mind during these years we shall consider later on. It is
sufficient at the moment to point out the extraordinary sequence of
events and the probable effects they had on the members of the family
and their relations with each other.
When Adolph was six years old he was sent off to school. The
first school was a very small Volkschule where three grades met in the
same room and were taught by the same teacher. In spite of the fact
that he had to change schools several times in the course of the next few
years, due to the fact that his father kept buying and selling his property
and moving from one place to another, he seems to have done quite well
in his studies. When he was eight years old he attended a Benedict
Monastery in Lamback. He was very much intrigued with all this ? it
gave him his first powerful impression of human achievement. At that
time his ambition was to become an abbot. But things did not work out
very well. He was dismissed from the monastery because he was caught
smoking in the gardens. His last year in Volkschule was in Leonding
where he received high marks in all his subjects with the occasional ex-
ception of singing, drawing and physical exercises.
In 1900, the year his brother Edmund died, he entered the Real-
schule in Linz. To the utter amazement of all who knew him his school
work was so poor that he failed and had to repeat the class another time.
Then there was a gradual improvement in his work, particularly in his-
tory, free-hand drawing and gymnastics. In these subjects he was
marked "excellent" several times. Mathematics, French, German, etc.,
remained mediocre, sometimes satisfactory, sometimes unsatisfactory.
On "Effort" he was frequently marked "irregular". When he was four-
teen years of age his father died suddenly. The following year he left the
Realschule in Linz and attended the one in Steyr. We do not know why
this change was made. Dr. Bloch is under the impression that he was
doing badly toward the end of the year in the Linz school and was sent to
Styria because it had the reputation of being easier. But his perform-
ance there was very mediocre. The only two subjects in which he ex-
celled were in free-hand drawing, in which he was marked "praise-
worthy", and gymnastics, in which he received the mark of "excellent".
In the first semester "German Language" was "unsatisfactory" and in
"History" it was "adequate".
All this is beautifully glossed over in Hitler's description of these
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years. According to his story he was at odds with his father concerning
his future career as artist and in order to have his own way he sabotaged
his studies ? at least those he felt would not contribute to an artist's
career, and History which he says always fascinated him. In these stud-
ies, according to his own story he was always outstanding. An examina-
tion of his report cards reveals no such thing. History, even in his last
year in Realschule is adequate or barely passing, and other subjects which
might be useful to an artist are in the same category. A better diagnosis
would be that he was outstanding in those subjects which did not require
any preparation or thought while in those that required application he
was sadly lacking. We frequently find report cards of this type among
our patients who are very intelligent but refuse to work. They are bright
enough to catch on to a few of the fundamental principles without exert-
ing themselves and clever enough to amplify these sufficiently to obtain
a passing grade without ever doing any studying. They give the impres-
sion of knowing something about the subject but their knowledge is very
superficial and is glossed over with glib words and terminology.
This evaluation of Hitler's school career fits in with the testi-
mony of former fellow students and teachers. According to their testi-
mony he never applied himself and was bored with what was going on.
While the teacher was explaining new material, he read the books of
Karl May (Indian and Wild West stories) which he kept concealed under
his desk. He would come to school with bowie knives, hatchets, etc., and
was always trying to initiate Indian games in which he was to be the
leader. The other boys, however, were not greatly impressed by him and
his big talk or his attempts to play the leader. On the whole, they pre-
ferred to follow the leadership of boys who were more socially-minded,
more realistic in their attitudes and held greater promise of future
achievements than Hitler who gave every indication of being lazy, un-
cooperative, lived in a world of fantasy, talked big but did nothing of
merit. He probably did not improve his standing with the other boys,
when, in his twelfth year, he was found guilty of a "Sittlichkeitsver-
gehen" in the school. Just what the sexual indiscretion consisted of we
do not know but Dr. Bloch, who remembers that one of the teachers in
the school told him about it, feels certain that he had done something
with a little girl. He was severely censured for this and barely missed
being expelled from school. It is possible that he was ostracized by his
fellow students and that this is the reason he changed schools the follow-
ing year.
In September, 1905, he stopped going to school altogether and
returned to Leonding where he lived with his mother and sister. Accord-
ing to his biographers, he was suffering from lung trouble during this
period and had to remain in bed the greater part of the time. Dr. Bloch,
who was the family doctor at this time is at a loss to understand how this
story ever got started because there was no sign of lung trouble of any
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sort. Adolph came to his office now and then with a slight cold or a sore
throat but there was nothing else wrong with him. According to Dr.
Bloch, he was a very quiet boy at this time, rather slight in build but
fairly wiry. He was always very courteous and patiently waited for his
turn. He made no fuss when the doctor looked into his throat or when he
swabbed it with an antiseptic. He was very shy and had little to say ex-
cept when spoken to. But there was no sign of lung trouble.
During this time, however, he frequently went with his mother
to visit his aunt in Spital, Lower Austria where he also spent vacations.
The doctor who treated him there is alleged to have said to the aunt:
"From this illness Adolph will not recover." It has been assumed that he
referred to a lung condition but he may have been referring to something
else entirely. In any event Dr. Bloch is convinced that there were no
indications of lung trouble a few months later when Adolph returned
to Leonding.
Although the mother's income was extremely modest, Adolph
made no attempt to find work. There is some evidence that he went to a
Munich art school for a short time during this period. Most of his time,
however, was evidently spent in loafing around and daubing paints and
water colors. He took long walks into the hills, supposedly to paint, but it
is reported that he was seen there delivering speeches to the rocks of the
countryside in a most energetic tone of voice.
In October, 1907, he went to Vienna to prepare himself for the
State examinations for admission as student to the Academy of Art. He
qualified for admission to the examination but failed to be accepted as
a student. He returned home to Linz but there is no indication that he
communicated to anybody the results of the examination. It was un-
doubtedly a severe blow to him for he tells us himself that he couldn't
understand it, "he was so sure he would succeed." At this time his mother
had already undergone an operation for cancer of the breast. She was
failing rather rapidly and little hope was held for her recovery. She died
on December 21, 1907, and was buried on Christmas Eve. To preserve a
last impression, he sketched her on her deathbed. Adolph, according to
Dr. Bloch, was completely broken: "In all my career I have never seen
anyone so prostrate with grief as Adolph Hitler." Although his sisters
came to Dr. Bloch a few days after the funeral and expressed themselves
fully, Adolph remained silent. As the little group left, he said: "I shall
be grateful to you forever." (29) After the funeral he stood at her grave
for a long time after the sisters had left. The bottom had obviously fallen
out of his world. Tears came into Dr. Bloch's eyes as he described the
tragic scene. "His mother would turn over in her grave if she knew what
he turned out to be." (21) This was the end of Adolph Hitler's family
life.
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LATER EXPERIENCES
Vienna.
Shortly after his mother's death the family broke up and Adolph
went to Vienna to make his way in the world as his father had done before
him. This was early in 1908. How much money he took with him, if any,
is not known. The records here are very vague particularly since all bi-
ographers have gone on the supposition that his mother died a year later
than she actually did. This leaves an entire year unaccounted for since
the next thing we hear of Adolph, he has again applied for admission to
the examinations for the Academy of Art. One of the conditions for re-
examination was that he submit to the Board some of the paintings he
had done previously. This he did but the Board was not impressed with
them and refused to allow him to enter the examination. This, it seems,
was even a greater shock than his failure to pass the examinations a year
earlier.
After he had received notification to the effect that his work
was of such a nature that it did not warrant his admission to the second
examination, he interviewed the Director. He claims that the Director told
him that his drawings showed clearly that his talents lay in the direction
of architecture rather than pure art and advised him to seek admission
to the Architectural School. This he applied for but was not admitted,
according to his story, because he had not satisfactorily finished his
course in the Realschule. To be sure, this was one of the general require-
ments but exceptions could be made in the case of boys who showed un-
usual talent. Hitler's rejection, therefore, was on the grounds of insuffi-
cient talent rather than for failure to complete his school course.
He was now without hope. All his dreams of being a great artist
seemed to be nipped in the bud. He was without money and without
friends. He was forced to go to work and found employment as a laborer
on construction jobs. This, however, did not suit him. Friction developed
between himself and his fellow workmen. It seems logical to suppose that
he was working beneath his class and refused to mingle with them for he
tells us that he sat apart from the others and ate his lunch. Further
difficulties developed inasmuch as the workmen tried to convert him to
a Marxian point of view. Their attitudes and arguments jarred him since
they were far from the ideal Germany that had been portrayed by his
favorite Linz teacher, Ludwig Poetsch, an ardent German nationalist.
But Hitler found himself unable to answer their arguments. He made
the unpleasant discovery that the workmen knew more than he did. He
was fundamentally against everything they said but he was unable to
justify his point of view on an intellectual level -- he was at a terrible dis-
advantage. In order to remedy the situation he began reading all kinds
of political pamphlets and attending political meetings but not with the
idea of understanding the problem as a whole, which might have en-
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abled Ihim to form an intelligent opinion, but to find arguments which
would support his earlier conviction. This is a trait that runs throughout
his life. He never studies to learn but only to justify what he feels. In
other words, his judgments are based wholly on emotional factors and
are then clothed with an intellectual argument. Soon, he tells us, he knew
more than they did about their own political ideology and was able to
tell them things about it which they did not know themselves.
It was this, according to Hitler, which antagonized the workmen
against him. In any case, he was run off the job with the threat that if
he appeared again they would push him off the scaffold. This must have
been during the first half of 1909 when he was twenty years old. Without
a job, he sunk lower and lower in the social scale and at times must have
been on the verge of starvation. At times he found an odd job such as
carrying luggage, shoveling snow or running errands but a large part of
his time was spent in breadlines or begging on the streets. In November,
1909, he was ousted from his room because he did not pay his rent and
was forced to seek refuge in a flophouse. Here he met Reinhold Hanisch
who was in much the same predicament. Years later, Hanisch wrote a
long book about his associations with Hitler during this period. It is a
gruesome story of unbelievable poverty. Hitler must have been a sorry
sight during these days with a full black beard, badly clothed and a
haggard look. Hanisch writes:
"It was a miserable life and I once asked him what he was
really waiting for. The answer: 'I don't know myself'. I have
never seen such hopeless letting down in distress."
Hanisch took him in hand and encouraged him to do some painting. The
difficulty was that neither one had the money with which to buy mate-
rials. When Hanisch discovered that Hitler had signed over his inheri-
tance to his sister, he persuaded Hitler to write her and obtain a small
loan. This was presumably his half-sister, Angela. When the money was
received Hitler's first thought was to take a week's vacation in order to
recuperate. At this time he moved into the Maennerheim Brigittenau
which was slightly better than the flophouses in which he had been
staying.
He and Hanisch went into business together. It was Hitler's job
to paint post cards, posters and water colors which Hanisch then took
around Vienna and peddled to art dealers, furniture stores, etc. In this
he was quite successful but his difficulties were not at an end. The
moment Hitler got a little money, he refused to work. Hanisch describes
this vividly:
"But unfortunately Hitler was never an ardent worker. I
often was driven to despair by bringing in orders that he
simply wouldn't carry out. At Easter, 1910, we earned forty
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kronen on a big order and we divided it equally. The next
morning, when I came downstairs and asked for Hitler, I
was told he had already left with Neumann, a Jew, . . . .
After that I couldn't find him for a week. He was sight-seeing
Vienna with Neumann and spent much of the time in the
museum. When I asked him what the matter was and wheth-
er we were going to keep on working, he answered that he
must recuperate now, that he must have some leisure, that
he was not a coolie. When the week was over, he had no
longer any money."
At this time, Hitler was not a Jew-hater. There were a number
of Jews living in the Men's Home with whom he was on excellent terms.
Most of his paintings were sold to Jewish dealers who paid just as much
for them as the Aryans. He also admired Rothschild for sticking to his
religion even if it prevented him from entering court. During this time
he also sent two post cards to Dr. Bloch, in Linz, who was a Jew. One of
these was just a picture post card of Vienna; the other, a copy which he
had painted. On both of them he wrote of his deep gratitude to the doctor.
This is mentioned because it is one of the very few cases of which we
have any record in which Hitler showed any lasting gratitude. During
this time Hitler himself looked very Jewish. Hanisch writes:
"Hitler at that time looked very Jewish, so that I often joked
with him that he must be of Jewish blood, since such a large
beard rarely grows on a Christian's chin. Also he had big
feet, as a desert wanderer must have." (73)
In spite of his close association with Hanisch the relationship
ended in a quarrel. Hitler accused Hanisch of withholding some of the
money he had received for a picture. He had Hanisch arrested and ap-
peared as a witness against him. We have little knowledge of what hap-
pened to Hitler after this time. According to Hanfstaengl the home in
which Hitler lived had the reputation of being a place where homosexual
men frequently went to find companions. Jahn said that he had informa-
tion from a Viennese official that on the police record Hitler was listed as
a sexual pervert but it gave no details of offenses. It is possible that the
entry may have been made solely on suspicion. Simone (467) claims that
the Viennese police file in 1912 recorded a charge of theft against Hitler
and that he moved from Vienna to Munich in order to avoid arrest. This
would fit in with Hanfstaengl's suspicion that Hitler's elder half-brother
(who was twice convicted for theft) was in Vienna at that time and that
they may have become involved in some minor crime. This would not be
impossible for Hanisch tells us that Hitler frequently spent his time figur-
ing out shady ways of making money. One example may be of interest:
"He proposed to fill old tin cans with paste and sell them to
shopkeepers, the paste to be smeared on windowpanes to keep
them from freezing in winter. It should be sold . . . in the
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summer, when it couldn't be tried out. I told him it wouldn't
work because the merchants would just say, come back in the
winter. . . . Hitler answered that one must possess a talent
for oratory."
Since Hitler could only be brought to work when he was actually
hungry he spent a good deal of time reading political pamphlets, sitting
in cafe houses, reading newspapers and delivering speeches to the other
inmates of the home. He became a great admirer of Georg von Schoenerer
and the Viennese mayor, Karl Lueger. It was presumably from them that
he learned his anti-Semitism and many of the tricks of a successful poli-
tician. According to Hanisch his companions were greatly amused by
him and often ridiculed him and his opinions. In any event it seems that
he got a good deal of practice in speech-making during these years which
stood him in good stead later on. Even in these days, he talked about
starting a new party.
It is not clear why he remained in Vienna and lived in such
poverty for five years, when he had such a deep love for Germany and
could have gone there with relatively little difficulty. It is also not clear
why he went when he did unless there is some truth in the supposition
that he fled Vienna to avoid arrest. His own explanation is that he could
not tolerate the mixture of people, particularly the Jews and always more
Jews, and says that for him Vienna is the symbol of incest.
But as far as Hitler is concerned this time was not lost. As he
looks back over that period he can say:
"So in a few years I built a foundation of knowledge from
which I still draw nourishment today." (MK 29)
"At that time I formed an image of the world and a view of
life which became the granite foundation for my actions."
(MK 30)
Pre-War Munich.
In Munich before the war, things were no better for him. As far
as poverty is concerned he might as well have stayed in Vienna. He earn-
ed a little money painting post cards and posters and at times painting
houses. Early in 1913 he went to Salzburg to report for duty in the army
but was rejected on the grounds of poor physical condition. He returned
to Munich and continued to work at odd jobs and sit in cafe houses where
he spent his time reading newspapers. Nothing of which we have any
knowledge happened during this time which is pertinent to our present
study. The prospects of ever making anything out of himself in the
future must have been very black at that time.
World War.
Then came the World War. He writes of this occasion:
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"The struggle of the year 1914 was forsooth, not forced on
the masses, but desired by the whole people."
"To myself those hours came like a redemption from the
vexatious experiences of my youth. Even to this day I am not
ashamed to say that, in a transport of enthusiasm, I sank
down on my knees and thanked Heaven from an overflowing
heart. . ."
On August 3, 1914, Hitler joined a Bavarian regiment as a
volunteer. During the first days of the war his regiment suffered very
heavy losses and was not particularly popular among the Bavarian peo-
ple. Hitler became an orderly in Regimental Headquarters as well as a
runner. The one thing that all his comrades commented on was his sub-
servience to superior officers. It seems that he went out of his way to
court their good graces, offering to do their washing and other menial
tasks much to the disgust of his comrades. He was not popular with the
other men and always remained aloof from them. When he did join
them he usually harangued about political matters. During the four
years of war he received no packages or mail from anyone. In this he was
unique. At Christmas time when everyone else was receiving gifts and
messages he withdrew from the group and sulked moodily by himself.
When his comrades encouraged him to join the group and share their
packages he refused. On October 7, 1916, he was wounded by a piece of
shrapnel and sent to a hospital. It was a light wound and he was soon
discharged and sent to Munich as a replacement. After two days there
he wrote his commanding officer, Captain Wiedemann, asking that he be
reinstated in his regiment because he could not tolerate Munich when
he knew his comrades were at the Front. Wiedemann had him returned
to the regiment where he remained until October 14th when he was ex-
posed to mustard gas and sent to a hospital in Pasewalk. He was blind
and, according to Friedelinde Wagner, also lost his voice.
It seems that mystery always follows Hitler. His career in the
army is no exception. There are several things that have never been satis-
factorily explained. The first is that he spent four years in the same regi-
ment but was never advanced beyond the rank of First Class Private or
Lance Corporal. The second is the Iron Cross First Class which he con-
stantly wears. This has been the topic of much discussion but the mys-
tery has never been solved. There is no mention of the award in the his-
tory of his regiment. This is rather amazing inasmuch as other awards
of this kind are listed. Hitler is mentioned in a number of other connec-
tions but not in this one, although it is alleged that it was awarded to
him for capturing twelve Frenchmen, including an officer, singlehanded.
This is certainly no ordinary feat in any regiment and one would expect
that it would at least merit some mention, particularly in view of the
fact that Hitler had considerable fame as a politician when the book went
to press.
The Nazi propaganda agencies have not helped to clarify the
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flitler as a Soldier in World War
82
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situation. Not only have a number of different versions of the story ap-
peared in the press, but each gives a different number of Frenchmen he is
alleged to have captured. They have also published alleged facsimiles of
his war record which do not agree. The Berlin Illustrierte Zeitung of
August 10? 1939 printed a facsimile in which the date of award for this
decoration was clearly August 4, 1918. Yet the Voelkische Beobachter of
August 14, 1934 had published a facsimile in which the date of award was
October 4, 1918. Although these alleged facsimiles mentioned other cita-
tions they did not include the date of award of the Iron Cross Second
Class. From all that can be learned the First Class Cross was never
awarded unless the recipient had already been awarded the Second Class
decoration.
Just what the facts are it is impossible to determine. It is al-
leged that his war record has been badly tampered with and that von
Schleicher was eliminated during the Blood Purge because he knew the
true facts. Strasser who served in the same division has probably as
good an explanation as any. He says that during the last months of the
war there were so many First Class Crosses being given out that General
Headquarters was no longer able to pass on the merits of each individual
case. To facilitate matters a number of these decoration:. were allotted
IliVer as a Soldier in World War I
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to each regiment every month to be issued by the Commanding Officers.
They, in turn, notified the High Command of the award and the deed
which merited it. According to Strasser, when the army began to col-
lapse, the Regimental Headquarters had in their possession a number
of decorations which had not been awarded. Since few members of the
Headquarters Staff ever received an award of this type they took adVan-
tage of the general melee and gave them to each other and forged the
signature of the commanding officer in sending it to the High Command.
The thing that speaks in favor of this explanation is the curious bond
which exists between Hitler and his regimental sergeant-major, Max
Amann who was later to become the head of the Nazi Eller Verlag. This
is one of the most lucrative positions in the entire Nazi hierarchy and
Amann was called to the position by Hitler.
The only explanation for the lack of promotion that has been
published is the comment of one of his officers to the effect that he would
never make a non-commissioned officer "out of that neurotic fellow, Hit-
ler." Rauschning (947) gives a different explanation. He claims that a
high Nazi had once confided in him that he had seen Hitler's military
record and that it contained an item of a court martial which found him
guilty of pederastic practices with an officer, and that it was for this
reason that he was never promoted. Rauschning also claims that in
Munich Hitler was found guilty of a violation of paragraph 175 which
deals with pederasty. No other evidence of either of these two charges
has been found.
The mystery becomes even deeper when we learn from a great
many informants that Hitler was quite courageous and never tried to
evade dangerous assignments. It is said that he was unusually adept at
running and then falling or seeking shelter when the fire became intense.
It also seems that he was always ready to volunteer for special assign-
ments and was considered exceedingly reliable in the performance of all
his duties by his own officers.
It may be well to mention at this point that when Hitler entered
the army he again became a member of a recognized and respected social
institution. No longer did he have to stand in breadlines or seek shelter
in flophouses. For the first time since his mother died did he really belong
to a group of people. Not only did this provide him with a sense of pride
and security but at last he had achieved his great ambition, namely, to
be united with the German nation. It is also interesting to note a con-
siderable change in his appearance. From the dirty, greasy, cast-off
clothes of Jews and other charitable people he was now privileged to wear
a uniform. Mend (209) , one of his comrades, tells us that when Hitler
came out of the trenches or back from an assignment he spent hours
cleaning his uniform and boots until he became the joke of the regiment.
Quite a remarkable change for one who for almost seven years refused to
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exert himself just a little in order to pull himself out of the pitiful condi-
tions in which he lived among the dregs of society.
Post-War.
Then came the armistice and all this was over. Adolph Hitler,
from a psychological point of view, was in exactly the same position as
the one in which he found himself eleven years before when his mother
died. He faced the future alone. The army, his home for four years, was
breaking up. Again he stood alone before a dismal future ? a world in
which he could not find a niche, a world which did not care for him, a
world of aimless existence fraught with hardships. It was almost more
than he could bear and he went into a deep depression which continued
for a considerable period of time.
Where to go and what to do. Having no home or family to greet
him he returned to Munich not because it had been kind to him in the
past but because he had no other place to go. He could take up his life
again where he had left off four years earlier. He wandered around Mu-
nich for a short time "a stray dog looking for a master." Then it is re-
ported that he went to Vienna to visit his half-sister, Angela, with whom
he had had no contact for many years. If he actually made this trip he
did not stay long for soon he was back in the reserve army, stationed at
Traunstein. Here he could wear the uniform and eat the food of the army
and he stayed on there until April, 1920, when the camp was broken up.
He then returned to Munich still attached to the army and living in the
barracks. During this time he seems to have continued his political dis-
cussions with his comrades siding with the Social Democrats against the
Communists. According to the Muenchener Post he actually affiliated
himself with the Social Democratic Party (483) . After the counter-revo-
lution every tenth man in the barracks was shot, but Hitler was singled
out beforehand and asked to stand to one side. At the inquiry he appeared
before the board with "charge-lists" against some of his comrades which
can only signify denunciations for Communistic activities. He had been
spying on his comrades and now assigned them to the executioner. In
MEIN KAMPF he refers to this occupation as his "first more or less
political activity."
The Army now undertook to educate its soldiers in the proper
political philosophy and Hitler was assigned to such a course. He spoke
so ably in this group that his talent for speaking impressed an officer who
was present and Hitler was appointed "education officer." His hour had
struck ? he was discovered and appreciated, singled out for his talent.
He threw himself into this work with great enthusiasm always speaking
to larger groups. His confidence grew with his success in swaying people.
He was on his way to become a politician. From here on his career is a
matter of history and need not be reviewed here.
This is the foundation of Hitler's character. Whatever he tried
to be afterwards is only super-structure and the super-structure can be
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no firmer than the foundations on which it rests. The higher it goes the
more unstable it becomes ? the more it needs to be propped up and
patched up in order to make it hold together. This is not an easy job. It
requires constant vigilance, strong defenses and heavy losses in time and
energy.
There was unanimous agreement among the four psychoana-
lysts who have studied the material that Hitler is an hysteric bordering
on schizophrenia and not a true paranoiac as so frequently supposed. This
means that he is not insane in the commonly accepted sense of the term,
but neurotic. He has not lost complete contact with the world about him
and is still striving to make some kind of psychological adjustment which
will give him a feeling of security in his social group. It also means that
there is a definite moral component in his character no matter how deeply
it may be buried or how seriously it has been distorted.
With this diagnosis established, we are in a position to make a
number of surmises concerning the conscious mental processes which
ordinarily take place in Hitler's mind. These form the nucleus of the
"Hitler" he consciously knows and must live with. It is in all probability
not a happy "Hitler" but one harassed by fears, anxieties, doubts, mis-
givings, uncertainties, condemnations, feelings of loneliness and of guilt.
From our experience with other hysterics we are probably on firm ground
when we suppose that Hitler's mind is like a "battle-royal" most of the
time with many conflicting and contradictory forces and impulses pull-
ing hi:m this way and that.
Such a state of confusion is not easy to bear. A large part of his
energies are usually wasted in wrestling with himself instead of being
directed towards the external world. He can see possibilities for gratifica-
tions around him but only rarely can he muster enough energy to make
a consistent effort. Fears, doubts and implications obstruct his thinking
and acting and he becomes indecisive and he frequently ends up doing
nothing. Vicarious gratifications through fantasies become substitutes
for the satisfaction obtained from real achievements. We must suppose
that this is the state that Hitler was in during the seven years that
elapsed between the death of his mother and the outbreak of the war
when he was wasting his time lying around in flophouses and sitting
in cafes in Vienna. Only when his hunger became acute could he muster
the energy necessary to apply himself to a few hours of work. As soon
as this hunger was appeased he lapsed back into his former state of pro-
crastination and indecision.
We must assume that the periods of procrastination at the pres-
ent time have a similar origin. He withdraws from society, is depressed
and dawdles away his time until "the situation becomes dangerous" then
he forces himself to action. He works for a time and as soon as the job is
underway "he loses interest in it" and slips back into his leisurely life in
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which he does nothing except what he is forced to do or likes to do. Now,
of course, it is no longer hunger that drives him to work but another
motive, even more powerful, of which he is not fully conscious. The na-
ture of this motive will be discussed in the next section.
As one surveys Hitler's behavior patterns, as his close associates
observe them, one gets the impression that this is not a single personality
but two which inhabit the same body and alternate back and forth. The
one is a very soft, sentimental and indecisive individual who has very little
drive and wants nothing quite so much as to be amused, liked and looked
after. The other is just the opposite?a hard, cruel and decisive person
with considerable energy?who seems to know what he wants and is
ready to go after it and get it regardless of cost. It is the first Hitler who
weeps profusely at the death of his canary and the second Hitler who
cries in open court: "Heads will roll." It is the first Hitler who cannot
bring himself to discharge an assistant and it is the second Hitler who
can order the murder of hundreds, including his best friends, and can
say with great conviction: "There will be no peace in the land until a
body hangs from every lamp-post." It is the first Hitler who spends his
evenings watching movies or going to cabarets and it is the second Hitler
who works for days on end with little or no sleep, making plans which will
affect the destiny of nations.
Until we understand the magnitude and implications of this
duality in his nature we can never understand his actions. It is a kind of
"Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde" personality structure in which two wholly
different personalities oscillate back and forth and make the individual
almost unrecognizable. This characteristic is common to many hysterics.
Under these circumstances it is extremely difficult to predict from one
moment to the next what his reactions to a given situation are going to be.
An illustration may be helpful. According to Russell (746) extravagant
preparations were made for the commemorative services for the Germans
who died when the battleship Deutschland was bombed. Hitler spoke
long and passionately to those attending, as well as over the radio. It was
then arranged that he should walk down the line of survivors and review
the infantry and naval units drawn up at attention. Newsreel camera-
men were stationed at all crucial points:
"The first widow to whom Hitler spoke a few words cried
violently. Her child, who was 10 years old and who stood next
to his bereaved mother, began to cry heartrendingly. Hitler
patted him on the head and turned uncertainly to the next
in line. Before he could speak a word, he was suddenly over-
come. He spun completely around, left the carefully prepared
program flat. Followed by his utterly surprised companions he
walked as fast as he could to his car and had himself driven
away from the parade grounds."
This sudden alternation from one to the other is not uncommon.
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Close associates have commented on it time and time again. Ludecke
(166) 'writes:
"There were times when he gave an impression of unhappi-
ness, of loneliness, of inward searching. . . . But in a moment,
he would turn again to whatever frenzied task . . . with the
swift command of a man born for action."
Rauschning (263) :
"Almost anything might suddenly inflame his wrath and
hatred. . . . But equally, the transition from anger to senti-
mentality or enthusiasm might be quite sudden."
Huddleston (759) writes:
"His eyes, soft and dreamy as he spoke to me, suddenly
flashed and hardened. . . ."
Voight (591) says:
"Close collaborators for many years said that Hitler was al-
ways like this?the slightest difficulty or obstacle could make
him scream with rage or burst into tears."
Heiden has commented upon the duality of Hitler's character and has
suggested that the procrastinating side is "Hitler" while the fiery per-
sonality which erupts from time to time is "the Fuehrer." Although this
may not be strictly true from a psychological point of view, it may be
helpful to think of them in these terms.
There is not, however, a complete dissociation of the personality.
In such a case we would expect to find the personalities alternating with
each other quite beyond the voluntary control of the individual. This is
clearly not the case with Hitler who can adopt either role more or less at
will. At least, he is able, on occasion, to induce the Fuehrer personality
to come into existence when the occasion demands. This is what he does
at almost every speech. At the beginning as previously mentioned he is
nervous and insecure on the platform. At times he has considerable
difficulty in finding anything to say. This is "Hitler." But under these
circumstances the "Hitler" personality does not usually predominate for
any length of time. As soon as he gets the feel of the audience the tempo
of the speech increases and the "Fuehrer" personality begins to assert it-
self. Heiden says: "The stream of speech stiffens him like a stream of
water stiffens a hose." As he speaks he seduces himself into believing that
he is actually and fundamentally the "Fuehrer," or as Rauschning (268)
says: "He doses himself with the morphine of his own verbiage." It is this
transformation, of the little Hitler into the great Fuehrer, which takes
place under the eyes of his audience which probably fascinates them. By
complicated psychological processes they are able to identify themselves
with him and as the speech progresses, they themselves are temporarily
transformed and inspired.
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He must also undergo a transformation of this kind when he
is expected to make a decision or take definite action. As we have seen,
Hitler procrastinates until the situation becomes dangerous and intoler-
able. When he can procrastinate no longer, he is able to induce the
Fuehrer personality to assert itself. Rauschning has put this well:
"He is languid and apathetic by nature and needs the stimu-
lus of nervous excitement to rouse him out of chronic leth-
argy to a spasmodic activity." (269)
"Before Hitler can act he must lash himself out of lethargy
and doubts into a frenzy." (262)
Having lashed himself into this state of mind he can play the
"Fuehrer" to perfection. When the transformation takes place in his
personality all his views, sentiments and values are also transformed.
The result is that as "Fuehrer" he can make statements with great con-
viction which flatly contradict what "Hitler" said a few minutes earlier.
He can grapple with the most important problems and in a few minutes
reduce them to extremely simple terms, he can map out campaigns, be
the supreme judge, deal with diplomats, ignore all ethical and moral
principles, order executions or the destruction of cities without the slight-
est hesitation. And he can be in the best of hu:mor while he is doing it.
All of this would have been completely impossible for "Hitler."
Hitler likes to believe that this is his true self and he has made
every effort to convince the German people that it is his only self. But
it is an artifact. The whole "Fuehrer" personality is a grossly exaggerated
and distorted conception of masculinity as Hitler conceives it. The
"Fuehrer" personality shows all the ear-marks of a reaction formation
which has been created unconsciously as a compensation and cover-up
for deep-lying tendencies which he despises. This mechanism is very
frequently found in hysterics and always serves the purpose of repudi-
ating the true self by creating an image which is diametrically opposite
and then identifying oneself with the image. The great difference between
Hitler and thousands of other hysterics is that he has managed to con-
vince millions of other people that the fictitious image is really himself.
The more he was able to convince them, the more he became convinced
of it himself on the theory that eighty million Germans can't be wrong.
And so he has fallen in love with the image he, himself, created and does
his utmost to forget that behind it there is quite another Hitler who is
a very despicable fellow. It is his ability to convince others that he is
what he isn't that has saved him from insanity.
This psychological manoeuvre, however, is never entirely suc-
cessful. Secret fears and anxieties that belie the reality of the image
keep cropping up to shake his confidence and security. He may ration-
alize these fears or displace them but they continue to haunt him. Some
are at least partially justified, others seem to be groundless. For example,
he has had a fear of cancer for many years. Ordinarily he fears that he
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has a cancer in his stomach, since he is always bothered with indigestion,
and all the assurances of his doctors have not been sufficient to dispel
this fear. A few years ago a simple polyp grew on his larynx. Immedi-
ately his fear shifted to the throat and he was sure that he had developed
a throat cancer. When Dr. von Eicken diagnosed it as a simple polyp,
Hitler at first refused to believe him.
Then he has fears of being poisoned, fears of being assassinated,
fears of losing his health, fears of gaining weight, fears of treason, fears
of losing his mystical guidance, fears of anesthetics, fears of premature
death, fears that his mission will not be fulfilled, etc. Every conceivable
precaution must be taken to reduce these dangers, real and imagined,
to a minimum. In later years, the fear of betrayal and possible assassina-
tion by one of his associates seems to have grown considerably. Thyssen
(308) claims that it has reached the point where he no longer trusts the
Gestapo. Frank (652) reports that even the generals must surrender
their swords before they are admitted into conferences with him.
Sleep is no longer a refuge from his fears. He wakes up in the
night shaking and screaming. Rauschning claims that one of Hitler's
close associates told him that:
"Hitler wakes at night with convulsive shrieks; shouts for
help. He sits on the edge of his bed, as if unable to stir. He
shakes with fear, making the whole bed vibrate. He shouts
confused, unintelligible phrases. He gasps, as if imagining
himself to be suffocating. On one occasion Hitler stood sway-
ing in his room, looking wildly about him. 'He! He! He's been
here!' he gasped. His lips were blue. Sweat streamed down
his face. Suddenly he began to reel off figures, and odd words
and broken phrases, entirely devoid of sense. It sounded hor-
rible. He used strangely composed and entirely un-German
word-formations. Then he stood still, only his lips moving. . . .
Then he suddenly broke out ?`There, there! In the corner!
Who's that?' He stamped and shrieked in the familiar way."
(274)
Zeissler (923) also reports such incidents. It would seem that Hitler's
late hours are very likely due to the fact that he is afraid to go to sleep.
The result of these fears, as it is with almost every hysteric, is a
narrowing of the world in which he lives. Haunted by secret misgivings,
he distrusts everyone, even those closest to him. He cannot establish any
close friendships for fear of being betrayed or being discovered as he really
is. As his world becomes more and more circumscribed he becomes lonelier
and lonelier. He feels himself to be a captive and often compares his life
with that of the Pope (Hanfstaengl, 912) . Fry (577) says, "spiritual lone-
liness must be Hitler's secret regret," and von Wiegand (491) writes:
"Perhaps the snow-crowned peaks of the Alps glistening in
the moonlight remind Adolph Hitler of the glittering but
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Hitler at Berchtesgaden
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cold, lonely heights of fame and achievement to which he has
climbed. 'I am the loneliest man on earth' he said to an
employee of his household."
Hysterics, however, are not discouraged by all this. On the con-
trary, they interpret their fears as proof of their own importance rather
than as signs of their fundamental weakness. As Hitler's personal world
becomes smaller he must extend the boundaries of his physical domains.
Meanwhile, his image of himself must become evermore inflated in order
to compensate for his deprivations and the maintenance of his repres-
sions. He must build bigger and better buildings, bridges, stadia and what
not, as tangible symbols of his power and greatness and then use these as
evidence that he really is, what he wants to believe he is.
There is, however, little gratification in all this. No matter what
he achieves or what he does it is never sufficient to convince him that
things are what they seem to be. He is always insecure and must bolster
up his super-structure by new acquisitions and more defenses. But the
more he gets and the higher he builds, the more he has to worry about
and defend. He is caught in a vicious circle, like so many other hysterics,
which grows bigger and bigger as time goes on but never brings them
the sense of security they crave above everything else.
The reason for this is that they are barking up the wrong tree.
The security they seek is not to be found in the outside world but in
themselves. Had they conquered their own unsocial impulses, their real
enemy, when they were young, they would not need to struggle with such
subterfuges when they are mature. The dangers they fear in the world
around them are only the shadows of the dangers they fear will creep up
on them from within if they do not maintain a strict vigilance over their
actions. Repudiation is not synonomous to annihilation. These unsocial
impulses, like termites, gnaw away at the foundations of the personality
and the higher the super-structure is built, the shakier it becomes.
In most hysterics, these unsocial impulses, which they con-
sciously regard as dangers, have been fairly successfully repressed. The
individual may feel himself to be despicable without being conscious of
the whys and wherefores of this feeling. The origins of the feeling remain
almost wholly unconscious or are camouflaged in such a way that they
are not obvious to the individual himself. In Hitler's case, however, this is
not so?at least not entirely. He has good cause for feeling himself to be
despicable and he is partially aware of its origins. The repression has not
been completely successful and consequently some of the unsocial ten-
dencies do from time to time assert themselves and demand satisfaction.
Hitler's sexual life has always been the topic of much specula-
tion. As pointed out in the previous section, most of his closest associates
are absolutely ignorant on this subject. This has led to conjectures of all
sorts. Some believe that he is entirely immune from such impulses. Some
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believe that he is a chronic masturbator. Some believe that he derives his
sexual pleasure through voyeurism. Many believe that he is completely
impotent. Others, and these are perhaps in the majority, that he is
homosexual. It is probably true that he is impotent but he is certainly not
homosexual in the ordinary sense of the term. His perversion has quite
a different nature which few have guessed. It is an extreme form of
masochism in which the individual derives sexual gratification from the
act of having a woman urinate or defecate on him. (Strasser, 919; see
also, 931, 932)
Although this perversion is not a common one, it is not unknown
in clinical work, particularly in its incipient stages. The four callabo-
rators on this study, in addition to Dr. De Saussure, who learned of the
perversion from other sources, have all had experience with cases of this
type. All five agree that the information as given is probably true in view
of their clinical experience and their knowledge of Hitler's character. In
the following section further evidence of its validity will be cited together
with a consideration of the influence it has had on his personality and
actions. At the present time it is sufficient to recognize that these ten-
dencies represent a constant threat to him which disturbs the equilibrium
of his conscious mental life. Not only must he be continually on his guard
against any overt manifestation but he must struggle with the intolera-
ble feelings of guilt which are generated by his secret and unwelcome
desires. These, together with his fears, haunt him day and night and
incapacitate him as far as consistent and constructive work is concerned.
Surely Hitler has externalized his own problem and its supposed
solution when he writes:
"Only when the time comes when the race is no longer over-
shadowed by the consciousness of its own guilt, then it will
find internal peace and external energy to cut down regard-
lessly and brutally the wild shoots, and to pull up the weeds."
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PART V
PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS AND RECONSTRUCTION
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PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS AND RECONSTRUCTION
The world has come to know Adolph Hitler for his insatiable
greed for power, his ruthlessness, cruelty and utter lack of feeling, his
contempt for established institutions and his lack of moral restraints. In
the course of relatively few years he has contrived to usurp such tre-
mendous power that a few veiled threats, accusations or insinuations
were sufficient to make the world tremble. In open defiance of treaties
he occupied huge territories and conquered millions of people without
even firing a shot. When the world became tired of being frightened and
concluded that it was all a bluff, he initiated the most brutal and deva-
stating war in history ? a war which, for a time, threatened the com-
plete destruction of our civilization. Human life and human suffering
seem to leave this individual completely untouched as he plunges along
the course he believes he was predestined to take.
Earlier in his career the world had watched him with amuse-
ment. Many people refused to take him seriously on the grounds that
"he could not possibly last." As one action after another met with amaz-
ing success and the measure of the man became more obvious, this
amusement was transformed into incredulousness. To most people, it
seemed inconceivable that such things could actually happen in our mod-
ern civilization. Hitler, the leader of these activities, became generally
regarded as a madman, if not inhuman. Such a judgment, concerning
the nature of our enemy, may be satisfactory to the man in the street.
It gives him a feeling of satisfaction to pigeon-hole an incomprehensible
individual in one category or another and having classified him in this
way, he feels that the problem is solved. All we need to do is to eliminate
the madman from the scene of activities, replace him with a sane indivi-
dual, and the world will again return to a normal and peaceful state
of affairs.
This naive view, however, is wholly inadequate for those who
are delegated to conduct the war against Germany or for those who will
be delegated to deal with the situation when the war is over. They can-
not content themselves with simply regarding Hitler as a personal devil
and condemning him to an Eternal Hell in order that the remainder of
the world may live in peace and quiet. They will realize that the madness
of the Fuehrer has become the madness of a nation, if not of a large part
of the continent. They will realize that these are not wholly the actions
of a single individual but that a reciprocal relationship exists between the
Fuehrer and the people and that the madness of the one stimulates
and flows into the other and vice versa. It was not only Hitler,
the madman, who created German madness, but German madness which
created Hitler. Having created him as its spokesman and leader, it has
been carried along by his momentum, perhaps far beyond the point where
it was originally prepared to go. Nevertheless, it continues to follow his
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lead in spite of the fact that it must be obvious to all intelligent people
now that his path leads to inevitable destruction.
From a scientific point of view, therefore, we are forced to con-
sider Hitler, the Fuehrer, not as a personal devil, wicked as his actions and
philosophy may be, but as the expression of a state of mind existing in
millions of people, not only in Germany but, to a smaller degree, in all
civilized countries. To remove Hitler may be a necessary first step, but
it would not be the cure. It would be analogous to removing a chancre
without treating the underlying disease. If similar eruptions are to be
prevented in the future, we cannot content ourselves with simply remov-
ing the overt manifestations of the disease. On the contrary, we must
ferret out and seek to correct the underlying factors which produced the
unwelcome phenomenon. We must discover the psychological streams
which nourish this destructive state of mind in order that we may divert
them into channels which will permit a further evolution of our form
of civilization.
The present study is concerned wholly with Adolph Hitler and
the social forces which impinged upon him in the course of his develop-
ment and produced the man we know. One may question the wisdom of
studying the psychology of a single individual if the present war repre-
sents a rebellion by a nation against our civilization. To understand the
one does not tell us anything about the millions of others. In a sense this
is perfectly true. In the process of growing up we are all faced with highly
individual experiences and exposed to varying social influences. The re-
sult is that when we mature no two of us are identical from a psycholog-
ical point of view. In the present instance, however, we are concerned
not so much with distinct individuals as with a whole cultural group. The
members of this group have been exposed to social influences ? family
patterns, methods of training and education, opportunities for develop-
ment, etc.?which are fairly homogenous within a given culture or strata
of a culture. The result is that the members of a given culture tend to
act, think and feel more or less alike, at least in contrast to the members
of a different cultural group. This justifies, to some extent, our speaking
of a general cultural character. On the other hand, if a large section of a
given culture rebels against the traditional pattern then we must assume
that new social influences have been introduced which tend to produce
a type of character which cannot thrive in the old cultural environment.
When this happens it may be extremely helpful to understand
the nature of the social forces which influenced the development of in-
dividual members of the group. These may serve as clues to an under-
standing of the group as a whole inasmuch as we can then investigate the
frequency and intensity of these same forces in the group and draw
deductions concerning their effect upon its individual members. If
the individual being studied happens to be the leader of the group, we can
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expect to find the pertinent factors in an exaggerated form which would
tend to make them stand out in sharper relief than would be the case if
we studied an average member of the group. Under these circumstances,
the action of the forces may be more easily isolated and subjected to de-
tailed study in relation to the personality as a whole as well as to the
culture in general. The problem of our study should be, then, not only
whether Hitler is mad or not, but what influences in his development
have made him what he is.
If we scan the tremendous quantities of material and informa-
tion which have been accumulated on Hitler, we find little which is help-
ful in explaining why he is what he is. One can, of course, make general
statements as many authors have done and say, for example, that his
five years in Vienna were so frustrating that he hated the whole social
order and is now taking his revenge for the injustices he suffered. Such
explanations sound very plausible at first glance but we would also want
to know why, as a young man, he was unwilling to work when he had the
opportunity and what happened to transform the lazy Vienna beggar into
the energetic politican who never seemed to tire from rushing from one
meeting to another and was able to work thousands of listeners into a
state of frenzy. We would also like to know something about the origins
of his peculiar working habits at the present time, his firm belief in his
mission, and so on. No matter how long we study the available material
we can find no rational explanation of his present conduct. The material
is descriptive and tells us a great deal about how he behaves under vary-
ing circumstances, what he thinks and feels about various subjects, but it
does not tell us why. To be sure, he himself sometimes offers explanations
for his conduct but it is obvious that these are either built on flimsy ra-
tional foundations or else they serve to push the problem further back
into his past. On this level we are in exactly the same position in which
we find ourselves when a neurotic patient first comes for help.
In the case of an individual neurotic patient, however, we can
ask for a great deal more first-hand information which gradually enables
us to trace the development of his irrational attitudes or behavioral pat-
terns to earlier experiences or influences in his life history and the effects
of these on his later behavior. In most cases the patient will have for-
gotten these earlier experiences but nevertheless he still uses them as
premises in his present conduct. As soon as we are able to understand
the :premises underlying his conduct, then his irrational behavior be-
comes comprehensible to us.
The same finding would probably hold in Hitler's case except
that here we do not have the opportunity of obtaining the additional
first-hand information which would enable us to trace the history of his
views and behavioral patterns to their early origins in order to discover
the premises on which he is operating. Hitler's early life, when his funda-
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mental attitudes were undoubtedly formed, is a closely guarded secret,
particularly as far as he himself is concerned. He has been extremely
careful and has told us exceedingly little about this period of his life and
even that is open to serious questioning. A few fragments have, however,
been unearthed which are helpful in reconstructing his past life and the
experiences and influences which have determined his adult character.
Nevertheless, in themselves, they would be wholly inadequate for our
purposes.
Fortunately, there are other sources of information. One of
them is Hitler himself. In every utterance a speaker or writer unknow-
ingly tells us a great deal about himself of which he is entirely unaware.
The subjects he chooses for elaboration frequently reveal unconscious
factors which make these seem more important to him than many other
aspects which would be just as appropriate to the occasion. Furthermore,
the method of treatment, together with the attitudes expressed towards
certain topics, usually reflect unconscious processes which are symbolic-
ally related to his own problems. The examples he chooses for purposes
of illustration almost always contain elements from his own earlier ex-
periences which were instrumental in cultivating the view he is expound-
ing. The figures of speech he employs reflect unconscious conflicts and
linkages and the incidence of particular types or topics can almost be
used as a measure of his preoccupation with problems related to them. A
number of experimental techniques have been worked out which bear
witness to the validity of these methods of gathering information about
the mental life, conscious and unconscious, of an individual in addition
to the findings of psychoanalysts and psychiatrists.
Then, too, we have our practical experience in studying patients
whose difficulties were not unlike those we find in Hitler. Our knowledge
of the origins of these difficulties may often be used to evaluate conflicting
information, check deductions concerning what probably happened, or
to fill in gaps where no information is available. It may be possible with
the help of all these sources of information to reconstruct the outstand-
ing events in his early life which have determined his present behavior
and character structure. Our study must, however, of necessity be specu-
lative and inconclusive. It may tell us a great deal about the mental pro-
cesses of our subject but it cannot be as comprehensive or conclusive as
the findings of a direct study conducted with the cooperation of the in-
dividual. Nevertheless, the situation is such that even an indirect study
of this kind is warranted.
Freud's earliest and greatest contribution to psychiatry in par-
ticular and to an understanding of human conduct in general was his
discovery of the importance of the first years of a child's life in shaping
his future character. It is during these early years, when the child's ac-
quaintanceship with the world is still meagre and his capacities are still
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undeveloped, that the chances of misinterpreting the nature of the world
about him are the greatest. The mind of the child is inadequate for
understanding the demands which a complex culture makes upon him
or the host of confusing experiences to which he is exposed. In conse-
quence, as has been shown over and over again, a child during his early
years frequently misinterprets what is going on about him and builds his
personality structure on false premises. Even Hitler concedes that this
finding is true, for he says in MEIN KAMPF:
"There is a boy, let us say, of three. This is the age at which
a child becomes conscious of his first impressions. In many
intelligent people, traces of these early memories are found
even in old age." (MK, 42)
Under these circumstances, it will be well for us to inquire into
the nature of Hitler's earliest environment and the impressions which
he probably formed during this period. Our factual information on this
phase of his life is practically nil. In MEIN KAMPF Hitler tries to create
the impression that his home was rather peaceful and quiet, his "father
a faithful civil servant, the mother devoting herself to the cares of the
household and looking after her children with eternally the same loving
care." It would seem that if this is a true representation of the home en-
vironment there would be no reason for his concealing it so scrupulously.
This is the only passage in a book of a thousand pages in which he even
intimates that there were other children for his mother to take care of.
No brother and no sister are mentioned in any other connection and even
to his asociates he has never admitted that there were other children be-
sides his half-sister, Angela. Very little more is said about his mother,
either in writing or speaking. This concealment in itself would make us
suspicious about the truth of the statement quoted above. We become
even more suspicious when we find that not a single patient manifesting
Hitler's character traits has grown up in such a well-ordered and peace-
ful home environment.
If we read on in MEIN KAMPF we find that Hitler gives us a
description of a child's life in a lower-class family. He says:
"Among the five children there is a boy, let us say, of three. . . .
When the parents fight almost daily, their brutality leaves
nothing to the imagination; then the results of such visual
education must slowly but inevitably become apparent to the
little one. Those who are not familiar with such conditions
can hardly imagine the results, especially when the mutual
differences express themselves in the form of brutal attacks
on the part of the father towards the mother or to assaults
due to drunkenness. The poor little boy, at the age of six,
senses things which would make even a grown-up person
shudder . . . . The other things the little fellow hears at home
do not tend to further his respect for his surroundings." (MK,
42)
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In view of the fact that we now know that there were five children in the
Hitler home and that his father liked to spend his spare time in the vil-
lage tavern where he sometimes drank so heavily that he had to be
brought home by his wife or children, we begin to suspect that in this pas-
sage Hitler is, in all probability, describing conditions in his own home
as a child.
If we accept the hypothesis that Hitler is actually talking about
his own home when he describes conditions in the average lower-class
family, we can obtain further information concerning the nature of his
home environment. We read:
". . things end badly indeed when the man from the very
start goes his own way and the wife, for the sake of the child-
ren stands up against him. Quarreling and nagging set in,
and in the same measure in which the husband becomes es-
tranged from his wife, he becomes familiar with alcohol . . . .
When he finally comes home. . . drunk and brutal, but al-
ways without a last cent or penny, then God have mercy on
the scenes which follow. I witnessed all of this personally in
hundreds of scenes and at the beginning with both disgust
and indignation." (MK, 38)
When we remember the few friends that Hitler has made in the course
of his life, and not a single intimate friend, one wonders where he had
the opportunity of observing these scenes personally, hundreds of times,
if it was not in his own home. And then he continues:
"The other things the little fellow hears at home do not
tend to further his respect for his surroundings. Not a single
good shred is left for humanity, not a single institution is
left unattacked; starting with the teacher, up to the head of
the State, be it religion, or morality as such, be it the State
or society, no matter which, everything is pulled down in
the nastiest manner into the filth of a depraved mentality."
(MK, 43)
All of this agrees with information obtained from other sources whose
veracity might otherwise be open to question. With this as corroborating
evidence, however, it seems safe to assume that the above passages are
a fairly accurate picture of the Hitler household and we may surmise
that these scenes did arouse disgust and indignation in him at a very
early age.
These feelings were aggravated by the fact that when his father
was sober he tried to create an entirely different impression. At such times
he stood very much on his dignity and prided himself on his position in
the civil service. Even after he had retired from this service he always in-
sisted on wearing his uniform when he appeared in public. He was scrup-
ulous about his appearance and strode down the village street in his most
dignified manner. When he spoke to his neighbors or acquaintances
he did so in a very condescending manner and always demanded that
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they use his full title when they addressed him. If one of them happened
to omit a part of it, he would call attention to their omission. He carried
this to the point where, so informants tell us, he became a source of
amusement to the other villagers and their children. At home he de-
manded that the children address him as Herr Vater instead of using
one of the intimate abbreviations or nicknames that children commonly
do.
Father's Influence on Hitler's Character.
We know from our study of many cases that the character of
the father is one of the major factors determining the character of
the child, particularly that of a boy. In cases in which the father is
a fairly well-integrated individual and presents a consistent pattern
of behavior which the small boy can respect, he becomes a model which
the child strives to emulate. The image the child has of his father
becomes the cornerstone of his later character-structure and with its help
he is able to integrate his own behavior along socially accepted lines. The
importance of this first step in character development can scarcely be
over-estimated. It is almost a prerequisite for a stable, secure and well-
integrated personality in later life.
In Hitler's case, as in almost all other neurotics of his type, this
step was not feasible. Instead of presenting an image of a consistent,
harmonious, socially-adjusted and admirable individual which the child
could use as a guide and model, the father showed himself to be a mass of
contradictions. At times he played the role of "a faithful civil servant"
who respected his position and the society he served, and demanded that
all others do likewise. At such times he was the soul of dignity, propriety,
sternness and justice. To the outside world he tried to appear as a pillar
of society whom all should respect and obey. At home, on the other hand,
particularly after he had been drinking, he appeared the exact opposite.
He was brutal, unjust and inconsiderate. He had no respect for anybody
or anything. The world was all wrong and an unfit place in which to live.
At such times he also played the part of the bully and whipped his wife
and children who were unable to defend themselves. Even the dog comes
in for his share of this sadistic display.
Under such circumstances the child becomes confused and is
unable to identify himself with a clear-cut pattern which he can use as a
guide for his own adjustment. Not only is this a severe handicap in itself
but in addition the child is given a distorted picture of the world around
him and the nature of the people in it. The home, during these years, is
his world and later he judges the outside world in terms of it. In Hitler's
case we would expect that the whole world would appear as extremely
dangerous, uncertain and unjust and the child's impulse would be to
avoid it as far as possible because he felt unable to cope with it. His feel-
ings of insecurity would be enhanced inasmuch as he could never predict
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beforehand how his father would behave when he came home or what he
could expect from him. The person who should give him love, support and
a feeling of security fills him with anxiety, uneasiness and uncertainty.
His Search for a Competent Guide.
As a child Hitler must have felt this lack very keenly for
throughout his later life we find him searching for a strong masculine
figure whom he can respect and emulate. The men with whom he had
contact during his childhood evidently could not, fill the role of guide to
his complete satisfaction. There is some evidence that he attempted to
regard some of his teachers in this way but whether it was the influence
of his father's ranting or the shortcomings of the teachers themselves, his
attempts always miscarried. Later he attempted to find great men in
history who could fill this need. Caesar, Napoleon and Frederick the
Great are only a few of the legion to whom he became attached. Although
historic figures serve an important role of this kind in the life of
almost every child, they are in themselves inadequate. Unless a fairly
solid foundation already exists in the mind of the child these heroes
never become flesh and blood people inasmuch as the relationship is
one-sided and lacks reciprocation. The same is also true of the political
figures with which Hitler sought to identify himself during the Vienna
period. For a time Schoenerer and Lueger became his heroes and al-
though they were instrumental in forming some of his political beliefs
and channeling his feelings, they were still too far removed from him to
play the role of permanent guides and models.
During his career in the army we have an excellent example of
Hitler's willingness to submit to the leadership of strong males who were
willing to guide him and protect him. Throughout his army life there is
not a shred of evidence to show that Hitler was anything but the model
soldier as far as submissiveness and obedience are concerned. From a
psychological point of view his life in the army was a kind of substitute
for the home life he had always wanted but could never find, and he
fulfilled his duties willingly and faithfully. He liked it so well that after
he was wounded, in 1916, he wrote to his commanding officer and re-
quested that he be called back to front duty before his leave had expired.
After the close of the war he stayed in the army and continued
to be docile to his officers. He was willing to do anything they asked,
even to the point of spying on his own comrades and then condemning
them to death. When his officers singled him out to do special propaganda
work because they believed he had a talent for speaking, he was over-
joyed. This was the beginning of his political career, and here too we can
find many manifestations of his search for a leader. In the beginning he
may well have thought of himself as the "drummer-boy" who was
heralding the coming of the great leader. Certain it is that during the
early years of his career he was very submissive to a succession of impor-
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tant men to whom he looked for guidance?von Kahr, Ludendorff and
Hindenburg, to name only a few.
It is true that in the end he turned upon them one after another
and treated them in a despicable fashion, but usually this change came
after he discovered their personal shortcomings and inadequacies. As in
many neurotic people of Hitler's type who have a deep craving for guid-
ance from an older man, their requirements grow with the years. By
the time they reach maturity they are looking for, and can only submit
to, a person who is perfect in every respect?literally a super-man. The
result is that they are always trying to come in contact with new persons
of high status in the hope that each one, in turn, will prove to be the ideal.
No sooner do they discover a single weakness or shortcoming than they
depose him from the pedestal on which they have placed him. They then
treat their fallen heroes badly for having failed to live up to their expecta-
tions. And so Hitler has spent his life looking for a competent guide but
always ends with the discovery that the person he has chosen falls short
of his requirements and is fundamentally no more capable than himself.
That this tendency is a carry-over from his early childhood is evidenced
by the fact that throughout these years he has always laid great stress
on addressing these persons by their full titles. Shades of his father's
training during early childhood!
It may be of interest to note at this time that of all the titles
that Hitler might have chosen for himself he is content with the simple
one of "Fuehrer". To him this title is the greatest of them all. He has
spent his life searching for a person worthy of the role but was unable
to find one until he discovered himself. His goal now is to fulfill this role
to millions of other people in a way in which he had hoped some person
might do for him. The fact that the German people have submitted so
readily to his leadership would indicate that a great many Germans were
in a similar state of mind as Hitler himself and were not only willing, but
anxious, to submit to anybody who could prove to them that he was
competent to fill the role. There is some sociological evidence that this is
probably so and that its origins lie in the structure of the German family
and the dual role played by the father within the home as contrasted with
the outside world. The duality, on the average is, of course, not nearly
as marked as we have shown it to be in Hitler's case, but it may be this
very fact which qualified him to identify the need and express it in terms
which the others could understand and accept.
There is evidence that the only person in the world at the pres-
ent time who might challenge Hitler in the role of leader is Roosevelt.
Informants are agreed that he fears neither Churchill nor Stalin. He
feels that they are sufficiently like himself so that he can understand
their psychology and defeat them at the game. Roosevelt, however, seems
to be an enigma to him. How a man can lead .a nation of 130,000,000 people
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and keep them in line without a great deal of name-calling, shouting,
abusing and threatening is a mystery to him. He is unable to understand
how a man can be the leader of a large group and still act like a gentle-
man. The result is that he secretly admires Roosevelt to a considerable
degree, regardless of what he publicly says about him. Underneath he
probably fears him inasmuch as he is unable to predict his actions.
Hitler's Mother and Her Influence.
Hitler's father, however, was only a part of his early environ-
ment. There was also his mother who, from all reports, was a very decent
type of woman. Hitler has written very little and said nothing about her
publicly. Informants tell us, however, that she was an extremely con-
scientious and hard-working individual whose life centered around her
home and children. She was an exemplary housekeeper and there was
never a spot or speck of dust to be found in the house?everything was
very neat and orderly. She was a very devout Catholic and the trials and
tribulations that fell upon her home she accepted with Christian resig-
nation. Even her last illness, which extended over many months and
caused her great pain, she endured without a. single complaint. We may
assume that she had to put up with much from her irascible husband and
it may be that at times she did have to stand up against him for the
welfare of her children. But all of this she probably accepted in the same
spirit of abnegation. To her own children she was always extremely af-
fectionate and generous although there is some reason to suppose that
that she was mean at times to her two step-children.
In any event, every scrap of evidence indicates that there was an
extremely strong attachment between herself and Adolph. As previously
pointed out, this was due in part to the fact that she had lost two, or
possibly three, children before Adolph was born. Since he, too, was frail
as a child it is natural that a woman of her type should do everything
within her power to guard against another recurrence of her earlier
experiences. The result was that she catered to his whims, even to the
point of spoiling him, and that she was over-protective in her attitude
towards him. We may assume that during the first five years of Adolph's
life, he was the apple of his mother's eye and that she lavished affection
on him. In view of her husband's conduct and the fact that he was
twenty-three years her senior and far from having a loving disposition,
we may suppose that much of the affection that normally would have
gone to him also found its way to Adolph.
The result was a strong libidinal attachment between mother
and son. It is almost certain that Adolph had temper tantrums during
this time but that these were not of a serious nature. Their immediate
purpose was to get his own way with his mother and he undoubtedly
succeeded in achieving this end. They were a technique by which he could
dominate her whenever he wished, either out of fear that she would lose
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his love or out of fear that if he continued he might become like his father.
There is reason to suppose that she frequently condoned behavior of
which the father would have disapproved and may have become a partner
in forbidden activities during the father's absence. Life with his mother
during these early years must have been a veritable Paradise for Adolph
except for the fact that his father would intrude and disrupt the happy
relationship. Even when his father did not make a scene or lift his whip,
he would demand attention from his wife which prevented her participa-
tion in pleasurable activities. It was natural, under these circumstances,
that Adolph should resent the intrusion into his Paradise and this un-
doubtedly aggravated the feelings of uncertainty and fear which his
father's conduct aroused in him.
As he became older and the libidinal attachment to his mother
became stronger, both the resentment and fear undoubtedly increased.
Infantile sexual feelings were probably quite prominent in this relation-
ship as well as fantasies of a childish nature. This is the Oedipus complex
mentioned by psychologists and psychiatrists who have written about
Hitler's personality. The great amount of affection lavished upon him
by his mother and the undesirable character of his father served to
develop this complex to an extraordinary degree. The more he hated
his father the more dependent he became upon the affection and love of
his mother, and the more he loved his mother the more afraid he became
of his father's vengeance should his secret be discovered. Under these
circumstances, little boys frequently fantasy about ways and means of
ridding the environment of the intruder. There is reason to suppose
that this also happened in Hitler's early life.
Influences Determining His Attitude Towards Love, Women, Marriage.
Two other factors entered into the situation which served to
accentuate the conflict still further. One of these was the birth of a baby
brother when he was five years of age. This introduced a new rival onto
the scene and undoubtedly deprived him of some of his mother's affec-
tion and attention, particularly since the new child was also rather sickly.
We may suppose that the newcomer in the family also became the victim
of Adolph's animosity and that he fantasied about getting rid of him as
he had earlier contemplated getting rid of his father. There is nothing
abnormal in this except the intensity of the emotions involved.
The other factor which served to intensify these feelings was the
fact that as a child he must have discovered his parents during inter-
course. An examination of the data makes this conclusion almost ines-
capable and from our knowledge of his father's character and past
history it is not at all improbable. It would seem that his feelings on this
occasion were very mixed. On the one hand, he was indignant at his
father for what he considered to be a brutal assault upon his mother. On
the other hand, he was indignant with his mother because she submitted
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so willingly to the father, and he was indignant with himself because
he was powerless to intervene. Later, as we shall see, there was an
hysterical re-living of this experience which played an important part
in shaping his future destinies.
Being a spectator to this early scene had many repercussions.
One of the most important of these was the fact that he felt that his
mother had betrayed him in submitting to his father, a feeling which
became accentuated still further when his baby brother was born. He
lost much of his respect for the female sex and while in Vienna, Hanisch
reports, he frequently spoke at length on the topic of love and marriage
and that "he had very austere ideas about relations between men and
women". Even at that time he maintained that if men only wanted to
they could adopt a strictly moral way of living. "He often said it was the
woman's fault if a man went astray" and "He used to lecture us about
this, saying every woman can be had." In other words, he regarded
woman as the seducer and responsible for man's downfall and he con-
demned them for their disloyalty. These attitudes are probably the out-
come of his early experiences with his mother who first seduced him into
a love relationship and then betrayed him by giving herself to his father.
Nevertheless, he still continued to believe in an idealistic form of love and
marriage which would be possible if a loyal woman could be found. As
we know, Hitler never gave himself into the hands of a woman again with
the possible exception of his niece, Geli Raubal, which also ended in
disaster. Outside of that single exception he has lived a loveless life. His
distrust of both men and women is so deep that in all his history there is
no record of a really intimate and lasting friendship.
The outcome of these early experiences was probably a feeling
of being very much alone in a hostile world. He hated his father for his
brutality, he distrusted his mother for her lack of loyalty, and despised
himself for his weakness. The immature child finds such a state of mind
almost unendurable for any length of time and in order to gain peace and
security in his environment these feelings are gradually repressed from
his memory.
This is a normal procedure which happens in the case of every
child at a relatively early age. This process of repression enables the
child to re-establish a more or less friendly relationship with his parents
without the interference of disturbing memories and emotions. The
early conflicts, however, are not solved or destroyed by such a process
and we must expect to find manifestations of them later on. When the
early repression has been fairly adequate these conflicts lie dormant
until adolescence when, due to the process of maturation, they are re-
awakened. Iii some cases they reappear in very much their original form,
while in others they are expressed in a camouflaged or symbolic form.
In Hitler's case, however, the conflicting emotions and senti-
ments were so strong that they could not be held in complete abeyance
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during this entire period. Quite early in his school career we find his con-
flicts appearing again in a symbolic form. Unfortunately, the symbols
he unconsciously chose to express his own inner conflicts were such that
they have seriously affected the future of the world. And yet these sym-
bols fit his peculiar situation so perfectly that it was almost inevitable
that they would be chosen as vehicles of expression.
His Early Conflicts Expressed in Symbolic Form.
Unconsciously, all the emotions he had once felt for his mother
became transferred to Germany. This transfer of affect was relatively
easy inasmuch as Germany, like his mother, was young and vigorous
and held promise of a great future under suitable circumstances.
Furthermore, he felt shut off from Germany as he now felt shut off
from his mother, even though he secretly wished to be with her. Germany
became a symbol of his ideal mother and his sentiments are clearly
expressed in his writings and speeches. A few excerpts will serve to illus-
trate the transfer of emotion:
"The longing grew stronger to go there (Germany) where
since my early youth I had been drawn by secret wishes and
secret love."
"What I first had looked upon as an impassable chasm now
spurred me on to greater love for my country than ever
before."
"An unnatural separation from the great common Mother-
land."
"I appeal to those who, severed from the Motherland, . . . and
who now in painful emotion long for the hour that will allow
them to return to the arms of the beloved mother."
It is significant that although Germans, as a whole, invariably refer to
Germany as the "Fatherland", Hitler almost always refers to it as the
"Motherland."
Just as Germany was ideally suited to symbolize his mother, so
was Austria ideally suited to symbolize his father. Like his father Austria
was old, exhausted, and decaying from within. He therefore transferred
all his unconscious hatred from his father to the Austrian state. He could
now give vent to all his pent-up emotions without exposing himself to the
dangers he believed he would have encountered had he expressed these
same feelings towards the persons really involved. In MEIN KAMPF
he frequently refers to the Austrian state, for example, in terms such
as these:
di. . . an intense love for my native German-Austrian country
and a bitter hatred against the Austrian state."
"With proud admiration I compared the rise of the Reich
with the decline of the Austrian state."
The alliance between Austria and Germany served to symbolize the
marriage of his mother and father. Over and over again we find references
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to this alliance and we can see clearly how deeply he resented the mar-
riage of his parents because he felt that his father was a detriment to his
mother and only through the death of the former could the latter obtain
her freedom and find her salvation. A few quotations will illustrate his
sentiments:
"And who could keep faith with an imperial dynasty which
betrayed the cause of the German people for its own ignomin-
ious ends, a betrayal that occurred again and again."
"What grieved us most was the fact that the whole system
was morally protected by the alliance with Germany, and
thus Germany herself . . . walked by the side of the corpse."
". . . It suffices to state here that from my earliest youth I
came to a conviction which never deserted me, but on the
contrary grew stronger and stronger: that the protection of
the German race presumed the destruction of Austria . . .
that above all else, the Royal House of Hapsburg was des-
tined to bring misfortune upon the German nation."
"Since my heart had never beaten for an Austrian monarchy
but only for a German Reich, I could only look upon the
hour of the ruin of this state as the beginning of the salvation
of the German nation."
When we have grasped the significance of this transference of
affect we have made a long step in the direction of understanding Hitler's
actions. Unconsciously he is not dealing with nations composed of
millions of individuals but is trying to solve his personal conflicts and
rectify the injustices of his childhood. Unable to enter into a "give-and-
take" relationship with other human beings which might afford him an
opportunity of resolving his conflicts in a realistic manner, he projects
his personal problems on great nations and then tries to solve them on
this unrealistic level. His microcosm has been inflated into a macrocosm.
We can now understand why Hitler fell on his knees and thanked
God when the last war broke out. To him it did not mean simply a war,
as such, but an opportunity of fighting for his symbolic mother, of
proving his manhood and of being accepted by her. It was inevitable that
he would seek enlistment in the German Army rather than in the Aus-
trian Army and it was also inevitable, under these circumstances, that he
would be a good and obedient soldier. Unconsciously it was as though he
were a little boy who was playing the part of a man while his mother
stood by and watched him. Her future welfare was his great concern
and in order to prove his love he was willing, if need be, to sacrifice his
own life for her. His relationship to Germany was, in effect, the sexless,
idealistic marriage he longed for.
The Effects of Germany's Defeat.
Everything went smoothly as long as he felt sure that all would
turn out well in the end. He never complained about the hardships that
were imposed on him and he never grumbled with the other men. He was
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happy in what he was doing and met the trials and tribulations of army
life with his chin up until he discovered that things were going badly and
that his symbolic mother was about to be degraded as he had imagined
his real mother had been degraded in his childhood. To him it was as if
his mother was again the victim of a sexual assault. This time it was
the November Criminals and the Jews who were guilty of the foul deed
and he promptly transferred his repressed hate to these new perpetrators.
When he became fully aware of Germany's defeat he reacted in
a typically hysterical manner. He refused to accept or adjust to the
situation on a reality level. Instead, he reacted to this event as he prob-
ably reacted to the discovery of his parents in intercourse. He writes:
"?I stumbled and tottered rearwards with burning eyes. . . .
Already a few hours later the eyes had turned into burning
coals; it had become dark around me."
In another place he writes:
"While everything began to go black again before my eyes,
stumbling, I groped my way back to the dormitory, threw
myself on my cot and buried my burning head in the covers
and pillows."
At the time this happened he had been exposed to a slight at-
tack of mustard gas. He immediately believed that he was blinded and
speechless. Although he spent several weeks in the hospital, neither his
symptoms nor the development of the illness corresponded to those
found in genuine gas cases. It has been definitely established that both
the blindness and the mutism were of an hysterical nature. The physician
who treated him at that time found his case so typical of hysterical
symptoms in general that for years after the war he used it as an illustra-
tion in his courses given at a prominent German medical school. We
know from a great many other cases that during the onset of such at-
tacks the patient behaves in exactly the same manner as he did earlier
in his life when confronted by a situation with the same emotional con-
tent. It is as though the individual were actually reliving the earlier
experience over again. In Hitler's case this earlier experience was almost
certainly the discovery of his parents in intercourse and that he inter-
preted this as a brutal assault in which he was powerless. He refused to
believe what his eyes told him and the experience left him speechless.
That this interpretation is correct is evidenced by his imagery
in dealing with the event later on. Over and over again we find figures
of speech such as these:
". . . by what wiles the soul of the German has been raped."
". . our German pacifists will pass over in silence the most
bloody rape of the nation."
which illustrate his sentiments very clearly.
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The Origins of His Belief in His Mission and His Longing for Immortality.
It was while he was in the hospital suffering from hysterical
blindness and mutism that he had the vision that he would liberate the
Germans from their bondage and make Germany great. It was this vision
that set him on his present political career and which has had such a
determining influence on the course of world events. More than anything
else it was this vision which convinced him that he was chosen by Prov-
idence and that he had a great mission to perform. This is probably the
most outstanding characteristic of Hitler's mature personality and it is
this which guides him with the "precision of a sleep-walker."
From an analysis of many other other cases we know that such
convictions never result from an adult experience alone. In order to carry
conviction they must reawaken earlier beliefs which have their roots far
back in childhood. It is, of course, nothing unusual for a child to believe
that he is some special creation and destined to do great things before
he dies. One can almost say that every child passes through such a period
on his way to growing up. In many people remnants of such early beliefs
are observable inasmuch as they feel or believe that Fate or Luck or
Providence or some other extra-natural power has chosen them for spe-
cial favors. In most of these cases, however the adult individual only
half believes that this is really so even when a whole series of favorable
events may make the hypothesis plausible. Only rarely do we find a firm
conviction of this kind in adulthood and then only when there were ex-
tenuating circumstances in childhood which made such a belief necessary
and convincing.
In Hitler's case the extenuating circumstances are relatively
clear. Mention has already been made of the fact that his mother had
given birth to at least two and possibly three children, all of whom had
died prior to his own birth. He, himself, was a frail and rather sickly in-
fant. Under these circumstances, his mother undoubtedly exerted herself
to the utmost to keep him alive. He was unquestionably spoiled during
this period and his survival was probably the great concern of the family
as well as of the neighbors. From his earliest days there was, no doubt,
considerable talk in the household about the death of the other children
and constant comparisons between their progress and his own.
Children first become aware of death as a phenomenon very
early in life and in view of these unusual circumstances it may have
dawned on Hitler even earlier than with most children. The thought of
death in itself, is inconceivable to a small child and they usually are able
to form only the vaguest conception of what it means or implies before
they push it out of their minds, for later consideration. In Hitler's case,
however, it was a living issue and the fears of the mother were in all likeli-
hood communicated to him. As he pondered the problem in his immature
way, he probably wondered why the others died while he continued to live.
The natural conclusion for a child to draw would be that he was favored
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in some way or that he was chosen to live for some particular purpose.
The belief that he was the "chosen one" would have been reinforced by
the fact that as far as his mother was concerned he was very much the
chosen one in comparison with her two step-children who were also liv-
ing in the home at that time.
This belief must have been strengthened considerably when, at
the age of five, his baby brother was born. This baby brother has un-
doubtedly played a much more important role in Adolph's life than has
been acknowledged by his biographers. The pertinent fact at the moment,
however, is that this brother too died before he was six years old. It was
Adolph's first real experience with death and it must have brought up
the problem of death again in a much more vivid form. Again, we can
surmise, he asked himself why they died while he continued to be saved.
The only plausible answer to a child at that age would be that he must
be under divine protection. This may seem far-fetched and yet, as an
adult Hitler tells us that he felt exactly this way when he was at the
front during the war, even before he had the vision. Then too, he specu-
lated on why it is that comrades all around him are killed while he is
saved and again he comes to the conclusion that Providence must be
protecting him. Perhaps the exemplary courage he displayed in carrying
messages at the front was due to the feeling that some kindly Fate
was watching over him. Throughout MEIN KAMPF we find this type
of thinking. It was Fate that had him born so close to the German
border; it was Fate that sent him to Vienna to suffer with the masses;
it was Fate that caused him to do many. things. The experience he
reports at the front, when a voice told him to pick up his plate and
move to another section of the trench just in time to escape a shell which
killed all his comrades, must certainly have strengthened this belief to a
marked degree and paved the way for his vision later on.
The Messiah Complex.
Another influence may have helped to solidify this system of
belief. Among patients we very frequently find that children who are
spoiled at an early age and establish a strong bond with their mother
tend to question their paternity. Eldest children in particular are prone
to such doubts and it is most marked in cases where the father is much
older than the mother. In Hitler's case the father was twenty-three years
older, or almost twice the age of the mother. Just why this should be is not
clear, from a psychological point of view, but in such cases there is a
strong tendency to believe that their father is not their real father and to
ascribe their birth to some kind of supernatural conception. Usually such
beliefs are dropped as the child grows older. It can be observed in young
children, however, and can often be recovered in adults under suitable
conditions. Due to the unsympathetic and brutal nature of his father we
may suppose that there was an added incentive in Hitler's case for reject-
ing him as his real father and postulating some other origin to himself.
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The problem is not important in itself at the moment except in-
sofar as it may help to throw some light on the origins of Hitler's convic-
tion in his mission and his belief that he is guided by some extra-natural
power which communicates to him what he should or should not do
under varying circumstances. This hypothesis is tenable in view of the
fact that during his stay in Vienna, when still in his early twenties, he
grew a beard and directly after the war when he again grew a
Christ-like beard. Then, too, when he was a student at the Benedictine
school his ambition was to join the Church and become an abbot or priest.
All of these give some indication of a Messiah complex long before he had
started on his meteoric career and become an open competitor of Christ
for the affections of the German people.
Fear of Death and Desire for Immortality.
Although beliefs of this kind are common during childhood they
are usually dropped or are modified as the individual becomes older and
more experienced. In Hitler's case, however, the reverse has taken place.
The conviction became stronger as he grew older until, at the present
time, it is the core of his thinking. Under these circumstances, we must
suppose that some powerful psychological stream continued to nourish
these infantile modes of thought. This psychological stream is probably,
as it is in many other cases, a fear of death. It seems logical to suppose
that in the course of his early deliberations on the deaths of his brothers
his first conclusion was probably that all the others die and that conse-
quently he too would die. His fear would not be allayed by his mother's
constant concern over his well-being, which he may have interpreted as
an indication that the danger was imminent. Such a conclusion would
certainly be a valid one for a child to make under the circumstances. The
thought of his own death, however, is almost unbearable to a small child.
Nothing is quite so demoralizing as the constant dread of self-annihila-
tion. It gnaws away day and night and prevents him from enjoying the
good things that life affords.
To rid himself of this devastating fear becomes his major ob-
jective. This is not easily accomplished, especially when all available evi-
dence seems to corroborate the validity of the fear. In order to offset its
potency he is almost driven to deny its reality by adopting the belief that
he is of divine origin and that Providence is protecting him from all
harm. Only by use of such a technique is the child able to convince him-
self that he will? not die. We must also remember that in Hitler's case
there was not only the unusual succession of deaths of siblings, but there
was also the constant menace of his father's brutality which helped to
make the fear more intense than in most children. This danger could
easily be exaggerated in Hitler's mind due to a sense of guilt concerning
his feelings towards his respective parents and what his father might do
to him if he discovered his secret. These feelings would tend to increase
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his fear of death at the same time that they caused him to reject his
father. Both tendencies would serve to nourish the belief that he was of
divine origin and was under its protection.
It is my belief that this basic fear of death is still present and
active in Hitler's character at the present time. As time goes on and he
approaches the age when he might reasonably expect to die, this infantile
fear asserts itself more strongly. As a mature, intelligent man he knows
that the law of nature is such that his physical self is destined to die. He
is still not able, however, to accept the fact that he as an individual, his
psyche, will also die. It is this element in his psychological structure
which demands that he become immortal. Most people are able to take
the sting out of this fear of death through religious beliefs in life after
death, or through the feeling that a part of them, at least, will continue to
go on living in their children. In Hitler's case, both of these normal chan-
nels have been closed and he has been forced to seek immortality in a
more direct form. He must arrange to go on living in the German people
for at least a thousand years to come. In order to do this, he must oust
Christ as a competitor and usurp his place in the lives of the German
people.
In addition to evidence drawn from experience with patients
which would make this hypothesis tenable, we have the evidence afforded
by Hitler's own fears and attitudes. We have discussed these in detail in
Section IV. Fear of assassination, fear of poisoning, fear of premature
death, etc., all deal with the problem of death in an uncamouflaged form.
One can, of course, maintain that in view of his position all these fears
are more or less justified. There is certainly some truth in this contention
but we also notice that as time goes on these fears have increased con-
siderably until now they have reached the point where the precautions
for his own safety far exceed those of any of his predecessors. As long as
he could hold a plebescite every now and then and reassure himself that
the German people loved him and wanted him, he felt better. Now that
this is no longer possible, he has no easy way of curbing the fear and his
uncertainty in the future becomes greater. There can be little doubt
concerning his faith in the results of the plebescites. He was firmly con-
vinced that the 98% vote, approving his actions, really represented the
true feelings of the German people. He believed this because he needed
such reassurance from time to time in order to carry on with a fairly
easy mind and maintain his delusions.
When we turn to his fear of cancer we find no justification what-
ever for his belief, especially in view of the fact that several outstanding
specialists in this disease have assured him that it is without foundation.
Nevertheless, it is one of his oldest fears and he continues to adhere to it
in spite of all the expert testimony to the contrary. This fear becomes in-
telligible when we remember that his mother died following an operation
for cancer of the breast. In connection with his fear of death we must
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not forget his terrifying nightmares from which he awakes in a cold
sweat and acts as though he were being suffocated. If our hypothesis is
correct, namely, that a fear of death is one of the powerful unconscious
streams which drive Hitler on in his mad career, then we can expect that
as the war progresses and as he becomes older the fear will continue to in-
crease. With the progress of events along their present course, it will be
more and more difficult for him to feel that his mission is fulfilled and
that he has successfully cheated death and achieved immortality in the
German people. Nevertheless, we can expect him to keep on trying to the
best of his ability as long as a ray of hope remains. The great danger is
that if he feels that he cannot achieve immortality as the Great Redeemer
he may seek it as the Great Destroyer who will live on in the minds of the
German people for a thousand years to come. He intimated this in a
conversation with Rauschning when he said:
"We shall not capitulate ? no, never. We may be destroyed,
but if we are, we shall drag a world with us ? a world in
flames."
With him, as with many others of his type, it may well be a case of im-
mortality of any kind at any price.
Sexual Development.
Closely interwoven with several of the themes which have al-
read.y been elaborated is the development of his sexual life. From what we
know about his mother's excessive cleanliness and tidiness we may as-
sume that she employed rather stringent measures during the toilet
training period of her children. This usually results in a residual tension
in this area and is regarded by the child as a severe frustration which
arouses feelings of hostility. This facilitates an alliance with his infantile
aggression which finds an avenue for expression through anal activities
and fantasies. These usually center around soiling, humiliation and de-
struction, and form the basis of a sadistic character.
Here, again, we may assume that the experience was more in-
tense in Hitler's case than in the average due to the strong attachment
and spoiling of his mother in early infancy. Unaccustomed to minor
frustrations which most children must learn to endure, prior to the toilet
training, he was poorly equipped to deal with this experience which plays
an important role in the life of all infants. Even now, as an adult, we
find Hitler unable to cope with frustrating experiences on a mature
level. That a residual tension from this period still exists in Hitler is
evidenced by the frequency of imagery in his speaking and writing which
deal with dung and dirt and smell. A few illustrations may help to clarify
his unconscious preoccupation with these subjects:
"You don't understand: we are just passing a magnet over
a dunghill, and we shall see presently how much iron was
in the dunghill and has clung to the magnet." (By 'dunghill'
Hitler meant the German people.)
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"And when he (the Jew) turns the treasures over in his hand
they are transformed into dirt and dung."
ti.? . One's hands seize slimy jelly; it slips through one's fing-
ers only to collect again in the next moment."
"Charity is son .etimes actually comparable to the manure
which is spread on the field, not out of love for the latter, but
out of precaution for one's own benefit later on."
". . . dragged into the dirt and filth of the lowest depths."
"Later the smell of these caftan wearers made me ill. Added
to this were their dirty clothes and their none too heroic
appearance."
". . .The rottenness of artificially nurtured conditions of peace
has more than once stunk to high heaven."
His libidinal development however, was not arrested at this
point, but progressed to the genital level at which the Oedipus complex,
already referred to, developed. This complex, as we have seen, was ag-
gravated by his mother's pregnancy at precisely the age when the com-
plex normally reaches its greatest intensity. In addition to accentuating
his hatred for his father and estranging him from his mother, we can as-
sume that this event at this particular time served to generate an ab-
normal curiosity in him. He, like all children at this age, must have
wondered how the unborn child got into the mother's stomach and how
it was going to get out.
These three reactions have all played an important part in Hit-
ler's psychosexual development. It would seem from the evidence that
his aggressive fantasies towards the father reached such a point that he
became afraid of the possibility of retaliation if his secret desires were dis-
covered. The retaliation he probably feared was that his father would
castrate him or injure his genital capacity in some way a fear which
is later expressed in substitute form in his syphilophobia. Throughout
MEIN KAMPF he comes back to the topic of syphilis again and again and
spends almost an entire chapter describing its horrors. In almost all
cases we find that a fear of this sort is rooted in a fear of genital injury
during childhood. In many cases this fear was so overpowering that the
child abandoned his genital sexuality entirely and regressed to earlier
stages of libidinal development. In order to maintain these repressions
later in life he uses the horrors of syphilis as a justification for his uncon-
scious fear that genital sexuality is dangerous for him, and also as a ra-
tionalization for his avoidance of situations in which his earlier desires
might be aroused.
In abandoning the genital level of libidinal development the in-
dividual becomes impotent as far as heterosexual relations are concerned.
It would appear, from the evidence, that some such process took place
during Hitler's early childhood. Throughout his early adult life, in Vien-
na, in the Army, in Munich, in Landsberg, no informant has reported a
heterosexual relationship. In fact, the informants of all these periods
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make a point of the fact that he had absolutely no interest in women or
any contact with them. Since he has come to power his peculiar relation-
ship to women has been so noticeable that many writers believe that he
is completely asexual. Some have surmised that he suffered a genital in-
jury during the last war, others that he is homosexual. The former hypo-
thesis, for which there is not a shred of real evidence, is almost certainly
false. The second hypothesis we will examine later on.
The Diffusion of the Sexual Instinct.
When a regression of this kind takes :place the sexual instinct
usually becomes diffuse and many organs which have yielded some sexual
stimulation in the past become permanently invested with sexual signi-
ficance. The eyes, for example, may become a substitute sexual organ
and seeing then takes on a sexual significance. This seems to have hap-
pened in Hitler's case for a number of informants have commented on his
delight in witnessing strip-tease and nude dancing numbers on the stage.
On such occasions he can never see enough to satisfy him even though
he uses opera glasses in order to observe more closely. Strip-tease artists
are frequently invited to the Brown House, in Munich, to perform in
private and there is 'evidence that he often invites girls to Berchtesgaden
for the purpose of exhibiting their bodies. On his walls are numerous
pictures of obscene nudes which conceal nothing and he takes particular
delight in looking through a collection of pornographic pictures which
Hoffmann has made for him. We also know the extreme pleasure he
derives from huge pageants, circus performances, opera, and particularly
the movies of which he can never get enough. He has told informants
that he gave up flying not only because of the danger involved but be-
cause he could not see enough of the country. For this reason, automobile
travel is his favorite form of transportation. From all of this it is evident
that seeing has a special sexual significance for him. This probably ac-
counts for his "hypnotic glance" which has been the subject of comment
by so many writers. Some have reported that at their first meeting Hitler
fixated them with his eyes as if "to bore through them." It is also interest-
ing that when the other person meets his stare, Hitler turns his eyes to
the ceiling and keeps them there during the interview. Then, too, we
must not forget that in the moment of crisis his hysterical attack mani-
fested itself in blindness.
In addition to the eyes, the anal region has also become highly
sexualized and both faeces and buttocks become sexual objects. Due to
early toilet training, certain inhibitions have been set up which prevent
their direct expression. However, we find so many instances of imagery
of this kind, particularly in connection with sexual topics, that we must
assume that this area has taken on a sexual significance. The nature of
? this significance we will consider in a moment. ?
The mouth, too, seems to have become invested as an erogenous
zone of great importance. Few authors or informants have neglected to
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mention Hitler's peculiar dietary habits. He consumes tremendous quan-
tities of sweets, candies, cakes, whipped cream, etc., in the course of a
day in addition to his vegetable diet. On the other hand, he refuses to
eat meat, drink beer or smoke, all of which suggest certain unconscious
inhibitions in this area. In addition, he has a pathological fear of poison-
ing by mouth, and has shown an obsessional preoccupation at times with
mouth washing. These suggest a reaction formation or defense against
an unacceptable tendency to take something into his mouth or get some-
thing out which from one point of view appears to be disgusting. In this
connection we must not forget his resolve to starve himself to death after
the failure of the Beer Hall Putsch, his hysterical mutism at the end of
the last war, and his love of speaking. The significance of these we shall
consider later on.
Disturbance of Love Relations.
The second effect of his mother's pregnancy was his estrange-
ment from her. The direct result of this was, on the one hand, an ideali-
zation of love but without a sexual component and, on the other hand,
the setting up of a barrier against intimate relationships with other peo-
ple, particularly women. Having been hurt once, he unconsciously guards
himself against a similar hurt in the future. In his relationship to his
niece Geli, he tried to overcome this barrier but he was again disappointed
and since then has not exposed himself to a really intimate relationship
either with man or woman. He has cut himself off from the world in
which love plays any part for fear of being hurt and what love he can ex-
perience is fixated on the abstract entity ? Germany, which, as we have
seen, is a symbol of his ideal mother. This is a love relationship in which
sex plays no direct part.
Origins of His Perversion.
The third outcome of his mother's pregnancy was to arouse an
excessive curiosity. The great mystery to children of this age, who find
themselves in this situation, is how the unborn child got into the mother's
stomach and how it is going to get out. Even in cases where the children
have witnessed parental intercourse, this event is rarely linked with the
ensuing pregnancy. Since, in their limited experience, everything that
gets into their stomach enters by way of the mouth and everything that
comes out usually does so by way of the rectum, they are prone to believe
that conception somehow takes place through the mouth and that the
child will be born via the anus. Hitler, as a child, undoubtedly adhered
to this belief but this did not satisfy his curiosity. He evidently wanted
to see for himself how it came out and exactly what happened.
This curiosity laid the foundation for his strange perversion
which brought all three of his sexualized zones into play. In her descrip-
tion of sexual experiences with Hitler, Geli stressed the fact that it was
of utmost importance to him that she squat over him in such a way that
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he could see everything. It is interesting that Roehm, in an entirely dif-
ferent connection, once said:
"He (Hitler) is thinking about the peasant girls. When they
stand in the fields and bend down at their work so that you
can see their behinds, that's what he likes, especially when
they've got big round ones. That's Hitler's sex life. What a
man."
Hitler, who was present, did not stir a muscle but only stared at Roehm
with compressed lips.
From a consideration of all the evidence it would seem that Hit-
ler's perversion is as Geli has described it. The great danger in gratifying
it, however, is that the individual might get faeces or urine into his
mouth. It is this danger that requires that suitable inhibitions be
instituted.
Return to the Womb.
Another possibility in infantile thinking presents itself in this
connection. When the home environment is harsh and brutal, as it was
in Hitler's case, the small child very frequently envies the position of
passivity and security the unborn child enjoys within the mother. This,
in turn, gives rise to fantasies of finding a way in to the longed-for claus-
trum and ousting his rival in order that he may take his place. These
fantasies are usually of very brief duration because, as the child believes,
if he succeeded he would have nothing to eat or drink except faeces and
urine. The thought of such a diet arouses feelings of disgust and conse-
quently he abandons his fantasies in order to avoid these unpleasant
feelings. In many psychotics, however, these fantasies continue and
strive to express themselves overtly. The outstanding bit of evidence in
Hitler's case that such fantasies were present is to be found in the Kehl-
stein or Eagle's Nest which he has built for himself near Berchtesgaden.
Interestingly enough, many people have commented that only a madman
would conceive of such a place, let alone try to build it. From a symbolic
point of view one can easily imagine that this is a materialization of a
child's conception of the return to the womb. First there is a long hard
road, then a heavily guarded entrance, a trip through a long tunnel to an
extremely inaccessible place. There one can be alone, safe and undis-
turbed, and revel in the joys that Mother Nature bestows. It is also
interesting to note that very few people have ever been invited there and
many of Hitler's closest associates are either unaware of its existence or
have only seen it from a distance. Extraordinarly enough, Francois-
Poncet is one of the few people who was ever invited to visit there. In the
French Yellow Book, he gives us an extremely vivid description of the
place, a part of which may be worthwhile quoting:
"The approach is by a winding road about nine miles long,
boldly cut out of the rock . . . the road comes to an end
in front of a long undergronnd passage leading into the
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mountain, enclosed by a heavy double door of bronze. At
the far end of the underground passage a wide lift, panelled
with sheets of copper, awaits the visitor. Through a vertical
shaft of 330 feet cut right through the rock, it rises up to
the level of the Chancellor's dwelling place. Here is reached
the astonishing climax. The visitor finds himself in a strong
and massive building containing a gallery with Roman
pillars, an immense circular hall with windows all around. . . .
It gives the impression of being suspended in space, an almost
overhanging wall of bare rock rises up abruptly. The whole,
bathed in the twilight of the autumn evening, is grandiose,
wild, almost hallucinating. The visitor wonders whether he
is awake or dreaming." (943)
If one were asked to plan something which represented a return to the
womb, one could not possibly surpass the Kehlstein. It is also significant
that Hitler often retires to this strange place to await instructions con-
cerning the course he is to pursue.
Vegetarianism.
We can surmise from the psychological defenses Hitler has set
up, that there was a period during which he struggled against these ten-
dencies. In terms of unconscious symbolism meat is almost synonomous
with faeces and beer with urine. The fact that there is a strict taboo on
both would indicate that these desires are still present and that it is only
by refraining from everything symbolizing them that he can avoid arous-
ing anxieties. Rauschning reports that Hitler, following Wagner, attrib-
uted much of the decay of our civilization to meat eating. That the de-
cadence "had its origin in the abdomen ? chronic constipation, poison-
ing of the juices, and the results of drinking to excess." This assertion
suggests decay (contamination, corruption, pollution, and death) as the
resultant of constipation, that is, faeces in the gastro-intestinal tract,
and if this is so, decay might be avoided both by not eating anything re-
sembling faeces and by taking purges or ejecting as frequently as pos-
sible. It has been reported that Hitler once said that he was confident that
all nations would arrive at the point where they would not feed any more
on dead animals. It is interesting to note that according to one of our
most reliable informants Hitler only became a real vegetarian after the
death of his niece, Geli. In clinical practice, one almost invariably finds
compulsive vegetarianism setting in after the death of a loved object.
We may, therefore, regard Hitler's perversion as a compromise
between psychotic tendencies to eat faeces and drink urine on the one
hand, and to live a normal socially adjusted life on the other. The com-
promise is not, however, satisfactory to either side of his nature and the
struggle between these two diverse tendencies continues to rage uncon-
sciously. We must not suppose that Hitler gratifies his strange perver-
sion frequently. Patients of this type rarely do and in Hitler's case it is
highly probable that he has permitted himself to go this far only with
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his niece, Geli and possibly with Henny Hoffmann. The practice of this
perversion represents an extreme form of masochistic degradation.
Masochistic Gratifications.
In most patients suffering from this perversion the unconscious
forces only get out of control to this degree when a fairly strong love re-
lationship is established and sexuality makes decisive demands. In other
relationships where the love component is less strong the individual con-
tents himself with less degrading activities. This is brought out clearly in
the case of Rene Mueller who confided to her director, Zeissler (921) , who
had asked her what was troubling her after spending an evening at the
Chancellory, "that the evening before she had been with Hitler and that
she :had been sure that he was going to have intercourse with her; that
they had both undressed and were apparently getting ready for bed when
Hitler fell on the floor and begged her to kick him. She demurred but he
pleaded with her and condemned himself as unworthy, heaped all kinds
of accusations on his own head and just grovelled around in an agoniz-
ing manner. The scene became intolerable to her and she finally acceded
to his wishes and kicked him. This excited him greatly and he begged for
more and more, always saying that it was even better than he deserved
and that he was not worthy to be in the same room with her. As she con-
tinued to kick him he became more and more excited. . . ." Rene Mueller
committed suicide shortly after this experience. At this place it might
be well to note that Eva Braun, his present female companion, has twice
attempted suicide, Geli was either murdered or committed suicide and
Unity Mitford has attempted suicide. Rather an unusual record for a
man who has had so few affairs with women.
Hanfstaengl, Strasser and Rauschning, as well as several other
informants, have reported that even in company when Hitler is smitten
with a girl, he tends to grovel at her feet in a most disgusting manner.
Here, too, he insists on telling the girl that he is unworthy to kiss her
hand or to sit near her and that he hopes she will be kind to him, etc.
From all of this we see the constant struggle against complete degrada-
tion whenever any affectionate components enter into the picture. It now
becomes clear that the only way in which Hitler can control these coproph-
agic tendencies or their milder manifestations is to isolate himself from
any intimate relationships in which warm feelings of affection or love
might assert themselves. As soon as such feelings are aroused, he feels
compelled to degrade himself in the eyes of the loved object and eat their
dirt figuratively, if not literally. These tendencies disgust him just as
much as they disgust us, but under these circumstances they get out of
control and he despises himself and condemns himself for his weakness.
Before considering further the effects of this struggle on his manifest
behavior, we must pause for a moment to pick up another thread.
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Femininity.
We notice that in all of these activities Hitler plays the passive
role. His behavior is masochistic in the extreme inasmuch as he derives
sexual pleasure from punishment inflicted on his own body. There is
every reason to suppose that during his early years, instead of identifying
himself with his father as most boys do, he identified himself with his
mother. This was perhaps easier for him than for most boys since, as we
have seen, there is a large feminine component in his physical makeup.
His mother, too, must have been an extremly masochistic individual or
she never would have entered into this marriage nor would she have en-
dured the brutal treatment from her husband. An emotional identifica-
tion with his mother would, therefore, carry him in the direction of a
passive, sentimental, abasive and submissive form of adjustment. Many
writers and informants have commented on his feminine characteristics
? his gait, his hands, his mannerisms and ways of thinking. Hanfstaengl
reports that when he showed Dr. Jung a specimen of Hitler's handwriting,
the latter immediately exclaimed that it was a typically feminine hand.
His choice of art as a profession might also be interpreted as a mani-
festation of a basic feminine identification.
There are definite indications of such an emotional adjustment
later in life. The outstanding of these is perhaps his behavior towards
his officers during the last war. His comrades report that during the four
years he was in service he was not only over-submissive to all his officers
but frequently volunteered to do their washing and take care of their
clothes. This would certainly indicate a strong tendency to assume the
feminine role in the presence of a masculine figure whenever this was
feasible and could be duly rationalized. His extreme sentimentality, his
emotionality, his occasional softness and his weeping, even after he be-
came Chancellor, may be regarded as manifestations of a fundamental
feminine pattern which undoubtedly had its origin in his relationship to
his mother. His persistent fear of cancer, which was the illness from
which his mother died, may also be considered as an expression of his
early identification with her.
Although we cannot enter into a discussion concerning the fre-
quency of this phenomenon in Germany, it may be well to note that
there is sociological evidence which would indicate that it is probably
extremely common. If further research on the subject should corrobor-
ate this evidence, it might prove of extreme value to our psychological
warfare program insofar as it would give us a key to the understanding
of the basic nature of the German male character, and the role that the
Nazi organization plays in their inner life.
Homosexuality.
The great difficulty is that this form of identification early in
life carries the individual in the direction of passive homosexuality. Hit-
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ler has for years been suspected of being a homosexual, although there
is no reliable evidence that he has actually engaged in a relationship of
this kind. Rauschning reports that he has met two boys who claimed
that they were Hitler's homosexual partners, but their testimony can
scarcely be taken at its face value. More condemning would be the re-
marks dropped by Foerster, the Danzig Gauleiter, in conversations with
Rauschning. Even here, however, the remarks deal only with Hitler's
impotence as far as heterosexual relations go without actually implying
that he indulges in homosexuality. It is probably true that Hitler calls
Foerster "Bubi," which is a common nickname employed by homosexuals
in addressing their partners. This alone, however, is not adequate proof
that he has actually indulged in homosexual practices with Foerster,
who is known to be a homosexual.
The belief that Hitler is homosexual has probably developed
(a) from the fact that he does show so many feminine characteristics,
and (b) from the fact that there were so many homosexuals in the Party
during the early days and many continue to occupy important positions.
It does seem that Hitler feels much more at ease with homosexuals than
with normal persons, but this may be due to the fact that they are all
fundamentally social outcasts and consequently have a community of
interests which tends to make them think and feel more or less alike. In
this connection it is interesting to note that homosexuals, too, frequently
regard themselves as a special form of creation or as chosen ones whose
destiny it is to initiate a new order. The fact that underneath they feel
themselves to be different and ostracized from normal social contacts
usually makes them easy converts to a new social philosophy which does
not discriminate, against them. Being among civilization's discontents,
they are always willing to take a chance of something new which holds
any promise of improving their lot, even though their chances of success
may be small and the risk great. Having little to lose to begin with, they
can afford to take chances which others would :refrain from taking. The
early Nazi party certainly contained many members who could be re-
garded in this light. Even today Hitler derives sexual pleasure from look-
ing at men's bodies and associating with homosexuals. Strasser tells us
that his personal bodyguard is almost always 100% homosexuals. He
also derives considerable pleasure from being with his Hitler Youth and
his attitude towards them frequently tends to be more that of a woman
than that of a man.
There is a possibility that Hitler has participated in a homosex-
ual relationship at some time in his life. The evidence is such that we
can only say there is a strong tendency in this direction which, in addi-
tion to the manifestations already enumerated, often finds expression in
imagery concerning being attacked from behind or being stabbed in
the back. His nightmares, which frequently deal with being attacked by a
man and being suffocated, also suggest strong homosexual tendencies
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and a fear of them. From these indications, however, we would conclude
that for the most part these tendencies have been repressed, which would
speak against the probability of their being expressed in overt form. On
the other hand, persons suffering from his perversion sometimes do in-
dulge in homosexual practices in the hope that they might find sexual
gratification. Even this perversion would be more acceptable to them
than the one with which they are afflicted.
Early School Years.
The foundations of all the diverse patterns we have been con-
sidering were laid during the first years of Hitler's life. Many of them,
as we have seen, were due primarily to the peculiar structure of the home,
while others developed from constitutional factors or false interpreta-
tions of events. Whatever their origins may have been, they did set up
anti-social tendencies and tensions which disturbed the child to a high
degree. From his earliest days it would seem he must have felt that the
world was a pretty bad place in which to live. To him it must have seemed
as though the world was filled with insurmountable hazards and ob-
stacles which prevented him from obtaining adequate gratifications, and
dangers which would menace his well-being if he attempted to obtain
them in a direct manner. The result was that an unusual amount of bit-
terness against the world and the people in it became generated for which
Hitler as a pupil in Grade IV
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he could find no suitable outlets. As a young child he must have been
filled with intense feelings of inadequacy, anxiety and guilt which made
him anything but a happy child.
It would seem, however, that he managed to repress most of
his troublesome tendencies and make a temporary adjustment to a dif-
ficult environment before he was six years old, because at that time he
entered school and for the next years he was an unusually good student.
All of the? report cards that have been found from the time he entered
school until he was eleven years old, show an almost unbroken line of
"A's" in all his school subjects. At the age of eleven the bottom dropped
right out of his academic career. From an "A" student he suddenly drop-
ped to a point where he failed in almost all his subjects and had to repeat
the year. This amazing about-face only becomes intelligible when we
realize that his baby brother died at that time. We can only surmise that
this event served to reawaken his earlier conflicts and disrupt his psych-
ological equilibrium.
In Hitler's case we may suppose that this event affected him in at
least two important ways. First, it must have reawakened fears of his own
death which, in turn, strengthened still further the conviction that he
was the "chosen one" and under divine protection. Second, it would seem
that he connected the death of his brother with his own thinking and
wishing on the subject. Unquestionably, he hated this intruder and fre-
quently thought of how nice it would be if he were removed from the
scene. Unconsciously, if not consciously, he must have felt that the
brother's death was the result of his own thinking on the subject. This
accentuated his feelings of guilt on the one hand, while it strengthened
still further his belief in special powers of Divine origin on the other. To
think about these things was almost synonomous with having them come
true. In order to avoid further guilt feelings he had to put a curb on his
thinking processes. The result of this inhibition on thinking was that
Hitler the good student was transformed into Hitler the poor student.
Not only did he have to repeat the school year during which the brother
died, but ever after his academic performance was mediocre, to say the
least. When we examine his later report cards we find that he does well
only in such subjects as drawing and gymastics, which require no think-
ing. In all the other subjects such as mathematics, languages or history,
which require some thinking, his work is on the borderline -- sometimes
satisfactory and sometimes unsatisfactory.
We can easily imagine that it was during this period that the
father's ire was aroused and he began to bring pressure on the boy to
apply himself in his school work and threatened dire consequences if
he failed to do so. From sociological evidence it would seem that this is
about the age at which most German fathers first take a real interest in
their sons and their education. If Hitler's father followed this general
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pattern, we can assume that he had cause to be irate at his son's per-
formance. The constant struggle between himself and his father, which
he describes in MEIN KAMPF, is probably true although the motivations
underlying his actions were in all likelihood quite different from those
he describes. He was approaching the adolescent period and this, to-
gether with his little brother's death, served to bring many dormant at-
titudes nearer the surface of consciousness.
Many of these attitudes now found expression in the father-son
relationship. Briefly enumerated these would be (a) rejection of the
father as a model; (b) an inhibition against following a career which de-
manded thinking; (c) the anal tendencies which found an outlet of ex-
pression in smearing; (d) his passive, feminine tendencies, and (e) his
masochistic tendencies and his desire to be dominated by a strong mascu-
line figure. He was not, however, ready for an open revolt for he tells us
in his autobiography that he believed passive resistance and obstinacy
were the best course and that if he followed them long enough, his father
would eventually relent and allow him to leave school and follow an art-
ist's career. As a matter of fact, his brother Alois, in 1930, before the Hitler
myth was well established, reported that his father never had any object-
tions to Adolph's becoming an artist but that he did demand that Adolph
do well in school. From this we might surmise that the friction between
father and son was not determined so much by his choice of a career as
by unconscious tendencies which were deriving satisfaction from the
antagonism.
Later School Career.
He carried the same pattern into the schools where he was for-
ever antagonizing his teachers and the other boys. He has tried to create
the impression that he was a leader among his classmates, which is al-
most certainly false. More reliable evidence indicates that he was un-
popular among his classmates as well as among his teachers who consid-
ered him lazy, uncooperative and a trouble-maker. The only teacher
during these years with whom he was able to get along was Ludwig
Poetsch, an ardent German Nationalist. It would be an error, however, to
suppose that Poetsch inculcated these nationalist feelings in Hitler. It
is much more logical to assume that all these feelings were present in
Hitler before he came in contact with Poetsch and that his nationalist
teachings only offered Hitler a new outlet for the expression of his re-
pressed emotions. It was probably during this period that he discovered
a resemblance between the young state of Germany and his mother, and
between the old Austrian monarchy and his father. At this discovery he
promptly joined the Nationalist group of students who were defying the
authority of the Austrian state. In this way he was able to proclaim open-
ly his love for his mother and advocate the death of his father. These
were feelings he had had for a long time but was unable to express. Now
he was able to obtain partial gratification through the use of symbols.
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The Death of His Father.
This probably served to increase the friction between father and
son, for in spite of what Hitler says the best evidence seems to indicate
that the father was anti-German in his sentiments. This again placed
father and son on opposite sides of the fence and gave them new cause
for hostility. There is no telling how this would have worked out in the
long run because while the struggle between the two was at its height,
the father fell dead on the street. The repercussions of this event must
have been severe and reinforced all those feelings which we have des-
cribed in connection with the brother's death. Again, it must have seemed
like a fulfillment of a wish and again, there must have been severe feel-
ings of guilt, with an additional inhibition on thinking processes.
His school work continued to decline and it seems that in order
to avoid another complete failure, he was taken from the school at Linz
and sent to school in Steyr. He managed to complete the year however,
with marks which were barely satisfactory. It was while he was there
that the doctor told him that he had a disease from which he would never
recover. His reaction to this was severe since it brought the possibility
of his own death very much into the foreground and aggravated all his
childhood fears. The result was that he did not return to school and finish
his course, but stayed at home where he lived a life which was marked
by passivity. He neither studied nor worked but spent most of his time
in bed where he was again spoiled by his mother who catered to his every
need despite her poor financial circumstances.
One could suppose that this was the materialization of his con-
ception of Paradise inasmuch as it reinstated an earlier childhood
situation which he had always longed for. It would seem from his own
account, however, that things did not go too smoothly, for he writes in
MEIN KAMPF :
"When at the age of fourteen, the young man is dismissed
from school, it is difficult to say which is worse; his unbeliev-
able ignorance as far as knowledge and ability are concerned,
or the biting impudence of his behavior combined with an
immorality which makes one's hair stand on end . . . . The
three year old child has now become a youth of fifteen who
despises all authority . . . now he loiters about, and God
only knows when he comes home."
We can imagine the deaths of his brother and his father in rapid succes-
sion had filled him with such guilt that he could not enjoy this idyllic
situation to the full. Perhaps the situation aroused desires in him which
he could no longer face on a conscious level and :he could only keep these
in check by either remaining in bed and playing the part of a helpless
child or absenting himself from the situation entirely. In any case, he
must have been a considerable problem to his mother who died four years
after his father. Dr. Bloch informs us that her great concern in dying
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was: "What would become of poor Adolph, he is still so young." At this
time Adolph was eighteen years of age. He had failed at school and had
not gone to work. He describes himself at this time as a milk-sop, which
he undoubtedly was.
Admission Examinations to Academy of Art.
Two months before his mother's death he had gone to Vienna
to take the entrance examinations for admission to the Academy of Art.
At this time he knew that his mother was in a critical condition and that
it was only a matter of a few months before death would overtake her.
He knew, therefore, that his easy existence at home would shortly come
to an end and that he would then have to face the cold, hard world on
his own. It is sometimes extraordinary how events in the lifetime of an
individual fall together. The first day's assignment on the examination
was to draw a picture depicting "The Expulsion from Paradise". It must
have seemed to him that Fate had chosen this topic to fit his personal
situation. On the second day he must have felt that Fate was rubbing it
in when he found the assignment to be a picture depicting "An Episode of
the Great Flood". These particular topics in his situation must have
aroused such intense emotional reactions within him that he could
hardly be expected to do his best. Art critics seem to feel that he has some
artistic talent even though it is not outstanding. The comment of the
examiners was: "Too few heads." We can understand this in view of the
circumstances under which he had taken the examination.
Death of His Mother.
He returned home shortly after the examinations. He helped to
look after his mother who was rapidly failing and in extreme pain. She
died on December 21, 1907 and was buried on Christmas Eve. Adolph was
completely broken and stood for a long time at her grave after the re-
mainder of the family had left. Dr. Bloch says: "In all my career I have
never seen anyone so prostrate with grief as Adolph Hitler." His world had
come to an end. Not long after the funeral he left for Vienna in order to
follow in his father's footsteps and make his own way in the world. He
made a poor job of it, however. He could not hold a job when he had one,
and sunk lower and lower in the social scale until he was compelled to
live with the dregs of society.
Vienna Days.
As he writes about these experiences in MEIN KAMPF one gets
the impression that it was a terrific struggle against overwhelming odds.
From what we now know of Adolph Hitler it would seem more likely that
this existence yielded him considerable gratification in spite of its hard-
ships. It is perfectly clear from what Hanisch writes that with a very
small amount of effort he could have made a fair living and improved his
condition by painting water colors. He refused to make this effort and
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Specimens of Hitler's Artistic Talent
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preferred to live in the filth and poverty which surrounded him. There
must have been something in this that he liked, consciously or uncon-
sciously. When we examine Hanisch's book carefully, we find the answer.
Hitler's life in Vienna was one of extreme passivity in which activity was
held at the lowest level consistent with survival. He seemed to enjoy being
dirty and even filthy in his appearance and personal cleanliness. This can
mean only one thing, from a psychological point of view, namely, that
his perversion was in the process of maturation and was finding gratifica-
tion in a more or less symbolic form. His attitude during this period could
be summarized in the following terms: "I enjoy nothing more than to
lie around while the world defecates on me." And he probably delighted
in being covered with dirt, which was tangible proof of the fact. Even in
these days he lived in a flophouse which was known to be inhabited by
men who lent themselves to homosexual practices, and it was probably for
this reason that he was listed on the Vienna police record as a "sexual
pervert."
Nobody has ever offered an explanation of why he remained in
Vienna for over five years if his life there was as distasteful and the city
disgusted him to the degree that he claims in his autobiography. He was
free to leave whenever he wished and could have gone to his beloved
Germany years earlier if he had so desired. The fact of the matter is that
he probably derived great masochistic satisfaction from his miserable
life in Vienna, and it was not until his perversion became full-blown and
he realized its implications that he fled to Munich at the beginning
of 1913.
Anti-Semitism.
With the development of his perverse tendencies we also find the
development of his anti-Semitism. There is absolutely no evidence that
he had any anti-Semitic feelings before he left Linz or that he had any
during the first years of his stay in Vienna. On the contrary, he was on
the very best terms with Dr. Bloch while he was in Linz and sent him
post cards with very warm sentiments for some time after he went to
Vienna. Furthermore, his closest friends in Vienna were Jews, some of
whom were extremely kind to him. Then, too, we must remember that his
godfather, who lived in Vienna, was a Jew and it is possible that during
his first year there he might have lived with this family. Most of the
records of his mother's death are incorrect and place the event exactly
one year after it had happened. During this year Hitler lived in Vienna
but we have no clue as to what he did or how he managed to live without
money during this intervening year. All we know is that he had time for
painting during this period for he submitted the work he had done to the
Academy of Art the following October. He was not admitted to the exami-
nation, however, because the examiners found the work of this period
unsatisfactory. Shortly afterwards, he applied for admission to the
School of Architecture but was rejected. The cause of his rejection was
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probably inadequate talent rather than the :fact that he had not
completed his course in the Realschule. It is only after this happened
that we find him going to work as a laborer on a construction job, and
from then on we have a fairly complete picture of his activities.
We know that he had very little money when he left Linz,
certainly not enough to live on for almost an entire year while he spent
his time in painting. Since the date of his mother's death has been so
universally distorted, it would seem that efforts were being made to cover
something which happened during this intervening year. My guess would
be that he lived with his Jewish godparents who supported him while he
was preparing work for the Academy. When he failed to be admitted at
the end of a year, they put him out and made him go to work. There is
one bit of evidence for this hypothesis. Hanisch, in his book, mentions in
passing that when they were particularly destitute he went with Hitler
to visit a well-to-do Jew whom Hitler said was his father. The wealthy Jew
would have nothing to do with him and sent him on his way again. There
is scarcely a possibility that Hitler's father was a Jew living in Vienna
at this time, but Hanisch might easily have understood him to say father
when he said godfather. This would certainly make much more sense and
would indicate that Hitler had contact with his godparents before the
visit and that they were fed up with him and would help him no further.
Projection.
Hitler's outstanding defense mechanism is one commonly called
projection. It is a technique by which the ego of an individual defends
itself against unpleasant impulses, tendencies or characteristics by
denying their existence in himself while he attributes them to others.
Innumerable examples of this mechanism could be cited in Hitler's case,
but a few will suffice for purposes of illustration:
"In the last six years I had to stand intolerable things from
states like Poland."
"It must be possible that the German nation can live its
life without being constantly molested."
"Social democracy directs a bombardment of lies and
calumnies towards the adversary who seemed most danger-
ous, till finally the nerves of those who have been attacked
give out and they for the sake of peace, bow down to the
hated enemy."
"For this peace proposal of mine I was abused, and personally
insulted. Mr. Chamberlain in fact spat upon me before the
eyes of the world . . . ."
" It was in keeping with our own harmlessness that
England took the liberty of some day meeting our peaceful
activity with the brutality of the violent egoist."
" The outstanding features of Polish character were
cruelty and lack of moral restraint."
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From a psychological point of view it is not too far-fetched to
suppose that as the perversion developed and became more disgusting to
Hitler's ego, its demands were disowned and projected upon the Jew. By
this process the Jew became a symbol of everything which Hitler hated
in himself. Again, his own personal problems and conflicts were trans-
ferred from within himself to the external world where they assumed the
proportions of racial and national conflicts.
Forgetting entirely that for years he not only looked like a lower
class Jew but was as dirty as the dirtiest and as great a social outcast, he
now began to see the Jew as a source of all evil. The teachings of Schoen-
erer and Lueger helped to solidify and rationalize his feelings and inner
convictions. More and more he became convinced that the Jew was a
great parasite on humanity which sucked its life-blood and if a nation
was to become great it must rid itself of this pestilence. Translated back
into personal terms this would read: "My perversion is a parasite which
sucks my life-blood and if I am to become great I must rid myself of this
pestilence." When we see the connection between his sexual perversion
and anti-Semitism, we can understand another aspect of his constant
linking of syphilis with the Jew. These are the things which destroy
nations and civilizations as a perversion destroys an individual.
The greater the demands of his perversion became, the more
he hated the Jews and the more he talked against them. Everything
which was bad was attributed to them. Here was his political career in an
embryo state. He now spent most of his time reading books, attending
political talks and reading newspapers in cafe houses. He himself tells
us in so many words that he skipped through this material and only took
out those parts which were useful to him. In other words, he was not
reading and listening in order to become educated sufficiently to form a
rational judgment of the problem. This would have been a violation of his
earlier inhibition on thinking. He read only in order to find additional
justification for his own inner feelings and convictions and to rationalize
his projections. He has continued this technique up to the present time.
He does a great deal of reading on many diverse subjects but he never
forms a rational opinion in the light of the information but only pays
attention to those parts which convince him that he was right to begin
with,
In the evening he would return to his flophouse and harangue
his associates with political and anti-Semitic speeches until he became a
joke. This, however, did not disturb him too much. On the contrary, it
seemed to act as a stimulant for further reading and the gathering of
more arguments to prove his point of view. It was as though in trying to
convince others of the dangers of Jewish domination, he was really trying
to convince himself of the dangers of being dominated by his perversion.
Perhaps Hitler is really referring to his perversion when he writes:
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"During the long pre-war years of peace certain pathological
features had certainly appeared . . . . There were many signs
of decay which ought to have stimulated serious reflection."
(MK, 315)
The same may also be true when he says:
"How could the German people's political instincts become
so morbid? The question involved here was not that of a
single symptom, but instances of decay which flared up now
in legion which like poisonous ulcers ate into the nation
now here, now there. It seemed as though a continuous flow
of poison was driven into the farthest blood vessels of this
one-time heroic body by a mysterious power, so as to lead
to ever more severe paralysis of sound reason and of the
simple instinct of self-preservation." (MK, 201)
As time went on the sexual stimulation of the Viennese environ-
ment seemed to aggravate the demands of his perversion. He suddenly
became overwhelmed by the role that sex plays in the life of the lower
classes and the Jews. Vienna became for him "the symbol of incest" and
he suddenly left it to seek refuge with his ideal mother, Germany. But his
pre-war days in Munich were not different from those he left behind in
Vienna. His life was still one of extreme passivity and although we know
little about them we can surmise that his days were filled with inner
troubles.
The First World War.
Under these circumstances, we can understand why he thanked
God for the first World War. For him it represented an opportunity of
giving up his individual war against himself in exchange for a national
war in which he would have the help of others. It also represented to him,
on an unconscious level, an opportunity of redeeming his mother and
assuming a masculine role for himself. Even at that time, we may sup-
pose, he had inklings that he was destined to be a Great Redeemer. It
was not only his mother he was going to redeem, but also himself.
His advent in the German Army was really his first step in
attempting to redeem himself as a social human being. No longer was he
to be the underdog for he was joining forces with those who were deter-
mined to conquer and become great. Activity replaced his earlier passivity
to a large degree. Dirt, filth, and poverty were left behind and he could
mingle with the chosen people on an equal footing. But for him this was
not enough. As we have pointed out in an earlier section, he was not
content to be as clean as the average soldier. He had to go to the other
extreme and become exceedingly clean. Whenever he returned from the
front he immediately sat down and scrupulously removed every speck of
mud from his person, much to the amusement of his comrades. Mend, his
comrade during this time, relates an experience at the front when Hitler
upbraided one of the other men for not keeping himself clean and called
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him a "manure pile", which sounds very much like a memory of himself
in Vienna.
During this period, as previously mentioned, his passive
feminine tendencies were finding an outlet in his abasive conduct toward
his officers. It looks as though he had not progressed sufficiently far in
his conquest of himself to maintain a wholly masculine role. But with the
help of others and the guidance of his respected officers he was making
some progress toward what appeared to be a social adjustment. The final
defeat of Germany, however, upset his well-laid plans and shattered his
hopes and ambitions.
The Defeat of Germany.
Nevertheless, it was this event which proved to be the turning-
point in his life and determined that he would be an outstanding success
rather than a total failure. Unconscious forces, some of which had been
dormant for years, were now reawakened and upset his whole psycho-
logical equilibrium. His reaction to this event was an hysterical attack
which manifested itself in blindness and mutism. Although the hysterical
blindness saved him from witnessing what he regarded as an intolerable
spectacle, it did not save him from the violent emotional reactions it
aroused. These emotions, we may assume, were similar to those which he
had experienced as a child when he discovered his parents in intercourse.
It seems logical to suppose that at that time he felt his mother was being
defiled before his eyes but in view of his father's power and brutality he
felt himself utterly helpless to redeem her honor or to save her from
future assaults. If this is true, we would expect that he swore secret
vengeance against his father and, as has been shown, there is evidence
to this effect.
Now the same thing was happening again but instead of his
real mother it was his ideal mother, Germany, who was being betrayed,
corrupted and humiliated and again he was unable to come to her rescue.
A deep depression set in of which he writes:
"What now followed were terrible days and even worse
nights. Now I knew that everything was lost.. . . In those
nights my hatred arose, the hatred against the originators
of this deed."
But again he was weak and helpless ? a blind cripple lying in a hospital.
He struggled with the problem:
"How shall our nation be freed from the chains of this
poisonous embrace?"
It would seem that the more he thought about it, the more his intellect
told him that all was lost. He probably despised and condemned himself
for his weakness and as his hatred continued to rise in the face of this
frustrating experience he vowed then and there:
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Hitler in. Munich crowd at outbreak of World War I
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"To know neither rest nor peace until the November
Criminals had been overthrown ...."
Undoubtedly his emotions were extremely violent and would
serve as a powerful motive for much of the retaliation which becomes so
prominent in his later behavior. There are, however, many ways of retali-
ating which do not involve a complete upheaval and transformation
of character such as we find in Hitler at this time.
From our experience with patients we know that complete
transformations of this kind usually take place only under circumstances
of extreme duress which demonstrate to the individual that his present
character structure is no longer tenable. Naturally we do not know
exactly what went on in Hitler's mind during this period or how he re-
garded his own position. We do know, however, that under such circum-
stances very strange thoughts and fantasies pass through the minds of
relatively normal people and that in the case of neurotics, particularly
when they have strong masochistic tendencies, these fantasies can be-
come extremely absurd. Whatever the nature of these fantasies might
have been, we may be reasonably sure that they involved his own safety or
well-being. Only a danger of this magnitude would ordinarily cause an
individual to abandon or revolutionize his character structure.
It may be that his nightmares will yield a clue. These, it may be
remembered, center on the theme of his being attacked or subjected to
indignities by another man. It is not his mother who is being attacked,
but himself. When he wakes from these nightmares he acts as though
he were choking. He gasps for breath and breaks out in a cold sweat.
It is only with great difficulty that he can be quieted because
frequently there is an hallucinatory after-effect and he believes he sees
the man in his bedroom.
Under ordinary circumstances, we would be inclined to interpret
this as the result of an unconscious wish for homosexual relations
together with an ego revulsion against the latent tendency. This inter-
pretation might apply to Hitler, too, for to some extent it seems as though
he reacted to the defeat of Germany as a rape of himself as well as of his
symbolic mother. Furthermore, while he was lying helpless in the
hospital, unable to see or to speak, he could well have considered himself
an easy object for a homosexual attack. When we remember, however,
that for years he chose to live in a Vienna flophouse which was known to
be inhabited by many homosexuals and later on associated with several
notorious homosexuals, such as Hess and Roehm, we cannot feel that
this form of attack, alone, would be sufficient to threaten his integrity
to such an extent that he would repudiate his former self.
A further clue to his thoughts during this period may be found
in his great preoccupation with propaganda which, in his imagery is
almost synonomous with poison.
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"Slogan after slogan rained down on our people."
"? the front was flooded with this poison."
" for the effect of its language on me was like that of
spiritual vitriol I sometimes had to fight down the rage
rising in me because of this concentrated solution of lies."
This type of imagery probably has a double significance. There is con-
siderable evidence to show that as a child the believed that the man,
during intercourse, injected poison into the woman which gradually
destroyed her from within and finally brought about her death. This is
not an uncommon belief in childhood and in view of the fact that his
mother died from a cancer of the breast, after a long illness, the belief
may have been more vivid and persisted longer in Hitler than in most
children. On the other hand, the importance of poison in connection
with his perversion has already been considered. We know about his
inhibitions against taking certain substances into his mouth. These were
not present during the early days of his career but developed much later
in connection with his transformed character.
In view of all this it may not be too far-fetched to suppose that
while he was fantasying about what the victors might do to the van-
quished when they arrived, his masochistic and perverse tendencies
conjured up the thought that they might attack him and force him to
eat dung and drink urine (a practice which, it is alleged, is fairly common
in Nazi concentration camps) . Interestingly enough, this idea is incor-
porated in the colloquial expression "to eat the dirt of the victors." And
in his weakened and helpless condition he would be unable to ward off
such an attack. Such an hypothesis gains credence when we review the
behavior of Nazi troops in the role of conquerors.
Transformation of Character.
Although a thought of this kind would have certain pleasurable
aspects to a masochistic person, it would also arouse fear of consequences
together with violent feelings of guilt and disgust. If the thought kept
recurring at frequent intervals and refused to be suppressed, we can
easily imagine that it might drive an individual into such depths of
despair that death would appear as the only solution. Hitler's fear of
death has already been reviewed and it is possible that it was this alterna-
tive which shocked him out of his former self. Certain it is that in his
_public utterances, as well as in his actions, he attributes extraordinary
powers to the fear of death.
"I shall spread terror by the surprise employment of my
measures. The important thing is the sudden shock of an
overwhelming fear of death."
And in MEIN KAMPF he tells us that:
"In the end, only the urge for self-preservation will eternally
succeed. Under its pressure so-called 'humanity', as the
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expression of a mixture of stupidity, cowardice, and
imaginary superior intelligence, will melt like snow under
the March sun."
Sentiments of this sort suggest rather strongly that he was brought face
?to face with the prospect of his own death and that in order to save
himself he had to rid himself of a bad conscience as well as the dictates
of the intellect. The following quotations illustrate his attitude towards
conscience and the need of rendering it inactive:
"Only when the time comes when the race is no longer
overshadowed by the consciousness of its own guilt, then it
will find internal peace and external energy to cut down
regardlessly and brutally the wild shoots, and to pull up
the weeds."
"Conscience is a Jewish invention. It is a blemish like
circumcision."
"I am freeing men from the restraints of an intelligence
that has taken charge; from the dirty and degrading modifi-
cations of a chimera called conscience and morality . . . ."
And of the intellect he says:
"The intellect has grown autocratic and has become a
disease of life."
"We must distrust the intelligence and the conscience and
must place our faith in our instincts."
Having repudiated these two important human functions, he
was left almost entirely at the mercy of his passions, instincts and
unconscious desires. At the crucial moment these forces surged to the
fore in the form of an hallucination in which an inner voice informed
him that he was destined to redeem the German people and lead them
to greatness. This, for him, was a new view of life. It opened new vistas to
him particularly in connection with himself. Not only did it confirm the
vague feeling he had had since childhood, namely, that he was the
"Chosen One" and under the protection of Providence, but also that he
had been saved for a divine mission. This revelation served to crystallize
his personality on a new pattern. He writes:
"In the hours of distress, when others despair, out of appar-
ently harmless children, there shoots suddenly heros of death-
defying determination and icy coolness of reflection. If this
hour of trial had never come, then hardly anyone would ever
have been able to guess that a young hero is hidden in the
beardless boy. Nearly always such an impetus is needed in
order to call genius into action. Fate's hammer-stroke, which
then throws the one to the ground, suddenly strikes steel
into another, and while now the shell of everyday life is
broken, the erstwhile nucleus lies open to the eyes of the
astonished world."
In another place he writes:
"A fire had been lighted, and out of its flames there was
bound to come some day the sword which was to regain the
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freedom of the Germanic Siegfried and the life of the German
nation."
How, one may ask, was it possible for a person with Hitler's past
life and abnormal tendencies to take this seriously? The answer is
relatively simple. He believed it because he wanted to believe it ? in fact,
had to believe it in order to save himself. All the unpleasantries of the
past he now interpreted as part of a great design. Just as it was Fate
which ordained he should be born on the Austrian side of the border, so
it was Fate which sent him to Vienna to suffer hardships in order to take
the "milk-sop out of him by giving him Dame Sorrow as a foster-mother"
and "kept him at the front where any negro could shoot him down when
he could have rendered a much more worthwhile service elsewhere," and
so it was probably Fate which decreed his past life and tendencies. These
were the crosses he had to bear in order to prove his mettle. He might
have been speaking about himself when he said of Germany:
". . if this battle should not come, never would Germany win
peace. Germany would decay and at the best would sink to
ruin like a rotting corpse. But that is not our destiny. We do
not believe that this misfortune which today our God sends
over Germany has no meaning: it is surely the scourge which
should and shall drive us to new greatness, to a new power
and glory . . . ."
Before this new greatness, power and glory could be achieved,
however, it was necessary to conquer the misfortune. The misfortune, in
Hitler's case, so he probably thought, was the emotional identification he
had made with his mother during childhood. He had used this as a
cornerstone for his personality and it was responsible for his "humanity".
But it also carried with it a passive, masochistic form of adjustment
which, instead of leading to greatness as he had hoped, had carried him
to the brink of degradation, humiliation and self-destruction. It exposed
him to untold dangers which were no longer compatible with self-preser-
vation. Consequently, if he were to survive he must rid himself not only
of his conscience and intellect but of all the traits which were associated
with false "humanity". In its place he must set a personality which was
in keeping with the "Law of Nature". Only after he had achieved this
transformation could he feel safe from attack. To overcome his weakness
and to grow strong became the dominant motive of his life.
". feels the obligation in accordance with the Eternal Will
that dominates this universe to promote the victory of the
better and stronger, and to demand the submission of the
worse and weaker."
"A stronger generation will drive out the weaklings because
in its ultimate form the urge to live will again and again
break the ridiculous fetters of a so-called 'humanity' of the
individual, so that its place will be taken by the 'humanity
of nature', which destroys weakness in order to give its place
to strength."
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If our hypothesis concerning his mental processes while he lay
helpless in Pasewalk Hospital is correct, we may assume that in order to
quiet his fears he sometimes imagined himself as a person who far sur-
passed his enemies in all the "virile" qualities. Under these circumstances
he could conquer his enemies and do to them what he now feared they
would do to him. This is, of course, pure wishful thinking, but evidently
this play of imagery yielded him so much pleasure that he unconsciously
identified himself with this super-man image. We would guess that it
was at the moment when this mechanism, which is known as "Identifica-
tion with the Aggressor", operated, that the aforementioned hallucina-
tion was produced. He was no longer the weak and puny individual who
was exposed to all kinds of attacks and indignities. On the contrary, he
was fundamentally more powerful than all the others. Instead of his
being afraid of them, they should be afraid of him.
The image Hitler created was a form of compensation for his
own inferiorities, insecurities and guilts. Consequently the image
negated all his former qualities and turned them into their opposites and
to the same degree. All the human qualities of love, pity, sympathy and
compassion were interpreted as weaknesses and disappeared in the
transformation.
"All passivity, all inertia (became) senseless, inimical to
life."
"The Jewish Christ-creed with its effeminate pity-ethics."
"Unless you are prepared to be pitiless you will get nowhere."
In their place we find what Hitler's warped mind conceived to be the
super-masculine view:
". . . if a people is to become free it needs pride and will-power,
defiance, hate, hate and once again hate."
"Brutality is respected. Brutality and physical strength. The
plain man in the street respects nothing but brutal strength
and ruthlessness."
"We want to be the supporters of the dictatorship of national
reason, of national energy, of national ? brutality and
resolution."
Anti-Semitism.
When the "Identification with the Aggressor" mechanism is
used, however, there is no conscious struggle within the personality in
which the new personality gradually overcomes the old one. The identifi-
cation takes place outside the realm of consciousness and the individual
suddenly feels that he is this new person. There is no process of integra-
tion or assimilation. The old personality is automatically suppressed and
its characteristics are projected onto some external object against which
the new personality can carry on the struggle. In Hitler's case, all his
undesirable characteristics were projected onto the Jew. To Hitler he
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became Evil incarnate and responsible for all the world's difficulties,
just as Hitler's earlier femininity now appeared to him to be the source of
all his personal difficulties. This projection was relatively easy for him to
make inasmuch as in his Vienna days the Jew had become for him the
symbol of sex, disease and his perversion. Now another load of undesir-
able qualities was poured upon his head with the result that Hitler now
hated and despised the Jew with the same intensity as he hated his
former self.
Obviously, Hitler could not rationalize his projection as long
as he stood by himself as a single individual, nor could he combat the
Jew single-handed. For this he needed a large group which would fit the
picture he had created. He found this in defeated Germany as a whole.
At the close of the war it was in a position almost identical with his own
before the transformation had taken place. It, too, was weak and exposed
to further attack and humiliation. It, too, had to be prepared to eat the
dirt of the conquerers and during the inflation period it, too, was con-
fused, passive and helpless. It, therefore, made an excellent symbol of his
earlier self and Hitler again shifted his personal problems to a national
and racial scale where he could deal with them more objectively. Provi-
dence had "given" him the spark which transformed him over-night.
It was now his mission to transform the remainder of the German people
by winning them to his view of life and the New Order. The Jews now
played the same role in the life of Germany as his effeminate, masochis-
tic and perverse adjustment had played in his own life. He now resolved
to become a politician.
Many writers have expressed the opinion that Hitler's anti-
Semitism is motivated primarily by its great propaganda value. Undoubt-
edly, anti-Semitism is the most powerful weapon in his propaganda
arsenal and Hitler is well aware of it. He has even expressed the opinion
on several occasions that the Jews would make Germany rich. All our
informants who knew him well, however, agree that this is superficial
and that underneath he has a sincere hatred for the Jews and everything
Jewish. This is in complete agreement with our hypothesis. We do not
deny that he often uses anti-Semitism propagandistically when it suits
his purpose. We do maintain, however, that behind this superficial
motivation is a much deeper one which is largely unconscious. Just as
Hitler had to exterminate his former self in order to get the feeling of
being great and strong, so must Germany exterminate the Jews if it is
to attain its new glory. Both are poisons which slowly destroy the respec-
tive bodies and bring about death.
"All the great cultures of the past perished only because the
originally creative race died off through blood poisoning."
". . alone the loss of purity of the blood destroys the inner
happiness forever; it eternally lowers man, and never again
can its consequences be removed from body and mind."
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The symbolism in these quotations is obvious and the frequency with
which they recur in his speaking and writing bears testimony to their
great importance in his thinking and feeling processes. It would seem
from this that unconsciously he felt that if he succeeds in ridding him-
self of his personal poison, his effeminate and perverse tendencies as
symbolized in the Jew, then he would achieve personal immortality.
In his treatment of the Jews we see the "Identification with
the Aggressor" mechanism at work. He is now practicing on the Jews in
reality the things he feared the victors might do to him in fantasy. From
this he derives a manifold satisfaction. First, it affords him an oppor-
tunity of appearing before the world as the pitiless brute he imagines
himself to be; second, it affords him an opportunity of proving to him-
self that he is as heartless and brutal as he wants to be (that he can
really take it) ; third, in eliminating the Jews he unconsciously feels that
he is ridding himself, and Germany, of the poison which is responsible
for all difficulties; fourth, as the masochist he really is, he derives a
vicarious pleasure from the suffering of others in whom he can see him-
self; fifth, he can give vent to his bitter hatred and contempt of the world
in general by using the Jew as a scapegoat; and sixth, it pays heavy
material and propagandistic dividends.
Early Political Career.
Armed with this new view of life Hitler sought for opportunities
to put his resolve to become a politician into effect and start on the long
road which would redeem Germany and lead her to new greatness and
glory. This was not easy in post-war Germany which was now engaged
in violent internal strife. He remained in the Reserve Army for a time
where he engaged in his "first political activity"?that of spying on his
comrades. His duties were to mingle with the men in his barracks and
engage them in political discussions. Those who voiced opinions with a
Communistic flavor he reported to his superior officers. Later, when the
offenders were brought to trial, it was his job to take the witness stand
and give the testimony which would send these comrades to their death.
This was a severe trial for his new character but he carried it off in a
brazen and unflinching manner. It must have given him tremendous
satisfaction to find that he actually could play this new role in such an
admirable fashion. Not long afterwards it was discovered that he had a
talent for oratory and he was rewarded for his services by being pro-
moted to instructor. The new Hitler, the embryo Fuehrer, was beginning
to pay dividends.
"Identification with the Aggressor" is, at best, an unstable form
of adjustment. The individual always has a vague feeling that something
is not just as it should be, although he is not aware of its origins. Never-
theless, he feels insecure in his new role and in order to rid himself of
his uneasiness he must prove to himself, over and over again, that he is
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really the type of person he believes himself to be. The result is a snow-
ball effect. Every brutality must be followed by a greater brutality, every
violence by a greater violence, every atrocity by a greater atrocity, every
gain in power by a greater gain in power, and so on down the line. Unless
this is achieved successfully, the individual begins to feel insecure and
doubts concerning his borrowed character begin to creep in together with
feelings of guilt regarding his shortcomings. This is the key to an under-
standing of Hitler's actions since the beginning of his political activities
to the present day. This effect has not escaped the attention of non-
psychological observers. Francois-Poncet, for example, writes in the
French Yellow Book:
"The Chancellor chafes against all these disappointments
with indignant impatience. Far from conducing him to mod-
eration, these obstacles irritate him. He is aware of the enor-
mous blunder which the anti-Jewish persecutions of last
November have proved to be; yet, by a contradiction which
is part of the dictator's psychological make-up, he is said to be
preparing to enter upon a merciless struggle against the
Church and Catholicism. Perhaps he thus wishes to wipe out
the memory of past violence with fresh violence. . . ." (p. 49)
The mechanism feeds on itself and must continue to grow in order to
maintain itself. Since it has no real foundations to support it, the indivi-
dual can never quite convince himself that he is secure and need fear no
longer. The result is that he can brook no delays but must plunge ahead
on his mad career.
Hitler's political career shows these tendencies to a marked
degree. Scarcely had he affiliated himself with the group which had
founded the Party than he connived to get control over it. Then followed
a rapid expansion of membership, the introduction of terror, a series of
broken promises, collusions and betrayals. Each brought him fresh gains
and new power, but the pace was still too slow to satisfy him. In 1923 he
believed himself to be strong enough to undertake a Putsch and seize
the reins of government. The Putsch failed and Hitler's conduct during it
has been the subject of much comment. There are a number of versions
concerning what happned. Some report that when the troops fired on
them Hitler fell to the ground and crawled through an alley which car-
ried him to safety while Ludendorff, Roehm and Goering marched ahead.
Some claim that he stumbled, others that he was knocked down by his
bodyguard who was killed. The Nazi version is that he stopped to pick up
a small child who had run out into the street and been knocked down!
Years later they produced a child on the anniversary of the event to prove
the story!
From a psychological point of view it would appear that he
turned coward on this occasion and that he did fall down and crawl
away from the scene of activities. Although he had usurped considerable
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power and had reason to have faith in his new character, it seems un-
likely that it was sufficient for him to actually engage the recognized
authority in physical combat. His attitude towards recognized superiors
and authority in general would make such a direct attack improbable.
Furthermore, his reactions after his escape would seem to indicate that
his new role had temporarily failed. He went into a deep depression and
was restrained from committing suicide only by constant reassurances.
When he was taken to Landsberg prison he went on a hunger strike and
refused to eat for three weeks. This was his response to being placed
again in the position of the vanquished. Perhaps memories of his fanta-
sies in the hospital were returning to harass him! It was only after he
discovered that his jailers were not unkindly disposed to him that he per-
mitted himself to be persuaded to take food.
During his stay in Landsberg he became much quieter.
Ludecke says:
"Landsberg had done him a world of good. Gone from his
manner was the nervous intensity which formerly had been
his most unpleasant characteristic."
It was during this period that he wrote MEIN KAMPF and we may sup-
pose that his failure in the Putsch made it necessary for him to take a
fresh inventory and integrate his new character more firmly. He resolved,
at this time, not to try another Putsch in the future but to gain the power
by legal means alone! In other words, he would not participate again in
an open conflict with the recognized authority.
Leaders of Munich Putsch, Nov. 8, 1923; Left to right: Pernet; Weber;
Dr. Frick; Col. Kriebel; Gen. Ludendorff; Hitler; Lt. Brueckner;
Capt. Boehm; Judge Poehner.
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Hitler in Fortress Landsberg-on-Lech
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His Rise to Power.
It is scarcely necessary for us to trace the history of his rise to
power and his actions after he achieved it. They all follow along the same
general pattern we have outlined. Each successful step served to con-
vince him that he was the person he believed himself to be but brought no
real sense of security. In order to attain this he had to go a step higher
and give additional proof that he was not deluding himself. Terror, vio-
lence and ruthlessness grew with each advance and every recognized vir-
tue was turned into a vice ? a sign of weakness. Even after he became
the undisputed leader of the nation, he could not rest in peace. He pro-
jected his own insecurities onto the neighboring states and then de-
manded that they bow to his power. As long as there was a nation or
a combination of nations more powerful than Germany, he could never
find the peace and security he longed for. It was inevitable that this
course would lead to war because only by that means could he crush
the threat and prove to himself that he need no longer be afraid. It was
also inevitable that the war would be as brutal and pitiless as possible
for only in this way could he prove to himself that he was not weakening
in his chosen course but was made of stuff becoming to his conception of
what a victor should be.
Rages.
Although space will not permit a detailed analysis of the opera-
tion of the various psychological streams we have enumerated, in the
determination of his everyday behavior, a few have aroused sufficient
speculation to warrant a place in our study. One of the outstanding of
these is his rages. Most writers have regarded these as temper-tantrums,
his reaction to minor frustrations and deprivations. On the surface they
appear to be of this nature and yet, when we study his behavior carefully,
we find that when he is confronted by a real frustration or deprivation,
such as failure to be elected to the Presidency or being refused the Chan-
cellorship, his behavior is exactly the opposite. He is very cool and quiet.
He is disappointed but not enraged. Instead of carrying on like a spoiled
child, he begins immediately to lay plans for a new assault. Heiden, his
biographer, describes his characteristic pattern as follows:
"When others after a defeat would have gone home despond-
ently, consoling themselves with the philosophical reflection
that it was no use contending against adverse circumstances,
Hitler delivered a second and a third assault with sullen de--
fiance. When others after a success would have become more
cautious, because they would not dare put fortune to the
proof too often and perhaps exhaust it, Hitler persisted and
staked a bigger claim on Destiny with every throw."
This does not sound like a person who would fly into a rage at a trifle.
Nevertheless, we know that he does fly into these rages and
launches into tirades on very slight provocation. If we examine the causes
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of these outbursts, we almost invariably find that the trigger which sets
them off is something which he considers to be a challenge of his super-
man personality. It may be a contradiction, a criticism or even a doubt
concerning the truth or wisdom of something :he has said or done, or it
might be a slight or the anticipation of opposition. Even though the sub-
ject may be trifling or the challenge only by implication, or even wholly
imagined, he feels called upon to display his primitive character. Fran-
cois-Poncet has also detected and described this reaction. He writes:
"Those who surround him are the first to admit that he now
thinks himself infallible and invincible. That explains why
he can no longer bear either criticism or contradiction. To
contradict him is in his eyes a crime of `lese-maj este'; opposi-
tion to his plans, from whatever side it may come, is a definite
sacrilege, to which the only reply is an immediate and strik-
ing display of his omnipotence."
As soon as his display has served its purpose and cowed his listeners into
submission, it is turned off as suddenly as it was turned on. How great is
the insecurity which demands such constant vigilance and apprehension!
Fear of Domination.
We find this same insecurity at work when he is meeting new
people and particularly those to whom he secretly feels inferior in some
way. Earlier in our study we had occasion to point out that his eyes had
taken over a diffuse sexual function. When he first meets the person he
fixates him with his eyes as though to bore through the other person.
There is a peculiar glint in them on these occasions which many have in-
terpreted as an hypnotic quality. To be sure, he uses them in such a way
and tries to overpower the other person with them. If he turns his eyes
away, Hitler keeps his fixated directly on him or her but if the other per-
son returns this gaze Hitler turns his away and looks up at the ceiling as
long as the interview continues. It is as though he were matching his
power against theirs. If he succeeds in overpowering the other person, he
rudely follows up his advantage. If, however, the other person refuses to
succumb to his glance, he avoids the possibility of succumbing to theirs.
Likewise, he is unable to match wits with another person in a straight-
forward argument. He will express his opinion at length but he will not
defend it on logical grounds. Strasser says:
"He is afraid of logic. Like a woman he evades the issue and
ends by throwing in your face an argument entirely remote
from what you were talking about."
We might suspect that even on this territory he cannot expose himself to
a possible defeat which would mar the image he has of himself. He is, in
fact, unable to face real opposition on any ground. He cannot speak to a
group in which he senses opposition but walks out on his audience. He
has run out of meetings with Ludendorff, Gregor Strasser, Bavarian In-
dustrialists and many others, because he could not risk the possibility
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of appearing in an inferior light or expose himself to a possible domina-
tion by another person. There is reason to suppose that his procrastina-
tion is not so much a matter of laziness as it is a fear of coming to grips
with a difficult problem. Consequently, he avoids it as long as possible
and it is only when the situation has become dangerous and disaster lies
ahead that his "inner voice" or intuition communicates with him and
tells him what course he should follow. Most of his thinking is carried on
subconsciously which probably accounts for his ability to penetrate
difficult problems and time his moves. Psychological experiments in this
field seem to indicate that on this level the individual is often able to
solve very complex problems which are impossible for him on the level
of consciousness. Wherever we turn in studying Hitler's behavior pat-
terns we find the spectre of possible defeat and humiliation as one of his
dominant motivations.
Monuments.
His passion for constructing huge buildings, stadia, bridges,
roads, etc., can only be interpreted as attempts to compensate for his
lack of confidence. These are tangible proofs of his greatness which are
designed to impress himself as well as others. Just as he must be the
greatest man in all the world, so he has a tendency to build the greatest
and biggest of everything. Most of the structures he has erected he re-
gards as temporary buildings. They are, to his way of thinking, on a par
with ordinary mortals. The permanent buildings he plans to construct
later on. They will be much larger and grander and will be designed to
last at least a thousand years. In other words, these are befitting monu-
ments to himself who plans on ruling the German people for that period
of time through his new view of life.
One of Hitler's monuments
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It is also interesting to note the frequency with which he uses
gigantic pillars in all his buildings. Most of the buildings are almost sur-
rounded by them and he places them in every conceivable place. Since
pillars of this sort are almost universally considered to be phallic symbols,
we may regard the size and frequency as unconscious attempts to com-
pensate for his own impotence. His huge pageants serve a similar pur-
pose.
Oratory.
No study of Hitler would be complete without mentioning his
oratory talents. His extraordinary gift for swaying large audiences has
contributed, perhaps more than any other single factor, to his success
and the partial realization of his ideal. In order to understand the power
of his appeal, we must be cognizant of the fact that for him the masses are
fundamentally feminine in character. To Hanfstaengl and other inform-
ants he has frequently said: "Die Masse ist em n Weib," and in MEIN
KAMPF he writes:
"The people, in an overwhelming majority, are so feminine in
their nature and attitude that their activities and thoughts
are motivated less by sober consideration than by feeling and
sentiment."
In other words, his unconscious frame of reference, when addressing a
huge audience, is fundamentally that of talking to a woman.
In spite of this, his insecurities assert themselves. He never is
the first speaker on the program. He must always have a speaker precede
him who warms up the audience for him. Even then he is nervous and
jittery when he gets up to speak. Frequently he has difficulty in finding
words with which to begin. He is trying to get the "feel" of the audience.
If it "feels" favorable, he starts in a rather cautious manner. His tone of
voice is quite normal and he deals with his material in a fairly objective
manner. But as he proceeds his voice begins to rise and his tempo in-
creases. If the response of the audience is good, his voice becomes louder
and louder and the tempo faster and faster. By this time all objectivity
has disappeared and passion has taken complete possession of him. The
mouth which can never utter a fragment of profanity off the speaker's
platform now pours forth a veritable stream of curses, foul names, vil-
lification and hatred. Hanfstaengl compares the development of a Hit-
lerian speech with the development of a Wagnerian theme which may
account for Hitler's love for Wagnerian music and the inspiration he de-
rives from it.
This steady stream of filth continues to pour forth until both he
and the audiences are in a frenzy. When he stops he is on the verge of ex-
haustion. His breathing is heavy and uncontrolled and he is wringing wet
with perspiration. Many writers have commented on the sexual com-
ponents in his speaking and some have described the climax as a veritable
orgasm.
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Heyst writes:
"In his speeches we hear the suppressed voice of passion and
wooing which is taken from the language of love; he utters
a cry of hate and voluptuousness, a spasm of violence and
cruelty. All those tones and sounds are taken from the back-
streets of the instincts; they remind us of dark impulses re-
pressed too long."
And Hitler himself says:
"Passion alone will give to him, who is chosen by her, the
words that, like beats of a hammer, are able to open the doors
to the heart of a people."
Undoubtedly, he uses speaking as a means of talking himself into the
super-man role and of living out the role of "Identification with the Ag-
gressor." He carefully builds up imposing enemies -- Jews, Bolsheviks,
capitalists, democracies, etc., in order to demolish them without mercy
(these are all inventions of the Jews to his way of thinking and conse-
quently in attacking any one of them he is fundamentally attacking the
Hitler leaving hall after 3-hour speech
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Jews) . Under these circumstances, he appears to the naive and un-
sophisticated listener as the Great Redeemer of Germany.
But this is only one side of the picture. On the other side we
have the sexual attack which, in his case, is of a perverse nature. It finds
expression in his speaking but due to the transformation of character
everything appears in the reverse. The steady stream of filth he pours
on the heads of his "feminine" audience is the reverse of his masochistic
perversion which finds gratification in having women pour their "filth"
on him. Even the function of the physical organs is reversed. The mouth
which, under ordinary circumstances, is an organ of injection and is
surrounded with inhibitions and prohibitions, now becomes the organ
through which filth is ejected. Hitler's speaking has been aptly described
as a "verbal diarrhea." Rauschning describes it as an oral enema. It is
probably this unconscious sexual element in his speaking which holds
such a fascination for many people.
His Appeal.
A word may be added in connection with the content of his
speeches. Strasser sums it up very concisely when he says:
"Hitler responds to the vibrations of the human heart with
the delicacy of a seismograph. .. enabling him, with a cer-
tainty with which no conscious gift could endow him, to act
as a loudspeaker proclaiming the most secret desires, the
least permissible instincts, the sufferings and personal re-
volts of a whole nation,"
We are now in a position to understand how this is possible for him. In
regarding his audience as fundamentally feminine in character, his ap-
peal is directed at a repressed part of their personalities. In many of the
German people there seems to be a strong feminine-masochistic tendency
which is usually covered over by more "virile" characteristics but which
finds partial gratification in submissive behavior, discipline, sacrifice,
etc. Nevertheless, it does seem to disturb them and they try to compen-
sate for it by going to the other extreme of courage, pugnaciousness, de-
termination, etc. Most Germans are unaware of this hidden part of their
personalities and would deny its existence vehemently if such an insin-
uation is made. Hitler, however, appeals to it directly and he is in an ex-
cellent position to know what goes on in that region because in him this
side of his personality was not only conscious but dominant throughout
his earlier life. Furthermore, these tendencies were far more intense in
him than in the average person and he had a better opportunity of ob-
serving their operation. In addressing an audience in this way he need
only dwell on the longings, ambitions, hopes and desires of his earlier
life in order to awaken these hidden tendencies in his listeners. This he
does with inordinate skill. In this way he is able to arouse the same at-
titudes and emotions in his listeners that he himself now experiences in
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connection with this type of adjustment, and is able to direct these into
the same channels that he has found useful. Thus he is able to win them
to his new view of life which sets a premium on brutality, ruthlessness,
dominance, determination, etc., and which frowns upon all the estab-
lished human qualities. The key is always to strive to be what you
are not and to do your best to exterminate that which you are. The
behavior of the German armies has been an outstanding manifestation
of this contradiction. To the psychologist it seems as though the brutal-
ity expressed towards the people of the occupied countries is motivated
not only by a desire to prove to themselves that they are what they are
not, but also by a vicarious masochistic gratification which they derive
from an identification with their victims. On the whole, one could say of
many of the German troops what Rauschning said of Hitler:
?`.? . there lies behind Hitler's emphasis on brutality and
ruthlessness the desolation of a forced and artificial inhu-
manity, not the amorality of the genuine brute, which has
after all something of the power of a natural force."
It is Hitler's ability to play upon the unconscious tendencies of
the German people and to act as their spokesman which has enabled him
to mobilize their energies and direct them into the same channels
through which he believed he had found a solution to his own personal
conflicts. The result has been an extraordinary similarity in thinking,
feeling and acting in the German people. It is as though Hitler had para-
lyzed the critical functions of the individual Germans and had assumed
the role for himself. As such he has been incorporated as a part of the per-
sonalities of his individual supporters and is able to dominate their men-
tal processes. It is this phenomenon which lies at the very root of the pe-
culiar bond which exists between Hitler, as a person, and the German
people and places it beyond the control of any purely rational, logical
or intellectual appeal. In fighting for Hitler these persons are now un-
consciously fighting for what appears to them to be their own psycholo-
gical integrity.
All of this throws a very interesting light on the underlying
psychology of a large part of the German people both in war and in
peace and one is forced to suspect that fundamental changes within the
German culture itself must be affected before the German people are
ready to play a constructive role in a family of nations. A consideration
of these aspects of the problem, however, lie beyond the scope of the pre-
sent study.
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HITLER'S PROBABLE BEHAVIOR IN THE FUTURE
As the tide of battle turns against Hitler it may be well to con-
sider very briefly the possibilities of his future behavior and the effect
that each would have on the German people as well as on ourselves.
1. Hitler may die of natural causes. This is only a remote possi-
bility since, as far as we know, he is in fairly good health except for his
stomach ailment which is, in all probability, a psychosomatic disturb-
ance. The effect such an event would have on the German people would
depend on the nature of the illness which brought about his death. If
he would die from whooping cough, mumps, or some other ridiculous
disease, it would be a material help in breaking the myth of his super-
natural origins.
2. Hitler might seek refuge in a neutral country. This is ex-
tremely unlikely in view of his great concern about his immortality.
Nothing would break the myth more effectively than to have the leader
run away at the critical moment. Hitler knows this and has frequently
condemned the Kaiser for his flight to Holland at the close of the last
war. Hitler might want to escape as he has escaped from other unpleasant
situations, but it seems almost certain that he would restrain himself.
3. Hitler may get killed in battle. This is a real possibility. When
he is convinced that he cannot win, he may lead his troops into battle
and expose himself as the fearless and fanatical leader. This would be
most undesirable from our point of view because his death would serve
as an example to his followers to fight on with fanatical, death-defying
determination to the bitter end. This would be what Hitler would want
for he has predicted that:
"We shall not capitulate. . . no, never. We may be destroyed,
but if we are, we shall drag a world with us . . . a world in
flames."
"But even if we could not conquer them, we should drag half
the world into destruction with us and leave no one to tri-
umph over Germany. There will not be another 1918."
At a certain point he could do more towards the achievement of this goal
by dying heroically than he could by living. Furthermore, death of this
kind would do more to bind the German people to the Hitler legend and
insure his immortality than any other course he could pursue.
4. Hitler may be assassinated. Although Hitler is extremely, well
protected there is a possibility that someone may assassinate him. Hitler
is afraid of this possibility and has expressed the opinion that:
"His own friends would one day stab him mortally in the
back . . . . And it would be just before the last and greatest
victory, at the moment of supreme tension. Once more Hagen
would slay Siegfried. Once more Hermann the Liberator
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would be murdered by his own kinsmen. The eternal destiny
of the German nation must be fulfilled yet again, for the
last time."
This possibility too, would be undesirable from our point of view inas-
much as it would make a martyr of him and strengthen the legend.
It would be even more undesirable if the assassin were a Jew for
this would convince the German people of Hitler's infallibility and
strengthen the fanaticism of the German troops and people. Needless to
say, it would be followed by the complete extermination of all Jews in
Germany and the occupied countries.
5. Hitler may go insane. Hitler has many characteristics which
border on the schizophrenic. It is possible that when faced with defeat
his psychological structure may collapse and leave him at the mercy of
his unconscious forces. The possibilities of such an outcome diminish as
he becomes older, but they should not be entirely excluded. This would
not be an undesirable eventuality from our point of view since it would
do much to undermine the Hitler legend in the minds of the German
people.
6. German Military might revolt and seize him, This seems un-
likely in view of the unique position Hitler holds in the minds of the
German people. From all the evidence it would seem that Hitler alone
is able to rouse the troops, as well as the people, to greater efforts and as
the road becomes more difficult this should be an important factor. One
could imagine, however, that as defeat approaches Hitler's behavior may
become more and more neurotic and reach a point where it would be well
for the military to confine him. In this case, however, the German people
would probably never know about it. If they discovered it, it would be
a desirable end from our point of view because it would puncture the
myth of the loved and invincible leader.
The only other possibility in this connection would be that the
German military should decide, in the face of defeat, that it might be
wiser to dethrone Hitler and set up a puppet government to sue for peace.
This would probably cause great internal strife in Germany. What the
ultimate outcome might be would depend largely on the manner in
which it was handled and what was done with Hitler. At the present time
the possiblity seems rather remote.
7. Hitler may fall into our hands. This is the most unlikely pos-
sibility of all. Knowing his fear of being placed in the role of the van-
quished, we can imagine that he would do his utmost to avoid such a fate.
It should, however, be considered as a possibility if for no other reason
than that we have a precedent for such behavior in the case of Jan
Bockelsson. His early life, character and career bear an uncanny re-
semblance to that of Hitler. In the final stages of his mad career his
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masochistic tendencies got the upper hand and he surrendered to his
enemies and proposed to them that they confine him in a cage and ex-
hibit him throughout the country in order that the people, for a small
admission fee, might look at him and express their contempt. In Hitler's
case such an outcome seems remote but it is difficult to estimate the
extent to which an extreme masochist will go in order to gratify these
tendencies. From our point of view it would be most desirable to have
Hitler fall into our hands and in the long run it would probably be of
benefit to the German people as well.
8. Hitler might commit suicide. This is the most plausible out-
come. Not only has he frequently threatened to commit suicide, but from
what we know of his psychology it is the most likely possibility. It is
probably true that he has an inordinate fear of death, but being an hys-
teric he could undoubtedly screw himself up into the super-man charac-
ter and perform the deed. In all probability, however, it would not be a
simple suicide. He has much too much of the dramatic for that and since
immortality is one of his dominant motives we can imagine that he would
stage the most dramatic and effective death scene he could possibly think
of. He knows how to bind the people to him and if he cannot have the
bond in life he will certainly do his utmost to achieve it in death. He
might even engage some other fanatic to do the final killing at his orders.
Hitler has already envisaged a death of this kind, for he has said
to Rauschning :
"Yes, in the hour of supreme peril I must sacrifice myself for
the people."
This would be extremely undesirable from our point of view be-
cause if it is cleverly done it would establish the Hitler legend so firmly in
the minds of the German people that it might take generations to eradi-
cate it.
Whatever else happens, we may be reasonably sure that as Ger-
many suffers successive defeats Hitler will become more and more neu-
rotic. Each defeat will shake his confidence still further and limit his
opportunities for proving his own greatness to himself. In consequence
he will feel himself more and more vulnerable to attack from his associ-
ates and his rages will increase in frequency. He will probably try to
compensate for his vulnerability by continually stressing his brutality
and ruthlessness.
His public appearances will become less and less for, as we have
seen, he is unable to face a critical audience. He will probably seek solace
in his Eagle's Nest on the Kehlstein near Berchtesgaden. There among
the ice-capped peaks he will wait for his "inner voice" to guide him.
Meanwhile, his nightmares will probably increase in frequency and in-
tensity and drive him closer to a nervous collapse. It is not wholly im-
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probable that in the end he might lock himself into this symbolic womb
and defy the world to get him.
In any case, his mental condition will continue to deteriorate.
He will fight as long as he can with any weapon or technique that can
be conjured up to meet the emergency. The course he will follow will
almost certainly be the one which seems to him to be the surest road to
immortality and at the same time wreak the greatest vengeance on a
world he despises.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
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COMPLETE BIBLIOGRAPHY
Names preceded by asterisk have been excerpt-
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COLLIER'S?CHURCHILL, W.: Dictators are Dynamite. 102:16/7 September 3, 1938.
COLLIER'S: Is Hitler Crazy? 103:82 June 17, 1939.
*COLLIER'S?BLOCH, E.: My Patient Hitler. 107:11, March 15, 1941, 69-70, March 22, 1941.
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February 1, 1940.
CURRENT HISTORY: Stranger in Paris. 51:54 August, 1940.
CURRENT HISTORY: Ascetic Adolf; Hitler's Income. 52:27/28. January 23, 1941.
*CURRENT HISTORY: I Was Hitler's Boss. Volume I. November 1941. p. 193/99.
*CZECH-JOCHBERG, Erich: Adolf Hitler und sein Stab Oldenburg. G. Stalling, 1933.
*CZECH-JOCHBERG: Hitler, eine Deutsche Bewegung. Oldenburg. Stalling, 1936.
D'ABERNON, Edgar, Vincent: Diary of an Ambassador. 1920/26, New York, Doubleday.
*DESCAVES, Pierre: Hitler. Paris. Dencl & Steele. 1936.
*DEUEL, Wallace R.: People under Hitler. New York. Harcourt 1942 p. 92.
DEUTSCHE Juristenzeitung. 330. Oktober, 1924. Muenchener Hochverratsprozess. Graf au
Dohna.
DEUTSCHE Republik. V.4. 1930. Riesse, G. Hitler und die Armee.
DEUTSCHE Republik. V.358-64. Das Schutzserum gegen die Hitlerei.
DEUTSCHE Republik. IV. 1476-81 Figuren aus dem "Dritten Reich."
DIEBOW, Hans.: Hitler, eine Biographie. W. Kolk, 1931.
*DIETRICH, Otto: Mit Hitler in die Macht. F. Eher Nachfl. Muenchen, 1934. p. 209.
*DOBERT, Eitel Wolf: Convert to Freedom, New York, Putnam's, 1940.
*DODD'S, Ambassador: Diary. 1933-38, New York?Harcourt, 1941. 464 p.
*DODD, Martha: Through Embassy Eyes. New York, Harcourt, 1939. 382 p.
DOERR, Eugen: Mussolini, Hitler. . .Leipzig. S. Schnurpfeil Verlag. 1931, 16 p.
DOKUMENTE DER DEUTSCHEN POLITIK. Berlin, Junker & Dunnhaupt Verlag. 1935-39.
DUHAMEL, Georges: Memoriel de la Guerre Blanche. 1938, Paris, 1939.
*DUTCH, Oswald (pseud.) Hitler's 12 Apostles. London. E. Arnold & Co. 1939, 271 p.
DZELEPY, E.N.:.' .Hitler contre la France? Paris. Editions Excelsior, 1933. 59 p.
DZELEPY, E. N.: Le vrai "Combat" de Hitler. . .Paris. L. Vogel. (1936) 317 p.
*ECKART, Dietrich: Der Bolschewismus von Moses bis Lenin. Muenchen, 1925.
*EICHEN, Dr. Carl von: Hitler's Throat. Time Magazine, Nov. 14, 1938.
EINZIG, Paul: Hitler's "New Order" in Europe. London. MacMillan. 1941 147 p.
*EMSEN, Kurt von: Adolf Hitler und die Kommenden. Leipzig. W. R. Lindner (1932) 160 p.
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ENSOR, Robert Charles K.: Herr Hitler's Self Disclosure in "Mein Kampf." Oxford Pam-
phlets. No. 3 (1938) .
ERCKNER, S.: Hitler's Conspiracy against Peace. London. Gollanz. 1937. 288 p.
ERMARTH, Fritz: The New Germany (Washington, 1936)
FEDER, GOTTRIED: Was will Adolf Hitler? Muenchen. F. Eher. 1931. 23 p.
*FERNSWORTH, Lawrence: Dictators and Democrats, New York, McBride. . .1941.
FICKE, Karl: Auf dem Wege nach Canossa. Klausthal. Selbstverlag. 1931. 47 p.
*FLANNER, Janet: An American in Paris. New York, Simon Schuster (1940) .
*FLANNERY, Harry W.: Assignment to Berlin. New York. 1942, 430 p.
*FODOR, M. W.?. Plot and Counterplot in Central Europe. (Houghton) Boston, 1937, 317 p.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: SCHEFFER, P.: Hitler Phenomenon and Portent. 10:382-90, April,
1932.
FORUM--CLATCHIE, S. M.: Germany Awake. 85:217-24, April, 1931.
FORUM?UMBELL, H. D.: Dept. of brief Biography. Reply to Emil Ludwig. 98 supp. 10/11.
December, 1937.
FRANCOIS, Jean: L'Affaire Rohm-Hitler. Les Oeuvres Libres. Paris. 1938 V. 209. p. 5-142.
FRATECO (pseud.) : M. Hitler, Dictateur. Trad. de l'allemand sur le manuscript, indit.
Paris. L'eglantine. 1933 275 p.
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*FRIED, Hans Ernest: The Guilt of the German Army. New York, MacMillan, 1942. 426 p.
*FROMMER: Blood and Banquets. New York. Harper Bros. :1942. 322 p.
*FRY, Michael: Hitler's Wonderland. London. Murray, 1934.
*FUCHS, Martin: Showdown in Vienna. New York. Putnam.'s, 1939. 311 p.
FUEHRER, Der. in 100 Buchern. Wir lesen. May, 1939. p. 1-16.
*GANZER, Karl, Rich.:. . .Vom Ringen Hitlers urn das Reich, 1924-33. "ZEITGESCHICHTE
VERLAG." Berlin, 1935.
GEHL, Walter: Der Deutsche Aufbruch. Breslau. Hirt. 1938, 172 p.
*GEORGES-ANQUETIL: Hitler conduit le bal. Paris. Les editions de Lutece. 1939, 632 p.
*GERMAN FOREIGN OFFICE: The German White Paper. June 23, 1940.
GOEBBELS, Dr. Joseph: Kampf um Berlin. NSDAP. Muenchen. 1934.
*GOEBBELS, Dr. Joseph: Vom Kaiserhof zur Reichskanzlei. NSDAP. Muenchen. 1934. 312 p.
GOLDING, Louis: Hitler Through the Ages. London. Soverign Books Ltd. 1940.
GOLLOMB, Joseph: Armies of Spies. New York, MacMillan, 1939, 213 p.
*GOOD HOUSEKEEPING: 109:30/1. October, 1939. ALLEN, J.: Directors of Destiny.
GOREL, Michael: Hitler sans masque.
GRAACH. Heinrich: Freiheitskampf. Saarlouis. Hansen Verlag, 1935 64 p.
GREENWOOD, H.' Hitler's First Year. London, 1934. The spectator booklet No. 5.
GRZESINSKI, Albert: Inside Germany. New York. Dutton. 1939. 374 p.
*GRIMM, Alfred Max: Horoscope Hitler. Toelz. Selbstverlag, 1925.
GRITZBACH, Erich: Hermann Goering. London, 1939.
*GROSS, Felix: Hitler's Girls, Guns and Gangsters. London, Hurst. 1941, 320 p.
*GRUNSKY, Karl: Warum Hitler?. . .Der Aufschwung, Deutsche Reihe, 1933.
GUMBEL, Emil Julius: Zwei Jehre Mord. (Kapp Putsch) 1921. Berlin Verlag Neuess Vater-
land. 63 p.
GUMBEL, Emil Julius: Les crimes politiques en Allemagne. 1919-29. Paris. Gallimard, 1931.
*GUNTHER, John: Inside Europe, New York. Harper Bros., 1936. 470 p.
*GUNTHER, John: The High Cost of Hitler. London, Hamilton, 1939, 126 p.
*HAAKE, Heinz: Das Ehrenbuch des Fuhrers. NSDAP. 1933.
*HADAMOWSKY, Eugen: Hitler kempft urn den Frieden Europas. NSDAP. 1936, 210 p.
HADELN, Hajo, Freiherr von: Voin Wesen einer Nationalsozialistischen Weltgeschichte,
Frankfurt a.M.Osterrieth, 1935, 56 p.
*HAFFNER, S.: GERMANY: Jekyll and Hyde. New York, Dutton, 1941, 318 p.
HAGEN, Paul: Will Germany Crack? New York, 1942, 283 p.
HAMBLOCH, Ernest: Germany Rampant. London. Duckworth, 1939, 297 p.
*HANFSTAENGL, Ernst Franz: Hitler in der Karrikstur der Welt. Berlin. Verlag Braune
Bucher, 1933. 174 p. (Neue Folge: Tat gegen Tinte. Berlin. 0. Rentsch. 1934.
*HANISCH, Reinhold: I was Hitler's Buddy. The New Republic, April 5, 1939, p. 239-242.
April 12, 1939, p. 270-272; April 19, 1939, p. 297-300.
HANSEN, Henrich: Der Schlussel zum Frieden. Berlin. Klieber, 1938, 48 p.
HANSEN, Henrich: Hitler, Mussolini. . .Diessen. Raumbild Verlag. 1938.
*HARPER MAGAZINE: December, 1934; THOMPSON, Dorothy: "Good Bye to Germany."
(quoted in Brooks: Deliver us from Dictators.)
HARPER MAGAZINE?GUNTHER, J.: Hitler. 172:/148-59. January, 1936.
HARPER MAGAZINE?ROBERTS, S. H.: Riddle of Hitler. 176:246-54. February, 1938.
(quoted in book: Roberts: House that Hitler built.)
HARSCH, Joseph C.: Pattern of Conquest. New York. Doubleday. 1941, 309 p.
HAUSER, Heinrich: Hitler vs. Germany. London. Jarrold, 1940.
HAUSER, Heinrich: Time was: Death of a Junker. New York. Reynal. 1942, aos p.
HAUTEOLOQUE, Xavier de: A l'hombre de la croix gammee. Paris. Les Editions de France.
1933, 252 p.
*HEIDEN, Konrad: Adolf Hitler. Zurich. Europa Verlag, 1936. 447 p.
*HEI:DEN, Konrad: Adolf at School. Living Age. 351:227-29. Nov., 1936.
*HEIDEN, Konrad: Ein Mann gegen Europa. Zurich. Europa Verlag. 1937, 390 p.
HEIDEN, Konrad: Les vepres Hitleriennes. Sorlot. Paris. 1939, 190 p.
*HEINER, Einar, Henrik: Adolf Hitler. . .Torekas. Schweden. Selbstverlag, 1937, 13 p.
*HEINZ, Heinz A.: Germany's Hitler, London, Hurst. 1934.
*HENDERSON, Sir Neville: Failure of a Mission. New York, Putnam's, 1940. 334 p.
HENRY, Ernst. (pseud.) : Hitler over Europe. London Dent. 1934. 307 p.
*HEUSS, Theodor: Hitlers Weg. Union Deutsche Verlags Anstalt, 1932, 167 p.
*HEYST. Axel: After Hitler. London, Minerva Publ. Co., 1940, 228 p.
*HINKEL, Hans/BLEY, Wulf: Kabinet Hitler. Verlag Deutsche Kulturwacht. Berlin, 1933.
(?) 64p.
HITLER: Ja, a ber-was sagt Hitler Selbst? Eine Auswah1 v. H. Passow. 1931.
HITLER: und die Deutsche Aufgabe. Zeit-und Streitfragen. Heft 1, 1933.
HITLER'S Wollen. Werner Siebart. NSDAP, 1935.
HITLER: Against the World. . .New York. Worker's Library Publ., 1935.
HITLER: The man. (London, 1936) Friends of Europe Publ. No. 34, p. 1-21.
HITLER: Acquarelle. NSDAP. (1936) .
HITLER calls this Living. London, 1939., 226 D.
HITLER in Hamburg. Hamburg. 1939.
*HOEPER, Wilhelm: Adolf Hitler, der Erzieher der Deutschen. Breslau, Hirt Verl., 1934,
179 p.)
*HOFF1VIANN, Heinrich: Deutschlands Erwachen. 1924.
*HOFFMANN, Heinrich: Hitler, wie ihn Keiner Kennt. Berlin, 1982, 96 p.
HOFFMANN, Heinrich: Hitler in seinen Bergen. Berlin. Zeitgeschichte Verlag, (1935) .
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HOFFMANN, Heinrich: Hitler Abseits vom Alltag. Berlin, Zeitgeschichte Verlag, 1937.
HOFFMANN, Heinrich: Hitler in Italien. Muenchen. Verlag Heinrich Hofmann (1938) 96 p.
HOFFMANN, Heinrich: Hitler in seiner Heimat. Berlin. Zeitgeschichte Verlag, (1938) .
*HOFFMANN, Heinrich: Hitler baut Grossdeutschland, 1938, 311 p.
HOFFMANN, Heinrich: Hitler befreit Sudetendeutschland. Berlin, Zeitgeschichte Verlag,
1938.
HOFFMANN, Heinrich: Hitler in Polen. Berlin, Zeitgeschichte Verlag, 1939, 48 p.
HOFFMANN, Heinrich: Hitler in Bohmen. Berlin, Zeitgeschichte Verlag, 1939.
*HOLBECK, K.: Kaiser, Kanzler, Kampfer. Leipzig. A. Hoffmann, 1933, 41 p.
HOLT, John G.: Under the Swastika. (Chapel Hill, 1936)
*HOOVER, Calvin B.: Germany enters the Third Reich, New York, 1933.
*HUDDLESTON, Sisley: In my Time. London. J. Cape (1938) , 411 p.
*HUSS, Pierre, J.: The Foe we Face. New York, Doubleday, 1942, 300 p.
HUTTON, Graham: Survey after Munich, Boston, 1939.
IL POPOLO D'ITALIA: 7-5-29. Hitler: Un processo intentato. . .15-5-29. I diffamatori. .
condannati. . .
INDIAN REVUE, the: Chancellor Hitler. (KK Sr. Iyengar) 34 vol. 246.
JONES, Ernest J.?. Hitler, the Jews and Communists. Sydney, 1933.
JOSEP.EISON, Matthew: Nazi Culture . The John Day Pamphlets, 1933, 32 p.
*KEMP, C. D. Jr.: Adolph Hitler and the Nazis, New York, Cook, 1933, 32 p.
KERNAN, Thomas: France on Berlin Time, New York, Lippincott. 1941, 312 p.
KING, Joseph: The German Revolution. London, 1933.
*KLOTZ, Helmut: The Berlin Diaries. London, 1935.
*KNICKERBOCKER, H. R.: Is Tomorrow Hitler's? New York, Reynal, 1941, 382 p.
*KOEHLER, Hansjurgen: Inside information. Pallas Publ. London, 1940, 269 p.
*KOEHLER, Hansjurgen: Inside the Gestapo. Hitler's Shadows over the World. Pallas
Publ. Co., Ltd. London, 1940.
*KOEHLER, Pauline: The Women lived in Hitler's House. Sheridan House.
KOERBER, Adolf-Victor von: Adolf Hitler, sein Leben und seine Reden. Muenchen. E.
Boepple, 1923, 112 p.
*KRAUSS, Helene: Des Fuhrers Jugendstatten. Wien Kuhne, 1938.
KREBS, Hans: Wir Sudetendeutsche, Berlin, Runge, 1937, 168 p.
KREBS, Hans: Sudetendeutschland Marschiert: Berlin, Osmer. 1939.
KRUEGER, Kurt MD: "Inside Hitler," New York, Avalon Press, 1941, 445 p.
*LADIES' HOME JOURNAL: Story of the Two Mustaches, 57:18, July, 1940.
LANDAU, Rom: Hitler's Paradise, London, Faber, 1941.
*LANIA, Leo: Today We are Brothers, New York, 1942, 344 p.
*LASWELL, H. D.: Psychology of Hitlerism. Political Quarterly, vol. 4, 373-384.
*LAURIE, Arthur Pillans: The Case for Germany, Berlin, 1939.
LEE, John Alexander: Hitler, The Auckland Serv. print. 1940.
LEERS, Johann v.: Adolf Hitler. Leipzig. 1932, 95 p. (Manner und Machte)
*LEFEBVRE, Henri: Hitler au pouvoir. Paris, Bureau d'Uditions, 1938, 87 p.
*LE GRIX, Francois:. . .20 jours chez Hitler. Paris, Grasse, 1923.
*LENGYEL, Emil: Hitler, New York, 1932, 256 p.
*LESKE, Gottfried: I was a Nazi Flier, New York, Dialpress, 1941. 351 p.
LEWIS, Wyndham: Hitler, London, Chatto & Windus, 1931. 202 p.
*LEWIS, Wyndham: The Hitler Cult. London, 1939, 267 p.
LICHTENBERGER, Henri: The Third Reich. New York, 1937.
LIFE: Adolf Hitler's Rise to Power, 9:61-67, August 19, 1940.
*LITERARY DIGEST: Misfire of the German Mussolini. 76:23, March 17, 1923.
LITERARY DIGEST: Hitler, Germany's Would-Be Mussolini. 107:15/6, October 11, 1930.
*LITERARY DIGEST: Handsome Adolf, The Man Without a Country. 107:34, October 18,
1930.
LITERARY DIGEST: Dangerous Days in Europe. 107:14/5. October 25, 1930.
LITERARY DIGEST: Adolf Hitler States His Case. 111:15, Nov. 21, 1931.
LITERARY DIGEST: Hitler's astounding Outburst. 111:10. Dec; 19, 1931.
LITERARY DIGEST: Transformation of Adolf Hitler, 112:13/4, Jan. 9. 1932
LITERARY DIGEST: Freud's Fears of Hitler, 113:15, April 23, 1932.
LITERARY DIGEST: Hitler's Star still in the Ascendant. 113:12/3, 5/7/32.
LITERARY DIGEST: Hitler's shattered Dream of Dictatorship, 114:13/4 November 19, 1932.
LITERARY DIGEST: Gregor Strasser, Big Hitlerite Rebel. 115:13, 1/28/33.
*LITERARY DIGEST: When Hitler Hit the Ceiling. 115:30, February 18, 1933.
LITERARY DIGEST: Bewildering Magic of Fuehrer Hitler. 115:10/1, 5/13/33.
*LITERARY DIGEST: Comic Aspects of Hitler's Career. 116:13, August 26, 1933.
*LITERARY DIGEST?HIGH, S.: The Man who leads Germany. 116:5, Oct. 21, 1933.
LITERARY DIGEST: Chancellor-Reichsfuhrer. Watching his Step. 118:12, August 18, 1934.
LITERARY DIGEST: Abbe Dinnet Gives His Views of Two Dictators. 118:18, November 17,
1934.
LITERARY DIGEST: They Stood out from the Crowd in 1934. 118:7, 12/29/34.
*LITERARY DIGEST?HIGH, Stanley: Hitler and the New Germany, Oct. 7, 1933.
*LITTEN, Irmgard: Beyond Tears, New York, Alliance Book Corp., 1940, 325 p.
*LIVING AGE, GOETZ, F.: How Hitler Failed, 320:595-99, March 29, 1924.
LIVING AGE: From Six to Six Millions. 339:243-45, November, 1930.
*LIVING AGE, MILTENBERG, W. von: Handsome Adolf. 304:14/5, March, 1931. Handsome
Adolf, reply R. von WISTINGHAUSEN, Living Age, 341:185/6, October, 1931.
LIVING AGE, 'UNRUH, Fritz v.: Hitler in Action, August, 1931, p. 551.
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LIVING AGE, HITLER, Adolf: To Victory and Freedom, National Socialism, Labor Party,
342:24/5, March, 1932.
LIVING AGE: Hitler speaks. 344:114-16, April, 1933.
LIVING AGE: Hitler and His Gang. 344:419-22, June 22, 1933.
*LIVING AGE: W.W.C.: Hitler's Salad Days, 345:44-48, Sept., 1933.
LIVING AGE, HENRY, Ernst: The Man Behind Hitler. October, 1933, p. 117.
LIVING AGE: Why I Like Hitler. 349:303-6, December, 1935 (Dr. K. Scharping.)
*LIVING AGE, MORRELL, S.: Hitler's Hiding Place, 352:486-8, August, 1937.
*LIVING AGE, YEATS-BROWN, F.: A Tory Looks at Hitler. 354:512-4, August, 1938.
LIVING AGE, AGHA KHAN: Faith in Hitler, 355:299-302, December, 1938.
LIVING AGE, KORNEY: The Man Who made Hitler rich. 355:337-41, December, 1938.
LIVING AGE: Hitler's Palace in the Clouds on the Top of the Kehlstein, 356:32/3, March,
1939.
*LIVING AGE: Men Whom Hitler Obeys. 356:142-5, April, 1939.
*LIVING AGE: Hitler at 50. 356:451-3, June, 1939.
LIVING AGE, MANN, K: Cowboy Mentor of the Fuhrer, Karl May. 359:217-222, November,
1940.
*LIVING AGE: Hitler's Private Rabbit Warren. Reichschancellery, 360:321 June, 1941.
*LOCHNER, Louis P.: What about Germany? New York, Dodd, 1942, 395 p.
LOEWENSTEIN, Hubert Prinz zu: On Borrowed Peace, New York, 1942.
LOEWENSTEIN, Karl: Hitler's Germany, New York, MacMillan, 1936, 176 p.
LORANT, Stefan: I was Hitler's Prisoner, London, Gollancz, 1935, 318 p.
*LORIMER? Emily D.: What Hitler Wants, Penguin Book, 1939.
*LUCCHINI, Pierre: (Pierre Dominic pseud.) Deux jours chez Ludendorff, Paris, 1924.
*LUDECKE, Kurt Georg W.: I Knew Hitler, New York, Scribner, 1937, 814 p.
*LUDWIG, Emil: Three Portraits; Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin. New York, 1940 127 p.
LUDWIG, Emil: The Germans. Boston, Little. 1941, 509 p.
*LURKER, Otto: Hitler hinter Festungsmauern. Berlin, Mittler, 1933, 71 p.
MARION, Paul: Leur Combat Hitler. Paris. Fayard, 1939, 347 p.
MASON, John Brown: Hitler's First Foes. Minneapolis, 1936, 118 p.
*MASSIS, Henry: "Chefs," Paris, Plon., 1939.
MAUGHAM, Fred, Herbert: Lies as Allies; New York, Oxford University Press, 1941, 64 p.
MAUPAS, Jacques: Le Chancellier Hitler et les elections allemandes (Correspondant, 1933.
N.S. tome 294, p. 836-853) .
MELVILLE, Cecil F.?. The Truth about the New Party. London. Wishart, 1931.
*MEND, Hans: Adolf Hitler im Felde. Diessen, Huber. Verlag, 1931, 192 p.
*MEYER, Adolf: Mit Hitler im Bayerischen Infanterie Regt. Neustadt. Aupperle Verlag.
1934, 109 p.
*MILLER, Douglas: You can't do Business with Hitler! Boston, Little, 1941. 329 p.
*MITTEILUNGEN des Deutschvolkischen Turnvereins Urfahr; Adolf Hitler in Urfahr.
Felge 67:12. Jehrgang. (Austria).
MOELLER van den Bruck: Das Dritte Reich. Hamburg. Manseatisce Verlags Anstalt. 1931,
321 p.
MORVILLIERS, Roger:.. Face A Hitler at A Mein Kampf. Serves en vente chez l'auteur.
1939.
*MOWRER, Edgar Anse11: Germany puts the Clock Back. New York, 1933. (London. Pen-
guin Book, 1938) .
*MOWRER, Lilian: Rip Tide of Aggression. New York, Morrow, 1942, 247 p.
MUHLEN, Norbert: Hitler's Magician: Schacht. London, 1938, 228 p.
*MURPHY, James Bumgardner: Adolf Hitler, the Drama of his Career. London, Chapman,
1934.
NAAB, Ingbert: 1st Hitler em Christ? Muenchen, Zeichenring Verlag, 1931, 47 p.
*NATION: DENNY, C.: France and the German Counter-Revolution, 116:295-7 March 14,
1923.
NATION: HORLE, W. H.: Ten Years of Hitler, Hundred of Goethe, 134:307-8 March 16,
1932.
NATION: RADEK, K.: Hitler. 134:462-64. April 20, 1932.
NATION: VILLARD, 0.G.: Folly of Adolf Hitler. 136:392, April 12, 1933.
NATION: JASZI, 0.: Hitler Myth, a forecast. 136:553/4, May, 1933.
NATION: VILLARD, 0. G.: Nazi Child-mind. 137:614, November 29, 1933.
NATION: LENGYEL, E.: Hitler and the French Press. 138:216-7, February 21, 1934.
NATION: VILLARD, 0.G.: Hitler's Me and Gott. 139:119, August, 1934.
NATION: Can Hitler Be Trusted? 140:645, June 5, 1935.
NATION: VILLARD, 0.G.: Issues and Men. 143:395, October 3, 1936.
NATION: Hitler goes to Rome. 146:520, May 7, 1938.
NATIONALSOZIALISMUS, das wahre Gesicht des. Bund deutscher Kriegsteilnehmer.
Magdeburg, 59 p.
*NATIONALSOZIALISTISCHE MONATSHEFTE: Jehrgang, 327, vol. 4, Heft 39.33, BUCH,
Walter: Der Fuhrer, p. 248-51.
NATIONALSOZIALISTISCHE MONATSHEFTE: Vol. 5. Heft 46.34. p. 2. ANACKER, H.:
Ritter Ted und Teufel.
NATIONALSOZIALISTISCHE MONATSHEFTE: Vol. 3. Heft 32.32, p. 511-13, CABALLERO,
G. E.?. Das Geheimnisdes Nationalsozialismus.
NATIONALSOZIALISTISCHE MONATSHEFTE: Vol. 5. Heft 54, p. 848-9, Adolf Hitler, 1925
in Gera.
*NATIONALSOZIALISTISCHE MONATSHEFTE: Vol. 5. Heft 55, p. 954-58, LINKE: Wie
der Modies den Hitler zum Schweigen brachte.
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*NATIONALSOZIALISTISCHE MONATSHEFTE: Vol. b. Heft 54. Ueschichten aus der
KAMPFZEIT.
NAZI PRIMER, the: Official Handbook. New York, Harper, 1938.
NEUMANN, Franz L.: Behemoth. New York, Oxford University Press, 1942, 532 p.
*NEW REPUBLIC: Is Hitler Crazy? 97:2/3, November 9, 1938.
NEW REPUBLIC: HANISCH, R.: I was Hitler's Buddy. 98:239-42, 270-72, 297-300, April
5-19, 1939.
*NEW REPUBLIC: (Medicus) A Psychiatrist Looks at Hitler. 98:326-8, April 26, 1939.
NEWS WEEK: Nazis Protest Use of Baby Snapshot. 3:31, March 3, 1934.
NEWS WEEK: Hitler and Mussolini Meet. 3:10-12, June 23, 1934.
NEWS WEEK: Hitler Tells How He Directed Merciless Bloodstroke, 4:10-11, July 21, 1934.
NEWS WEEK: Hitler's First Great Crisis. 3:3-4, June 30, 1934.
NEWS WEEK: Hitler at Bavarian Retreat. 5:12-3, March 2, 1935.
*NEWS WEEK: Cocksure Dictator Takes Timid-Soul Precautions. 5:16, April 6, 1935.
NEWS WEEK: Reichsfuhrer. . .What Hitler Is. . .7:27, May 16, 1936.
*NEWS WEEK: Hitler and Mussolini Put Their Heads Together. 10:11-13, October 4, 1937.
*NEWS WEEK: Adolf Hitler's Roman Holiday. . 11:15-6, May 16, 1938.
*NEWS WEEK: When Hitler Started. 13:22, February 6, 1939.
NEWS WEEK: Adolf Hitler's Double. 13:43, March 13, 1939.
*NEWS WEEK: Hitler Enthroned 13:21, May 1, 1939.
*NEWS WEEK: To the Fuhrer, Hitler is Terrific. 19:42, June 22, 1942.
NEWS WEEK: Phony Fuhrer, Impersonator Dryden. 20:61-2, July 20, 1942.
*NEW YORK TIMES: November 21, 12:1. Rise as Idol. 1922.
*NEW YORK TIMES: December 14, 5:7. Mrs. Andre Elendt Aids Cause, 1922.
NEW YORK TIMES: May 19, LLL. 8:8. Hitler Wins Libel Suit in Munich . 1929.
*NEW YORK TIMES: October 15, 1930. Interview.
NEW YORK TIMES: May 2, 12:4. Sincerity, praised by V. F. Ridder, 1933.
NEW YORK TIMES: December 3. IV. 2:2. Hitler Stories Told in Vienna, 1933.
*NEW YORK TIMES: December 26, 17:5. Gives Rides and Overcoats to Hitchhikers, 1933.
NEW YORK TIMES: March 11, VI, 1934. Feature article. Personality and Private Life: see
Tolischus.
NEW YORK TIMES: August 12, IV. 1:7, 1934.
*NEW YORK TIMES: January 28. 6:3. Interviewed by Lord Allen of Hurtwood, 1935.
*NEW YORK TIMES: September 17, 4:4. Alois Hitler Opens Tea Room in Berlin, 1937.
*NEW YORK TIMES: September 19, IV. 2:3. Portrait Adolf Hitler, 1937.
*NEW YORK TIMES: April 16, 6:3. Gruenscheder says He is Older than Record Shows,
1938.
NEW YORK TIMES: March 31. 2:3 Relatives visit U.S.* William Patrick, 1939.
NEW YORK TIMES: October 6, 10:4. Miss Daniels Interview on her dance performance
before him, 1939.
NEW YORK TIMES: November 17, VIII. 2:4. Report to have sought Dr. &eke' to interpret
dream of undisclosed nature, 1940.
NEW YORK TIMES: January 3.9:1. January 4. 9:2. January 7. 5:6. Reports about arrival
of U. Freeman Mitford?illness in England, 1940.
NEW YORK TIMES: January 26. 2:2. German Official as Honduran Foreign Office to ban
book, "I was Hitler's Waitress," 1941.
NEW YORK TIMES: June 30. 5:3 and June 25. 4:3. Reports about William Patrick and
Mrs. Bridget arrivals, activities in Canada and U.S., 1941.
NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: TOLISCHUS; Portrait of a Revolutionary, p. 3, May 19,
1940.
NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE: PETERS, C. B.: In Hitler's Chalet. p. 9, 3/16/41.
*NEW YORKER STAATSZEITUNG und Herold: Various articles, April, 1939; December,
1940.
*NEW YORKER STAATSZEITUNG: Allerhand Merkwurdiges aus Privatleben. Preston
Grover, January 2, 1941.
NIEKISCH, Ernst: Hitler-Ein Deutsches Verhaengnis. Berlin. Widerstands Verlag, 1932.
*NINETEENTH CENTURY: WILSON, Sir Arnold: October, 1936. p. 503-512.
NORTH AMERICAN REVUE: Herr Hitler comes to Bat. 1932, 234, vol. 104-9.
*OECHSNER, Frederick: This is the Enemy. Boston, Little, 1942, 364 p.
OEHME, Walter: Kommt das Dritte Reich? Berlin, Rowohlt, 1930.
*OLDEN, Rudolf: Hitler, Amsterdam, Querido, 1935, 364 p.
*OTTO, Carl A. G.: Der Krieg ohne Waffen. Wird Hitler Deutschlands Mussolini. Senitas
Verlag. 1930, 69 p.
OTTWALT, Ernst: Deutschland Erwache! Vienna, 1932, Hess & Co.
OWNE, Frank: The Three Dictators Hitler. London, Allen, 1940.
OUTLOOK: BINSSE, H. L.: Hitler, German Hypnotist, 156, vol. 256, 1931.
*PARISER TAGES ZEITUNG: April 20, 1937. Das Ratsel urn Hitlers, E.K.I.
*PARISER TAGES ZEITUNG: Jan. 28, 1939. Der Prozess der Brigitte Hitler.
*PARISER TAGES ZEITUNG: Sept. 29, 1939. Article about the Iron Cross.
*PARISER TAGES ZEITUNG: Jan. 23, 1940. Vom Wahne besessen.
PASCAL, Roy: The Nazi Dictatorship. London, 1934.
*PAULI, Ernst: Die Sendung Adolf Hitlers. Verlag fur VOLKSKUNST, 1934.
*PAULS, Eilhard, Erich: Ein Jahr Volkskanzler. (Aus Deutschlands Werden, Heft 21/2.
1934, 31 p.)
PERNOT, Maurice: L'Allemagne de Hitler, Paris, 1933.
*PHILLIPS, Henry Albert: Germany Today and Tomorrow, New York, Dodd.
*PICTORIAL REVIEW: RADZIWILL, C./ZIERKURSCH, T. v.: Three Women Behind the
Demagogue, 34:7, July, 1933.
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*PLESSMAYR, Hermann: Der Nationalsozialismus Stuttgart, Mahler, 1933, 104 p.
POLLOCK, James Kerr: The Government of Greater Germany, New York, Nostrand, 1938,
104 p.
*POPE, Ernest R.: Munich Playground, New York, Putnam's, 1941, 260 p.
POPPELREUTER, Walther: Hitler. Langensalza. 1934 (Heft, 1931 v. Friedr. Mann' padagog.
Magazin, p. 1-41) .
POTTMANN, Karl: Hitler-Entwickltmgsmoglichkeiten. Oxford, 1933, vol. 14, P. 450-54.
Blackfriars.
*PRICE, George Ward: I know these Dictators. London, Harrap., 1937, 262 p.
*RALEIGH, John McCutcheon: Behind the Nazi Front. New York, Dodd, 1940, 307 p.
RAUSCHNING, Anna: No Retreat. New York, Hobbs Merrill, 1942, 309 p.
*RAUSCHNING, Hermann: The Voice of Destruction same as "Gesprache mit Hitler."
*RAUSCHNING, Hermann: The Revolution of Nihilisme. New York, Alliance Book Corp.,
1939, 300 p.
*RAUSCHNING, Hermann: Gesprache mit Hitler. New York, Europa Verlag, 1940, 272 p.
RAUSCHNING, Hermann: Hitler and the War. American Council on Public Affairs, 1940,
lip.
RAUSCHNING, Hermann: The Conservative Revolution. New York, Putnam's, 1941, 280 p.
RAUSCHNING, Hermann: The Beast from the Abyss. London, Heinemann, 1941, 170 p.
*RAUSCHNING, Hermann: Men of Chaos, New York, Putnam's, 1942, 341 p.
READER'S DIGEST: SPIWAK, J. L.: Hitler's Racketeers, 28:52-4, March, 1936.
REICH, Albert: Aus Adolf Hitlers Heimst. 1933, 128 p.
*REVEILLE, Thomas (pseud.) : The Spoil of Europe, New York, Norton, 1941. 344 p.
REVUE HEBDOMADAIRE: Vingt jours chez Hitler. (F. LeGrix), Paris, 42 A. 4. 94-118.5.
84-98.
*REYNOLDS, Bernard Talbot: Prelude to Hitler. London, J. Cape, 1933, 288 p.
RIBBENTROP, Manfred v.: Urn den Fuhrer. (Volkische Reihe im Winterverlag Heft 1)
1933, 32 p.
*RIESS, Curt: The Self-Betrayed. Putnam's, New York, 1942, 402.
*RITTER, Walther: Adolf Hitler. Leipzig. Verlag Nationalsoz Front, 1933, 32 p.
ROBERT, Karl: (pseud.) Hitler's Counterfeit Reich. New York, Alliance Book Corp. 1941,
122 p.
*ROBERTS, Stephen H.: The House that Hitler Built. New York, 1938, 364 p.
*ROCII, Hans: Gott segne den Kanzler. 20. April 1933. 11 p. Rundfunkrede.
*ROEIIM, Ernst: Die Geschichte eines Hochverraters. Muenchen, F. Eher, 1933, 367 p.
ROGGE, Heinrich: Hitlers Friedenspolitik. Berlin. Schlieffen. 1935, 127 p.
ROPER, Edith (und Clara Leiser) : Skeleton of Justice, New York, Dutton, 1941. 346 p.
*SANTORO, Cesare: Hitler Deutschland Berlin. Inter. Nat. Verl, 1938. 440 p.
*SANTORO, Cesare: Vier Nahre Hitlerdeutschland. . . 1937.
*SATURDAY EVENING POST?SONDERN, F. Jr.: Schuschnigg's terrible two hours. 211:23.
August 13, 1938.
*SATURDAY EVENING POST?NORBURT, R.: Is Hitler Married? 212:14/5. December 16,
1939.
SATURDAY EVENING POST?ULLSTEIN, H.: We Blundered Hitler into Power. 213:12/3,
July 13, 1940.
*SATURDAY EVENING POST?McKELWAY, St. C.: Who Was Hitler? 213:12/3. July 20,
1940.
SATURDAY EVENING POST?WALDECK, Countess: Girls Did Well Under Hitler. 215:18,
September 26, 1942.
SATURDAY REVIEW (of London) : Mann, H.: A German View of Hitler. 153 vol. 314/5,
1932.
SATURDAY REVIEW (of London) : MAXWELL, N.: Hitler's He Men and the Gash. 156 vol,
142, 1933.
SATURDAY REVIEW OF LITERATURE: BAKER, J. E.: Carlyle Rules the Reich. 10:291,
November 25, 1933.
SATURDAY REVIEW OF LITERATURE: JOSEPHSON, M.: Making of a Demagogue.
10.213/4. Oct. 28, 1933.
*SCHACHER, Gerhard: He Wanted to Sleep in the Kremlin, New York, 1942. 261 p.
SCHEID, 0.?. Les Memoires de Hitler. Paris, Perrin, 1933.
*SCHIRACH, Baldur v.: Die Pioniere des Dritten Reichs. Essen, 1933.
*SCHMIDT-PAULI, Edgar v.: Hitlers Kampf urn die Macht. Berlin, 1933, 205 p.
*SCHMIDT-PAULI, Edgar v.: Die Manner urn Hitler. Verlag fur Kulturpolitik. Berlin,
1932 (Neue organzte Ausgabe, 1935, 190 p.)
*SCHMIDT-PAULI, Edgar v.: Adolf Hitler, Berlin, De VO Verlag, 1934, 126 p.
SCHOLASTIC: Hitler Crushes Foes 25:15. September 22, 1934.
*SCHOTT, Georg: Das Volksbuch vom Hitler. Muenchen. Eher. 1933, 307 p.
SCHRADER, Fred Franklin: The New Germany. New York. Deutscher Weckruf &
Beobachter. 1937.
*SCHROEDER, Arno: Hitler geht auf die Dorfer. National. Soz. Verlag, 1938, 212 P.
*SCHULTZE-PFAELZER, Gerhard: Hindenburg und Hitler. Berlin, Stollberg, 1933, 96 p.
*SCHULZE, Kurt: Adolf Hitler, London, Harrap, 1935, 80 p.
*SCHUMANN, Frederick Lewis: Hitler and the Nazi Dictatorship, London, 1936.
SCHWARZSCHILD, Leopold: World in Trance, New York, 1942, 445 p.
SCIENCE NEWS LETTER: LASWELL, H. D.: Hitler Rose to Power Because he Felt Per-
sonally Insecure. 33:195. March 26, 1938.
SCIENCE NEWS LETTER: Hitler's Personality Called: Paranoid, infantile sadistic.
34:227/8. October 8, 1938.
*SCRIBNER: WHITE, W. C.: Hail Hitler: M. 9:229-31, April, 1932.
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SCYLER, J. P. Hitler et son troisieme empire. Paris, L'Eglantine, 1933.
*SEEHOFER, Herbert: Mit dem Fuhrer unterwegs! NSDAP, 1939, 228 p.
SENDER, Toni: A Fighter for Peace. New York, Vanguard, 1939.
*SHIRER, William L.: Berlin Diary, New York, Knopf. 1941, 605 p.
*SHUSTER, George N.: Strong Man Rules. (New York, 1934) .
*SIMONE, Andre: Men of Europe. New York, Modern Age, 1941, 330 p.
*SMITH, Howard K.? Last train from Berlin. New York. 1942, 359 p.
*SNYDER, Louis: Hitlerism . by Nordicus (pseud.) New York, Mohawk Press, 1932.
SPENCER, Franz: Battles of a Bystander. New York, Liveright, 1941, 260 p.
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1942. 281 p.
STARK, Johannes: Adolf Hitlers Ziele Deutscher Volksverlag, 1930, 32 p.
STATIST, the: Hitler's Day. London, 1934, 123 vol. 161.
STEED, Henry Wickham: Hitler Whence and Whither? London, Nisbet, 1934, 189 p.
STEEL, Johannes: Hitler als Frankenstein. London, 1933, 185 p.
*STEYRER ZEITUNG: Adolf Hitler als Schuler in Steyr. April 17, 1938.
*STODDARD, Lothrop: Into the Darkness. New York, Due11, 1940, 311 p.
STRASSER, Otto: Aufbau des deutschen Sozialismus. Prag. I., Heinrich Grunow, 1936.
*STRASSER, Otto: Hitler and I. Boston, Houghton, 1940, 248 p.
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*STRASSER, Otto: Die deutsche Bartholomausnacht. Zurich Reso Verlag, 1935, 242 p.
*STRASSER, Otto: Flight from Terror.
STRESEMANN, Gustav: Letters and Diaries. London, MacMillan, 1935-40.
SURVEY, the: (J. P. Gavit) Much ado about Hitler. 68 vol. 239.
TACITUS REDIVIVUS (pseud.) Die Grosse Trommel. 155 p.
*TAGEBUCH, das?TSCHUPPIK, Karl: Hitler spricht. 498, 1927.
TAGEBUCH, das--SCHER, Pet.?. Hitlergesandter bei Ford. VII. 628, 1928.
*TAGEBUCH, das?HEIDEN: Hitler klagt. X. 816, 1929.
TAGEBUCH?SCHWARZSCHILD, L: Ave Adolf: XII, 1808. (1931) .
*TAT, die: ROTHE, M.: Siogesallee II, (A. Hitler) 21. J. 780-4.
TAYLOR, Edmond: The Strategy of Terror. Boston, Houghton, 1940. 277 p. (1942 revised
edition) .
*TEELING, William: Know Thy Enemy! London, Nicholson, 1939, 313 p.
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TESSON, Francois de: Voici Adolf Hitler. Paris. Flammarion, 1936, 284 p.
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July, 1940.
*THYSSEN, F.: I Paid Hitler. New York, Farrar, 1941, 281 p.
*THOMPSON, Dorothy: I Saw Hitler. New York, 1932.
*TIME: Let's Be Friends. 27:21-2, March 9, 1936.
TIME: Critic Hitler, 30. August 2, 1937 (p. 32-A.2) .
TIME: Hitler Comes Home. 31: 18-22, March 21, 1938.
*TIME: Hitler's Throat. 32:55. November 14, 1938.
TIME: Man of the Year. 33:11-14. January 2, 1939.
TIME: Office and Official Residence . 33:17/8. January 23, 1939.
TIME: Fuhrer's Next. 33:22 March 13,1939.
*TIME: Hitler vs. Hitler, 33:20, April 10, 1939.
*TIME: Aggrandizer's Anniversary, 33:23/4, May 1, 1939.
TIME: Two Diagnoses, 33:22, May 8, 1939.
TIME: Eleven Minutes: Hitler's Narrow Escape. 34:21/2, November 20, 1939.
TIME: Mississippi Frontier, K. H. v. Wiegand's Interview, 35:37-8, June 24, 1940.
*TIME: Happy Hitler. 36:18, July 15, 1940.
TIME: Hitler Takes a Trip. 36:28, Nov. 4, 1940.
TIME: Orator Hitler. 37:19, Jan. 13, 1941.
*TIME: Dictator's Hour. 37:26-8 April 14, 1941.
TIME: Happy Birthday. 37:22/3. April 28, 1941.
TIME: Inside Hitler. 39:43, June 22, 1942.
*TOLISCHUS, Otto D.: They Wanted War. New York, Reynolds, 1940, 340 p.
*TOURLEY, Robert (et Z. Lvovsky) : Hitler. Paris, Editions due siecle. 1932, 200 p.
*TROSSMAN, Karl: Hitler und Rom. Nurnberg. Sebaldus Verlag, 1931.
TROTZKY, Leon: What Hitler Wants. New York, John Bay Co., 1933, 31 p.
TROTZKY, Leon: How Long Can Hitler Stay? (American Mercury v. 31. p. 1-17) , 1934.
TURNER, James: Hitler and the Empire. London, 1937, 40 p.
VERGES, Ferni: El Pangermanisme abans de Hitler. Revista de Catalunya. 1938. juny 15, p.
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VIE des Peuples. Adolf Hitler. Annee 4, p. 536-44, Paris, 1923.
*VOIGTS, F. A.: Unto Caesar. New York. Putnam, 1938, 303 p.
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*VORWAERTS: GOETZ, F.: Report on Putsch Prozess. February 26, 1924.
*WAGNER, Ludwig: Hitler, Man of Strife. New York. Norton, 1942, 331 p.
*WALLACH, Sidney: Hitler, Menace to Mankind. Emerson Books, 1933.
*WELTBUEHNE?LANIA, L.: Hitler-Prozess. 20. J. 298-301, 1924.
WELTBUEHNE: Mit Gott fur Hitler und Vaterland. 21. J. 720, 1925.
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WELTBUEHNE: Hitler und Kirdirf (Morus) 26. J. II. 245.
WELTBUEHNE: Begrussung Hitlers auf literarischen Gebiet. (Walter Mehring) 507.
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WELTBUEHNE: Reichskanzler Hitler. (Toiler, E.) 537.
WELTBUEHNE: 1931. 27 J. Zu diesem Hitler. 45 (Borne, L.)
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WELTBUEHNE: 1931. Hitlers Horoskop. 607-11. (Ossietzky, C. v.)
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WELTBUEHNE: 1931. Hiders Vorlaufer. 814-17. (Gerlach, H. v.)
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WELTBUEHNE: 1931. Aktive Abwehr gegen Hitler. 880. (Muhsam, E.)
WELTBUEHNE: 1931. Hitlers Fliegerei. 918-20. (Wieland, H.)
WELTBUEHNE: 1931. Illusionen uber Hitler. 950-54 (Gerstorff, K. L.)
WELTKAMPF?HAUPTMANN, R.: An den Pranger mit Hitler!. . .VIII 154-63, 1931.
*WENDEL, Friedrich: Der Gendarm von Hildburghausen. Berlin, Dietz, 1932.
WHAT Hitler Did not Want the English Speaking Countries to Know. Centre d'Information
documentaire Paris, Pamphlets 5.
*WHEELER-BENNETT, John: The Wooden Titan. 1936.
WHITTLESEY, Derwent: German Strategy of World Conquest. New York, 1942.
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*WIEGAND, Karl v.: Hitler Foresees His End. Cosmopolitan, April, 1939, p. 28 if. and May
p.48 if.
WILD, Alfons: Hitler und das Christentum. Augsburg. Hass., 1931, 85 p.
WIR fliegen mit Hitler. Berlin. Deutsche Kulturwacht, 1934, 184 p.
WOLF, John: Nazi Germany. London, 1934.
WYL, Hans von: EM Schweizer erlebt Deutschland. Zurich, Europa Verlag, 1938.
*YOUNG, William Russel: Berlin Embassy, 1941, 280 p.
*ZIEMER, Gregor: Education for Death, New York, Oxford University Press, 1941, 208 p.
*ZIEMER, Patsy: 2010 Days of Hitler, New York, Harper, 1940, 312 p.
165
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