The devil's diary : Alfred Rosenberg and the stolen secrets of the Third Reich / Robert K. Wittman and David Kinney.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wittman, Robert K., author.

Kinney, David (David Francis), author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Rosenberg, Alfred, 1893-1946--Diaries.

Rosenberg, Alfred.

Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945.

Rosenberg, Alfred, 1893-1946.

United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Nazis--Diaries.

Nazis.

Rosenberg, Alfred, 1893-1946--Political and social views.

Hitler, Adolf, 1889-1945--Friends and associates.

Hitler, Adolf.

National socialism--Philosophy.

National socialism.

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945)--Philosophy.

Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945).

Philosophy.

Friends and associates.

Political and social views.

Germany--Foreign relations--Soviet Union.

Germany.

International relations.

Soviet Union.

Soviet Union--Foreign relations--Germany.

Wittman, Robert K.

United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation--Officials and employees--Biography.

United States.

Diplomatic relations.

Employees.

Friendship.

Genre:

Biographies.

Diaries.

Physical Description:

x, 513 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Harper, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2016]

Summary:

"This exploration of the private wartime diary of Alfred Rosenberg--Hitler's 'chief philosopher' and architect of Nazi ideology--interweaves the story of its recent discovery with the revelation of its never-before-published contents, which are contextualized by the authors: The result is a unprecedented, page-turning narrative of the Nazi rise to power, the Holocaust, and Hitler's post-invasion plans for Russia. A groundbreaking historical contribution, The Devil's Diary is a chilling window into the mind of Adolf Hitler's 'chief social philosopher,' Alfred Rosenberg, who formulated some of the guiding principles behind the Third Reich's genocidal crusade. It also chronicles the thrilling detective hunt for the diary, which disappeared after the Nuremburg Trials and remained lost for almost three quarters of a century, until Robert Wittman, a former FBI special agent who founded the Bureau's Art Crimes Team, played an important role and tells his story now for the first time. The authors expertly and deftly contextualize more than 400 pages of entries stretching from 1936 through 1944, in which the loyal Hitler advisor recounts internal meetings with the Führer and his close associates Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler; describes the post-invasion occupation of the Soviet Union; considers the 'solution' to the 'Jewish question'; and discusses his overseeing of the mass seizure and cataloguing of books and artwork from homes, libraries, and museums across occupied Europe. An eyewitness to events, this narrative of Rosenberg's diary offers provocative and intimate insights into pivotal moments in the war and the notorious Nazi who laid the philosophical foundations of the Third Reich"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Prologue: The Vault

Lost And Found: 1949-2013

1. The Crusader

2. "Everything Gone"

3. "To Stare into the Mind of a Dark Soul"

Lives In The Balance: 1918-1939

4. "Stepchildren of Fate"

5. "The Most Hated Paper in the Land!"

6. Night Descends

7. "Rosenberg's Path"

8. The Diary

9. "Clever Workings and Lucky Coincidences "

10. "The Time Isn't Ripe for Me Yet"

11. Exile in Tuscany

12. "I Had Won Over the Old Party's Heart"

13. Escape

At War: 1939-1946

14. "The Burden of What's to Come"

15. On the Make

16. Thieves in Paris

17. "Rosenberg, Your Great Hour Has Now Arrived"

18. "Special Tasks"

19. "Our Own Tragic Special Destiny"

20. Nazis Next Door

21. The Chaostministerium

22. "A Ruin"

23. "Loyal to Him to the End"

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Appendix A: A Third Reich Timeline

Appendix B: Cast of Characters

Notes

Selected Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [447]-494) and index.

ISBN:

9780062319012

0062319019

9780062319029

0062319027

OCLC:

934382706

Online:

Cover image