Not a Clue

The posthumous fate of Joseph Goebbels rests upon three pillars. He was one of the ablest propagandists and journalists of the century. He was the most radical and revolutionary figure among the leaders of the Third Reich. He was the most loyal and faithful devotee of Hitler, in whose last testament Goebbels was named Chancellor. Goebbels killed himself and his family in the Führerbunker a day or so after Hitler had committed suicide.

Like Hitler, Goebbels was a voluble man; he would harangue people by the hour. Unlike Hitler, he kept a voluminous diary for the last 19 years of his life; most of it was made available after the war, and the last fragments, discovered relatively recently, have now been presented to the world in this volume. For anyone who knows something about the last phase of the Third Reich, the result is disappointing. Large portions of the diaries consist of the German military situation report of the day. The editing is often sloppy: place-names are inaccurately given, and the many maps are poorly drawn.

JL

About the Author

John Lukacs

Featured Tags

The posthumous fate of Joseph Goebbels rests upon three pillars. He was one of the ablest propagandists and journalists of the century. He was the most radical and revolutionary figure among the leaders of the Third Reich. He was the most loyal and faithful devotee of Hitler, in whose last testament Goebbels was named Chancellor. Goebbels killed himself and his family in the Führerbunker a day or so after Hitler had committed suicide.

Like Hitler, Goebbels was a voluble man; he would harangue people by the hour. Unlike Hitler, he kept a voluminous diary for the last 19 years of his life; most of it was made available after the war, and the last fragments, discovered relatively recently, have now been presented to the world in this volume. For anyone who knows something about the last phase of the Third Reich, the result is disappointing. Large portions of the diaries consist of the German military situation report of the day. The editing is often sloppy: place-names are inaccurately given, and the many maps are poorly drawn.