Goebbels: A Biography (118 page)

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Authors: Peter Longerich

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97.
TB, 7–9 August 1936.

98.
See “Vertrauliche Anweisungen des Promi für den antikommunistischen Propagandafeldzug im Innern,” n.d., published in Jacobsen (ed.),
Misstrauische Nachbarn
, 102–5, BAB, NS Misch 1594; on the propaganda exhibitions put on in autumn 1936 in connection with this, see Kivelitz,
Die Propagandaausstellungen in europäischen Diktaturen
, 214ff.; for the continuation of the anti-Communist propaganda in 1937:
PA
1937, no. 501 (26 February), announcement of a propaganda campaign, Bolshevism and Jewry (see also no. 529, 1 March); no. 1432 (14 June): “Auf besonderen Wunsch der höchsten Reichsstelle” (instruction for anti-Soviet propaganda); see Sywottek,
Mobilmachung
, 104ff.

99.
On the press response, see TB, 1, 12, and 13 September;
VB
(B), 11 September 1939, “Dr. Goebbels: ‘Der Bolschewismus muss vernichtet werden, wenn Europa wieder gesunden soll’ ”;
PA
1936, p. 1028f. (10 September): The Goebbels speech was to be published in full; see also Reuth,
Goebbels
, 354ff.

100.
Already referred to in TB, 27 July 1936, during the Bayreuth festival.

101.
TB, 23 September 1936.

102.
TB, 24 September 1936. Otherwise Magda referred to only on 21 September (“Magda being very nice again”), on 2 September (“bit of a fight with Magda”) and the short note quoted in the text.

103.
TB, 27–29 September 1936.

104.
TB, 22 September 1936.

105.
TB, 4 October 1936.

106.
TB, 30 October 1936; on the anniversary, see also Reuth,
Goebbels
, 351ff.

107.
Der Angriff
, 31 October 1936, “Die Partei des Arbeiters. Dr. Goebbels im Berliner Rathaus.”

108.
Goebbels knew about the gift beforehand: TB, 17 September 1936, and 18 September.

109.
Der Angriff
, 31 October 1936; Berkholz,
Goebbels’ Waldhof am Bogensee
, 11ff.; Reuth,
Goebbels
, 352.

110.
TB, 31 October 1936.

111.
TB, 1 and 2 November 1936;
VB
(B), 1 November 1936, “Die Jubiläumskundgebung im Berliner Sportpalast. Die erfolgreiche Arbeit der Berliner Gauleitung findet die besondere Anerkennung des Führers.”

112.
TB, 1 November 1936.

113.
TB, 1 November 1936.

114.
TB, 30 October 1936.

115.
TB, 31 October 1936.

116.
TB, 31 October, 1 and 2 November 1936.

117.
TB, 2 November 1936. On the youth rally, see
Der Angriff
, 3 November 1936.

118.
TB, 21 October and 15 November 1936.

119.
TB, 1 October 1936.

120.
Ciano note, 24 October 1936, in
I Documenti Diplomatici Italiani
, Ottava Series: 1935–1939, vol. 5, Rome 1994, no. 277.

121.
TB, 3 November 1936.

122.
TB, 17 November 1936. On Renzetti, see Schieder, “Faschismus im politischen Transfer.”

123.
TB, 9 June 1936.

124.
TB, 21 October 1936;
RGBl
. 1936 II, 28ff., Abkommen gegen die kommunistische Internationale;
ADAP
D I, no. 463, note 1, Geheimes Zusatzabkommen. See Krebs, “Von Hitlers Machtübernahme zum Pazifischen Krieg (1933–1941).”

125.
TB, 2 December 1936; see also 7 December 1936.

16. “THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS IN OUR MODERN CULTURAL LIFE”

1.
TB, 31 January 1937.

2.
Domarus I
, 664ff.

3.
TB, 28 January 1937.

4.
TB, 23 February 1937.

5.
TB, 23 February: British rearmament was primarily “directed against Italy,” but Germany could remain “neutral in any dispute.” TB, 13 July: Hitler saw England’s position thereafter as “seriously weakened.”

6.
On the attack on the battleship
Deutschland
and the subsequent bombing of Almeria, see TB, 31 May–2 June and 6 June 1937. On the German delaying tactics in the Non-Intervention Committee, see also 20, 23, 24, 30 June, 3 July, 1 and 8 August 1937.

7.
Cautious criticism of Ribbentrop’s performance in London in the entry for 7 February, increased in the entries for 3 and 6 March, and 4 April. 27 October 1937: “We evidently made a bad appointment in his case.” Also 16 November 1937.

8.
TB, 14 March 1937.

9.
TB, 23–25 April 1937: Goebbels considered the meeting between Schuschnigg and Mussolini in Venice as a success for Germany’s Austrian policy and as a defeat for the “Prague-Vienna-Paris Axis.”

10.
Akten der Reichskanzlei, Regierung Hitler
, vol. 4, Hartmannsgruber (ed.), no. 23, Ministerbesprechung vom 30. Januar 1937 and no. 24, Eltz to Hitler, 30 January 1937.

11.
On Kerrl’s policy, see Meier,
Der evangelische Kirchenkampf
, vol. 2, 78ff.

12.
TB, 14 January 1937.

13.
TB, 5 January, 6 and 9 February, 1937; see also Hockerts, “Die Goebbels-Tagebücher 1932–1941,” 371ff.

14.
Meier,
Der evangelische Kirchenkampf, vol. 2
, 147f.

15.
TB, 15 February 1937.

16.
PA
1937, no. 424 (16 February), information on the Church elections;
VB
(B), “Befriedungswerk des Führers für die evangelische Kirche” (headline); Hockerts, “Die Goebbels-Tagebücher,” 372f.

17.
TB, 18 February 1937; Hockerts, “Die Goebbels-Tagebücher,” 373.

18.
TB, 20 February 1937.

19.
TB, 23 February 1937.

20.
TB, 21 April, 12 May 1936. See also Hockerts, “Die Goebbels-Tagebücher,” 374.

21.
On the action taken against the Catholic press in 1936, see 280.

22.
TB, 18 February 1937.

23.
Raem,
Pius XI. und der Nationalsozialismus
.

24.
TB, 21 March 1937; Hockerts, “Die Goebbels-Tagebücher,” 377.

25.
TB, 23 and 24 March 1937.

26.
TB, 2 April 1937.

27.
This happened on 6 April 1937. Hockerts,
Die Sittlichkeitsprozesse
, 73.

28.
TB, 7 April 1937.

29.
TB, 2 and 30 April 1937;
PA
1937, nos 985 and 991 (28 and 29 April).
VB
(B), “Kirchen und Klöster zu Lasterstätten erniedrigt” (headline).

30.
TB, 12 May 1937.

31.
TB, 13 May 1937.

32.
PA
1937, no. 1119 (13 May), Vertrauliche Bestellung: Runderlaß des Promi an die Landesstellen über Berichterstattung zu den “Katholikenprozessen”; on the control of the reporting, see nos. 1170f. (20 May), 1189 and 1195 (22 May), 1201 and 1204 (24 May). See also TB, 16, 17, 21, and 23 May 1937.

33.
TB, 14 May 1937.

34.
TB, 25, 26, and 28 May 1937.

35.
VB, 29 May 1937.

36.
TB, 30 May 1937, on the reception of the speech also 31 May, 1 June 1937. On the instructions to the press, see
PA
1937, no. 1221 of 26 May and no. 1245 of 28 May and 1256 of 29 May. On the speech, see also Reuth,
Goebbels
, 360f.; Hockerts,
Die Sittlichkeitsprozesse
, 112ff.

37.
TB, 3 June 1937.

38.
TB, 4, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 23, and 26 June 1937.

39.
TB, 4 July 1937. More on the trials in entries for 10, 18, 22, and 23 July.

40.
TB, 3 and 4 July 1937. Further entries on the arrest of the pastor and on the preparations for the trial: 6 July, 1, 4, 12, and 15 August 1937 and 22 December 1937. See also Bentley,
Martin Niemöller
, 162ff.; Schmidt,
Martin Niemöller
, 133ff.

41.
TB, 26 July 1937, and 27, 28, and 29 July 1937.

42.
Hockerts refers in this connection to a telegram from the AA to the German ambassador at the Vatican, 24 July 1937,
ADAP
D I, no. 670.
Die Sittlichkeitsprozesse
, 74. Hockerts believes 21 July was the date of Hitler’s decision; on the announcement of a pause in the trials:
PA
1937, Nr. 1848 (29 July).

43.
TB, 28 and 29 July 1937; Hockerts, “Die Goebbels-Tagebücher,” 374.

44.
TB, 5–16 August, 1 and 15 September 1937.

45.
TB, 26 August 1937.

46.
TB, 7 December 1937.

47.
TB, 22 December 1937.

48.
TB, 21 January 1938.

49.
Numerous entries in the TB between 29 January and 1 March 1938. On the trial, see Schmidt,
Niemöller
, 133ff.; Bentley,
Niemöller
, 171f.

50.
TB, 3 March 1938;
PA
1938, no. 629 (3 March), concludes the reporting of the trial and confidentially informs the journalists of the imposition of protective custody.

51.
TB, 3 March 1938.

52.
TB, 25 November 1936.

53.
On Hitler’s reaction to the award of the Nobel Prize, see TB, 25, 26, 27, and 28 November 1936. See also Sternburg,
“Es ist eine unheimliche Stimmung in Deutschland.”
On the announcement of the National Prize, see TB, 31 January 1937;
VB
(B), 31 January 1937;
Domarus I
, 664ff. The German National Prize should not be confused with the National Book and Film Prize, established in 1934.

54.
VB
(B), 28 November 1936, “Die dritte Jahrestagung der Reichskulturkammer” (headline); TB, 28–30 November 1936 on the Cultural Senate. See also Reuth,
Goebbels
, 357.

55.
See chapter 13.

56.
PA
1936, 492f., 496, 503f. (12, 13, and 15 May).

57.
Film-Kurier
, 13 May 1936.

58.
Decree of 27 November 1936 in Wulf,
Die bildenden Künste im Dritten Reich
, 127ff., also
VB
(B), 28 November 1936. In October he had discussed the problem of “criticism” with Hitler: “In the end it must be gotten rid of completely.” See also TB, 26 and 29 October, with similar entries. On the preparation of the decree, see TB, 18, 24, 27, and 28 November 1936.

59.
See p. 308.

60.
TB, 31 March 1936. BAB, NS 8/171, Rosenberg to Goebbels, 9 March 1936, Goebbels to Rosenberg, 31 March 1936, and Rosenberg’s reply from the same day.

61.
TB, 15 July, 1 August 1936; Bollmus,
Das Amt Rosenberg
, 84.

62.
TB, 1 September, 6 (on his conversation with Hess) and 11 October 1936; see Bollmus,
Das Amt Rosenberg
, 84.

63.
TB, 15 November 1936.

64.
Piper,
Alfred Rosenberg
, 396; Bollmus,
Das Amt Rosenberg
, 99ff.; see also the comments in TB, 16 June 1937.

65.
Diller,
Rundfunkpolitik
, 198ff.; Dussel,
Hörfunk in Deutschland
. This corresponded to the existing programming policy. See Weinbrenner,
Handbuch des Deutschen Rundfunks 1938
, 293, and
Handbuch 1939
, 317.

66.
BAB, R 78/910, 4 March 1936. See also the speech at the radio exhibition of August 1936. TB, 29 August 1936. See Dussel and Lersch (eds.),
Quellen zur Programmgeschichte des deutschen Hörfunks und Fernsehens
, no. 33, esp. p. 136.

67.
TB, 16 January 1937.

68.
On the change of personnel, see 8, 11, and 20 March, 24 April 1937.

69.
VB
(B), 31 July 1937, “Die Eröffnung der großen Rundfunkschau. Dr. Goebbels über Leistung und Aufgaben des deutschen Rundfunks”; Text of the speech published in Dussel/Lersch,
Quellen
, no. 34. TB, 31 July, 1 August 1937.

70.
TB, 8 June 1938, also 25 June: “I’m deciding on a new policy for radio: more serious, less light music. Broadcasts of operas and symphonies. Serious programs.”

71.
VB
(B), 6 August 1938, “Rundfunkausstellung durch Dr. Goebbels eröffnet.” Also TB, 6 August 1938.

72.
See Mühlenfeld, “Joseph Goebbels und die Grundlagen der NS-Rundfunkpolitik,” 442–67.

73.
TB, 17, 18, 20, and 22 October 1936.

74.
TB, 22 October 1936.

75.
TB, 4, 9, 11, and 12 November 1936.

76.
TB, 21 November 1936;
Akten Regierung Hitler
, vol. 3, no. 183, ministerial meeting at the Promi on 19 November 1936, Vermerk des Oberregierungsrats Brenner, Reichserziehungsministerium; no. 186, Begründung des Promi, 25 November 1936; no. 187 Funk to Lammers, 25 November 1936, BAB, R 43 II/467, bill and Dietrich’s objection; here also further objections from other ministries.

77.
TB, 23 and 30 November 1936; the entries for 13 December 1936 and 12 January 1937 show Goebbels’s lack of interest in the project.

78.
Akten der Reichskanzlei, Regierung Hitler
, vol. 5, Hartmannsgruber (ed.), 718; BAB, R 43 II/467, Vermerke Lammers vom 28. November 1936 and 4. Februar 1937.

79.
TB, 23 October, 14, 15, and 25 November 1937.

80.
TB, 21 and 25 November 1936, 12 February 1937; Gillessen,
Auf verlorenem Posten
, 277ff.

81.
TB, 18 March 1937.

82.
TB, 26 January, 7 February 1938, TB, 12 April 1938, TB, 16 June 1938.

83.
TB, 21 November 1936, 3 January 1937. Silex,
Mit Kommentar
, 127f.; Boveri,
Wir lügen alle
, 603f.

84.
TB, 24 June 1938 and 11 July 1938.

85.
TB, 14 July 1938.

86.
Hale,
Presse
, 259; Silex,
Kommentar
, 203ff. Also the
Berliner Börsen-Zeitung
was acquired at that time by Amann. Hale,
Presse
, 259f.

87.
TB, 26 April 1939; Gillessen,
Posten
, 389ff., on the sale of the newspaper by the Amann company.

88.
TB, 17 June, 1 July, 28 September 1938.

89.
Presse in Fesseln. Eine Schilderung des NS-Pressetrusts
, Berlin, p. 68f. The well-informed book published in 1947 contained internal information about the Amann concern.

90.
TB, 14, 16, 28 November 1934.

91.
TB, 13–16 August 1936; see also 8 August 1937. Marwell,
Unwanted Exile
, 149ff. On Hanfstaengl, see also Conradi,
Hitlers Klavierspieler
.

92.
Hanfstaengl,
Zwischen Weißem und Braunem Haus
, 362ff.; Speer,
Erinnerungen
, 141. According to him, Hitler and Goebbels had come up with this practical joke. Marwell,
Unwanted Exile
, 1ff.

93.
TB, 11, 12, 19 February 1937.

94.
TB, 12, 13, 16, and 20 March 1937.

95.
TB, 13 and 16 April, 3 June 1937.

96.
TB, 24 July 1937.

97.
TB, 18 and 22 October 1936.

98.
TB, 22 October, and 10 November 1936.

99.
TB, 27 October 1936.

100.
TB, 14 November 1936; he describes Weidemann, the deputy head of the film department, as on the lookout for material. On the lack of political films, see also 14 November 1936.

101.
TB, 16 and 18 December 1936.

102.
TB, 12 June 1936.

103.
TB, 6 January, 20 February 1937.

104.
TB, 22 January, 24 February 1937.

105.
TB, 5, 9, 10, and 11 March 1937;
PA
1937, no. 603 (9 March): “The film
People without a Fatherland
may and shall be given negative reviews.”
VB
(N), 10 March 1937, Ewald von Demandowsky: “Versagen der Dramaturgie. Gedanken um den Film
Menschen ohne Vaterland
.” See also
UWW
, April 1937, Hein Schlecht, “Am Wendepunkt der deutschen Filmkunst,” 106: “The conspicuous flop of
People without a Fatherland
is clear proof that Dr. Goebbels’s ideas about the nature and purpose of film are right, not only in theory but also in practice.”

106.
TB, 17 March, also 13 and 16 March 1937. On the negotiations, see Moeller,
Filmminister
, 87ff.; Becker,
Film und Herrschaft
, 159f.

107.
TB, 20 March 1937.

108.
PA
1937, no. 709 (23 March).

109.
Speech on the first anniversary of the Reich Chamber of Film on 5 March 1937 in the Krolloper, Albrecht,
Filmpolitik
, 447ff.;
PA
1937, no. 589 (6 March): The speech “pointed the way forward,” indeed it was “a great encouragement for all
those involved in making films.” On the speech’s impact, see TB, 6, 7, and 8 March 1937.

110.
Introduction: TB, 4 May 1937. Goebbels praised Demandowsky particularly during the early months of his period in office: 6, 8, 13, and 26 May (“I’m doubling his salary”), 5 June, 14 and 23 July 1937.

111.
Moeller,
Filmminister
, 141.

112.
TB, 21 and 26 March, 1, 6, 13, and 17 April 1937; Moeller,
Filmminister
, 139;
PA
1937, nos. 1051 and 1054, (5 and 7 May): “Nothing to be published about the Ufa general meeting.”

113.
Moeller,
Filmminister
, 101f.

114.
TB, 3 April, 31 July 1937.

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