O. S. S. Confidential
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Copy No. 3 of 3
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(i>4.nalysis of
The Personality of Adolph Hitler
With Predictions of His Future Behavior
and
Suggestions for Dealing With Him
Now and After
Germany's Surrender
>nf
Br HENRY A. MURRAY, M. D.
Harvard Psychological Clinic
^
OCTOBER, 1943
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ANALYSIS OP THE PERSONALITY OP ADOLF HITLER
With predictions of his futiire behavior
and
suggestions for dealing with him
1«V
now and after Germany's surrender
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Henry A. Mtirray, M» D^
IlP.rvard Psychological Clinic
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FOREWORD
Aim
%
The aiid of this memorandum is (1) to present an
analysis of Adolf Hitler»a personality with an
hypothetical formulation of the manner of its
development; (2) on the basis of this, to make a
few predictions as to his conduct when confronted
by the mounting successes of the Allies; and (3)
to offer some suggestions as to how the TJ. S»
Government might now influence his mental condition
and behavior (assuming it sees fit to do so), and
might deal with him, if taken into custody, after
Germany's surrender.
The proper interpretation of Hitler's person-
ality is important as a step in und9rstanding_the
E3Icholo«2L-2l±'llJ.I2lSi^ ^^^ - ^^^^^ *^^
typical Nazi exhibits a strain that has, for a
long time, been prevalent among Germans - as a
step 1ft tmderstanding the psychology of the German
people. Hitler's uaprs code nted appeal, the eleva^
tlon of this man to the status of a deni-god, can
be explained only on the hypothesis tl.>iit he and his
ideology have almost exactly met the ne^da, longings,
and sentiments of the majority of Germans.
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The attainment of a oleat In^reaslon of the
psychology of the German people la essential If «
after stirrendei*, they are to be converted Into a
peace-loving nation that la willing to take Its
proper place in a world society*
Sources of Information for this Analjals; -
As la well known, there are no thoroughly re*
liable sources of information about Hitler's early
life and what la known about him since 1918 is in
many respects insufficient or contradictory.
This analysis haa been based, for the moat
part, on the following material:
1, Data supplied by the Office of
Strategic services
2. Hitler's MEIN KAMPP, New York,
Reynal & Hitchcock, 1959
3. Hitler's MY NEW ORDER, New York,
Reynal & Hitchcock, 1941
4, Heiden, K., HITLER, A BIOGRAPHY,
London, 1936
5, Rauschnlng, H., VOICE OP DESTRUCTION,
New York
6. 'Baynes, H, G., GERMANY POSSESSED,
London, 1941
It la generally agreed that MEIN KAMPP is not to be
relied on as a factual document, but as the translators
say in the introduction to the American edition,
this work "is probably the best written evidence
of the character, the mind, and the spirit of Adolf
Hitler." An analysis of the metaphors used in
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MEIN KAMI^.has prpved . reieardlng in the attempt to
discover the underlying forces of his personality.
MY NEW ORDER, edited by Roussy de Sales, has also
been utilized extensively.
A paper published by W.H.D. Vernon, HITLER THE
MAN - NOTES FOR, A CASE HISTORY {Jour, of Abn. & Soc.
Psychol., 1942, 37, 295-308), was i»ritten under my
general auper^/ision and contains most of the ideas
of professor G, W. Allport and myself on this topic
3o far as they were crystallised in the fall of 1941.
This artlcie by Vernon is included in toto as an
introduction, thereby relieving ma of the necessity
of rests-ting (in the detailed analysis that follows)
all th^ -fiotmaottly' known facts.
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OdMtESTS Of THIS BEMORAIIDOM
Section
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Section
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Section
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Sii3tmnary of the Entire Hemorandian.
HIlOLER THE MAN - NOTES POE A CASE HISTORX
by W. H. D. Vernon (the beat available
short outline of Hitler's personality),
^Svamnary, Part A) Detailed Analysis of
Bitler'a Personality {written especially
for paychologlste, psychiatrists).
(S\Jinmary, Part B) Predictions of Hitler's
Behavior in the Coining Future •
(Summary, part C) Suggestions for the
Treatment of Hitler, Kom» and After
Gesnnany's Sturrender,
($uinmary> Part D) Suggestions for the
. Treatment of CJeriiJany*
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6ond6ft6M E$yi9% Qf ' tl^^ l^tji^^' MemorahdjM
COU^IIiENTIAL MEMORANDim
containing
A. , ^lef Analyala of Hltler»a Personality.
B. Pradlctlona of Hitler* a Behavior,
C. Suggestions for the Treatment of Hitler.
D. Sixggeatlons for ;the i?reatiiaent of the.
; G8rn»n People.
giitwflttea by Henry A. Murray, M.D.
Harvard Paychological Cllnlo,
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Committer for National Morale,
New York.
A. Brief Anal ysis of Hitler's Personality
I ♦ Dynamical Pattern. Counteractive Type . -
There 1» little disagreement among professional, or
even ampng awateui*, psychologists that Hitler's
personality Is an example of the counteractive type,
a type that le marked by Intense and stubborn efforts
(1) to overcome early diaabilltlea, weaknesses and
humiliations (wounds to self-asteen), and sometimes
also by efforts (11) to revenge ln*ur: o«? and In-
eults to pride. ThJ-s la achieved by m?; ana of an
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Idealego. Reaction Pormattofa which Involvea (1) the
repression and denial of the Inferior portions of
the self, and (11) strivings to become (or to Imagine
one has becosiej the exact opposite, represented by
an idealegOt or Image of a superior self successfully
accomplishing the once- Impossible feats and thereby
c\irlng the wounds of pride and winning general
respect> prestige, fame.
This Is a very common formula , normal (within
limits) and widely admired In Western cultures, but
In Hitler »s case all the constituent forces of the
pattern are c ompulsively extreme , and based on a,
w eak neurotlo Structural foundation * The cM.i9f
trends are these: (1) Counteracti ve Keed for
Dgmi^anc_e^g_Su^il^ (2)' Counteracti ve Aggres-
s ion. -Re vehg o; (5) Repre ssion of Conscience. Com-
pliance. Love; (4) f>roje Ctlon of Crltiol zable
E lements of the Se lf.
1, Counterac tive Heed for dominance,
Superiority.- The developmental formula for this
is as follows J (1) Intolerable feelings of in-
feriorlty (partly because of yielding to the will
of a harsh and unjaet person), lep.o^nR tr^ (ii)
contempt of o-jm inferior traits (wepkr:68n, timidity.
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submiasivenesa) and the fixed determination to repress
them in oneaelf and to condemn them in others,
5iccompanied by (iii) admiration and envy of power
in others and a vision of self as ultimately sxiperior
(idealego) leading to (iv) repeated efforts to become
superior (counteraction out of wounded pride), en-
couraged by moments of extreme self- confidence in
which one believes oneself the equal of one's vision.
This, as we have said, is' a very common form
of development, but in Hitler the trend is so intense
and *;he c:)ranonly balancing forces (affection,
con/3cienca,. self-critic5.a:n, humor) are so weak that
we a3pe .lir^tified in speaking in speaking of megalo-
icRnis (delusions of omnipotence), despite the fact
that the sian has succeeded in getting a large pro-
portion ci: tfca Germr.i pscple to believe that he is
sv.perlor: (i) tliat he b^a bean divinely appointed
to lead them to power and glory, and (ii) that he
is neve r wron g and henoe must be^ fcllowed with blind
obdlenoe, come what aayo
Hitler's underly5.ng inferiorifcy feelings, his
■basic self-contempt are shown by his choosing as
e riteria of supe riority (traits of 1 do... lego) attribute*
and capacities that are the very oppoaits of what he
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ia himself or one© was. This may be Illustrated
by his fervent eulogy of (6) brute strength ; (b>
purity of blood ; and (c) fertility ,
' 1. (a) Admiration of Brute Strength,
Contempt of Weaknesa .- Hitler has always worshipped
physical force, military conquest, and ruthlesa
domihation. He has respected, envied, and emulated
the techniques of power , even when manifested by ft
hated enemy. Prom first to last he has expressed
contempt o f ' weakness , indecision, lack of energy,
fear of consc5.ence;
and ye t - .
mjbler has man y Weaknesses . . There is a
lR::?ge feminine component in his consftitution. As
a child he was frail and sickli, e motionall y dependent
on his mother, fie never^dld any ma nual work, never
engaged in athletics, w«is turned down as forever
tt hfUi tot conscription in the Austrian Army. Afraid
of his father, his behavior was out wardly submissive ,
and later he was ahnoyihgly gubgervierit to his superior
officers, Poiir ygars in the Army, he never rose above
the Jpank of corpbr%l. At the end he broke doirtt witli
a war neurosis, hys terical blindhe G<< . Even lately,
in all his glCSry, he sviffera frequent emdtibrial
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/ collapsqa in which hg yells and weeps. He has night-
mares from a baa consoiehce ; and he has long spells
when energy,' confidence and the power of decision
abandon hJjii. Sexually he is a full-fledged masoohist/
1» (b) Admiration of Pure Noble German
Blood. Contempt of Jewish. Slav and other Blood y -
Hitler has always ext piled the superior qualities
of p\ire< unmlxedji and uncorrupted German blood* He
admires the aristocraoy.r Oonoxirrently he has never
ceased expressing his contempt of the lower classes
and ^s aversion to admixtures of the blood of other
races, of Jewish blood especially;
ahd.yet -
Hitler * a oxm Oriplha are ' Not Noble or
Beyond Reproactw , Hitler comes from illiterate
peasant stoolc derived from a mixture of races, no
pure Germans among them. His father was Illegitimate,
was married three timqa, and is said to have been
conspicuous for sexual promiscuity* Hitler's mother
wd^ a domestic servant* It is said that Hitler's
f aether's f*ther was a Jew, and it is certain that
hid Kodfajbher was a Jew ; and that one of his sisters-
managed a restaurant" for Jewish students in Vienna
' and another was, for a time, the mistress of a Jew*
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' Hitler ♦s appearance,' when he wore a long heard during
hie outceiat Vienna dasrs, waa said to he very Jewish,
Of these facts ho Is evidently ashamed* Unlike .
napbi^on^ he has 'rejected. iElll his relations*
As a partial explanation of his complex about .
impurity of blood it nmy be said that as a boy of
twelve/ Hitler was caught engaging in seme sexual,
experiment with a little girl; and later he seems
to have developed a s yphllophobla , with a diffuse
1 fear 'Of contamination af the blood through contact
with it woman, it is almost certain that this irrational
dre$d was partly due to the association In his mind
of sexuality and excretion. He thought of aexual
relations as something exceedingly filt hy*
1, (c) Advocacy of fertility . -^ Fertility^
the family as the bi»eeding ground of warriors, multi*-
plication of the German race - these have been cardinal
points lii Hitler's ideology;
and ' yet -
Hitler himself la Impotent ,- He is unmarried
and his old acquaintances say that he la incapable
of consTimmatlng the sexual act in a normal fashion'.
This infirmity we must recognize as an instigation
to exhorbltant cravings for superiority, Unable to
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' demonstrate 8»ale power before a woman, he is impelled
to oompehsate by exhibiting wsurpaaaed power before
men in the world at large> ,
1. (d> Achievement of Power thrcmgh Oratory. ^
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Hitler coiald neitheS? change his origins nor decree .
his potency, and unlike. Mussolini he has never tried
to develop himself physically, but he became for a
while the most powerful individual in the world, pri-
marily by the use of m a8S~iht6xicatihp; words ♦ Aristotle
has said that the mStaphor is the roost potent' force
on earthy and Hitler, master of crude metaphor, has
confirmed the dictunl.in this generation. By seducing
^he masses with his eloquence , and getting them to
accept him as their divinely appointed guide^ he com-
pelled the smaller circles of industrialists, politic >
oians and military leaders to fall into line also.
Hitler speaking before a large audience is a
man possessed^ comparable to a primitive medicine
man, or shaman.. He is the inoarnatioh of the crowd ^s
unspoken needs and cravings ; and in this sense he has
been created, and to a large extent invented, by the
people of Germany.
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. Hitler has 6onipaFed the masses to a woman who
must be courted with the arts and skills known to
passion oniy;,iMid It Is not unlikely that the emotional
soiirce of his oi*glastlc speeches were childhood tantr
by which he succesafdlly appealed to his ever-Indulgent
mother*
1. (e) Significance of the Counteractive
Pattern, - Counteraction Is essential to the develop-
ment of strength, but In Hitler's case It has been
extravagent and frantic* He has not ascended step
by step, building the structure of his character
solidly as he went; but Instead has roished forward
with panting haste, pretentiously. As a result,
there Is a fjyeat distance between Hitler at his best^
,and Hitler at hJs.WoJ'at ; which means -that when he is
overcome at last by a greater force he will collapse
suddenly and eo^letely * and as an utter wreck.
2. Cototiteraetlve Aggression, Revenge . - That
the will to powei? and the craving for superiority .
can not account for the idiole of Hitler's psychology
is evidenced by his iBtmeagura b le hatred , hatred ex-
pressed in the absence of an adequate stimulus, an
Incessant need to find some object on which to vent
his pent-up wrath. This can be traced back with rela-
tive certainty to experiences of insult, humiliation
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and wounded pride in childhood. The source of such
insults, we have many reasons to believe, was Hitler's
father, a coarse boastful man who ruled his wife
(twenty- three years younger than himself ) and his
children with tyrannical severity and injustice.
2, (a) Explanation . - The hypothesis is
advanced, supported by much evidence, that as a boy
Hitler was severely shocked (as it were, blinded)
by witnessing sexual intercourse between his parents,
and his reaction to this trauma was to swear revenge,
to dream of himself as reestablishing the lost glory
of Ma mo^^bfi^ ^y overcoming and humiliating his
father* The boy's relative weakness made this actido
impossible, apd so the drive and passion of revenge
was regressed and locked up within Mm undflr tension.
Only much later when a somewhat similar stimulus
occurred r the subjugation and humiliation of his
motherlapd (Hitler <» term for Germany) in 1918 -
. »aa this Qn erg ^ ftf^revenge released, after a short
period of shpote and , hpterical blindness.
This would expiflJi the fact that Hitler exhibited
no ei^rgetic ambitious d rive of his own from the age
of 13 years (when his, father, tM enemy, died) to the
age of 29 years (when a new enemy, the conqueror •
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of the motherland, appeared). It also helps to account
for Hitler »s relentless devo>tlon to the rehabilitation
of Qenaany , a fact which Is hard to explain in a man
who IS so extremely egocentric in other relittions.
In Mein Kampf Hitler repeatedly speaks of permany
as ^ heloved woman, '
(Hot£> In this connection it may be said
that the evidence is in favor of Hitler's hatrlng
experienced the common Oediptia CoAplex (love of mother,
hftte of father)^ but that in his case this pattern
was repressed and submerged by another pattern: gro-
f bund admiration-, envy and emulation of his father ' s
inasculihe power and a contempt of! feis mottier's
feminine sufahiisiveneag and, weakness * Thus both
parents »ere amblvaleht t& him ; his father was
hated and respected; his mother was loved and de«
pre elated . Hitler's conspicuous actions have all
been in imitation of his father, not his mother.)
Whether this gent^iplJ hypothesis la correct
or not. It la oartain iiyat. tttere la a vast reservoir
of resentmerjt and revetige in Hitler' s make-up which
accovints for hit : 6ult of feCTitalitjir and his mSnjr abta
of inexcusable destructivenesa and 6rueltf# Hi It
possessed by what amounta to a h6M:ciaal^'66M|flll8loli
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which has no vent in a •♦weak piping time of peace »♦
(Tinless he "became an outright criminal), and there-
fore he. has constantly pushed events toward war, or
s cape goa ting,
g. fbl Si<^nif ioanee of Revenge > - As a
result of the fact that resentment is the mainspring
of Hitler «s career , it is forever impossible to
hope for any mercy or humane treatment from him.
His revengefulness can be jsatisfied only by the
extermination of his feountless enemies.
5, Repression of Conscience. Compliance. Love. . -
Unlike Gpering and other associates. Hitler is no
healthy amoral brute. He is a hive of sec ret neurotic
compunctions and feminine sentimentalities whicfr haTro
had to be stubbornly repressed ever since he embfft«i§#
on his career of ruthless dominance and revenge
{instigated by real or supposed insults). Every
new act of unusual cruelty, such as the purge of
1934, has been followed by a period of anxiety and
depletion , agitated de .lection and nightmares , which
can be interpreted only as the unconscio us operation
of a had conscience . Hitler wants notfaittg so much
fti Vo arrive at the state where he can commit": crimes
without guilt feelings; but despite his boasts of
having transcended Good and Evil this had not been
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possible. The suicidal trend in his personality-
is eloquent testimony of a repressed self- condemning
tendency*
In conjunction with the repression of conscience
and the advance of hat 6 there has been a repression
of affection and sympathy, as if "his spirit seemed
to chide such weakness as unworthy of its pride , "
a reaction which sometimes occurs in childhood after
an experience of unbearable disillusionment occasioned,
by the felt treachery of a beloved person. One may
find **a vigilance of grief that would compel the
soul to hate for having loved too well." Hitler *s
affiliativQ tendencies have alwayst been very weak ;
he has never had any close personal friends; he l#
entirely incapable of normal human relationships.
This is due, in part, to the cessation in early life
of sexual developments
3. (a) Self- Vindicating Criminality * -
Paradoxical as it may seem. Hitler's r epeated crimes
are partly caused by' conscience and the n e cessity
of appeasing it . For having once set out on a life
of crime, the man can not turn back without reversing
his entire grotind for pride and taking the humiliating
path of self-abasement and atonement • The only method
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he'fetaa odT. eubduittg his motintlng uncDnscioua guilt
la tus cOiftBiti .eaethoi? aoJb of aggression, and so to
fjjpQ-^ ey ftS li wer^^f by the criterion of auccesa, that
fais fit^^i^y Is favorpd l^y fortune and therefore .fngti-
fled m4 J*iE^t> « Failure, is the only wrong,
S# Cia) Significanoe of the Rgp ressJcn cf
Conaciehes by Suocesaful -Criminality. - As soon aa
the tlmi ceises when repeatea offensive actlona end
in .failure.^ Eltler will 16ae faith .in biriself and
lift Ma daatiny^ and h^coine the helpleag victim of h is
■ * ' ' ' ^
t*eprea^9d cohgcte ncg^ with auicide or mental breakdown
aa the most likely outcome.
*• Projection of Crlticlzab X Q Slem ents ofjthe^
Self • - Hitler perceivea in other people the traita
or tendenciea that are criticizable in himaelf .
Thua, inatead of being devoxired by the vulture of
hia own condeiiining conscience or of hia own diadain^
he can attack what he apperceivea as evil or con-
temptible in the external world, arid so remain un-
conacioua (moat of the time) of hi 3 own guilt or
hia own inferiority. Thia mechani s m whereby a man
aeea hia own wicked Impulaea or weakneaaea in othera^
la called projection ^ It ia bne way, the paranoid
way ^ of maintaining; aelf- eateem . The mechaniam
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oc«ttj?a «d^60iast€atXy In nitldx* thst it is possible
t<5 g«* a irery, gftod id&« of thd i^epudiated portions
of bli^ OUtt pej^soneiXitjf by not'lclng what he condonma
in ethejpa * tl^efitchery*, tjing^f oot^ruption, war-mon.cep-»
.;•:.• . ) •
ipg, et6» $M8 ptchanissa would )b»ve had more
JULsftatrpiMl eoijsequfinces f'or* bis sanity if he had
flot ^iatid ae»0 govej^hance. cwep it by consciously
adopting (aid -goed political stj?J5ttegy) the practice
tt hXf^raitkg Jii$ opponents o
S^ ' ^?Sll^i4-^3Bi?.^'^ HltXerleS dynamical pattern,
as dlesci?l^ed| ooWeaporirlM clceely to that of paranoid
insanity #, tfx€!eed he has *e7:hibitod.. at one time or»
anothel?, all of , the cla3fliical s sTrpioins of pMrcn^d
schig;dphf*enia : hypersensitivity^ panics of anxiety^
irrational jealousy^ delusions of persecution, de-
lusions t!ff omnipotence, and mess iahs hip.
H0ir Is it^ then, that Hitler has escaped con-
finement as a dangerous psychopath? This interesting
question will be considered later,
5, Reactions to Opposition an d Frus trat:ion. -
Opposition is the stimulus wliich startles Eitler
into life, in the face of it his powers are gathered
and augmented. When opposition becomes stronger
resulting in severe frustration, his reaction has
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of tQii 1>0tli as f Qilidtwa s (1 ) emotional outbursts
taatinim ftf Jpftge d6d accusatoj^y indignation ending
in tears fto4, self*plt5r;^ sttcceeded by (ii) periods
of iMptJEL^ extidustion, melancholy and indecisive-
fcess (fii^dOB^ganidd sometimes by hours of acute dejec-^
tlon ftiid disquieting nightmares) leading to recupera-
tion; aod finally (iii) confident and resolut e de-
^ ^slsi6n tQ;<|gUiQt^er&ttabk with great force and ruth-
lessnessi f be entire cycle may' run its course in ,
24 hours |- off it maybe weeks before the aggressive
decision of thisi third stage is reached.
For years this pattern of reaction to frustra-
tion hias m$t with success; each counterattack has
brought Hitler nearer to his goal* Since the turn
of fortune on the Russian front, however, the number
of frustrations have, increased and Hitler's counter-
attacks have failed, at times disastrously. There
is no structure for defense in Hitler's personality:
he can only strike when inflated with confidence,
or a collapse when confidence abandons him *
As time goes on, therefore, we can anticipate
ah increase in the intensity, frequency and duration
of Hitler's periods of collapse, and a decrease in
the confidence and power of his retaliations.
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A point to be remernbei^ed' about Hitler Is that
he started his career at scratch, a nonentity with
nothing to .lose ^ and he .^elected a fanatical path
for himself Krhjch requires ^^9 fitn ending - complete
pucfceas (omnipotence) 6r utter failure (death) \
No compromise Is possible. • Since It Is not he per-
sonally #1ld has to do the fighting, his collapses can
occ\ir In |)j*lvate at Berehtesgeden. where he can re-
cuperate, and then orice again come hack !7lth some
new and always more desperate plan to destroy the
enemy <i There Is a powerful compulsion In him to
sacrifice him se lf a n d all ""o f Germany to the revenge-
ful annihilation of Western culture ^ to die, craggln|^ '
all of Europe with him Into the abyss. This he would
feel was the last resource of an Insulted and unendur-
able existence ♦
7 . Hised for Creation^ Painting^ Ardhltecture ^
Oerman State, Legend of Self ,- We surmise that
Hitler's early enthusiasm for painting was due to
the fact (1) that this was the one exercise at which
he excelled In school (and thus It offered a compensa-
tory form of achievement); (11) that It provided an
acceptable outlet for a destructive soiling tendency
repressed In Infancy; and (111) that painting, and
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^ 17 -
especially ajrchltepture later, also called for much
'<jonstructJlV|iaeSiS| which served to balance (operate
as a reaettea formation to/ and atonement for) the
"prlmltitfe.Madei^y'to destroy. . Hitler has always
enjoyed the falfiting of ruined teinples (just as he
has iiked t@ contemplate the destruction of cities
Inhabited fey his $nemies ) j but he has likewise taken
pleasure ia pa itttlng immense castles (just as he has
'occupied himself? designing buildings fo.r che Third
Reich). .
A careful study of Hitler »*s writings and conduct
has conVinoed us that he is not entirely devoted to
destruicticaa, as so many claim. In his nature there
Is a deep valid strain of creativeness (lacking,
to be sure, the necessary talent). His creativity
has been engaged in combining elements for an ideology,
in organizing" the National Socialist farty, and in.
composing the allegory of his own life . He is the
author and leading actor of a great drama.
Unlike other politicians. Hitler has conducted
his life at certain seasons as a Romantic artist
does, believing that it is the function of a nation's
first statesman to furnish creative ideas, new policies,
and plans .
, - 18 -
♦ - 8# Represaed Need for t^aaalvity and Abagexaent ^
ttaaochiaitt t^ Hitler ♦a lotig^concealed aecret hetero-
aexual faJltliSS!^ h&s been expoaed by the ayatematic
analysis anil c(>rreia t ion of the three thouaand odd
metaphora iate usea In Meiti Kampf , The reaulta of thla
stiady were later 60nfirxned by the teatimony of one
who •^claims to know*** It is not neceaaary to deacribe
Ita peculiar fbattires here; a-offlce it tc 3ay that
the sexual pattern has resulted from the fusion of
(i) a -.primitive excretory ' s65,llng tenden cy^ and (ii)
I* 'a paaaive ipag c chlstlo teri i^eh cjg- (hypertrophy of the
feminine component iri hia nake-up)^ The aeccnd
element (masbchiam) derives much of ita atrengfch
\ . . ■ . •
from an uhcohacioua heed for' punlg&iheht ^ a tendency
which may be expected in one who haa aasiduoualy re-
preased^ out of swollen pride, the aubmiaaive reactions
(complianoie;^ co-operation, payment of debts, expression
of gratitude, acknowledgment of errors, apology,
confession, atonement) which are required of every-
body who would adaptively participate in social life*
While Hitler consciously overstrives to assert his
infinite superiority, nature instinctively corrects
the balance by imposing an erotic pattern that calls
for infinite ' self-abasement .
t^d^'\.l\^•
- 19 ^
This erotic pattern, however, is not a strong
force in Hitler »s personality, nor does it comprise
his entire libidinal investment, it alternates with
other patterns -^ repressed (or as some claim overt )
homosexuality , for example •
What is important to recognize here is that the
purpose of Hitler's prolonged counteractive efforts
is not solely to rise above his hijnblc origins, to
overcome his weaknesses and ineptitudes, but rather
to check and conquer,'^ by means of a vigorous Idealego
reaction format A on, an Underly ing positiv e cra ving
for passivity 'a nd subnl ssion* There is no space
here for the mass of evidence bearing en thit* point j^,
but a few examples can be briefly listed: (i) the
large feminine component in Hitler's physical constitu-
tion', also his feminine tastes and sensibilities;
(ii) his initial identification with his mother;
(ill) his exaggerated subservience, in the past, to
masterful superiors (army officers, Ludendorff, etc.);
(iv) attraction to Roehm and other domineering homo-
sexuals; (v) Hitler's nightmares which, as described
by several informants, are very suggestive of homo-
sexual panic; (vi) some of Hitler's interpretations
of human nature, such as when he says that the people
"want someone to frighten them and make them shudderingly
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- 20 -
aubmlsalVe'*;.(vll) Hitler 'tf repeated aaaertiona that
he Intendai like Sulla, to abdicate power (after an
orgy of conquest tith full catharsis of his hate)
and live quietly tf himself , /pa in ting and designing
buildings; and finally, (viii) recurrent siiicidel
threats.
II, E.S. ttleoc^htricityy Dedication to the leaki ng
of ah- i de ally Power f ul Germ dhy , - To trae 3em?an,
frierid or foe, has ever. claimeJ thab Hltjai- is not
•sincere in his dovc tion to the Pr;;.53iah J i ilit a riata '
ideal for gen aany> Thus we can say that he lias been
ideocentric (dedicated to an idea) for the lest twenty
years. Because the idea consists cf a plan for a
society from which the majority of his fellow country-
men will supposedly benefit, we can apeak of him aa
aociopentrio (S) also. But since this interest in
hia countrymen is clearly secondary to his personal
ambition - fame, immortality - we put egocentricity
(E) first; and so write - E. S. Ideocehtricity. It
la rare to find so much ideocentrlcity in a narclstic
personality; but only those who are incapable of such
dedication are likely to doubt the reality of it in
Hitler,
1,. Inaociatioh in Oermany. ^ Since Hitler and
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- 21 -
a large "body of .the German people are mutually
agreeable, we can speak of him as Inaoclated ^
accepting and accepted. It ia Hitler's intense affec-
tion, for the Re.ich (perhaps felt to this e::tent only
Iby a nationalist born outside its ho^^ndaries) that
has acted as a decisive factor in (i) his winning the
support of t he people and so satisfying, his will to
power; (iiV f^ iving hitn the feellng /of vo\nii6n, the
sense of mission; (iii) providing xporal ^ uatificatioii
(in his- own mind) for many illegal, acts; and (iv)
keeping him r el stivel y ' sane, by bringing him into
association with a group of like-minded men and so
delivering him from the perils of psychclogical
isolation.
j TKbte . *• The supposition that in Hitler's mind
Germany is identified with his mother helps to. explain
the fervor of his dedication.)
III. Sentiments . -
Most of Hitler's sentiments ere well known and
have already been listed: his high valuation of
Power, Glory, Dictatorship, Nationalism, Militarism,
and Brutality; and his low valuation of V'eakn^ss,
indecision. Tolerance, Compassion, Peace, Rational
Debate, Democracy, Bolshevism, Materialism, Capitalism,
*#-
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- 22 -
the Jewish Race, Christianity* A simplification
would be that; of regarding him as the advocate of
the aggressive ingtinet (War. Power and Qlorj) vs .
the acqiilsitive inatiflct (Business . Peace and
pyoaperity) ^ -Two qtiestions deserve special con-
siderations (1) Why, when he was living as an outcast
in Vienna, did Hitler not become a Commuiiiat? and
(2) What is the explanation of Hitlei-'s extt'eme
Anti-Semi tismt
i, ttotermihahta of flitler-^a Ahti-Conmiunisriv.
1,, (a) Hitler's father was an upward
mobile individual. Starting as a |>easant, he worked
his way into the lower middle class, establishing
a boundary between himself and those below him, "
Both parents respected their social superiors. Thus
Hitler instinctively retreated from too close associa-
tion with the workmen of Vienna ♦
!• (b) Hitler was too frail for construc-
tion work, was unable to hold a Job, and therefore
had little opportunity to become associated with a
tinion.
1. (c) Having been an ardent natiohalist
since the age of 12, Hitler's line of c^le^ivage (conflict
between nations) did not conform to the communists'
line of cleavage (conflict between classes )•
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X.^(d) Hitler has always been an advocate
Of the hie rajfchical principle: government by the
I'ittest, rigorously trained and proved in action,
1?he ideal of COramunisni, on. the other hand, calls for
a wide diatribution of power among those \jn trained
to rule*
1. (e) Hitler's sentiments have been with
militarism from earliest youth. The materialism of
Communism never appealed to him..
1. (f ) Lacking sympathy for the underdog,
-the humanitarian aspect of Communism did not attract
him. Hitler has always been a bully,
Z. Peter mihahts of Hitler* s Ahti- 3emiti8m^. ^
2, (a) The influence of wide-spread Anti-
Semitic sentiments (represented especially by such
men as Lueger and Peder), traditional in Germany.
2, (b) Hitler's personal frustrations
required a scapegoat as focus for his repressed aggres-
sion.^ The Jew is the classic, scapegoat because he
does ttot fight back with fists and weapons,
2. (c) The Jew was an object upon whom
Hitler could suitably project his own inferior self
(his sensitiveness, weakness, timidity, masochistic
sexuality).
•^'^^.u-f.jK^^irriv^-^
• 24 -
fe* " -^
2. (d) After the Versailles Treaty the
German people also needed a scapegoat. Hitler offered
them the Jewish race «a an act of political strategy.
2, (e) Having assembled a veritable army
of gangsters. (Nazi troopers) and aroused theli? fight-
ing spirit^ it was necessary tor Hitler to find some
object upon whom these men could vent their brutish
passions, to canalize anger away from himself w
( 2< (f) Jew8> being non-mill tiarls tic,
could only impede his program on conquest. In
eliminating them he Ibst no sizeable support*
2» (g) Jews were associated with several
of Hitler's pet antipathies: business, materialism^
democracy, capitalism, communism.
2, (h) Some Jews were vefy rich and Hitler
needed an excuse for dispossessing them.
iV. I^ormal Structure .Hysteria » Sohlzbphreniia ."
Hitler has a relatively weak character (ego
structure); his great strength comes from an
emotional cow^lex which drives him periodically.
Usually he can not voluntarily force himself to stick
to a routine of wprkj he must be compelled from inside,
lifted on a. wave of pessiOn.- His id (Inatlnctual
forces) and ego 6roluntary control) are in league;
his superego (conscience) is repressed*
. »':«•..
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- 25 -
1. Hysteria ♦ - Hitler has exhibited various forms
of hysterical dissociation, most notably in the two
symptoms which constituted his war neurosis in 1918,
namely blindness and aphonia (mutism) . He experiences
periods of marked abstraction, violent emotional
outbtirsts, visions of hallucinatory clarity. In
speaking before crowds he is virtually posoisaed .
He clearly belongs to the sensational cMipany of
history- making hysterics, combining, as he does, ,
some of the attributes of the primitive shaman, the
religious visionary, and the crack-brained demagogue -
Consummate actors, one and all.'
It is important to note, however, that Hitler
ha a a large measure of control over his complexea .
He uses ©n emotional outbxirst to get his own way,
turning it on or off as the occasion requires. As
Srikson says, he "knows how to exploit his hysteria...
Oh the stage of German history. Hitler senses to what
extent it is safe and expedient to let his own person-
ality represent with .hysterical abandon what lives
in every German listener and reader."
2. Schizophrenia .- Psychiatrists are not' un-
familiar with borderline staterSj, lying between hysteria
and schizophrenia. In gome cases the former develops
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into the latter (a serious Variety of Insanity).
Since Hitler, as noted above, has exhibited all the
Syttptoms of paraooid aohizbphrehia ^ the possibility
of a complete mental breakdown is not remote.
Hero again, however, it should be observed that
fearanoid dynamics can be used very effectively in
rouaing a nd focussing the fbroes of a minority party
or of a defeated nation . The strategy consists chiefly
In (i) painting vivid and exaggerated word-pictures
of the crimes and treacherdus evil purposes of your
powerful opponents (delusions of persecution); (li)
persuading your own group of its innate superiority
and glorious destiny (delusions of grandeur); (iii)
' subduing conscience by asserting that your common
end Justifies the meana, that your opponents have
used the most dastardly means in the past; and (iv)
' blaming your enemies for every frustration, every
disaster that occurs. In consciously employing these
tactics Hitler has exploited his own paranoid trends
and retained some governance over them.
Thus the answer to the question. How has Hitler
escaped veritable insanity? might be this: (i) he
has gained a large- measure of control o ver his
hysterical end perahoid trends by using them
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- 27 -
conaclously and auccessfuHy in the achievement
of hisaima; (ii) he haa identified himaelf with and
dedicated himaelf to a aooiocehtrio purpoae, the
creation of an ideal Gannany, which haa served to
diminish the paina and perils of an isolated egocen-
trism; and (iii). he has beeA aupi'emely successful
in imposing his visions and delusions (conforming,
as they did, with existent trends) upon the German
people, and so convincing them of his unparalleled
superiority. Thus his irreal world feas become reel,
insanity is sanity .
V. 1. Abili ties and jSf^eetlye traits . - Hitler ' s
su(ib66s has depended to «i' targe extent upon his own
peculiar abilities and traits:
1* (a) The ability to express with passion
the deepest needs and longings of
the people.
1. (b) The ability to appeal to the most
primitive as well as to the most
ideal tendencies in men.'
1. (c) The abilitf -to simplify complex
probfiitf and arrive at the quickest
solution «
1. (d) The ability to use metaphblf and draw
0# traditional imagery an^ iyth in
speaking ahd writing.
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- 28 -
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Ji (d) The ability to evoke the sympathy
ir:r. - '] and protectiveness of his people.
The leader's welfare becomes a matter
* of concern to them*
* iV (f ) Complete dedication to his mission;
abtindant self-confidenae; and stubborn
adherence to a few principles.
!• (g) Mastery of the art of political
organization.
1. (h) Tactical genius; precise timing.
1, (i) Mastery of the art of propaganda.
2. Principles of f>olitical Action . -
t
Among the guiding principles of Hitler's^
political philosphy the following are worth listing:
&♦ (a) Success depends on winning the
support of>. the masses*
2# (b) The leader of a now movement must
appeal to youth*
2. (c) The masses need a sustaining ideology;
it is the function of the leader to
provide one.
2. (d) People do not act if their emotions
are not roused. ^
2. .(e) Artistry and drama are necessary to
the total effect of political rallies
and meetings^
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- 29 -
2. (f) The leading statesman iil\ist be a
creator of ideas and plans.
2# (g) Success jiistifies any means.
2n (h) A new movement can not triumph
without the effective \ise of
terroristic methods
B. Predictions of Hitler* a Behavior
Whatever else happens It can be confidently pre-
dicted that Hitler » 3 neurotic spells wil l Increase
In frabuen cY and dup^tlon and his effec tiveness as a
lead er will dlmlnlsk : responsibility will fall to a
greater or less extent on othe* shoulders. Indeed
there is some evidence that his mental powers have
.been. deteriorating since' last November, 1942. Only
once or twice has he appeared before his people to
enlighten or encourage them. Aside from the increase
in neurotic symptoms the following things might happen:
1. Hitler may be forcefully se ized by the
Military Coimnand or by soane revolutionary fac tion in
Germany and be immured in soirne prison fortress .
This event is hard to envisage in view of what we
know of the widespread reverence for the man and the
protection that Is afforded him. But if this were
to occur the myth of- the Invincible hero wo\ild end
m.
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. 30 -
B^' i ^'
1^'
Tather Ignominloualy, and Hitler should eventually
be delivered into our hands,. The General Staff
will no doubt become the rulers of Germany if Hitler's
mental condition deteriorates much further (Option #5).
2; Hitler may be shot by some German . - The
•man ha a feared this eventuality for many years and
today he is protected as never before. Germans are
not inclined to shoot their leaders. This is possible
but not very likely.
5, Hitler way arrange to have hi mself shot by
koroe German, perhapy by a ^ew . r This would complete
t;he myth, of the hero f death at the hand of some
trusted follower: Siegfried jstabhed in the back by
•Hagen, paegar by Brut\is> Qhrist betrayed by Judas.
It might increase the fanaticism of the soldiers
for a while and create a legend in conformity with
th« ancient pattern. If Hitler could arrange to have
a Jew, 9wne paranoid llk9. himself ^ kill him, then He
could die in the belief that his fellow countrymen
would rise in their wrath and massacre every remaining
Jew in Germany*. Thus he might try to indulge his
insatiable ravengefulneas for the last time.
4, Hitler may' get himself kill ed leading his
elite, troops in battle . - Thus be would live on as a
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- 31 -
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heco in the hearts of his countrymen. It ia not
unlike ly, that he will choose this course, which would
be very undesirable from bur point of vi«w, first
because his death would serve as an example to all
his followers to fight with fanatical death-defying
energy to the bitter end, and second, because it would
insure ^tier's immortality - the Siegfried who led
the Aryan hosts against Bolshevism and the Slav.
This is one of Hitler 'a^ favorite poses.
S. ftitler may go- in sane .^^ The man has been on
the verge of paranoid schizophrenia for years and
with the mounting load of frustration and failure
he may yield his will to the turbulent forces of the
unconscious. This would not be undesirable frCm pur
standpoint, because, even if the fact were hidden
from the people, morale would rapidly deteriorate
as rumors spread, and the legend of the hero would
be severely damaged by the outcome. If Hitler became
insane, he should eventually fall into the hands of
the Allied Nations .
S. Hitler liaay commit suicide . - Hitler has often
vowed that he would commit suicide if his plans
miscarried; but if he chooses this course ho will do
it at the last moment and in the most dramatic possible
[C-*. ^^i^'^r* ' ' ,
- 32 -
mannel-. He will retreat, let tia say, to the impregnable
little refuge that was btiilt for him on the top of
the mountain behind the Berghof (Berchtesgaden) .
There alon0 he will wait until troops come to take him
prisoner. As a grand climax he will either (i) blow
up the mountain end himself with dynamite; or (ii)
make a funeral pyre of hia dwelling and throw hiiraelf
on it (a fitting oBtterdammerung; or (iii) kill him-
self with a silver bullet (Emperor Chriatophe); or
(iv) throw himself off the parapet. This outcome,
.undesirable for us, is not at all unlikely.
,7V Hitler may die of natu ral causes , -
8. Hitler may aeek refuge in a neutral country...
This is not likely, but one of his associates might
drug him end take him to Switzerland in a plane and
theti persuade him the t he should stay there to write
his long-plfenned Bible for the German folk. Since
the Hero's desertion of his people would seriously
damage the legend, this outcome would be more
desirable than some- of the other possibilities.
g. Hitler may fall into the hand s of the
United Hatiohs .^ This is perhaps the least likely,
but the most desirable, outcome.
^ t;^" .
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- 33 -
in asking these predictions we have been swayed
most by the supposition thet Hitler's chief concern
13 the immortality of his legend and consequently
he will endeavor to plan his own end according to
the most heroic/ tragic and dramatic pattern.
Optipns #5 (insanity to some extent) and #3 (dramatic
suicide), Qt #4 (death at the front), strike us as
roost probable today.
Propaganda measures should, if possible, be
devised to prevent #4 and #5.
■s'vA."/
""i5»»^Mt' ,' '
C. aupgeations for the Tregtment 'of Eitlor
Ir After the Defeat of (^.erm any, if Hjtlor is
4.,ir An into custody by th e Ttnited j?a.ti6ns.- Any one
Of the conventional punishihenta ^ a trial followed
by execution, by life imprisonment or by exile -
will provide a trafgio ending for the drama of Hitler's
sensational career; and thus contribute the element
'that is noeess'ary to the resu rrection and perpetuation
of tha Hitlerien legend , '"hat can the Allies do that
will spoil the tragedy and thus kill the legend?
As an answer to this question, the following plen is
suggested.. It should work if properly executed.
- 34 -
1. (a) Bring the Naei leaders to trial;
condemn the chief culprits the death, hut proclaim
Hitler mentally unbalanced.
1. (h) Commit Hitler to en insane asylum
(such as St. Elisabeth's, Washington, D. C.) and house
him in a comfortable dwelling specially built for his
occupancy* I.et the world know that he is being well
troatedf
1, (c) Appoint a committee of psychiatriata
4 ,
and paychologiata to examine him and test his faculties
at r^gwler intervals f Unknown to him, have sound'*
films taken of bis l?ehavl©y. They will show his fits
and tirades end condewhationi? pf everyone in the world,
including t^e German peoples
1. (d) Exhibit rogUlarly to the public
of the entire world aelectod segments of these sound-
reels, ao thet it een be teen how unbalanced he is,
how mediocre his performance on the customary teats.
•If taken in a routine, atilentific and undramatio manner
the pictures will become quite tireaome ofter a while
and the people will get bored with Hitler in a year or
so. (Trust spolence to. take the drapa out of anything.)
1^ (e) Hitler's oaae showld bo presented
to the world as a leason: "This is what happens to •
di
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- 35 -
crack-brained fanatics who try to dominate the world."
As such it could serve as a powerful deterrent to
others with fantasies of world domination.
1. (f ) A thorough study of Hitler's personal-
ity would be of considerable importance to psychiatry j
and the publication of a carefully documented book
on the subject would not only act as a deterrent
(publi3ho4 in popular form) to future would-be Hitlers,
"but would ^e a significant contribution to science.
2. T^^f»»>^T. Wow and the .Cosaation of HdstJlitJes. -
The aim should be either (i) to accelercte Hitler»8
mental deterioration, to drive him insane; or (ii)
to prevent hip frop irisuring the perpetuation of his
• legend by ending hi«« life dramatically and tragically.
TheJPe are various paychoiogical techniques avail-
able for accelerating Hitler'? nervous brerkdown,
but they will not be oonsidored here. None could be
30 certsiniy effective as repeated military setbacks.
VJQ Shall limit ourselves to a few measures which
might serve (2. (a)) ijo detar Hitlep from arranging
a hero's or a martyr's death for himself, and (2. (b))
to make him believe thf»t the immortality of his legend
will not suffer if ho falls into the hands of the
United Nations.
- ^6
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2* (ft) Flood Germany with coraraunlcatioha
(leaflets, short-wave , long- wave , official speeches,
underground transmission from Sweden, Switzerland,
Turkey) telling the .people that Hitler can not be
trusted, that he is planning (quoting Hess, Strasaer^
Hanfstaefigel, Iteuschnlng and other Na?;is in England
and America) to l^ave them treacherously to their
fate by getting himself killed. This will be a sly
trick of his to insure his own prestige and future
fame. He does not care for the Gorman people; he cares
only for bis Oim glory. He is ho better than a sea-
captain who quits his ship, leaving his crew to
drown. Drop vivid cartoons of Hitler rushing
* ludicrously forward to hie death on the Russian front
(out of a guilty conscience over the noble Germans he
has condemned to die there for his glory); also
cartoons of his arranging to have himself shot, and
others of his committing suicide. Interpret this as
the easy way out, a cowardly betrayal of his people,
the act of a bad conscience, the qulntcsaenco of
vanity. Warn the people against him,, the false
prophet, the Judas Isparlot of the German Revolution,
etcetera. If hundreds of these leaflets, pamphlets »
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* '<t
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I. "VK-
■^•^>
" f';T'.
'y';v
•'^*>' /
.^-'^^
- 37 -
gtroamers ,©«•« dt'opped over Berchteagaden, the chances
^re that i&m Of the© will foil In places where Hitler
felmself la Ukely to come oh them. He Is very sus-
peptlhle to ridicule, and if the cartoons are clever
.enough to make suicide seem cowardly, grotesque, or
l-idlculousV i* ">ay ^® enough to deter him. Predic-
tion will $ppil the startling effect.
$^ (h) Flood Germany with another series
of qommwilcatlons in which the people are told that
^ho Nazi leaders who led them into this disastrous
ira« are going to t>e e^s^QUted ^ afyQ^ccept Hitler,
^ who will ho exiled to ^alnt He;i.ena where he can brood
* ove|t h4?i airi«i foi- the rest of his IXt^* write as
if we thoughit that thi? wafl the most terrihle of all
pvnisbments. But actually this idea should appeal
to Hitler, who greatly adinlres Napoleon and knows
that the Napoleonle legend was fostered by the man's
last years at Saint Helena, This treatment would
be better than any he could now be hoping to receive
from his enemiea. It inlghtj positively attract him.
He would imagine himself painting landscapes, writing
his new Bible, end making planig for an even greater
Oermanvr^volutt<:>h to be oeirried out in his namo thirty
years henoe^
- 38 -
By the repeated and not too obvious use of these
two messagea Hitler wduld be faced by a conflict
between (D a self-annihilation which might be in-
terpreted as a cowardly betrayal, and (2) a peaceful
old age at Saint Helena. He might choose the latter
and so alloir himself to be taken by the Allies .
Only later tould he discover that ther^ was to be
no .Saint Helena for him. This trick of ows is
justified by the necessity of pi?eventing the resurrec-
tion of the memory of Hitler aa a superman to rouse
future generations of criminals aid revolutionaries.
p. anpi pestions for the Treatment of the
I. Tf««tening the> >^»«kdo#t^ of Geyffianyta Faith in
Hitler.- the German people have put th^ir Whole trust
in Hitler. He is their:»tai^ > as h6 military coiamander
representing "a special OlasS cdiiild be their man.
Having taken the entire responsibility for the conduct
of affairs, he has become tl^eir conscienc e and so
relieved them temporarily of guilts The^jrido— -
system and security- system of each individual German
is thus based on Hitler^s genius and success. The
bulk of the people will not easily be persuaded of
.*"-; -.^^^-^^n'nr^-^
- 39 -
it ■
' '^ V
his incompetence and falseness. They will cling as
long as possible to the illiision of his omniscience
because without this they have nothing. Vvhen it
comes, f.v.» ^t^iftnchantment wil l be sudden and catas-
trophic to -German morale generally.
The Allies can rely on the march of physical
events to bring about the eventual disenchantment
of th« German people; but since events will march
faster aiid the W8^ viU end sooner if this disencbant-
jnsnt cm be hastened by other means, the Allies should
not overloo)5 the power of wopds to change sentiments
and attitudes. The foiLlowing suggestions may prove
of sow© value ,
1. (a) Technique o f communication.- One
effective wethod would be th^t of prlntit^^ leaflets
containing the r^ames^ ran^ and regiments of German
soldiers ?>edently taken prisoner , The Gestapo could
hardly succeed in p'reventJlig an^^ious parents from
picking up these leaflets to obtain the latest news
of their sons at the front. Communications of this
sort might start somewhat as follows: NEWS PROM THE
FRONT. Among the 20^000 German soldiers who surrendered
to the V<orld Army In Sicily the following were happy
at the prospect of going to America, the land of free
.•;■. .■ ;->; ■. ■■i-.s^(.y.vJ'<-;>.-'. i;'-:v"..f-; . >-''.■,':■■'%-;-'
-«»40 -
.V
speech and free aOtlon: Corp. Hans Schmidt, Capt.
Heinrlch Wittels-j etc. etc. «Why are you laughing?" ,
they were asked.. "Because, •* they answered, "we are
going to the United States; whereas you are going
^o the land of the False Prophet and the Geatapol"
etc., etc.
We suggest that HEWS PROM THE FRONT be distributed
at regular weekly intervals, like a newspaper; in
order that the GerwEns will learn to expert it and
look forward to it, sJtnce it will contcin news that
they can npt obtain in apy other way.
Mixed in with the lists of German prisoners could
be printed the messages that we T»ish to impart to the.
people.
1. (b) Name fdr Ritler »-» In the minds of
piany Germans the woi^ "Hitler** is ^till surrounded
by a layer of reve^ntial feelings which protect his
image from attack. Therefore it would be better not
to refer to hiffl (except occasionally) by name. Much
more subtly effective would bo the vise of another
term; False prophet or P'also Messiah. Iiater more
dorogatpry terms - the Amateur Strategist, Corporal
SatQn, World Crlml^nel No. l - might bo effective.
- 41 -
1* fc) gtifeatlt?tttlon of a Higher Symbol ♦ 4
ffe* (jeiinatt <5l5ial»eotdr*»tJ?u6t;iir« la igprked by a atrcint
U0ed t6 trer^hi,^! abefi «in<3i aceriiioe, ^eti thla ^m
b^ jp^ettaaedl-oa $01110 eotl*?' * &0«J| tbe Abaolute, fche^
0!9?B»ftB at»t0, tUft Fuetoj? * my ^te hajypy end b^<hy',
COOa^quently, lis i^ilb© e#«|if«* to breajc their pr^aent?
eU«^aoo« t0 attltf tf a aatlafactory aubatitutf is
pr«i^$QtJ.t;ad* iJhi d^^majia will not recdily accept a.
vAliae that iM Ideatlfla^ in their minda with th^
apeclal pr«terencea of an enemy*natlon (Ifem^crSQy,
et<|4 ) i it inuat M aomethlng higher. ' som ething aUpra-*
aitiotial tb»t ■wlU'e:«clt0 the reapeat of aU peoples
^Xiikef. Ther^ la a greet need now, rather than later,
fei? 9om fe«a. of t'orld federation s But Iftolfing ^iSi
the Auiea^ In their meaaago to Oat^mcny^ aho^X<3^^«
terme that auggeat Ita apirit* Ag^inat Hltle^^ th0
li^la© Prophet, the propag$ndiata ahouXd apeak of the
World Cohac ierice (the name of God can not be Uaed
without hypocriay), and ahouXd a]^eak of the forcea
of Rusaia, Great Britain^ France, and the Amerlcaa aa
the World Army * (N.B* Suggeatlon for one leaflet:
Quo a ti on: Wh§ haa aeduced the Gormen people from
their true p^th? Who haa turned their hcarta agcinat
the Conaciea0t of the World? V-lio la reaponaible
thla time fo^ Germany » a Qncirclemont by the World
Army?)* to bf effective the terma "World Conacience"
m^^
-■"y^
■ ■ ^ 42 - '
ft^'^oria Ajioy^ -iSti^t b^'Jf'epoatfe^ froquontly, ''world
miSBikQa fy^m tlie fiyg^ titte3S;t)^gated ^dljliion of
lleia |^<#f deiii6ast*6fil«g Sl,dei»»i cfiiiefil eenteuipt
' of €li6 i&$a.98« lieli W^ ^WHOa fSS F^Kf efeouldi sad
lidt&enf dp thfist" quota tleris, •
m$ii$li»i * *^m$H%it!i±^ i^tMJ^QA th« «6dei m the
Wveldpaeat of tlid ITixtir ?iis*tf efld tltlef i^tibliely
asQ^f eased Ma edtoii*8tie« f6J» the t^lififi loaSei*,
(|t|;$rW6w3«. (jfi this p<tt shtwild fed i«(S|)finted.)
Muaaelini'a foil will do niuch. to Tjndej«ttino Gepmfiti
morale, end no 0|»|>0J?tuaAty'ah6tild bo ssiissed to
fifej*Q#«^th^ eoijinedti gftt 1?o^#een HJij.oi'^ii deatlriy arid
I fH. lf J I ■ I I. M l I I ..." ■■ I I I II ■ l«< !■■ I. ' l ' i '» ■ ' I . I I . I I . ■' M il IIWW . M.ui » ■inj ! I III I I <i ■l.U I I Ml
lijiss6iitti«$ dMMi '*' i*»^ tJdclln© and ffilX of the
:. II i: ' J II . iw . . .. I ... 1 . 1 . i ' .■ "
Xi it} , ^he Cbhceptioh of t)estiriy » ' *
^mextxH bolioVo 1» ' i^redoatlhatioiii (thQjtmvo.of t*id
fttl»lt*e), and all ootnnrunlcatlona eddl^eaaed to them ahotild v
bo written aa If thd dofont of tho felae Prophet
WGim a forefone concluaion. Some meaaagea ahotild
eo«Q from tho ^Voioo of ffiatoi'y*.
^ %¥ (fj fitelhg 'Advantage of Hitler* a
»ii!-. ..•^•/;; •••■J' :V.;
- 43-
y^««IilUr*« fl^e<}lsG 9tctus and role in
dQt50fioi?atJlnS*- Thit gljouXd fes mamQd io- talking
t^ tho a^Mn. Eoeple / nip ^xamplQ ; ViJo« that
mn$olitiX h64 OoUap$0d W Hitlej? i# in the h^nds
of' cental af0eiali9ta>>hat haa b^cowo of the Spirit
0f iPasOiSBif '* P^ "!>«» yo^ s^^ii belldve that a inan
wfaoao sanity bsa tsQen ootaplotoly Widejrmined by Guilt
0«in l6ad' the Q^rmaii people to viotory agrinat the
woridt'V . ;, ,
i: (M 6ettiieny*a Oho fomoini nff Ally. Japan^ *
fhe Mzi'to^im should bo (Constantly ooupled with
' Japan in xn ironical or satirical manner* For example J
«Tho Ha^ia and their blood^brothcrsj the Japanese,
have boibh demonstrated their willingneas to die for
Satan -*-'tiiia summer one million of them have thro^
airay tbQlr uvea in a ftjitile attempt to destroy
fiivilization," «who is responsible for this ignoble
league of Germany and Japan against the Conscience
of the World?" "A fact to be explained: Gcnrians
are dyi&g every day fighting ^i^ Japanese against
Gorman-Aiiierieans* ^f li. that? VrtiiS la responsible,"
.\. .. • ' • ■ ■ • . ■
- 44 * ■
X« (4} Hiunieh Student Manifesto. - In
pUenlng JJieSdages to &0rman^ hinti for one line of
propa^indd can l>« obtaified from tfee revDlutionaX':^
manifesto distributed Xagt year bjr students at the
University of Wml^h*
84 gesAft f^^oB . HHiX &t Wa j* 6rltfeinai$ « -
IS* (al Pis^ciiel^glcally i% la important
that at tie ^i tt thi leader 6| th« STszl Pert?:, b§
th« Oft« t» sttrren4l«» and slgft the ^eaef tt^aty*
the Alliea dh<rt*id itisiaU m thi8> shduHd dreg tM
giifigtttera without dereatfiny froai their hidihg ^laees
and foree thea t$ alga* (A little trlcirery at thlt
peint #b^d be Justified.) Th$ tennS shcmld be
' severe "ife first* Later when a aoro l-epfesentative
goverh^ent has been established tha.tenns can be made
more. lenient. Thus in the futuro the dictators will
be recalled In coiinectloh tith the humi liation of.
unconditional suirrehder ; whereAs the democratic
govemwettt will get the credit of securing milder terms*
2* (b) A World Court, at least one member
of which la a SWISS and one a Swede | should immediately
publish a list of war criminals, ad complete as possible,
ahd heutrial countries should be officially warned
that fto mn on this list must bo given s^nctuary^
* ' ♦.v;:c.vV''*»i.''*
-. 45 -
ThB Allies 9houia b9 prepared to Invade any coTintry
^tet haj?bor«> iwor Id criminal,
2> (V) The trial 6t the war crirainala
shpuid .b« ' carried out with the utmost despatch. It
must not h0- allowed to drag m m months, as this
wouia" give the (SermShs « convincing impression of oui*
■jnoaral w^atoess and incompetence ^ and postpone their
r^generatien* ta oonneQtion with the trial a short
reiaahle •book should' be published in aerman explaining
the naturd of international law (thi brotherhood
of nations). and exposing the crlmQS committed by the
fas^sistt in A.B.O* language,
: A pamphlet oomparing the terms of the Versailles
T^-eaty* with Germany's method of dealing with conquered
couhtriea shouid.be given wide circulation*
' . 3^ Treatment of the German Peop le after the
(^ftflflfltton of Hostilities. -
/ I%-i!i a«itimed"that Germany, will be invaded and
OOAupiOd IfAa^lled- forces I that aiwwitanaously tho^
will be upl-lsings of slava labor and of civilians in
C^^cupied territories; that raUch GeraaA blood will be
agilled* ^This is as it should be •* a fitting Nemesis*
Tha- Allied ttoops will march in and eventually restore
prdflki** This function of restoring order will mcke
their presence more acceptable It thi Germans,
m.:-
,-'- 1 •
■• V-.*»!v^^*fv*
T* "^ -^ « "*
- 48 -
$tV»^ ^i*««i<rte0i tb»^ w« id.U firva t ho Gorman
pdopie ptdfiMJiial? tomlliattd, J?6t#i*3e«i* dlson^hantaa,
%Q Obeying m artel ti?arf ©ntjeiiaaX' autilioritjy* fehor will
hairs iiQ d6paadaba;« t»t»«x» gttidoa to co6Wl fe«fa6vicrtp*
ther* wiU >e « wava of eriwe dnd s«lol;<l^* Apathy
\iili hd y^&n^spifee^d* m^mg iraaaed thj^ough a parlod
of ietetiae uiiaMl^iiity tiei «iet»pfajfatlett» ^pmnf aa a
aoeial aystett itill fall «^i?t^ esaia wait tfi auffet
paitt aM «ojptiftcati<m in ^H.«^ta*
Mai^^ianlzatleR ahd aojifualou will bo geae^al,
Qjjtaatlng a hi?aadtas ^6i«id f<i«* eixlta of ^ixit^ma
indiyldualisiH * A 6 ©ftalda J^bla ^art of the popwlatiort
i»iU he weighed d&^m by a hsavy aooae of guiit* i^ch
should. lead to % l^avliml of rNsiigloa* f ha soil «^ll
V * ' - "...
m laid for ft aplritiual i«a#fiai?attoa; arid pax^haifS
the ^ewmm, m^ w^V idXi ifibetit tH» futui»««
.' %<j im aastiiaad thati. ^sha Alliaa ■•dll dBB^litai!i|.t«
' cjerawayi mil tftaia^ ^ affteiaht guaji^aafeaea agaihat
tMiS\xt»njim»pt!tBo%mi *dll tajfe sta&a to li<|ai<5a«a
thft ^t(hjj5e* C3taaa| *tll ^ravefit raarmanieat and tho
tala^aa ofraw niatenala. Aa Dr. Fde rater has aald:
< a aoft peace for Germany will be a v ery hard peace
for th6 german people, dollverlftls them to the Prusalart
caste who led them aats?63r.*
!«tii*
m^i
m-.'-
- 47 -
th«y ««'6r <5«stla«4 ta gmem the eai«thj| (3) tlJf^lJ there
la np human I6i» Q» tiL^^hdrity higheJ? thsa feh« gooi
*i>f the O^xsnaa stats i. (4 > that fowet li to tje &&ai|.ea
ifeof e dve^ythiiitj 4a4 (S J that Might Wftkea Mght .
, ]jfi ti»estiaa th# (SoK^siaa '^$?«hftXe$t«aUs' *s Mtist
realise thttt Jr6 ar« deaUiit ?lth i mti&n staff oring
f^m pArahelcl tre»dti d«Xiaiiona ©f graadsm?; delusiona
ei* per«eoutt6s; l»*o^6iiiaa. hatred Qf atre«g efi^oftehta
aad o(iateiB|»t «sf wefek oi^ffoeota; 8fr6gfn<s«, sii&pt4t©u9«eag
aad "«fiyy * all «?^ *J»i<i^ ^^^ "^^^® ^^^^^ ^^ ^^ ^ rtactioe
^^djtibly.ths fll-at .foui* stefs ta thd troatrtent
of; a aiiiflQ, ^ai«6fl0id DorstShaXltr <»aa b« adapted te the
' 6&hir4i'aioh e>^ Qwrasuay. jt attesiftiaa tht« va iffuat
6©t. foi^g^t thftt tha «0i4i»§« ©I their piyahi^ siQ^0as
$tU\ Pi rat Step ^- 'The physician mist
, fgcih the "respect of tfae petlent .
(i) Individual paranoid * »■ Paranolda
caji not t^ twtod' atiC^esafmiXy If th^^y are not tftprasaod
- 48 -
(conteietisj;?' fiJP ilficen^eloualy) by the ability, knowledge,
/■'.■■•.
i»l|(|p»t, 6r/^l»fed|^ ««i>3g- flra^etlc fol«c0, at the physioian*
tfeia^toa, 8i6cd ^«i*afi6i^s» ibeiiif ftiU oeT aeet^i are
'• ' . (ti) |il3SlM*^ "^^ s»egiindnt0 that
6©6tii^y Q**a«ttf ahduid- be ^ifei© fittest thit th^ tJteited .
fritiae* eaii «8!le»blft * m%tm%%t with a Bkiftefy t>t •
^oBffiAhddd bf thi best g0ne**eXa* Rowdltieaa and dj^uhken*
heaa aheald «&t b« paimitttd* l?tt« (SettHfthS ahoiad b« ,
eoa^lldd ta adifiitj ♦•fhes^ sm splendid mss^ not ths
i^^ak dsgehepttes (dea©fir6tl6'so-ldlei»s) oi* b&rbarlfeft^
(litUSSiSft seidiejiis) we' wei^e led te expect*** T?he mf-^
i&thS adaii*^ *S?detoiSesa, preclalbii, efficiency*
'3. <b) Second Step ,- The potential WortBj
of the patient ahouid oe fully
■' acknowledged . ' . ■
^ (1) vtndivldual paranoid »* 1?he in*
dWeXXihg. brtimlng hungef -Of the |)arattold is fbr reccgnl*
ilon, poW«|» and glox»y « pralae froft thcao whom he
feapecta* ^Phla hunger ahotil<I be appeaaed aa aoon
aa poaSlblMli 80 that the .paraneld thinks to hlmaelf:
•♦The great mSiS sfJ^J^eclatea me. fftgethei* we can face
the worXd*** It, is aa if ' he thought: "Se IS.God the
PatheV Snd I am his choaew aon."*
rjT5.^l^5:^vr5.-:rprf-.>--.?)!r^"'t':*>'<"'-'- .'•■■■■■■■
Klfe^'
- 49 -
(11) . Germany .-^ Germany's country-
ai€d, It^ inuslO, tetlstaric culttire and rafinuments of
t«tfuty thduld bo appJ^QClatei and ga?ai$od4 Th<J ai»my
of oeciii>*at Ion should waftifoat Intana^ latQi?eti% in the
' c»ltu;^Q of Old GeiiBatty ahd ooaij^ote Indlfforenco to
ail repent deveXopments;/ The tif-oopS should he instructed
and- QOached by lecttires ' aftd gtt£de*bbdks covei?lng the
district.} they will oocupy* TWj ahould be told that
the wftr la not tfoa. ujitii the heart of the German
' oeoplis iMta beeii won.
9c:^ana' of the old' school ahould be hired to
teach thfl Oerman language; to guide the goldiers
on tourd of the country and of muaotuns,, to teach
native '.art^ and skills* Ooncerta should bo arranged,
omitting piecee that have boen specially favored by
the Nazis ♦ iditiottS of bi?oka burned by the^ Nazis
.shijuld be publiiSh^d and put ots sale immediate ly, • •
' All thi« will aeiHre a double purpose* It will
provide edu^atioh fol? our troops and oecupy their .
tittej thua hftipiag to maiat^itt tnorale. Also the
^ubaei'ged laferiority feelings aftd resentment a of
the Seraiaftrwill be alleviated*
w^r*- ■
- 50 -
'" . 3 (0) Third Stop ..- Inalght ahould be tactfully
-. . pyovldeSTo irfctle at a tlmo .
.; (1) Individual. i)6l^n&id.* V6i>y
gp^duaily* ateii by step, tha patiaat la enlis^htened
>s to hia cwm parejiaoid nweheiaiatta* FiPi4a ta being
un<sx*itlol«able and always In tha n.^h% tma% be gi^adu*
ally replaaed fey piplda i« baing able to r%m abave
hia <itm raaobanisJiia and cj?ifcict«a M-aiaalf 1 prii^e ift
being atrang enaii^ to admit aoijie waateQaasea and ei*raa«
Vk 8ha«*ld ia 9i8de %^ lindayatand that ha. has been
vlafeiala^4 ^y t»fi'a9)»8sl-0ua jparaea wbioi galhad control
over hla pi'opei? aalf* Ijui?in$ the ootUi^ae of theae
talks the physielftft ahiouid freely oonfaaa his own
weakneases and errors, the patient being treated
aa an eq\ial. .
(ii) 6ormany « * 5*he laat ten yeara
ol* (Jerttart hlatoJ*y shfiuld b0 interpi»eted a a a violont
iftyao tioua fever, a |>aaaeaaion of t)^ spirit, whieh
took hold of tie peop1.e aa soon aa they gave oai? to
ibe faiae prophata of F*aaciaiB«
, A aerlea of ai-tlclea, edltoriaXs, eeaaya and short
baoka ahoiaid M;^wyitteft noi» by Oormaha in this oonntry
(Thojoaa Mann, Reihhold Niebuhr, fooj^ater, and othei?a)|
^aicled poaalbly W siiggeationa tt^ psyahlatsi'ista/
to be pubiiahad ih design newspapers and diatribu^d
^*
- 51 -
"^iaajfa o?is<5atlaXljr •-p^^haj^f aigaed % ^ apiade plume
' * . • • •
truil* In tiiBOi tftjs ilaja;, dol\4tiomS| fefelK^&ei'i^i end
ofi»fi« of the Ha;^a. &*i&ti^l4 i»» ]?<s^l«v©Q efe-feotivcij?
i)* )aiat;6*^(s«iX aeqiAifiadf * l^iSr O^iifjaa people 8i&o«ld be
iaali«' %(i la^deratjaad^ tfaat ^K^ *oi^l4 m^HM ^^m m
i*awifetli4^ and \ia&fi^j?y rlfetJiDts 6f tastittetm^l feil*eea*
Tb» AlXioa sbimld b^ awg?5««|iiiawa ^JflSttgh t6: admit
thai** oira on»©re and aladeods*
. 5^ (a) gourth Step , *> The pctle^fe' should l>Q
Insooiated In s group .
, (i) ihdlvld ua 1 pa raftoid « <» &vlftg
attaiftdd a moaa-uire of satlef action by wiftftlag the
p4gpa6t and friendship of hla phplclan aiid theft havlttg
galood aom© ittStght aed coGtreli th® pc^tiont la readj^
€oS? glpoup th(^j?ftpsr* £#atai?^ ho catt b^ perattadod t©
4©ili outaldd gi?oupst. (jj:^duallf ha must lo^ro to taka .
ht0 pla<§d and crOopoJ^fetd m an oqiiai feaslS with othera*
fh* group hfii joiaa ahould hfi'v^Q a goal#
-•^^•^-rr^^r-^^
W^^^^^^^^Wi^S^^W^
- 52 -
->
(il) Qermany .^ If Germany is to
^e converted,' it is of the utmost importance that
aome strong end efficient super- government be estalv- b
lished as soon cs possible, providing a new world
conscience , that her people can respect. As said above,
Germans anjist have somethifig to look up to - a God,
a Fuehrer, an Absolute, a national ideal. It can
not be a rival nation, or a temporary alliance of
nations. It must be a body - a strong body with
a police. force - which stands above any single state.
A supranational symbol would. eventually attract the
deference that is now focussed upon Hitler. Lacking
such a symbol, many Germans will certainly fall into
a state of profound disillusionment and despair.
At the proper time Germany should be insocieted as
an equal in whatever le6gue or federation of nations
has- been established,
. prom here on ,t he therapy of a single paranoid
personality fails as an analogy^ principally because
the German people will not be in the position of a
patient who comes willingly to the physician's office.
. The Nazis will be in no mood to be educated by their
enemies. ^ Furthermore it would be very presumptuous
of us to try it. The most that the Allies could do
'^^^^^^i^'^^/ry'^f^'^y- :■-
, > ■■ --^A;- '^ -\- -'■■ •'"^"•;^;:p:?55^^^
- 53 -
;w«?ul^ ^Ji to eloae oil schools a nd universities, until
^ ^Oti*faao$8t teachers and fedultles hsd been
X^deiim3.H4» 'Phfl f^reatest problem will he In dealing
wltli a whol« gi^merdtion of brutalized .end hardened .
yOUSg N«»i«* (Perhaps exhibition games of soccer^
io^^tbaXl, Isei'OSse end baseball be tve en American
an^. English regiments would servo to introduce ideas
of fail* play tad sportsmanship; but much else must
be dO»d * l>y Ortrmen educators . )
fCii«.the eofiveraion of Germany the. most effective
agenor. wili ^^ some form of world federation. With*
im tMa ^^ Allied Vl6tOirr «iU have no permanently
ltt]>ort&i3t oeiJdeilU0n<ses« ' : ^
m'.\;
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sm^tm m
HltXey the mn -^ tp^ €^]tx pBse History
^t
w* H*; ©^ .^essftSQ
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- 54 -
sr-
ariiM TM ms ** iroTES pot a cyi^ mmowt
w> «• li. ir«j?6ott
qphfi j^tu?p0S^ ot tiila pat©a? ia to bring togethea* ^
la bi*l0f f ftm i*ttat)*ia imeim alSfotit Adolf Hitloy aa
a aau* f©f-lf altl#a atl*a%e^st8 eould iieer "Inslda
aitX#^* att^ adapfe ifaaU? *tfafigy io what they find
tlie«*t* It i« Itikit tim% tfte tHitoing of the war would
%& Speeded/* tt sn£st fe« a^lttdd, to begin with, that
tha intH^iaoie* dH^l© aea^lia i personality would
fee diffitait etiOtigh^te! ilisj?f^«|- >«ero the subject present
and ooopepatieg; ii thd tisfc* But there are two furtfaiif
dlfflQulti^S to 1i# fa6f4« ^ 0as nruat attempt both to
select out of th$ great fijasa of material which has
txeen *ritteil ab&ut |titi^» that^ which appears to be
objective reporting aud^ then further to reconstruct
his personality on the basis 6f this very inadequate
psychological data* We have, of course, as primary
source material. Hitler 'sf own writings and speeches
and these tell ua a good deal. Though we must admit,
therefore, at its beginning that the nature of our
analysis is ve*y tentative and that in many instances
FTjr, ,_^ .*v^-^-'^^'''A^:'^^T??^*^"^Vj?<^F25^-*> •. ^ -'. '^:-
;- ' .., .J .55 -
itliie^ *re dx4«M, it la no moiMi t^ntetK?* tlsaa the
psyelkdlogiocil p«fl piotiarod which thd't&feit thdt&aoliretf
m aoy case atudy one lauat begin "by ftaking who
the auh^eet i», whenoe he coimei who were hia forheara*
Heiden (S) ^eaentd .t!«p moa* reliable genoalogy nvpil-
abXe* Btere we note only oertoiu important pointa.
SitXer'a foxier ^ AiOie, wae born the illegitimate
a on bt Iteria Anna' Sohieklgafuber in 1857 in .the village
of Spital, f0 was auppoeed to be the a on of Johann
Oeorg Hiedler^ However^ to his fortieth yepr,^ Aloif
bojce the name of hia mother Sohicklgrtiber. Only
then^ when Oeorg Hledle^ waa (if atill alive )2
eighty- five yeertf of nge, and thljrty-five yeora nfter
the death of hia mother, did he trke the noma Hitler <
the maiden name of his mot her- In- law • As Heiden aays,
"In the life history of Adolf Hitler no mention is
ever made of. the grandparents, on his. father's side*
1 January S, 1877
^ There seems to be no record of hia death.
^=?V
V^^:^-':^
^. Ik. ;
% *
flit ^« tails t^v**'iai?3.y l^i?#r walr ^o W^ pother '•
jt^m^opa* fli»rt. fiiS?f raaay. im^m 1si> suggest; thot
A<$#iJf ajl,H9a?«» g^^iiOfat?^!? wa« apt lif^ibpnn Ocorg HledUl»»
*ai.tj 60 ^fcBdwa rmn^ (i| tK 7b« ea^^atorti oo both
sidee 0# %h6 f eraiiy w^«*« ^6»eat t'^'fl* ^^ ^^ dl»triet
of W|iidi>^tartai| id^JaXf iXiltei*atse and very inlrt*ed
Al^ii Si-ti9i*# «t Tl?«t ft e^bbieJ?, had by the cg«
«»r fert^ a6hi«v«d tha pOUitlon of'ftn Austrian cu#tftBi
^rli.ftial* t^ adue^tioa Jfor tfel* poeltlon wc» the
©oet*'|.but4«»a Pf hie rlret mfej AlSha Glaali who, fifteen
yo0r9 h4# Sdfiioi?! di^ i<l 1883* gls second wife, ,
whom he warrled six weeUii loteaf* died In a yen r< and
three »<>ath« ifiter, an ^<»«mary "J*, J.88S (5^ he marrifd
Klcta po«Xjj3lit ft dtfttaat «otisln*
In ft|>^0«j?taoe Heidea has ^coinpered Alois to
iilndenbm'g. (i), Gunther (5) describes his picture
as showing a big, round, hairless skull? small,
sharp* wicked eyes; big bicycle- handle nous to Chios ;
and heavy chin. He was a hcrsh, stern, ambitious <
and punctilious men (5; 8),
Alois' wife, Klara, Is described (5) as being
a toll, nervous young woman, not as strong as most j,
peasant stock, who ran off to Vienna as a girl to
; ^r-^sfr^ j.-:t:,«*F Jiji ^:^''L v^ . -\ ^
- 57 -
retiirn aft#» t«a yiiii^i (* <J«»tni e«e«p&d« for one
in heir acwiai «tiitti|i)#. S8» dodtei* (1) describes he j*
in-her 0iirl]f tbviUn t$ ttiXX, irlth t>a*b«nlsh hair
e(«atly pX«itdd» fl Xd»g o^l f&09 6nA heatttlfully
eicih:>esilYO gy«y hX^ ^yei, A itfilfl$f| Modest, kindly
wOin&n*.
Addlf llt>l6i>« li«i^ Ifl l$0tg fts fftl* ea can be
aacertaiflnd*^ Has Aloli • i'lfth tshild, the third of
his own Ji&thes» tmt th« tllf»t t^ lt*e more than two
years *^ fhia i^ n^etuXd s«ett «0S fi large factor in
channellllig th« p%ftt aff$«tldli for Adolf which all
the eYideaot 80di8ti t6 dho« shi bdre him. In retiirn^
Adolf, who fwiredand opposed hi$ father ^* as he
himself admitg «•« gave all his affection to his
mother, and' wtuifl she diad of canee|> iA 1903 he was
prostratad wltsli gfief (8; Sj 1),
Adolf aa d boy and youth was soDiewhat tall,
sallow and old for his age, with largo melancholy
thoughtful eyes# He was neither robust nor sickly,
and with but the. usual, infrequent ailments of a. . .
Heiden points out that the tincertain details of
Hitler* a family have had to be collected from stray
publications, that Hitler is reticent to the point of
arousing suspicion, about his life story (8)«
* Aloi8» children we^e Alois, 1882 (son by first wife);
Angela, 1883 (daughter by second wife)r Oustav, 1885-
1887; a daughter, 1886-1889; Adolf, 1889; Edmund,
1894-1900; Paula, 1895 or 1896 (children by third wife).
-.5$
e0wa©ia ft^<l 6«<?ia3?al ^Uef (9) feufe his OdCtor acya
«8i«(",m» Hta if99t<iei%ionii mm iiwih eo irero free -*
\?l5lk«^ tn tbi. JBduiatseipat owtaaialiat la tfae penuto^s, end
About M&i^«>"e©?lf idtjicfttiOfii Wd know little
except y>hB% be bii&»el# ttlU mi -* that he e^rly
«rnt«d to M RB ajrtlst}. that this, oiitroged his father,
irh0 atetEily dfttejuiiiied t^ laeke « g^od civil servant
pt hiai; thttt thttt vc« 6 pferpetual struggle between
tb^ twojs with hia niothel* aiding with Adolf and finally
sending him. of f to Vie&na tp complete bis art education
when hia fathes? died,. BXOapt for history and geography
trhlch caught hit ijaaginfttion he neglected his studies,
t<i find in Vienna, whos be. felled his art examination,
that hia lack of formal education was a barrier to
entering the architectural school #
At the age of nineteen, when hia mother died,
he went te Vienna to spend there three lonely and
miaorable years, living In "flop- houses" (7), eking
out a living by begging, shoveling snow, peddling
^ A Gorman author of Indian stories.
S This in contraat to Hitler' a own account of himself
as a bit of a yoiang tough (9)«
m
fm':-^
l«bo^» of any S6H« 9|]^e liid iddfiit 'bd^^n t« ^fjrital^
lifi#» biii fi»tl'«>Sdttltlstti and dnti^SXavisnB/ hid a»tl-
|d«a* «>f aXX «*ft«* t« 1912 h« «««* to' Muni d& ati<i
tiiti^ mtf. '*i«it«jjueftidi? ai»tl8*^ ^l6«itt't |>oatcard painter,
t6ohBi«aX ds^aftsnad and dccaalonal botise-palnter
titiar managed to earn fioma sort 6f a living" (8, 25) •
X% 1$14 bd ehliated in the army with great enthusiast,
performed hla dutlea irlth distinction and bravery,'''^ tma
woiinded, sent home to recover, and in liiarch, 1917,
«aa back at the front. He waa aloof from comrades,
iealoud In his duty, and very lonely. Through all
the war he received no letter or parcel (8),
The *ar over and with no home to go to. Hitler
in 1919 was appointed an eapionage agent of the
insxirgent ftetch^wehr which had just put'doim the
Soviet Republic in Munich* Shortly thereafter he
came in contact with Anton Drexler and what was to ,
become later tht Ha zl party had Its beginning.
Further than this it is not necessary to follow
Hitler *s political history. It is too well known
and the basic structure of his personality was already
7 Militcry awards were: Regimental Diploma for
Conspicuous Bravery, Military Cross for Distinguished
Service, Third Class, The Black Wounded Badge, and
The Iron cross. First Class. (8).
m
. ■ , -60 ♦ .
formed* Lcter years hsve only brought to fruition
latent tendenclea and laid the final product open
for the world to wonder at. We must' now turn to a
closer exawiriatlori of this structure,
HITLER'S PERSONAL APPEARANCE AND MANNER
Portraits or moving pictxires of Hitler are corinion
enough, yet it is well to draw attention to various
aspects of his physique • To most non-Nazis Hitler
has no particular attraction. He resembles a second-
rate waiter. He is a smallish man, slightly under
averags height. His forehead is slightly receding
end his nose somewhat incongWEoa with the rest of
his face. The latter is somewhat soft, his lips
thin,, end the whole face ejcpreasionless * The eyes
are a neutral grey which tend to take on the color
of their momentary surroundings,® The look tends to
be storing or dead crnd locking in sparkle. There is
aa essentially feminine quality about his person
which Is portrayed particularly in his strlkiingly
well-shfij)^4 ond expressive hands (2} 8; IS; et alV)*
Hitl.er»a monner is essentia^Lly awkward ond all
hi-sl mo^«»ients jerky except perhaps the gestures of
%his t^ct has caused an amazing number of different*
deaoriptiona of hia actual eye color.
- 61 ^
Ms handa. He appears shy nnd ill cit eaae; in dompany
and seems seldom capable of carrying on conversation.
TTsiially he deelairas while his associates listen* He
often seems listless .and moody # This is in marked
contrast to the dramatic energy of his speeches and
his skillf\xL play upon the emotions of his Vast
audiences^ every changing mood of which he appears
to perceive and to turn to his own purposes g At
times he is conciliatory^ at other times, he may burst
into violent temper tantrums if his whims are checked
in any way ^(16) •
ATTITUnES, TRAITS, AND NEEDS CHARACTERISTIC OP HITLER
A t tl tude 8 t owa rd Na tur e , Fa t e , Re 1 igi oh ^ -^ First
and last words are often significant, tteljti Kampf
' - i * :
begins with a sentiment of gratitude to Fate, and
almost its last paregrnph appeals for vindication
t6 the aoddess of History, however, all through
the book the]pe ere reforehces to Etcmei NattiPe,
Providence, and Destiny. "Therefore, i believe today
1 cm acting In the sense of the Almighty creator:
by warding off the. Jewe 1 am fighting for the Djpfd'd
work* (9, 84). This feeling of being directed by
greet forces outside one, of doing thd Lord's work.
Is the essence of the feeling of the rellglcutf ntystlc^
^v
No matteJ? how pagan Hitler 'a othiool and aoolal Id^Hias
may be, fchey have e quellty computable to t^eligloiMl
exporienoe. Moreover, all through hla aata and vapda,
both spoken and written, la thla extreme exa'gga^tlon
pf hla own self-importance -» he tJ^uly faala hla
diylne miaalon (16.) > even to the p6lnt of foroaeelng ■
a .martyr fa death (16)*
Aa far aa outhorljpod religion ia conodraed.
Hitler recognized both Ita atj?ength and weakheaaoa
(9; Ijg) and adopted freely wheteyer he fonhd aarvlee**
able for hia own ends* T*hat he strides dOtm Pretestant
and Catholic alika la dua merely ta the^onv^fitipn
that theao religiona are but old huska and muit glye
wayto the new (9)»
'SPpward conaclenoe hia. attitude ia a dual oh«r.
one the ona. hand he repudiates it aa an' ethical
guide, heaping contempt on it as a Jewiah ihvention»
a blamish like ciroumciaion (15). He adorns as
fopla thoaa who obey it (16). But in matterf of
action he waita upon hia inn.oi* voice, '♦Ttoledi t' have
the inher inoorruptibla oonviotion, thla la the ^Pli^
tioa, X do nothing.. #1 will not act, 1 w^li wait'
no matte jB^ what hcpgena. But if the yoi^a fj^s^tfV *
thea J kfiow the tim haa ^onie to aot" (14^ i&l)* •
Like Soofataa ho liatana to hia feaimon*
- 6$
Hltler*a Attll;iJ49 toward fower ooct gig 'ti9et4. for
I I . J • I " I I - rt [ n ■ II I I ' ' ■' ' " ' ' n li _ _ ■ .1 r ' I I I ■ I i V I I I I .- I J il l
Aggros 8 tpD <> Tq the Germon people and the wQi?ld et
Xcrge^ Hitler appeors as a man of tremendoiie strength
of will, determination, and. power ^ Yet those who ere
or have heon close to hltt (e»g^, 16) Imow th^thd Is
oonsclous of being powerful and Impresses others as
auoh only at certain times ^ When he Is declaiming
to a great throng or when he is op one of his
solitary walks through the mountains, then Hitler Is
oonsclous of his destiny as one of the great and power-
ful 6f the ages • But In between these periods he
feels humiliated and woak^ At such tinges he is
irritated and unable to do or decide anything;^ It
is these feelir^gs of his own weakness that no doubt
have determined to a great extent his ideas on the
educatloii of youths All weakness must be knocked
out of the new German youth, they must be indifferent
to pain, have no fear of death, must learn the art of
self-oommandj foy only in this way car3| they become
creative Godmen (15) t Hitler ^s feolingi! of weakness
and power probably also determine his attitudee towards
peoples and natidfis. Per those who are weak, or for\
■fioiw HfiBOa do; ftot display; j^owdr^ "hd bpfi only cortteifflpti®
® "^y gl^eat paiiUcaX''o|»portliiilty li.fs in my dellbf?:%td
U8d of poiver ^t o titte imati there ere still illusiohS'
abrocd 60 t.o the forces that iftoiald history" (16^ 271).
- 64 -
l^br those i»ho ore st4*ong he hs* f'eellhga of teapect,
fecr, subinlsalv«ji«ea (4;^? 16). For the K?it«lii of
the great wee period "he hpd great respect (9), T>«t
only contempt for the powerlesa Indian re Voiutloncrlea
who tried to oppose 3H.tiflh imperial powetf (9^).
For the masses ovea» -whom he htos sway. he feels 'tuiily
contempt. He compares- t^em to -a woman whoi prefers
to submit to the will of stsmeone ^^trongor (9)» He
harangues the crowd at night whon they are ti^^ and
less resistant to the will ;Of another (9).. Houses
every psyohologlisea txlolc to break the., will of an
audience • He 3»kps »ae pf all the cohditions which
mai$Q In the Qerooo pa^ople fo:r a ictoging for automissloa,
their flti3a«tle«; their feelings of' Xooeliaeas (^)« >
fl^ underatapds his subjects T>eo<nifle they are SO like
hitJiaelf (4).
Olosely related to his at titudo towrrd powej?,.
and opi^ of the Jail sic elements of Hitler's per^nollty
struoture, t4 a deep;»'lying need for aggresaicsi,
ddatructlOtt;^ brutality. It was with hia in phrntasr
at least in childhood" (9-5 • And thare id d.Yideu(j« . ,
^^ It is interesting to. note: tteeit the wnr agoli^st.
Bi?it&s;ti appe<^j?a Qttly to, have .l^i'Oken out Ijeeauae
. .Httler was «oovlnood that she would n (St end could
iiot H^laat tfto fitf^ngt^ of the denaan ar«ed forces.
w^
of it from hla days in Vienne (7) . We knew: too C9)
that tb(9 outbreak of the fii^st groat war was a tremendo-ua'
ly thrilling experience f or hixn. Since the war we
have seen his adoption of so- colled "^communist'*
methods of dealing with hecklers (9), the ipurder of
his close friends, his brutality toiwird' the Jews^
his deatiniotion of one sinall hrtion after another,
and his more recent major war against the rest of
the world, . But this element of his personality is
so patent that it hardly need« dddtanonting«
flttler*8 attitude towa rd the Jew& and towprd
I Vn I ■ » I III I II I ■ ii n I $ II Ji t , II n' / I I II
ftQQB#-^ AD^;;1^392ilti8iD iB not on tuQcommon thing and
11^1 "i 'I II I a
Europe hajj a long history of it but, as has been pointed
out, "in the case, of Httlcr^ the Jew he 6 been elevate^d,
so to speak^ to a degree of evilness Which he had"
never befbrt obtained^ (10, 8). That this hetred is
of a more than usual pathological nature is suggdated
by the morbid oomiection wb^cii Hitler mekes between
the Jew cod. disease, bieoddiSdcie, syphilis (d),
and filthy excre«e«ncea of. all aorts. The Jew
in fact is. opt oven e beast, h4 is a creature tsutsido
nature* (1$)*, He is at the root of all thlnga etril
not only 111 Oeriiiaiiy but eleawhere and only through
hi« deatunietion may th(^ world be aa^ed* It it at
thiJi i^ointi, too, thfit Mtler** feelinga about race
-.^^''.
- 66 .
find axprdsaiofi. For him there is en inaejf' emotioaal
diMjnaction between sex, ajrphliis, blood liufmHty'^
Jewis^esa end the degeneration of pure, hdfiith]r;
and virile ipeclfil atroina. Like the need f6r
dggreaalon, hia fenr of the tointlng of blood i« fi
mojor el^iJiont 16 Hitler 'a j^eraonolity structure.
Hitler's Atti tude ' toward Am *' Thet Hitloi?»8
attitude^ toward s^x la pothologidal is already clear
fi»om whpt has "been aaid abova. The best sources
we have do not, however, tell ua explicitly what It
la that is wriohg with Hitler 'a aex life* Prom the
feet t^at his' cloao associate,. R?>bra, as* well e» many
of the o'erly Nazis *ere bomoaexuala it hea been a
matter of gossip thet Hitlei* too la affected in this
way. All rellabie sources, however, deny that there
la any evidence whatever for such an idea (8)* In
fact, Hitler appears t6 beve no close men friends,
no intlmotas at ©11, Rfihm iWta the- otSy one whom be
addressed with the' intliiiote "du" (5) and It la
reported the t no oho has succeeded since the latter 'a
doa-tk to such a ■pokltioa of latitocoy.
txi' regai^d to' Women, the reports pre conflicting.
Most o^' the recent "books- by newspaper nen (e,g,, S)
st'ross Hitler *t' asceticism, his dialnterast in women.
B-f •■ . .s
«. 57 -.
' ' ' ' •
Howovei*, Selden (B) doetments hla Ipvo affairs, end
HBhfsoh tVh Sts?«isai3r (18), t?nd Rauschriittg (15) have
oonaiderQbl« to sey about his attitude toward the
oppoaite aeaf«. As far as can lie oacertrlnedf. It 1&
oompletely locking. in= r^spiact,. evon contemptuous (71^^;
it la Oppbi^tttolatle (18; XS) and In the actual searanl
relationship there is aoioethlng of a perverse notT:y?e
along with a peculiar enslavement to the. pdrtner of
hia' choice (8) . ' It la; certaiij thrt many women find
Hitler fascinating (16;; 71 and that he likes their
company, ^t it ia alao true fehpt he hrs he-ver morrlod,.
attd ila every love affair the bi^eak waa mode, hot by
Hitler, but by the ledy eonoerned (8)». In one cftaa,
that df hia hlecii, Oell,, there was real tragedy I'n^
volved for either he murdered- her In a fit of paaalon,,
according to Straaaer's evidence (13),. or he so abased
and upset he*- thrt she committed suicide (8), Finally,
one' must mentloii again hia frenzied outburst against
syphilis in llteifi ICampf (9) aa if the whole eormatt'
nation -were o veat putrifying hotbed of this loath-
some de'^eaae. Hoieoh»k atot<j»ents (8) thpt "Isheite
la 8<«ftethl^g wrottg" witli Hitler'* sox life is surely
im eloquenti underatctemont*'
fO-. ,
.>'^
"'A V'
68 -
* . Hitlef .• 3 n ee<S to Talk; » This rather obvtoua
no$^ la worth noting at thia point, aftar what hap
Jfiiat baen aald abova.-''^ Bvei* ainoa Hitler ♦« aiaeovary
of hla faollity as a 8peakar,'hl« own people and the
wor^ have been deluged with hia woi»d$ • The manbeif
orape^ehea la large, varying in length from one ani$
a half *o two hours, though there are aeveral o^
thr«in and even fovir hours' duration. In private,
morepver, tltler ooldoa ponve^^ses, foS? eaoh individual
whott he addressea ia a new audience t<S be harangued,
th tta momenta of depreasion he must talk to prove
to hitoaelf his own strength and in moments of
exaltation to dominate othera (l^K
Hitler»a Attit ude toward Art .* though Hltler^s
father intended hiib to.be a ilvll servant, he himself
oraved to be an artist and his failure to be recognliied
as such by the Vienna sobool waa one of his most
traumatie experiencea (9), Aa' ptihrer hla intereat
in .art continues and he shows distinctly favorable
attittjdea toward music, painting, and architecture*
A* is well known, Wagner la Hitler's favorite —
we mig^t almost ^ay only ,— composer. At twelve
he wai dllptivated by Lohengrin (9), at nineteen in
Vienna he waa championing the merit a of Wagner aa
• ' " ' ' '''-''^^''.r'-'<«»'5r^'/<r«^'^,'ri¥«r'
r-.v.t' *^*'
59
^y-
ttgaiikltt Kft^iirt (7)^ ttn^ ad Fuhx^di^ h^ had tt«dn Di#
Mdi8tfty»in^y o^«r & htmd^sa tiaidd (1SI)» td kBdws
all df «ngA«»ta ae6t^« (19) fiL»a It) thdii* i'an^ltien
IBA gdti ainQtioA&l' ]^dleaa« aie^ inapifwtidn f«fi^ his
aetioni. flia iairt«i» eic^le%> fadlinga abdut aexi
t&t* pixm.tf, hi« 'ftttitudaa ^©ir6i?a fo^ «jad di-ifik/
all fl2)d atittulua tnd taltifdi^aindnt ift thd plotii
paraofti,. aftd tb«ii»t. <>f hia- fair&t-it* cfirapoaai*. Ife
19 i]QtaiS9atliig, foi» exaa^ldi tb&tj Sltleip has efaoftett
Nutfinbairg, thf towa irtiieh Wagiaej« pei^sonlf'itd in
fiiattS St&ha/ at tha official alta of the ttaatln^ ot
linig»«i<*» Infludlida fiwraii!* lltlar axteiidd beyond
the ra^lsi of siuaie bd that ot lltsk>ati»t*«* Among
tha PuhWJ«»r ftvoi»lt# i-aadlflgd ara Wageei?»4i pDlitleal
vritingit aod oottaelottaly ot» tj|i<;o»aeiO(ialf h» has
copied iriLgn«r*tf tturgid and botot^aaMii mkm^P with a
reattltlhg ityla «hieh eoeordltig to fiildah bftdh
tratiiiforflia ^a living 'aentenoe into a eoAftised h^ap
of hmtt ijadi|t«stible worda" (8, 308),
' Xti tha fiald of painting there are t*o matters
to cdfiaidar «>« Hitler*» ourn work and hia attitude
toward the work of others. As regards the former,
we have evidence that during his Vienna days Hitler
showed little ability except for copying the painting
11. Prom the analytic point of view this may well be
interpreted as a compensation for sexual difficulties.
^S?!j^''
^-■'
70
of otherrfl (7)*, Seme, of th,« *or4c8 %mt «^ txt*ttt»<
/l«>wavaj?i» airplay aoja* fl^l^ |'a4? oj?$«nl«jiWoi» aad
'Qolor, 1jljo\j|jb 1?b«i?e t« not?hi«g oHglJMil.. IftWJjf .of
l^« paklntl»ga '$^^m * pap««iOovip»*iott, il^te^y^lii^ «*««*■•,
old jfxjiwai aad wifeh «jftp1S3f d«f<ilat« j?Xi6^; f««. of
%mr& ^mt&iii p.9(»p1q« O^bft QOnMlwIadt iHi^lmaT^d 4«9lSQi
(jf th« |^'3t»ty li»dg5$ ftM flag sita fu*^ii!»ff.^^vtden»«
otjbara* Hitler has suri'isundad hlmatlf with ijiiX4t«irjr
pi4lii*i^« ©f all aoii^ts aojd *ltfe Bortt»«i4?4 of vaiP3f
li;|aral and Qxplloits nudea (ifj 1S)» A<^ hla oowaaiad
dai^s art ha a isean .pjJ^ged of It a aaditfoiais, and
almaaltO qualitiaa a«»a atJ?aaaa<l Inat^ad*
. it ia iri ja? ohltacti*i-a that Hitler « a artlatlo •
intafaat fiada its |j?aa.t«st eiifeUt* H« -apahda a,
iraat <a«al of %imi m9v ajfehlUaoli^'a dtoaigaa and all
tiB^(^j^t«nt aewnaa ^utldiata aod attauwanti mi$% ^i approirad
^ "by i4>ffl« Masaivamaas, expanaivaoeaa, al?a, end claaala
'd«si^ a]*a tha <|tualltiea whlah Hitleir atraasea and
tLppiffivea !» tha huildlAga of the neur Garmany. Hla
4ev«aty*fl««*»j£c!0t«bi»0a(i motor roads i tha aonferenco .
.$ro\j0aida at Hutattborgi and his retreat at Berchtesgadan
fti^a all eafeaa^laa of tfcta^e emphaaaa* .
«:«;;^'»;rr''^ j^-^vr'' ►•<->r;r^«»c->?:' i^^
- n -
by niiay wi^ltara (6; IS), Hltlei? hioiself* accordlflg
t& fiftuiiclmlDg (1«)V accr«4it>t hi« vegeterianiaoi and
hi$ abatinei^cd fx^oA t^obaooo and alcohol to Wagner's
InfXueftca, He a»et»tbaa nmcb of tiba decay, of oivillza*
tion to abdominal poiaoQ^llg th^j^^ygh exceaaea* This
a$cetlatiii of Mtler'a ie all thi| nojre 8tH-klng.aqiong
a people who, on the whpie, $0^4' heairy, eateip* and fond
of drinking. It la itorthy of note, however ♦ thftt at
timea Hitler l« not averae to Q0j?t8in ty|>ea,of over*
indtilgence. He 1*1 foi? example i exoeaal-veljr foad
of aweeta,: 8«eetneat8| and pea try (7j 1^), and will
eonaiane . them in lar^^ q^antitiea*.
ttttler'a i»eotiliar Abilitiea «* Hitler, the lanedu*
cated, ia'nev^rtheleaa ft man of unuaual ability,
partic-alarly in eertaih areaa where formal edvcatioh
la of little Wlue and even in areaa where It ia
auppoaed to be important . More than once we find
thoae who know 'him (e.g.^ Rauachning (16) atreaaing
hia extraordinaS*y ability to take a complicated problem
and reduce it to very aimple terma. It ia hardly
nepeaaery to doetmient Hitler* a ability to iinderatand
and .make uae of the weakneaaea of hia opponenta, hia
s^k-
:*
>:?•'
.''^ i-
' /
ibiXity to divide them and stl'lke the« 6q« Tjy q^i
hi* tense of timing so as to atrlkff at the most
opportwoe moment* It It oertaln^ boi»eye3P« thiit
these abilities of Hitler's Iwve 4eflnil^t# Umltaitloos ♦
^t2«er has' beftoxo© more, and more initiated (l$) from
oantflLQt with what Is aatwRlly oo<?\»«^riii^ apd th»Ml
h*i lasiAfflclent; or incsorreet data on i^ oh %d b«»«
hi:» 4eolsioos» Jlore.over* his Own framt OJP P«fer«n^«
la an lans atlsfactory suld« to aji' iattdei»#*;aAdl&g of
peo^iei outslcis the ISurppefih, milieu* H«^ bati coa*-
se^uenttlf , f re<^ueiitly mls.i«i4er«tood hotfe apitlsh
aS(| Americiin points o.f vle-w trifeh unhappy. »p0i*lti to
his own program of expajjsloh*
Overt Evidence of ttalad Jus tmeht « * Certain facts
Symptomatlo of maladju$tment ;have already "been men-
tibnedj, such as his peculiar relatlohdhip to women*
Here there have to be added others of a less specific
nature. Hitler suffers from severe incomnia and when
he does sleep has violent nightmares (16) ♦ At times
he suffers frtan hallucinations, often hearing voices
on hie long solitary walks (16).- He has an excessive
fear of poisoning and takes extreme precautions to
guard against it bo,th Ih hla f ood and in his bedroom
(Id). Here the bad must be made only in one specific
■rF. . - J ^^
n
wky .(is)* M^ tAimat irox>l£ steadily, but; with expXoislve
cmtburaii of ttotiliritjr or not At all (X6; 8). Sven
th« AKtollest d0elal(^a d«fiEaAd9 gi^eat affort Aisd ha
b^k to work tiimdalf up to it* Whet) thwtrted^ ha wiXX
bi»aa)e out into ao iiysta.rioaX tantxnsa^ aooXdini ini
higb-pitehad toods^ fdaming at tha mouthy and atampiiig
with tjoconti'oilftd fuj?j (i$)» Oi^ sev^rai dcc^aions,
wton^ ai) iiBpoi!>taiit apoeeh waa dua, ha haa stood ailant
bafora .hiau audiana^ and than waXkad out on thexa (X6).
1]& tha eaae ot ai( leaat one <intat^atlonaX bx«Ofldcast
ha was ataddailiX:^ and inajcpXicabXy 6ut oft th# #iJi?«
FlneXXy^ thera ia HitXax*'8 thi*aat t»Q oosnait auicida
It the Nazi p^rts ia daatroyad op thi| pXana ot the
(lerm^h Raioh fai!^ (5), .
THE SOXmCES <yp itlTLM^S MAIADJ^STltENfS
Traits 4 •• The sohieold temperament ^ one such as Hltlei?*S|
which combines hoth a sensitive^ shy, and Indrawn natuHf
with inhibit lona t>t fee Xing toward othera, and at the
aame time. In way of. compenaatlotii vloXent aggresalve-
neaa^ caXXousnasa, and brutaXlty^ from one point of
▼lew of conatltutlonaX paychoXogy Is usxiaXXy aasoclated
with a. particular type of physique. It Is difficult
from the aort of photograph avalXabXe to cXaaalfy
- n
HitX#^'d fhyj9iqu$ ^d(surdteXy« Id pfobabXf falla ixi
E5?dtfl6hiner*s ©thlatlc l^gj*6up tbotigh ^^^rglng on th«
pyknic CIX). Thia vouXdi pXttoa him in tha achlzopfaranlo
grdi2|$ of teinpex<atndnta*' tti ta^oa of ShaX4on*a ayatett,
ha la pirobabXy cXadaifiabXa aa a 443 with a conal^arabla
dagi'da: &f $y)landi«(}8i0ii»phy, that is, an aaaentleXXy
maaouXiaa body but ona ahoKring famlnitia^ eharacteriatiea
•Xa0 (X7). / >
, pi»obabXy iaoj*a itiitpoi'tant, howaYer, la the sociaX
miXiau and tha faiaiXy alttiatioo In which HitXer graw up.
Ifl a atrongiy patHarehal aoolety^. hia flithef .waa
paJ?tiouXsi?'i^ aggiNaaix^e afld probabXy binitaX toward
hla sen, AdoXf ; llhia wouxd produce an individuaX
both very ^ubtniaalva' to authoi^ity and at tha same tima
boiXlng Ovai* t»ith rebeXXiouaneaa to lt# . Further, we
fe:now of^ thi axtreme attacteiiient wfelch HltXer had for
hia mother f If, as seems most XikeXy, he hes never
outgrown thia, 12 there might be a protest in hia
nature against this ensXavement, which in turn might
give rise to a deep unconscious hatred, a possibXe
source of -frightfuX "unconscious rage.^-^ pinaXXy,
*■ 1 ■ \ 1 - ■ : ___^_^.,.^_..____^,^,
• , .•
^^ Note HitXer'a frequent and unusuaX use of the woihI
MbtherXahd for Germany (9).
^^ HitXer's hatred of meat and Xpve of sweets ia
said to be often found in cases harboring an unconaciOTia
hate of the mother (X5).
'■:-',-ri^-yiKJ--^fTJ'T^-,.}-'^^T^'^ f^C'-'' ^ ,.?:■■■■:-■■ ■ .■■■.•■■■■■ ,. • • '^ ■■- -.,,,■..,.■,■■ j...^T»./v-;;:-i7^;.;!%.r^>/.,,.-... ,..— :; • •• ,..: . • - * •■ ;•'v^?;;/i?r^rV^
75 *
t;h« consistent fi|ilu|*e t^ftOhlevi his flUtiatie
amfeltibns, his l9iasXln^«« ao^ poverty in Vieflnai his
fai^ui^ to. arrlTS at. aiiy higha if status thea that of
eorpot^l in his beXovad artt^ (a), aiX laust have .
stiWttXated in highest degree whatever originai tendency
there was toirtird hrtttaXity and destruetlvenese* ^
l?"he s»ttr»esa;f Hitier<s"Ahti»6einitisfli;« Anti-
SeBltisfii was pfirt*of the soctsX wixieu in whleh tttXer
^ew \ip* Be admits hlirweXf (9) thai he syolded the
only Jewish boy St school and It Is known that antl*
Serattlsia and. asc>tleiitt were strong la Oatholic
ruraX ooBBBunlties in Burope-. tn Vienna, of' course,
Hitler came In cdntaet with violent antl*Sea»itlc
literature and It is at thld period that he claims
hie deep-rooted= hatred tpv the Jrtfws was born (9)*
1?h« ^♦theXogioal str^agth of thii hatred suggests
that thei^ were ^ejPtaln psychological as we'll as
cultural reasons for it* What they were we can only
Btirmise but we 0*t| ll»t certain possibilities. We
fenow that the name Hitler is a common Jewish one
(8), that Adolf was teased about his Jewish appear-
ance in Vienna,^^. There, is, too, the mystery of . ._..,.
^* It Is interesting that Hitler's description of the
first Jew to arouse his hatred is almost word for
word the same as Hahisch's description of Hitler in
Vienna (?)•
Alois Hitler's true parentage which hift a<m may h«ve
known. We alfo know that many of the people whe helped
him, gave him food, and bought his palntinga were
Jews.i^ To have to accept kindnesses from people he
disliked would not add to his love of them* ^t
there must he* more to it than this f^r Hitler's aiitl*
Semitiam is bound up with hie morbid concern with
syphilis and phobia over contamlnstioo of^ the blood
of the Oetttiah race. This, therefore, leads to a
disQussion of Hitler's theories.
!$Ouroes of. Hi tlei'<s Theories of Ha ce and Blood .'-
The concept of the superiority of the Aryaa race i«i,
of course, not new with Hitler* Its grettJ exponent
waa Houatoh Stewe^t Ch8mberl.aih*' In the writings
«f Wsgrie? a-l»jO the; same c6»eeptio» is jixalted. Butf
the eonjifcaot repetition of the ide* af 1>lood, pure
bio04# and unto ieted blood. which occurs In Vein Kaapf
©ftil« for a- moi?e than purely cultural explanation .
Thla ift suggested ^11 the wore forcefully because
of the association which Hitler makes between im-
purities of blood which are due to disease (syphilis)
and impurities in the blood of a superior race due
to mixture with a racially inferior stock; further .
^^ His rejection of the Jew may also stem from the
rejection within himself of the passive gentle elements
which are prominent in Hebrew-Christian thought.
77 -.
to th«i faoti ttattt h^'fiointd to th^ Jews as the source
of beth. ,
How it 1$ knoim that syphilophobia often hd$
its wots In the chil4hdoa dlscoV^dfy of th^ nature of
sesmsi eongre^s hstwsen the patents. With $ f^thei*
who was an ilXegitiottite and poselhly of Jewish orlgtni^^
and a stirong mothei* fixation, suoh e diJooveff ^y the
child Adolf nay «elX have laid the bdsis of a syiphilo^
. ■ •• ••*•*
phobia which some adventure with 6 Jewish prodtii^ute
in Viannn fanned to a full flaroe,^*^ Terrified by
the fea^ of his own infection, aliL the hatred in his
being is then d^ii^ected towaxxl the ^fews*
I.'
Sltlei«*s pejpsonality stdm^ttii^e, though, falling
withlis the nrevttsit i^nge^ tmf nm be deseHbed as of ,
thr p&2*ahold typtf^ #ith ileitis ion* of persecution and
Of grandetuf« Vhii steiAs frotn a s^do-matochistic
split in hit peifsonality (4) • integral with these
altei?nating and opposed' elements in his personality
are his fear of infection, the identification of the
^^ The name Hitlel* la Jewlah as was pointed out#*
^'^ This Is mere conjecttire and must be treated as
such* But it Is the sort df explanation which fits
known psychological facts •
n
J'swi a» the aourtid of thitti Inf ^otitjflji *ftd $&m d«« -
^angeaent of the aexwaX f\WciJloft wliieli mice* W«
x*«iatlon8 tjo #hft op&0aitet «©x tt1anoi«»X Itt pafeiM^e*
The drama and tragedy tf Hitler »i|Xi^« «^e tha
psroje^tloh oiato tha world of i»ii om twier eonflileti
aiid hia 6tteaj»ta to^'aolvt th^ia* The apllts. tft Hitlar*a .
pei^aciiiAlity aeema alaarljr to-^t due to hia identlfica-
tim both wllJh Mi tnother j whom hi i^aa^iotiately loVed,
atidwltlj hta futher, whom hfe hfited and fearad, fhii
dual aJDdk (jontradiQtorjf ldentlftcatlo« (th» ^ne la
gentla, paaatve, femlainaj th« otha* hrutftl, aggraMtva,
aaadtiline ) reaialta *^ whenever Hltlef M- ^l«yiQ$ the
aggreaalve r01^ ** also in a d«e|i hati'ed and contaaipt
for hi$ i»0thar and lova - and. a4i>i*'«tlon for hla
father* fhla inner, ooof Hat id ei»t)ie"c ted into the
world whera Oenwafty opmea to repreaant the-aiotheri
ajid the law and #9 for a tiaar -*• th© Auatrian state<
the Tathsr* ,J"U8t aa the father in the cause of hla
mixed hlood, the a our ce of hia domination and puniah^
. ment, and of the restrictiona Of his own artiatic
development; just as in the childiah interpretation
of sexual congress the father attacks, strangle*,
and infects the mother,, so the Jew, international
Jewish capital, etc., encircle and restrict Oermapy^
th)?eateA find attack hef and Infect he 1> with linpurltles
of blood. Out of the hatred of the fathei* and love
of the mother^oame the desli>e to esve her. So Hitler
becomes the savior of Gerinanif, wh6 clesnses her of
infection, destroys her eneniies, breaks their eneircle-
ment, removes every re$trii:tion upon her so that she
may eatpamd Into new living space, uhcramped and un-
throttles* At the same time. Hitler is cleansing
himself, defending himself, casting off paternal domina-
tl<>n and restriction.
Hot ohly is the Pa the j* feared but he ie a source
of jealousj^ for he possesses, at liaset in part-> the
beloved mother. So he must be destroyed to permit
cbmplete possession. The doatru'ctloh of the father
is achieved symbolically by the destruction of the
Austriea. state and oomplete domination and poasession
of the mother, through gathering all Germans in a
eeoQion ROloh*
But the mother is not only laved but hated. Por
she id weafe, besides hd is, enslaved to -her affections
and she reminds hiia all too muoh, iA hit i*0t'6 da
domiAant father, tt his oiii»n gentle sensl^i^d nature.
So, though he depends ori the German people' for hia
poait'ion of (ic^iolnanGe, he deapiaes and hatea thenii '
»♦
- 80 -
ha dpmlna1;aa, them and, hecausa he fears hla v^rj
love of them^ he leads them Into the deatruqtlve-i-
ness of war where multitudes of them are destroyed.
Besides, the Jewish element ip his father idantifica-
tlon permits him to use all the so-called *• Jewish^
tricks of deceit, lying, violence, and sudden attack
both to subject the German people as well as their
foes.
To be dominant, aggressive, brutal is to arouse
the violent protest of the other side of his nature.
Only severe anxiety can come from this; nightmares
and sleepless nights result. But fear is assuaged
by the fiction of the demands of Pate, of Destiny,
of the Polk-Soul of the German peopl^.
The denouement of the drama fipproachea at' ev^ry
aggressive step. The fiction of the command of Pate
only holds as long as there Is success --greater and
greater success to assuage the mounting feelings
of anxiety and -guilt. Aggression, therefore, hfis a
limitj it Q$itinot go beyond the highest point of
succasa • Whati that is reaqhed, the personality
•s*.. • . _ _ , .
may coliLapse unde|^ the flood of its own guilt
" . . <i , < . \
feelings *;?-^ It i&, therefore', quite poaalfclo that
^^ that HttXei? id partly eohsblbue of tjhla we Ijnow
froui hla own thireats of auicido and reference* to
• dylnt fo** the, Oorman people '(9).
W: ■
- 91 -
Hitler will do awtty with himself at whatever moment
Oerman defeat' beednea 8iiffied.ent enough to dastiroy
the fiction of Pate which hag shielded him front the
violence of his own gtiilt, fie my then tui»n upon
himself the des true tlvsneisd whicth so lon^ hdd been
channelled toward hiaf pdcpld an<5 their neighbdrd.
^.
BlBLIOGHAPHy
X. Bloch, E.
2, Dodd, M.
3* Parcigo, L*
4.. ' Proine, B»
6. Haffrior, S.
M^ PATIENT HITLER.
Collier* a , March 15, 1941.
.THR"CTOr"!EHBK3SY EYES.
New York: Harcoiift, Brace, 1^59 .«
GERMAN PSYCHOLOGICAL WARPARE ♦ «
New York: Conmltteb on NatlOEial
Morale, 1941.
ESCAPE PROM PREEDOM.
New York: Parrar it Rlnebart, 1941.
INSIDE EUROPE.
New York and London: Ba^'peri, 199<5.
GERMANY: JEKYLL AND HYDE.
London: Seeker & Warbiaro, 194^.
7. Hanisiab,..R. t WAS HITLER'S BUDDY.
New Republic, April 5, 1939.
8. Helden, JC. HITLER, A^BIOGRAPHY.
, London: Conatable, 19S6.
9. Hitler, A. MEIN KAMPP.
New York: Reynal & Hltobeoek, 1959.
10. Hitler, A. MY NEW ORDER. '
- New York: Reynal & Hltohcock, 1941.
11. Kret9chmer,E. PHYSIQUE AND CHARAqTER.
New York: Harcourt, Bi^oe, 1925.
12. Krueger. t. INSIDE HITLER.
* New York: Avalon Pre$J, 1941.
Lewla, W. HITLER -CULT*
London: Dent, 1959.
Life, June 23, 1941.
1$.
15.
16.
Medlcus. A PSYCHIATRIST LOOKS AT HITLER.
New Republic, April 26, 1939.
New Republi(
Rauschning,B*HlTLER speaks.
London: But terwojfth, 1939.
Vr, Sheldon^W^fl, THE VARIETIES OP HUMAN PHYSIQUE.
New York: Harper, 1940.
IS. Str^saer, Q« HITLER AND I.
Boston: Houghton Hiffllfij 1940.
X9* Vier^Ok, P* MEfAPOLITICS.
New York: Knopf, 1941.
SECTION HI
K
Iltetailed Analyajs of HI tier 'a PersoJiality
I'
F 5
I'"
(Written especially
for psycholo.glsta
and psychiatrists )
'^'iS' .'j"'-,"^,", V ;"'•*-' r^ C"' •• "•■' '" *•• ^- - ',- - .- ■^ J >'; .- ^Y'f: ^-^^.J^.^,-.-".*;- . -t-^,' ,•*•'' .f OVA fi, ,'<'■>. .-^ ',, .''- .^ <.'f>'j ,'.-
■>.^v,,. - • ? r -. •^'/?
- 82 -
PQRE7rORI> SO THE DETAILED ANALYSIS
In writiog tlils analysis of Hitler* a personality^
the /use of certalis technical words was unavoidable.
Although I have attempted to follow as simple and
Intelligible a fox^ as possible, I could not, without
much circumlocutioii and vagueness, get along without
three terms :
Need (roughly synonymous with Drive , impulse,
tendency, purpose, instinct)^ This is a force within
the subject (!.•£• ^ the individual whose behavior
is being studied) which inclines him to strive tov^rd
a certain goal, the attainment of v/hich reduces momen*
tarily the tension of the need. Needs vary in kind
and in strength*
?ress (plural: press). This is a force, emanating
,_from an^ object (usually a person) in the environment,
which is directed toward the subject . A press (for
the subject) is the need or drive in the object, which,
if successful, would harm or benefit him. Press
vary in kind and in strength.
Cehthexis . This is the power of an object
to arouse feelings of liking (positive cathexis)
or of disliking (negative cathexis) in the subject.
It is also permissible to aay that the subject
. - 83 •
"positively cathects^ or simply "cathects" (values,
admires^ loves) one object; of that he *'negf?tively
dathecta^ (de]^ re elates^ sCorhs, fesrs, hates) another^
^e cathexia (potency) of objects --^ their ability
to evoke behavior in the subject ~ can vary in kind
(poaitlva Of riegative) or in strength*
1^ STATSir^IT OP THli; PROBLEM
Thirty 3pa^rs ago Hitler was a common biim^ an
unemployed nonentity, a derelict of the polyglot
society that i»as Vienna, '•it i*as a miserable life,^
his pal, Hanisc-h^ has written, '?and I once asked him
what he wps' really waiting for* He answered: »I
don't know myself*' I have never seen such helpless
letting-down in distress. •'
Twenty years later Hitler was dictator of all
Oermany. He was not waiting for anything; but demanding
and getting all that a boundlessly ambitib\is man could
want. Many people thought that they had never seen
such resolute confidence in victory.
Three years ago> at the age of fifty-one. Hitler
was the^ most powerful and successful individual on
earth, on the one hand, the most worshipped, on the
other, the most despised. In Germany he was virtually
- 84 ^ •
a demlgodt he had unlimited power; he was always
right; h#, ©ould do no wrong; he wco the savior of the
Vaterlandij the.* conqueror of Europe, the divinely
fippolnted |)rophet of a new era. There was a Hitler
Stragse or Hitler Platz in every town. "Hell Hitler^
Wa3 the Cdnvential greeting for acquaintances* The
man^s pictura was prominently displayed in every .
puhlic buildifig^^ in every railroad station, in millions
of homes # Hla autoMography was accepted as the Bible
of ^ revolutionary fplk religion. Hitler was compared
to Christy . ;
The matt is Chiefly interesting as © force that
has affected ^the lives of rabrTi people on this globe ,
than any men' in history, aided, to be sure, by new
and miraculous instj7uments of communication. How was
it possible Tor a man so Insignificant in stattire and
appearance, so deficient in bodily strength and emotional
control, so lacking in intellectual attainments ~
how was it possible for such a mm to succeed where
the mightiest aermans of the pest had failed? vihet
kind of a man is this Hitler? V/het are his chief
abilities and disabilities? Whet conditions in
Germany were conducive to his meteoric rise to power?
vrhat is he likely to do next? And, if the Allies
-as -
get thelx* hands qb hla, .&)w odrS hd bo treated so that
ha will never rise aglilil as a legendary figure tjo
mati^gate another Satanic revolution against cultured
These are among the (iru'eatidnfl that have been f^ced
in thia t*aper *
1?he" aspects of Bltler»a persenality that especially
require explanation are these: tha intensity of the
mart's dedlcatlcn tc the CJ^eatlon at an itJeal; the
nature of his life-di?ai8a; "or Mission^ as he conceives
it; the fanati(SisiB cf his sentiinants gliqi Pe«^er> .,^^ .
Olory, Dictatorship, lUlitarism, Brutality^ the
Aggressiird Instinct, Hationalisni, Puritf of Bi66dj
and the fanaticistt of his sentiments cori V'eakness,
Indecision, Tolei?ance, Compassion, peace, R^itlonal
Debate, Democracy, -Bolshevism, the Acquisitive Instinct^
Materialism, Capltailam, thd Jewish Hace, Chris tlenity*
Also of interest arej the nature of his oratorical
power ovei* the emctions cf the masses; his painting
and architechtufal interests; the vagaflea of his
sex instinct; and the significance of his neurotic
and psychotic symptoms*
- 86 w
II, I^HTSICAI. OOKSTIfUTION
(A point of fxindajnontdl Iinp6»tan60 I0 thd larga
gyoio (fQiaini;ie) eomponent in Hitler's constitution*
His hips are tdde ana his shoulders reletivoly
nari»QW. Hia niuacles are flabby; his lfl$a thin and
spindly, thQ lattei- being hidden in th6 past by
heavy boots and more recently by long trousers* He
is hollow cheated, end in the throes of passionate
speech His voice sometimes breaks Into shrill falsetto*
In contrast to his ttagcuXine ideal for Oenttan youth,
Hitler's physical strength and agility are definitely
b<sl&w the average, fie was frȣl as a child, never
labored In th^ fields, oeref played rou^ games.
m has long tapQj?ing eeissltiire fingera. Ih Vienna,
h6 was too weaic to be ettployed on constyuotion Jobs .
and before the outbreak of ^'orld We.r I was rejected
by the Austrian Army as permanently disqualified
for service. He was discouraged after one attempt
to ride a horse, and in the last twenty years his
exercise has b&en limited to short walks. Some
informants say that he is physically incapable of
normal soxixal relations. His movements have been
- 87 •
doscrlbed es womenlsh -^ a dolnty ladylike wny of
walking (when not asstimlng a mllitcry carriage In
public), of famine to gestures of his arms — a
peculiar graceless Ineptitude reminiscent of, a girl
thx^owlnga baseball^
»
2* Medical arid Paychlatrlc Hlstogy
Hitler has suffered from nervous gastritis, or
Indigestion, for ttahy years. This Is probably a
psychosomatic syndrome, part and parcel of his general
neurotlclsm* '
A German psychiatrist who examined Rltlor'a medical
record In World War i has" reported that the diagnosis
of his condition was hysterical blindness. In other
words, he did not suffer fi»om mustard gas poisoning,
as publicly stated, but from a war neurosis » Xt has
also been said that he was not only blind but d\mib,.
and (according to one Informant) deaf.
Soma years ago a benign polyp was removed from
a vocal chord.
Hitler Is a victim of temper tantrums which have
Increased In Intensity and frequency d\irlng the last
ten years. A typical seizure consists of (1) pacing,
shouting, cursing, blaming, accusations of treachery
m ■:
'■ \ " . ' ''7'V '^'V,''! '#*'J|- -fS'T../'^ '
- 88 -
h
and botrQyGl; (2) weeping and exhibitions of self-
pity; and ($) falling on the- floor, foaming at the
mouth, bltlt^g the carpet. The man has some control
OVe^e these epileptiform attacks, using them to get
his OAvn ifvay with his close associates.
Hitler also suffers from agitated deprossions,
affrighting nightmares, hypochondriacal states in which
he fears that hd "will be poisoned or die from cancer
5f the stOinftch.
lit i APPEARANCE ANU^PRESSIVE ATTITUDES
The moat aignificant fact about Hitler's appoar-
anco la Ita utter Inalghlficance. He Is the proto-
type of the little men, an \jnnecessary duplicate,
apparently, that one would never tvirn to look at
twice. For ten years, notwlthstcnding, Oermons have
been gazing at him and^ spellbound, seen the magnetic
figxire of one who could have said and done what Hitler
has said ahd done.
Comments have chiefly centered on Hitler's eyes
and his hands. Although his greyiah-blue eyes are
usually stary and dead, impersonal and unseeing, at
times he looks a man or woman straight in the face
with a fixed, unwavering gaze that has been described
^■j-'.-r- ■».,:..,>..:,/ ^..'---x ; v v^^Vt^rf^^ /tij rv. -ATtiTr? ^?; --V^'* ^ • ^'-y^X ''"^"'^^ ' -v "•• ' ^.•■:,.:-.4.----. :>.•.. ■,./.,-•.. ^^ ^;.;,-.^- ^y.i*p.-;>a.-^i*;r~:'^>s,i;./rv;,,^^HV;*:->^
3d
ea l^o'^ltlvtXjp hypo«^i«« Behind t?i» bebitudl ^aejaftcf
of oxptessioB seBie dt^Qarn an l^tdssd fXQnd of
p689l,0Batl4 dddl6«ti(»»* Eia 'hdnd« arV stiMkingXj
w$ll*9hapod and eaiproaaiT©, and tii 'haranguing an
audlanco Vb»t at* uaed t^o good effeot;*
totaXXy Xajjklng in dlatln^tlon* Hia features a i»d soft,
hl» oheaka iTaXloi* and pxtffy* hi* ha^dsbaka Xoo«#« his
j^aXms oplat and cXaiaoiy. Such f^atui^as oan hatdly
be appraciatad by the ©varaga visitor aa bvidanoea
of an li?on Man* • .
la hi9 raaetiona to tha worXd, HltXai* pXaya
amny pat>tjat tb^«^ ta the expreaaiohlesa HitXai*j
Xtka a dunany atandihg with upiaiaed hand in the front
of a «lat*wheeXed wot orcai* thai t aoyei at a aX^w pace .
down the fip?eat avenue between aeirled j?ank8,of ahouting
worahlpfuX adhetenta, There la the embarr^aaed HitXey ^
iXX at eaae, eiren aubaeirvient, in the presenoe of a
atrangai?! an eriatbcrat^ a great generoX, or a king
(as on hla visit to Italy)* a?here is the graciotis
giiXer . the soft, goCKil*fi«tured Austrian, gentXe^
InfornjaX, end oVen liiodeat, w^Xcoiiiing friendly adndrera
at hia irlXXa; aa well as the aentimentaX Hitler ,
weeping over e deed canary* fhen there is the tactical
' * 90 •*
Hi tie ^^ who cdmed In at tshe orltleai moinent with- ti»
aaringly right deoisiotij an4 tho ttygticeX HitXcg l
hinting of a thousand years of superiority for th«
German folkj the e6aaoaa.ed Bitier > shrieking with
fanatlcaX fury as he exhorts the aasaesj tho
hysteridalHitler* rolling on the oarpet or ahald.ng
with terror as he wakes from a nightfljarej the
ati^athetld HitXer ,,' Xlmp/ indoieritj> and indecisive}
and at aXl tiaes, the soaphox Hitlerj ^eady to go
off haif-<?ocked on a long tirade even though he i»
addressing a singXe individual* Of aiX these, it is
^ the. tacticaX Hitler, the myatioal Hi tier, and the
•poasessed Hitler which have been chief Xy inatrumental
in 'winning the position he now hoXds. It is because
of these pewerfuX inhabitants of his being that people
hay^ accepted and tolerated the leas appeaXing or Xess
f
... , ^ -^^;t^r-^-y-!'7r-vr.:
9X «
1837 Maria Anna SchlcklgimbQi' has an lilegltimato
sdft, Alois,, born in Stronea> noai» Spltal
jahana (Jeorg fiiedler (tiltiat*) m« Mel*!© Anna
Schlcklgruber
1830 Birth of p-ara PoelsX in Spltal
'■ *Aloi8 Schickligruber log^tlitti^edas A16id mtXer
Al9i8 fitter m* Anna OXaal*Horer (14 years
older)
1883 l>«ath of Anna Qlasl^Eorer In Braunau
188S Alola Hitler ». Pranzlska'lfiatzolbergei?
cal88$ • BtJ?th.,of Alois Hitler JJ?#, 2 month* after
marriage
1884 Bllfth of Angela Hitler
1884 Delith of Pran^lska llatzelberger
1865. J*|i« 7 • •
Alois Hitler (47 years) m, Klara Poelzl
. Birth of two chlWren who die in Infancjr
i88d, Apr* 20 , \,
, * Bi^th of Adolf Hitler in Braunau
Family move to Passau (Bavnrla) on Austrian
boiler*
cal893 . Alois Hitler retires on a pension
Pamils^'move to Lambach (24 miles from Llnsi);
CathbUe oonvent
calB96 Birth of Paula Hitler ^
cal900 Family itfbve to Leondlhg (suburb of I^lftZ);
Technl<5el School
1903, Jan. 3
,• Death of' Al^la Hitler
Family iwya to Linz
1904*5 A^olf Hitler attends school in $^teyt^
1907, Octijflitler fail* to pass examlnatioh of Acedemy
of Arts, Vienna
1907 Dec* 21
' Kla*^ Hitler dies, (A* H, is 18 y^j?i*» old)
190£l,Jan« A. Hi moves to Vienna ^
1908, Oct, A. H* fails a second time to pass examination
of Academy of Arts
I9l3 A, H. moves to Munich,
# Hot all these datea are reliable; most of the
early ones are from Ounther»s INSIDE EUROPE.
m
A, dHILDHOb]) ANC ADOLESCfiRCB
1889 - X907
I
I. B^mil]r Seletloftg
1:, |ph|£ " / " ' ^^ •
. ^(J8i0 dr the cenfualofi %Tm% hfefl arisen tn iw^jftrd
to Hltlej*'a fouetweJ?^' aisti^p«al?» efl soon a« iw reaXl»«
tla0 ftfejtaa Sitiet' htia b^en- varlotialy fj>ail«di • Bldlati,
Hledle^, ^ettlar « b^f iJiffes?orit ^enibara of the saaa
lilltej?ate peaaant^ajnlijr* Adolf HltlojiHa paronta
yrhtQ botli deaoendod froni on© Hitler (fathor'a grand*
father and mother ♦ a graat-gpndfather)| an inhabitant
of the culturally baokward Weldvlertel dlatrlct,
tipper Austria,
KarBhal Hifidenburg
Al6li Hltloa ^^
HitlfiJ<*f fatllGi?,
Note tettemblahee
to Rlhdenburg.
p'
w
94
Family at itoi*? iindPepg one Mt3^o^ iPathey
tlid dblef faeta «l)6ufc Aiot« ffltXer nrhleb hav0
t^^aritig' on eu» dna3.3r^i9 ai*a tliea9 1
(ai Acdoraiug t$ aa iii<it;dpy 0r4ai?ed fey thd
Auati*ian <^»ee3,Xoi*i ^ultfinsty Mai^la Am& Sohiiekl^
gimbejp bflieaiiia pregnaoil during he i? ewployflienii aa a
aai^ant In a ^aHah Vtermaa4( family* ?6» ijhia
raaaoift al)» wi« aauti' t>ac^t( txi hatf homa ijpt tha ^otrntry*
If thia i« tima,. AlOta ii^Jtef* may ^va been ftalf*
^andaUr tha fa a* tba* ba aaieotad a jraw^ lari* pirina
of vt anna I ta ^ tha go4fati»e» efbiaaon Adolf ^ la
IB Xlna mX%h tibia byi^ttlMala*
(t)> Itt aay avafttj^ Alaia HI tie* waa lllagltlmate
and aa aiich vaa .no doubt mada t^a auffer tbe c^ntampt
9i tba llttsXa c<j»munlty^ gpital, i«» which ha i»aa reaj?ad#
Bayluipa It natfor thla raaaon tbat he laft hla bona
a1} an early aga to seek bis fortune In Vienna,
. (o) Alola Hitler atarted life Ba i simple
'<5ol)bler but finally Improved bis status by becoming
a cuatoma official. For a time he patrolled the
(lamian-Auatrlatt border, was known as a 'man-hunter^ •
Ee was very proud of this position, believing that
It antltled blm to lord It over those of the cl&ss
tbat bEid oaee scorned hlm^
»,* , , <- £ . V *i:*vV !j- ,.« ^, '^^^^ ^
^ 9© -
(d) In appeerence Alois Hitler resembled Marshal'
Hindenburg.^^ He had a walrus moustache, under which
protruded sullen and arrogant iff lower lip# He wore
an uniform^ his badge of dtatus; and as a border
patrolman carried a revolver on his person. Hs smoked
and ran after women. It is said that he frequented .
the vi Ilia ge pub and enjoyed nothing so much as recount-
ing his accomplishments to a receptive auditory* He
was a coarse man, with boasts and curses forever on
his tongue. He died of apoplexy^
(e) He was twenty- three ye&rs older than his
wife, a peasant girl who had once served as a maid
in the house of his first wife* Thus, the father •s
greater age, his higher social status, the traditional
prerogatives of the husband in the German family, the
man's over-weening pride — all supported him ih
maintaining a master- servant relationship with his
wife. Prau Hitler was nervous, mild, devoted, and
submissive. In his own home, Alois Hitler WaS a
tyrant*
(f ) In his treatment of his son Adolf, it is
said that the father was stern and harsh* Physical
punishments were frequent. He seems to have looked on
his son as a weakling^, a good-for-nothing, moonstruck
^' ._•^,^^^.^^v**^>^.:^.*•f^•^::^.' '• '.^r^?:^^ • v ;- ■ v^^^-^^-'> a? .-.^ .^-^v;.---;. ..v . v-, -.y ,^-s- ..: ^^c:^.. . •
if. ^ ,, ,•
• 98 -
aream^i*; at tlnos porhapd hla vanity imagined a
fjuccesaful career for the boy, which would still further
lift the fpmlly status, and so when young Adolf announced
his intention to be an artist the father, perceiving
the frustration of his dream, put his foot down —
"An artist, no, never as long es I live." (K.K. 14).
(g) .There is some doubt about the complexion of
Alois Hitler »s political sentiments, Haniach reports
that "Hitler heard from his father only praise of
Germany and all the faults of Austria;" but, accord-
ing 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*
(h) It is not unlikely that Hitler in writing
his sketch of the typical lower class home drew upon
his personal experiences, and if this is true, the
following passages give us an interesting side-light
on the character of the father:
(1) But things end badly Indeed when
the man from the very start goes hi»r^Q way
(Alois Hitler »ran after other women') and
the wlfe^ for the sake of : her children^
stands up against him. Quarreling and
naming set in,, and in the same measure in
which the husband becomes estranged from
hit: wife » he becomes familiar with
P^^- ••••;\^ f V ■
'J
^ 97 -
alcohol, ••'''lien he finally comes home on
Stuiday or Monday night, drunk end brutal,
but always without a last cent and penny,
then God have mercy on the scenes which
follow. 1 witnessed all of this personally
in_ hundreds or scenes and at the beginning
wit h both disgust and indignation ##V
(M.K. 58U58). -^ •
The other things the little fellow
hears at home do not tend to further his
respect for his Surroundings # Hot a
single shred is left for humanity, not
a single institution is left \anat tacked;.
, 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 abused, everything is pulled down
in the nastiest manner. into the filth
of a depraved mentality ^ (M.K# 43).
(i) Relations to father '"
There are reasons to believe that the boy Adoif
was very much afraid of his father in his early years;
that ho was timid and submissive in his presence;
but when he was out of reach of his father^s immense
authority (when his father was out of the house or
when the boy was at school under less severe dis-
ciplinarians) he was often unruly and defiant. He
had no respect for a lenient system of government •
Not until he was eleven did Adolf dare to oppose
his father. Here the issue was the selection of his
vocation: Herp Hitler wanted his son to follow in
. his footsteps and become a State official; but the
- 98 -
boy podded ha wanted to be an ertlst. Of this
eobfliot between father and son. Hitler writes:
(i) His doxnineering nrtiire, the
result of a life-long struggle for existendo^
would have thought it unbearcble to
leave the ultimate decision to a boy
who, in his opinion, was inexperienced
and irresponsible • (VI.K4 11 )•
(ii) No matter how firm and de-
termined my father might be in carrying
but his plans and intentions once made,
his son was Just as stubborn and
obstinate^.* (V^K. 12) •
(iii) -••he opposed me with the
resoluteness of his entire nature. ..The
old man became embittered, and, much as
I loved him, the same was true of myself
•••and now the old man relentlessly began
to enforce his authority. (M.K. 13-14).
It is obvioua from thede and other passages,
as well as from local hearsay, that the i*elations of
Adolf and his parent from 1900^1903 (when the father
died) were exceedingly stormy. It wns a classical
father-son conflict.
(j) Hote l Hitler ♦s attitude to old men. In
many places, in KEIN KAMPF and in some of his recorded
conversations. Hitler speaks of old men in a derogatory and
edntemptudus mannei:'* it is often very suggestive of what
might have been hie sentiments tbimrds his sixty-
year-old father (twenty**- three years older than his
mother) # The following quotations might be cited
in i 1 Ills t rat ion:
» 99 -
(I) Rauschnlng: Everywhere, Hitler
complained, there were nothing but aterlle
old men In their second childhood^ who
bragged of their technical knowledge and
had lost their sound common sense,
(II) Hitler, quoted bv Helden:
Mv Kre&t adversary, Reichapx«sldent von
. HLdenburg,;ii tOdey (^ptt^pVe yoo^
of age. I erf fortj-ttoNfl^n4;^ feel in
berf ect health- ArJ^^ilbthliig #11 hcpP®^
to me. fot^^m'f^oeimm^Mii^P^a of the
great task which frChddSiS&^Ps assigned
* to me.
8* Mother
(e) f>er8 6helity of Mother
The pertinent facts ajTs thoaf i
Klara Poelzl was an exemjjlajpy housekeeper. Her
home was always spotlessly lieeh, everything had
Its place, not a speck ot dust on the furniture.
She had a gentle nature. Her relatively young
age, her docile character, her years of domestic
service — all inclined her to compliance end
Christian resignation. The trials and tribulations
of life with an Irascible husband resulted in a
permanent attitude of abnegation. Toward her son
Adolf she was ever devoted, catering to his whims
to the point of spoiling him. She it i^as who
encouraged his artlstlo ambitions.
_ : .|;<^,V--'^^TJ^*^.> v^L "^H^S^iT '^'-i -■■H^f:;j%'>v.s5^>*>>'iWii?:^;:yc\^i^ " o^f^-^r*^' ■ •>.• ; .>>\ >'•**^3?^V'^fS^i:?^>^)^^'.^^^'^.
;'^-:
"LI-
>^^' ■
^*"-
r'^ ■
-J'-- ■ ■
v.: ■■
r^'
'^:""
|:
't-
^ 100- -
Tho mother ',^5 3^ opis rated, on for- ofincer of the
troQst In the summer of 1907 fsnd dlod ivithin six months.
■■I,:
Tt is very llkely^-thfit the disease v^rrs inrrkod by
uloc'rctiona of the -chest, wall, r-.ncd ^tiotnstBseG in the
lunss •
^^V^XLER'S -mother:!^ .-^iTM
(b) Relation^-.- to^ Mother . .
■ -.."Hi tier- beta written very little and said nothing:-
publicly eibout his mother, but the few scraps obtsiri-o-ai*^
suggest many youthful years of loving depondoncc
upon her/ Hitler speeiks ofr
fi) ■ ,..'*the mo tTi$T. devoting herself to
v.-^-. the caros of the housetiold looking after hei-
, .children .wlth^ eternally the same loving
kindness, (M^K* S) f
. "^..-^
. ■■■^■.^
M^^
:7J-
. V! :',4-!,;, ■■ ! , *: J4 ..^
^m
: •' ;"\^*v' ' r> ^.. . ■.^; N .- . "^i^ "'r • ^--^ > "*• ^V' ••'•'-'. ^4';i^;«"'
^^-;r,N.v-^
. lOX ^
llb^Jti.
(ii) for three or four of tfa^ygjy^l^^ .
betweerv Ma father's and his mother ''tfleffChi;
Adolf mtierliai«d away a good deal of hi# ;
time aa'fch^ Indulged apple of his mother's
eye. Sy -allowed hlra to drop his «^ie»^.
at the I^Aischulej she encouraged htm In his
ambltlbfisTtobe a painter; she yielded to
his evei»ywlsh.at)urlng these years, > It Is
report^dl^ thflK i^lationittip between mother
arid son wil marked by r^lprocal adoration.
Hitler's aniazlriis self^ai^aurarice, (at most
times) can be attribute^' in part to the
iSpi-ession pf these yea^ wheri at the age
or thirteeft hi;^., father. Cted and he succeeded
to th6 p6wer and became the littliT dlatatojp
of the family V: «3* pl?«rj»^othei^. Alois. ^
had left by this .tlm0^1ft;o<l he tras' th* tmXt
maiev U * Wehold, o*:^?*- ^"'f^JS^r^S^^L
hapfel^it'daysi'they seemed like a/di'eaaf to me,
ana At ^^«y were ^"^ :(M,t. 25). ; = v..
:"»,••;'-«■-*...
;/^^ (lii)'^!: titler warites: "My aiotlier^s
deatk.>;wa#^ tei-riblB, shock <?ciinew*f i-«>r«<l .
,: (isr) .Sbr* Blooh>epolSa^t^%;Ad
cried wh^n, he heard of hla mother 'ajjiifw-
liiR^ At bpei-aticn and later at hej?, death '
exSbiledgre^t grief... The do^tqi? .!»*. JgJJ,
/seeit anyone ap prostrate with' sorrow, Afts*;
tfee -buri^t ^ ^e Catholic^cemetery, Adqlf /^
. sWyea;by'he|''g^y^lon^Jffer th« dther*
-ha<t,dep8X?tejy.K<,f>j3^*%j ■•■';*. "4^
%T^' ' fV).' -:eitlerwoi"r the* picture of his
" mother over his breasf la th? field during
World War 1.
(vl) That .the mother-child relation-
ship was a compelling, though rejected, pattern
for Hitler may be s-urtnised from (1) his
attachftient to %ubstitutf others' durlri^
his po3.t^var years^ i^X M^, ^^^T^"^,^ °r
'mother imagery' in speaking and wrltln|.
and (3) his seleotloh of picture^ of Madonna
and child to decoratethl« rocms.
^:
■; -. ^■ ■
Mr .
■ A
..iL ■:■
■ ' /
4 . .
■ ■^.
viij-
■',''.:.'■ ■'^^■r^'^-''
■■■ ■^^^^?5'??S^?J^^
i'H
Corper of Big Kc3oni at Ber&6te3ga^(Jen;i
■ Palntijig-^of ■ Madon^S: &-Chlld^ov«r^"mantfel.'
Ft^am tiieae and ot^ier Klts^ ol' evidence w© can
:■1fl:^.
ig.
GonQludo that Hitler laved hiW mother and hated his
■ ■'" . ■' ■ ■^."^- , ■ ■. :\.f .. ■'■■I *
father, that he had an O^dlpua Complsg^ '^;S-J^ other wdx^a.
But, a 3 we shall aoon §ee^ thi^ can explain only one
phase of hia relationship to "Siis perentsip
|. itn-v- ,j>y^-»y~.
.^^>4v^f'/;-;^-,'^
- 105 -
Sl>" ■
(c) SlbllDga
It is oertalnthat there were two older children
In the household diirlng Adolf's early years. The
father had been inarried twice before; there was a.
half-brother, Alois Hitler, Jr., and a half-sister,
Angela Hitler. We know nothing of Hitler's relation-
ship to the former (who much later turtied up in Berlin
as proprietor of a restatirant). The half-sister,
Angela, married Herr Raubal, an official in the tax
bureau in Linz. Later she managed a restaurant for
Jewish students at the Univera^ity of Vienna. For
some years she was Hitler's liouaekeeper at Berchtes-
gaden, until she married Professor Martin Haumizsch
of Dresden, where she now lives.
(i) Several informants have stated that
there is a younger sister, Paula, born whep Adolf
was about seven years old. Consequently, he must
have experienced the press Birth of Sibling during
his childhood. This younger sister, it seems, is a
very peculiar, a e elusive person who now lives in
Vienna. It has been said that she had affairs with
several men in t\arn, one of whom was a Jew. It is
believed that she is mentally retarded.
-.^jf^.'-X'^"' *'*?«■' "'** v'""-^:")C>'*
- 104 -
r#<
(11) Thero are reports of two children
vho died In Infancy before Adolf was bom* One of
th<»«e may have been Ednrand^ d* Gustaf , mentioned by
some informants*
$,. Boyhood fteactioha. Activities ^Pnd Interests
Very little reliable information exists as to
Hitler's childhood. Most informants, however, agree
on the following points: .
(a) Physical Weakness.- Adolf was a frail lad,
thin and pale. He did not participate in any athletics
or enjoy hard physical exercise. He was sensitive
and liked to be with his mother, look at books, sketch
landscapes; or take walks by himself. He liked to
daydream about Germany's wars, but he did nothing to
fit himself to be a soldier. When he tired of school
(ashamed of his inferiority in scholarship), he became
nervously sick (feigned lung trouble ) , and his mother
permitted him to drop out and stay at home.
(b) Low Tolerance of Frustration,- One can bo
certain that, as a child, Adolf reacted violently to
frustration • He undoubtedly had temper tantrums
which were reifiapded by his mother's ready compliance
to his wiah^i?^ (This was hi» way of "courting the
soul of the common people".) He was also finnicky
about food, we can be sure.
;\^'^^ >'
'>,'^.-
- X06 -
Vr . '■
Ih
(c) Rebolliousnesa and Ropooted Aggression —
At home discipline was capricious: His father was
often tanusually severe, his mother inordinately
lenient , As a result, he developed no steady and
consistent character; he alternated between subservience
(tp placate his father) and unruliness'.
(i) Lansing: His first teacher
recalled. ..that he was a quarrelsome, .
stubborn lad who smoked cigarets and cigar
stubs collected from the gutter or begged
from roisterers in the public houses.
(li) ^nish reports that Hitler
told him- that the people of the Innviertel
were great brawlers and that, as a boy,
he used to love to wAtch their fights.
Also, that he used to enjoy visiting a
fine exhibition in Line of deadly weapons.
What others abhorred appealed to him.
(N.B., Here is fair evidence of repressed
aggression (sadism) during boyhood.)
(ill) Hitler, as a: mere boy of ten,
became passionately interested in reading
about the "amazingly victorious campaign
of the heroic German armies during the
Franco- Prussian War". Soon this had be-,
come »*my greatest spiritual expeirience".
(M.K. 8).
(iv) I raved more and more about
everything connected with war or militarism.
(M.K. 8).
(v) A careful examination of the
first chapter of MEIN KAMP? will convince
any psychologically ti^liWil reader that
Adolf's vigorous adivptsacf of the cause of
Germany as oiiposed td thst of Austria from
the age of eleven onward -J^epre sen ted a^
legitimate substitute for his repressed
S'-f',-. .V.'
- 106 -
rebellion against hia father. Inspired by hlis
history teacher. Professor Poetsch (father-
surrogate), and a long line of German military
heroes, the boy could give vent to his pent-up
resentment by publicly proclaiming his devotion
to the German Reich of Bisraark and vehemently
denouncing the authority of Austria (symbol of
his fathom). In MEIH KAMPP Hitler writes at
length of his possession of :
(vi) ,♦. an intense love for my native
German- Austrian coxintry and a bitter hatred
against the 'Austrian' State. (M.K. 22-23).
Speaking pf the youthful Nationalist movement
that he Joined, he writes:
V.
(vii) ...it is rebellious; it wears the
forbidden emblem of its own nationality and
rejoices in being punished or even in being
beaten for wearing that emblei|p. ..the greeting
was »Heil»; and •Doutschland ubef alles' was
preferred to the imperial anthem, despite
warnings and pxinishments . (M.K. 15).
It was during these days that he first began
to play the rfele of a young agitator.
(viii) I believe that oven then my
ability for making speeches was trained by
the more or less stirring discussinns with
ray comrades .. .For .pbvious reasons my father
could not appreciate the talent for oratory
of his qtaarrelsome son. (M.K. 7).
The boy's ideas of greatest glory revolved round
the victories of the Franco- Prussian War.
(ix) Why was it that Austria had not
taken part also in this -^r. why not my father
. ,.,? (M.K. 9). I had decidedly no sympa-cny
for the course my father's life had taken.
(M.K. 7). During the years of my \mruly youth
nothing had grieved me more than having been born
MM-'
at a tltno when temileteif glory we|i #ly
erected to merchant^ 6>p State offitl|ri
(his father's profession)* (M.K* 53plJ »
I, too, wanted to become 'somotlltng* *»-
iDut In no event an official. (M^K-* S6),
These quotations supply further eiriaolnce
of Adolf's repressed hatred of his father and of the
fact that negativism end wilfulness had become es-
tablished patterns before puberty.
(d) Passivity, or Illness, as Means of
Resistance,- Hitler manifested a significant aspect
of his nattire when he determined to frustrate his
father's intention to make a civil servant out of
himi The policy he adopted was that of resistance
through indolence and passivity.
(i) I was certain that as soon as
. my father saw my lack of progress in school
...he would lot mo seek the happiness
of which I was dreaming, (M.K, 14).
Later, after his father's death, whon he wanted
to leave school, he won his mother's consent by making
himself sick.
t
(i) Impressed by my Illness my mother
agreed at long last to take me out of school...
(M.K. 24).
After this he spent two years of shiftless
activity around the house, which set the pattern
for his passive drifting, and dreaming days in Vienna.
. 108 -
(e) Lack of Friends.- No friendships dating
frcon boyhood have ever been mentioned and it is not
likely that the boy was at all popular with his class-
ma tos« During adolescence he was said to be quiet ^
serious, dreamy and taciturn.
(f ) Sexual Misbehavior. A Nazi who visited
Leonding much later and looked up the school records
there foxind evidence that at the age of eleven or
twelve Adolf had committed a serious sexual indiscre-
tion with a little girl. For this he was punished
but not expelled from school.
4« Conclusioria
(a) Hate for Father^ Love for Mother > (Oedipus
Complex ), This has been noted and stressed by numerous
psychologists; and some evidence for it has been listed
here. Rarely mentioned but equally important is:
(b) Respect for Power of Father^ Contempt for
Weakness of Mother # Hitler is certainly not a typical
product of the Oedlpu«i complex, and more can be learned
about the tmderlying forces of his character by
observing which parent he has emulated, rather than
which parent he has loved. In MEIN KAMPP, he writes,
"I had respected my father, but I loved my mother."
- 109 -
>Si? \ '
ih .
r'i
m-
He might better hovo sold, "I lovod my mother, but
I respected ray father", because respect has always
jneant more to him than love.
(c) Identification with Father . Although Hitler
has not the physique or temperament of his old man,
being constitutionally of another type, it is evident
that he has imitated, consciously or unconsciously,
many of his father's traits and none of his mother's.
(d) Adolf Hitler's will to power, his pride,
aggressiveness and cult of brutality are all in
keeping with what we know of the personality and
conduct of Alois Hitler. The son's declaration that
he has demanded nothing but sacrifices from his ad-
herents is certainly reminiscent of the father's
attitude toward wife and children.
(i) ...his son has vindoubtedly in-
herited, amongst other qualities, a stubborn-
ness similar to his own... (M.K. 14).
(e) The father's loud, boastful, and perhaps
drunken, talk, at home and at the pub (described by
some informants), may well have provided his young
son with an impressive model for emulation. The
nbtion of being a village pastor had appealed to
Alois Hitler and that of being an abbot appealed
to his boy, no doubt for the same reason — the
opportvinity it afforded for oratory.
- 110 -
(f) Father and son each left home to seek his
fortune in Vienna. In MEIH KAMPP there are several
Indications that the image of his father's success
in Vienna acted as a spur.
(i) I, tooj hoped to wrest from Pate
the success my father had met fifty years
earlier ... (K.K» 25).
(ii) And I would overcome these
obstacles, always bearing in mind my father's
example, who, from being a poor village boy
and a cobbler's apprentice, had made hls^way
up to the position of civil servant. (M.K. 28}.
(g) Adolf Hitler sported a walrus moustache
like his father's for a number of years. He finally
trinmed it in imitation of a new exemplar, Peder.
(h) Adolf Hitler's invariable uniform and
pistol may well have been suggested by Alois Hitler's
uniform and pistol (1 (d)).
(i) It is said that Alois Hitler had a great
respect for the class system; was proud of his rise
in status; envied those above him and looked down
upon those below him. If this is true, the father
was Inatrtmiental in establishing a pattern of s6nti-
ments which itka of determining importance in his son's
career. Adolf Hitler has always been envious of his
superiprs and deferential j ha has never showed any
affinity for the prpl^tari^^i.
II" !
■ . . ■ -. Ill--
■■ (3)- Ado.if Hitlor has hung a portrait, of hia
father -ava^? the de^)^ In his study at Berchtesgadan-
Thla is a signal honor, since the likeness of oj^ly
three other men — Frederick tha Greats Karl von'
Moltke, s-nd Mussolini -- have been selected for
inolualon in- any of Hltlar^a rooitia- Th^^re is no-
vjhete any picture of his mother.
te^-^^;.:
Hitler's Study at Berghof ,
Desk faces portrait of Alois Hitler.
- us -
Aloitt, it. la 8ftid> waQ a smoker, a drinker and
a lecher; and today hie eon is remarkable for his
ahatemloiisneee. Thus, in these reapects the two
are different 4 But we should not /forget that Adolf
Used t9 pick upoiiiar butts and smoke them as a boy;
he dreok beer and wine In his early Munich days ; and
In the last flifteen years has shown a good deal of
Interest In women*
O^ere can b* no doubt then that. Hitler greatly
enTled andL admlreil the power and authority of his
father; and although he hated him as the tyrant wbq
opposed and frustrated him personally, he looked on
him with awe, and. admiration, desiring to be as he
was. Speaking of his old man, the son confessed in
his autobldgraphy that ^uhconaoloualy he had sown
th# seeda for a future which neither he nor 1 would
hiive graaped at that time.** (M.£« S4)« Henceforth ,
Adolf Hitler* s attention and einulation was only to
be evoked by a dominating ruthless man, and if thlia
man happen^ to be in oppoaitlmi te hlm| then he
would hate and respect him slmultaneoiisly* Hitler's
admiration for strongly endurinif- institutions ^^
very similar. It se^imsj to his admliratlen foi? his
sixty- yea^^• aid parent* He wrlt^*j
- 113 -
(1) , ♦♦Incredibly vigorous power that
inhabits this age-old institution (Catholic
Church) .
(ii) ...he (Lueger) was dispo8e4*<*to
secure the favor of any existing powerful
institutions, tn order tha.% he mi^t derive
from these old .so\irces of strength the
greatest possible advantage. *«
(k) Identification with Mother .- In Hitler's
' . I • I 11 I II l i I ' l I I II n I . I i l i -li- i I • I • I II f ill
constitution there is a large gynio (feminine)
component and he has many feiminine traits, some
hidden. Consequently, in view of his avowed- love
for his mother, we must suppose that there was a
dispositional kinship or biological identification,
between the two diu7ing the boy's earliest years.
Adolf naturally and spontaneously felt the way
his mother felt. This, however, was not of his
own ittakin^* There is some evidence that in Hitler's
mind "Germany" is a mystical conception which stands
for the ideal mother--a substitute for his own im-
perfect mother. But there are no indications, in
any event, that Hitler admired his mother or any
wqman who resembled her, or that he adopted any
0^ her sentiments^ or that he was even influenced
by her in any important way.^ Hence, the conclusion
is that Hitler had many traits in common with his
mother; but thai? he repudiated these traits aa
evidences of weakness and femininity, and in so
doing repudiated her.
- 114 -
(k) Rejection' 6f Mother >-" To the extent that
Hitler respected and emulated his father^ he AlH^
respected and denied his mother. Some evidence to
demonstrate tkis point will be brought forward in a
later section/ Hitler probably loved his mother very
much as a person; but his strong dependent attachment
to her was a humiliating sign t>t his incapacity to
take Care of himself^ and hence he wad fbrced to be-*
little the relationship. At eighteen years he was too
near to her weakness^ not feminine enough and yet not
male enough, to respect her. He writes:
(i) I owe much to the time in which
I had learned to become hard (in Vienna)*. •
I praise it dven more for having rescued
me from the emptiness of an easy life (in
Lih« with his mother), that it took the
milksop out of his downy nest and gave
him Dame Sorrow for a foster mother 4'..
(M.K. 29).
'flaAls6lt reports thaf in Vienna Hitler mani-
fested a ••cjueer idealism aJ)out love^; but had very
little respect for tiae female Sex. Every woman he
believed eemld be had. This remark falls in with
the evidence to be presented later which suggests that
for a time Adolf wa a indignant with his mother for
submitting to his father, and Iri the end scorned her
for so doing. Since he haiel always been
- X15 -
contemptuous of physical weakness, one might ejcpept
him to be contemptuous of women; and there are some
facts to show that this is true* It is even possible
that after Herr Hitler's death the adolescent Adolf,
adopting his father's role to some extent^ sometimes
lashed his mother with insolent words and maybe struck
her* If this were true, it would help explain his
exceeding grief on the occasion of her death, guilt
contributing to his dejection, and it might explain a
striking passage in MEIN KAMPP in which Hitler des-*
cribes the typical lower class family.
(i) VJhen> at the age of fourteen, the
young lad is dismissed from school (Adolf
dropped' school when he was about sixteen
years), it is difficult to say which is
worse: his unbelievable ignorance as far
as knowledge and ability are concerned, or
the biting impudence of his behavior, com-
bined with an immorality which makes one's
hair stand on end, considering his a^
(Adolf's immorality came to the notice of
his teachers atr ^he age of twelve years ) • . •
The three- 3^6ar- old child has now become a
youth of fifteen who despises all authority
(Recall Adolf's conflict with hia father)..*
Now hj9 loiters about ^ and God o»ly knows when
he comes home (See p. 7,. •."caused my mother
much grief, made me anything but a stay-at-
home").; for a change he may even* beat the
poor creat\H»e who was once his mother, curses
God and the worlds.. (M.Kt^ 43-^44) •
(1) Evidence will be advanced later to show
that one of the most potent impressions of Hitler's
early life was that of a r e lationship In which a
- lis ^
a domineering and severe old man (hiaifftthei') bullied
and flibornfully maltreated a gentle and cbaiplJant woman
(hi a mother ). The effects of bein^ reai?ed under these
conditions were lasting: the experience made it im-
possible for him to believe in, hope for, or enjoy a
relationship marked by peace, love, and tenderness <
(m) The outstanding press of the b6y»s early
life were those of p - Aggression and p •> Rejeotion i
The former came mostly from his father? the latter from
many people. Among t;he specific causes of thlis idea
of having been rejected we would list (1) the birth
of a younger sister, Paula, in 18^95 or 1896; (2) the
opposition of his father; (3) his repeated failtires
at school; 44) his lack of friends; (5) the death
of both parents, making it necessary for him» a
penniless xineducated and unemployed orphan, to face
the world alone. The sense of being rejected by his
family is in many i>assages expressed in connection
with his feeling of being excluded from membership
in the German nation. This point will be taken up
later.
(i) Are we' not the same as all the
other Qermans? Do we not all belong' to-
gether? This problem how began to whirl,
thrbxigh my little head for the first time.
After cautioias questioning, I heard with
envy the reply that not every Geri^n was
fortiinate enough to belong to Bismardk's
Reich. This I could not understand. (M.K* 9).
- lis *.
(%i) An uhnaturdl separation ffom th«
great cofnmon Motherland* (M.K.O* 469) •
(n) Repudiation of ?ast S(9Xf and Pamily Connection a
Knowing Hitler's fanatical sentiments against mixed
marriages, impure tlood, the lower classes, and the
Jewish race , it is important to note the following
facts:
(i) His forebears come from a region in
which the blood of Bavarians, Bohemians, Moravians,
Czechs, and Slovakians have mixed for generations*
Without doubt all of these strains are represented
in him. V
(ii) His father was illegitimate; his grand-
father may have been a Viennese Jew.
(iii) His godfather, Herr Prinz, was a
Viennese Jew. ,
(iv) His father had three wives, one a
waitress, one fi domestic servant, and a number of
women on the side (hearsay).
(v) His father begot at least one child
out of marriage.
(vi) Kiara Poe^p:|., his mother, was Alois
Hitler's second cousin once removed and also his ward
( twenty- thr^e years younger). Special permission from
the Ch\arch had to be obtained before he coiild marry her.
- 117 -
(vll) Angola Hitler, Adolf »i older half*
sister^, ran a restaurant for Jeaiah students In Vienna •
(vlll) Paula Hitler^ Adolf »fl younger slater,
was the xolstreas of a Vlennedie Jew for a while. .
(ix) A cousin of Hitler's is feehle^minded,
most of the other members of his clan are Ignorant,
Illiterate, or mentally retarded « He himself had tb
repeat the first feBV of Realsohule (Technlbal High
School) and failed to gradttate. '
Thus, Hitler has spent a good part of his life -
cvirslng and eondexahlng people who belong to his layer
of society, who resemble members of his own clan ^ who
have characteristics slMlar to his own. On the other
hftnd, the Iddal he has det up, the person he pretends
to be. Is thd exact opposite of all this* We haire a
fairly clear case, then, of Coimteractloh against
Inferiority feeXliigs and self -^contempt. Between
1908, when he' left ^r and 1958, after the AAsehlUscr,
Hitler ne^er visited his hcme^ and never cdmtnunlcated
with his relatives (e^tcept In the case of hi « half-
sister Angela )« TKillke Hapoleon^ hd did not CArtf hlidl
family along with him aa he ascended to thd heights
of power* iri thls^we see a Rejection of hlq paat self
and family connections*
* 118 • :
(o) Ide^tif JQetlQQ wlttet aqrn>any «- 51tler'»
egQCQntrlsm, has always t>een so marked; he has been
su6h a Bohemian, if not a lone wolf, in many phases of
his career that his tindoubted devotion to Germany strikes
one as most unusual* Since this devotion began at an
early age and was the factor^ more than any other « which
decided that he would becoiae a supreme success rather
than an utter failxire, it is worth while noting here
the forces so far mentioned which brought about this
intense insociation:
. (i) Influence of Ludwig poetsch, his
teacher, who, serving as a substitute father^
glorified the history of Gennany and presented
Bismark's Reich as an ideal,
(ii) Influence of a strong nationalist
association among Hitler's classmates,
(iii) Cathoxis of power. The figures of
Frederick the Great, Bismarck and others offered better
foci of admiration than did Austrian heroes.
(iv) Insociation with a more powerful nation
satisfied his youthful pride, raised his status in his .
own eyes, and allowed him to reject his inferior
A\istrian selfv.
- 119 -'
(v) Bfelghtenod cathexls of an dbieot behind
a biarrier. This la a genej»al principle: that an
Individual will Ideallae an 6bjedt that he <San not
quite attain -i- so iiaai» but yet so fa^. In this
eonneotloh it Is interesting to note that the great
majority of dictators have not been natives of the
country that they came to dominate. Hitler's con-
tinued sympathy for Germans outside the Reich Is evi-
dently a projection of hi ^ own pelf-pity: s$.«« Ost-
marklan.
(v-1) (Memel returns to the
Reich) I thereby lead you back into that
home which you havs not forgotten and which
has never forgotten you* (M.ir*0, 614),
(vl) Displacement of defiance against
the father* By identifying ^ himself with Germany, the
boy Adolf found an object eVeit greater than his stem
father, which permitted him to give vent to his frus-
trated rebelliousness against his Austrian parent.
(vii) Gettnany aa a aubstltute mother.
In v*lew of the press i«ejectlon suffered in childhood,
it is likeljr — find iduch evldenca fifr thi« hypothesis
will be prd'sented later -•»• that Germany represented
a kind of foster parent. It is even possible that
Hitler as a child entertained a foster parent fantasy.
I
Ha speaks of toeing BavaJrlan by bloody a statement.. for
which there Is no known justification^ This point will
be fully discussed later in describing his devotions
to Germany's cause in 1918, the hour of her deepest
humiliation. In many places Hitler speaks of Germany
in words that one might use in speaking of a beloved
• woman;
(vii - 1) f •the longing grew
stronger to go there (Grermany) where
since my eftrly youth X had been drawiqi
by secret wishes and secret love*
{U.K. 151). ""^^
(vii ^ 2) What I first bad
looked upon as an impassable chasm
now spurred me on to a greater love
for my coxintry than ever before".
(M^-K. 55) •
(vii - 3) Heiden^ quoting
from Hitler: The hiindreds of thou-n
sands who love their country more
than anything else must also be
loved by thair country more than
anything else.
(vii • 4) J appeal to those
who, severed from the motherland,
have to' fight for the holy treasxire
of their language., .find who now in
painful emotion long for the hour
that will allow them to return to
the arms of the beloved mother...
(M.K. 161)^
The common expression for German? is Fatherland,
but Hitler very often subistitutes Motherland, He
speaks of "the common motherland," "the great German
- 121 -
Jiiotherland,*' "the Oerman mother of all life".
This Is not unnatural^ since he » once a very de-
pendent adolescent, was left penniless and iinbe«
friended after the death of his mother. We are .
not surprised, therefore, to /ind him speaking of
being removed "from the emptiness of ari easy life,
that it took the milksop out of his downy nest and
gave him Dame Sorrow for, a faster mother" and
speaking also of the time "when the Goddess of
Misery took me into her arms". It is reported
that he was mothered by several older Icdies iiri
his early Munich days afid teemed to find comfort
in such relationships. In 1920, for example, he
found a sort of home with Prau Hoffman. He always
had to send her, according to Hqiden, his latest
portrait, on which he would write, for example:
"To my dear> faithful little Mother, Christmas,
1925, from her respectful Adolf Hitler,"
- 122 -
B, VIENNA DAYS
1908 - 191S
The 'chief facts pertinent to the present analysis
are these:
1, Klara Hitler was operated on for cancer of
the breast In the early summer of 1907, On December
21, 1907, she died. Two months before her death,
Adolf Hitler went to Vienna and was examined by the
Academy School of Art. He failed. He moved to.
Vienna In the winter of 1908, and the following
October presented himself again at the Academy. But
the drawings he ,br ought as illustrations of his work
were considered so lacking in talent that he was not
allowed to take the examination. He was told he
would make a better architect than painter, though
he himself reportis that he was a better colorist
than draftsman.
2. Some account of these years has been given
us by Haniach, a "btmi" from Bohemia who befriended
him. They were fellow members of the same hostel,
or flophouse. The first thing Hitler said to Hanisch
sounds like a projection of (1) press Rejection and
(2) press Aggression. He said (1) his landlady had
dispossessed him and now he was without shelter, and
(
(2) 1x6 had begged a dxninken man for a few pennies
but the latter had raised his cane and Insulted
him. Hitler was very bitter ab6ut this.
5* Hitler wore a beard during this period and
in his long overcoat looked very much like a certain
type of Oriental Jew not uncommon in Vienna. Hitler
had a n\janber of Jewish acquaintances and sold post--
cards that he painted to Jewish dealers, Therd was
no evidence dtiring these first years of any hostility
to Jewst Only later, after he had listened excitedly
to the speeches of the anti-Semitic mayor, Lueger,
did he beccxne an avowed, and somewhat later a fanatical,
Anti-Semite himself •
4. Hitler was exceedingly laiy and procrastinating
in doing his little water colors during these days.
He was much more interested in haranguing the other
Inmates of the hostel on the subject of politics.
Already he had vague notions of founding a party.
5« He devoted some time to thinking up little
devices for making money through trickery. According
to one informant, his name is in the Vienna police
records as havifig been accused of theft, and it is
suggested that his departure for Munich in 1913 was
prompted by a desire to avoid serving a term in Jail*
- 124 -
6. Hitler's friendship with Hanisch came to
an abrupt end when he accused the latter of stealing
money from him. This has the flavor of a typical
Hitlerian projection.
7. Hanisch reports that Hitler's love for
Germany and his hate for Austria were vociferously
expressed on all occasions during these years.
8. Hitler was shocked by what he saw of sexual
practices in Vienna. Hanisch speaks of his having
a purity complex.
9. According to one informant. Hitler is down in
the police records of Vienna as e^ sex pervert.
10. In 1913, Hitler left Vienna and entered the
country of which he had long yearned to be a citizen.
He became a resident of Munich.
11. The press of Rejection is perhaps the out-
standing feature of the Vienna period. There was in
the first place the rejection by the Academy of Arts,
which Hitler felt was based on his inadequate education.
This left a resentment against intellectuals generally
which was never stilled. . The following excerpt sums
up his conclusions on this point.
^ 125 -
(I) . Generally/ it Is the chlldx^en of
higher place,, momentarily well-to-do parents
who. In turn are deemed worthy of ft higher
•education. Hereby questions of talent play
a subordinate rdle.
Many bther passages speak eloquently of Insults
to his pride received at the hands of the privileged
world of the gay capital •
(i) •••the ^aciously patronizing attitudes
of a certain part of the fashionable world
(both in skirts and trousers) whose 'sjrmpathy
for the people* is at times as haughty as it -
is obtrusive and tactless.
(II) Vienna, the city that to so many
represents the idea of harmless gaiety, the
festive place for merrymaking, is to me the
only living memory of the most miserable time
of my life t
12* Hitler Spent five years in Vienna. , Living
as he was, penniless among the penniless of the lower
class, he himself experienced, and he was in close
touch with others who experienced, the basic wants
and viewpoints of the depressed victims of civiliza-
tion. Here, certainly^ was much food for thought •
He also attended sessions of parliament and numerous
political mass meetings, and observed the proceedings
critidally* Prom the start he was constantly^ pro-^ ,
occupied with the question: why does this pplltlcal
movement fail and tha^ one succeed? It was natural
for him to think realistically, and strategically; not
V}.- •
- 126 -
tQ make the common xnlstake of supposing man to bo
better than he is, and yet taking full account of
his heroic potentialities, having observed that
millions of simple untutored men will gladly fight and
sacrifice their lives for an- ideal vividly presented.
In addition; Hitler spent many hours in the public
library looking ov^r histories arid books dealing with
social questions* MEIN KAMPP proves that the young
man from Llnz who could not get through Jligh School
was capable of profiting by what he saw and read, and
that these five years of drifting and Irregular em-
ployment were by no means wasted. The flophouse and
the beer hall were his Heidelberg and University of
Vienna. He writes: i
(I) So in a few years I btiilt a foundation
of knowledge from which I still draw nourish-
ment today. (M.K# 29).
(II) At that tiziie I formed an image of
the world and a view of life irtilch became the
granite foundation for my actions. (M.K. 30).
13. For the Vienna period the critical question
psychologically is this: why did Hitler, living among
the proletariat, find the developed Ideology of communism
repellent and the embryonic ideology of fascism appealing?
The chief determinants of his cholk^e, as they occur to
me are these :
i '
- 127 •
(1) Hitler's father belonged to the lower
middle class. Having moved one riong up the ladder by
jee^raof effort, his pride compelled- him to draw a
sharp. line between himself and those below him. No
one has stated this principle of behavior better than
his son:
(1-1) The reason for that
which one could almost call 'hostility'
is the fact that a social class, which
has only recently worked its way up
from the level of manual labor, fears
to fall back into the old, but little
esteemed, class, or at least fears be-
ing counted in with that class. In
addition, many remember with disgust
the misery existing in the lower class;
the frequent brutality of their dally
social contacts; their own position in
society, however small it may be, makes
every contact with the state of life
and culture, which they in turn have
left behind, unbearable*
This explains why members of
the higher social cla^s can frequently
lower themselves to the htimblest of
their fellow beings with less embarrass-
ment than seems possible to the 'upstarts'
For an upstart is anyone who,
through his own energy, works his way
up from his previous social position to
a higher one.
M>nally^ this relehtlesg "^struggle
kills all pity » One » s own painful
Scramble for existence suffocates the
feelingdf sympathy fo?^ thd misery of
thosQ left behind^ (M.K. 31-32).
- 128 -
V. • *
Brought up by such a father, it waa natural fop
Adolf Hitler to envy and admire hia social superiors.
and look with contempt upon those of a lower station.
As the American editors of MEIN KAMPP have put it,
(ii) Hitler, conscious of belonging
to a higher social caste than his fellow-*
workers.. .instinctively retreats from the
idea of accepting solidarity with them.
(M.K. 55).
(iii) Hitler had already been identified
for some years with the German Nationalist movement
and so his unit of i nsociation (group identification
and belongingness) was greatly threatened by the com-
munists ' unit of insociation, the manual workers of
the world. -The former would lead logically to a
war between nations, the latter to a war between
classes. Communism was the greatest enemy of nation-
alism.
,(iv) Parallel to his naturalistic senti-
ments was Hitler *s enthusiasm for the military, a
professional class which is antipathetic to
commianists generally. The former finds its goal in
Power and Glory j the latter in Peace and Prosperity.
(v) Hitler had great reverence for the
strong and contempt for the weak and therefore
favored a stratified social system, a dictatorship
- 129 -
or the elite* There was no compassion In his make-
up; he had little sympathy for the \inder-dog# His
Ideology ims founded on the rise to power of nature's
supermen involving relationships of dominance and
sulnnlsslon among men. Communism was founded on the
notion of equality.
- 130 -
C . WAR EXPERIENCES
1914 - 1919
The record of these years Is conflicting, but the
following points are prohahly true and pertinent to
. our theme •
1. In enlisting in the Army, Hitler became incor-
porated for the first time. Never before had he been
an accepted meitibar of a respected institution. This
was not only a great relief to him, enabling him to
forget the long series of past failures, but it pro*
vided a ground for pride and a sense of sectirity. At
last he and the German nation were one.
2, There is no evidence that Hitler was ever
in a front line trench. It seems that he served as
a messenger and was required to traverse ground
that was being shelled by the enemy. Hitler, it
appears, was quick to offer himself for dangerous
tasks of this kind and was said to be an adept at
running and then falling or seeking shelter behind
some obstacle when the fire became intense. In this
he showed courage. There is nC record, however, in
the War Department of any episode such as has been
described in connection with his winning the Iron
Cross, First Order, Apparently he was awarded this
- 151 -
medal aftel- he had left the Front, supposedly
gassed m one of the last offenalved of the Allies.
3. Informants have commented on Hitler's marked
subaerviehce to the Superior officers, offering to
' do their washing and perform other menial tasks,
courting their good graces to such an extent that
his comrades were disgusted.
4. Hitler Ta3 the only man in his company
never to receive any nail or package's from home, *nd
at Chfistmas and other occasions when the others
were receiving gifts and messages he sulked moodily
by himself. Here is another instance of press re-
jection. . .
5. It is hard to explain the fact that in
four years of service he was not prompted above the
rank of corporal. The comment by one of his officers
that he' was ft neurotic fellow is the only explana-
tion that has been advanced. •
6. It seems cej'tain that Hitler was not gassed
to any serious extent in 1918, but that he suffered
from a war neurosis, hysterical blindness, which
also deprived him of his voice and perhaps his
hearing. This psychosomatic illness was concomitant
with the final defeat of his Mother Germany, and it
' V ; ' 1 ":i'*ii- .'f M .-■> :+i-
.^T- ' -■---■i • ,.
iV -.• I-Tflll JiT.aSSW i,V>»?H?
-•/
1 '.
I
- 153 -
waa after haari.ag^'the news of her capitulation- that
he ^jLad his viaj c:i -of bis tasli.aa aavior. Suddenly
his sight Vh'as restored. ■?,;.'• - , ■
■I ri*"
"T'T ■■ .■'■■■■ tT.-" ^^^^' V
^^(:^??5dB:2t^^.:f
Hitler with fellow patients
at Pa 9 ©walk, 1918
7. Ih 1918 Hitler, the soldier, became very
disturbed at 'the surprising amtess of Allied propa-
ganda and then occurred a" reaction that v/as typical
of his \vhole character, namely, .to. admire and then
to- &cq'ali:*e the tachniqT^e powerful opponent*
{1} V/e had a chance to "become acqueiintad
- with the "incredible dl^ol-pllnea of our opponents^
■# - propaganda/ and still today it la my pri^e to
^- * hava found tha means •* -f or- beating finally Its
'^ " 'very makers. Tv^C) years later I ^m maater in
\\ this <iraft, *: ■ -. "'.;_,_.- ..... ■.- .
v.^:;
% , '..
" . ■^' ."^
p.
- 133 -
D. POST-WAR EISTORY
1919 -
Prom 1919 to the present Hitler's doings are
less obscure then for the periods so far reviewed.
A great many of the facta are a matter of common
knowledge and we will not review them in this sec-
tion here. A few pointa, however, are worthy of
being highlighted .
1, For a year or two after his release from
the military hospital. Hitler was more or less foot-
loose, "a stray dog looking for a master," according
to one informant; Undoubtedly there were more
instances of press, rejection to embitter him.
2. He was still a member of the Heichswehr
when his superior officer, discovering his ability
in public speaking, assigned him the task of indoctrinat-
Ing the soldiers with the desired ideology. Later
he was asked to speak to a civilian group. This
success encouraged him to go further and enter politics
for life. Hitler's realization that he bad the power
to away large masses of people was the second crucial
factor, next to his Revelation in the hospital while
blind. In determining his cafeer. His phenomenal
succesB hinged on hlfl mass-rpuaing talent.
- 134 -
3. After hearing Pedar speak. Hitler was prompted
to .join a small group that called Itself the National
Socialist Worker?. Party. Within a year he was Its
moving .spirit and sole leader., and it might fairly
be said that he waa its creator as it now exists,
the difference betTreen its status before he Joined
and soon afterwards being so great.
No doubt Hit?wfar had been making speeches in
fantasy since his boyhood and had done a good deal
of informal haranguing throughout this whole period,
first as the adolescent ringleader of the young
Nationalists at school, second as a ham politician
among tlie derelicts of the Vienna slums, and third
as a corporal behind the lines, but his sudden emergence
as a spiritual force d\iring the period 1921 - 1923
brought him into a much magnified sphere of activity
which was qualitatively different. A selection
from lilEIN KAMPP, which is unquestionably autobiographical
in reference, might be quoted here as a hint of how
the transformation was apperoeived by him:
In the monotony of everyday life even _
Important people often seem unimportant and they
hardly stand out over the average of their
surroundings; but as soon as they are faced
by a situation in which others would despair
or go wrong, out of the plain average child
the ingenious, nature grows visibly, not in-
frequently to the astonishment of all those i*jo
• .135 ^
hitherto had an oppoi«t\inity to ohaerve him,
who had meanwhile grown up In the smallness of
bourgeola life, and therefore. In consequence
of this process, the prophet has rarely any
honor In his own country. Never Is there a
l)etter opportunity to observe this than doir In g
war,' In the hours of distress, when others
despair, out of apparently harmless children,
there Shoot suddenly heroes of death-defying
determination and ley 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 beard*
leiis boy. Nearly always such an Impetus Is
needed In order to call genius Into action.
Pate»s hammer stroke, which then throws the one
^ to the ground, suddenly strikes steel in
another, and while now the shell of everyday
life Is broken, the; erstwhile nucleus lies
open to the eyes of the astonished world.
(F.K. 402-5).
4.. It seems clear that It was (1) the defeat of
Germany and (2) the opposition against which he had
to strive that acted as Instigators to his behavior
from then on, which became more and more aggressively
dominant. The Idea of being a revolutionary was a
necessary in^etus to action.
We National Socialists know that with
this opinion we stand as revolutionaries In
the world of today, and that we are branded as
^ auch. But our thinking and acting must not
be dete groined by the applause or the rejection
of oxir tlme^ (M.K. 695-5).
5. Hitler was chiefly attracted during these
early years to a homosexual, Ernst Roehm, a superior
officer with an upperclass background. The physical
- 136 -
strength and social assurance of Roehm were much
dnvied and, to have the political backing of such a
figure, gave Hitler a sense of security.
6. Up to the famous Munich Putsch, 1923, Hitler
was conspicuous in his worship of and flattering
subaervienqe to ranking officers in the Army, especially
in the^e days in his relations with General Ludendorff ,
but from 1984 on, although he never entirely lost a
certain ,embarrassment in the presence of his former
superiors, there was a change from abasement to
dominance and even arrogance in dealing with aristocrats
and war lords.
7, The chief points in his political program
were these:
(a) wiping the Versailles Treaty off the
books, ,
(b) denial of war guilt,
(c) resurrection of Germany as a military
power of the first order,
(d). mllitaris tic expansion, dominated by
the motive of revepge against the
Allies, and
(e) Anti-Semitism. Soon afterward*
(f ) the purification of the German people
by a variety of hygienic measures was
added as an essential aim or policy.
E»
. 157 -
8. During the years from 1923 and 1935, Hitler's
emotional outbursts, his tantrutns of rage and indigna-
tion, his spells >of weeping and threats of self-
annihilation increased in f rectuency and intensity.
This can be partly accounted for by the faot ttiat
they were effective in bringing his associates
around to his point of view. Instead of antagonizing
the group of revolutionists who with hiio were plotting
tonsxtfp power, these frightful orgies of passion
served to intimidate them. Everyone sought to
avoid topics that would bring about the fits.
9. Among the reasons given in extenuation of
the cold-blooded purge of 1934 were (a) that the
victims were disgusting homosextials and (b) that
they were plotting to snatch the power and superilede
him.
10. During the last twenty years, nimora have
periodically arisen and spread to the effect that
Hitler was enamoured of this or that young woman;
most of these were either fabricated for one reason
*
or another or premature, since the appeal that cer-
tain women, of the stage particularly, had for Hitler
was generally short-lived* The one, affair that
stands out is that with a nineteen- year- old Angela
('
- 158 -
(Oell) Raubal, his niece. Hitler wAa often in her
company and was pathologically jealoua of any atten-
tions shown her by other men. .Two informantf have
stated positively that Hitler murdered the girl,
but the official report was suicide . Whichever story
is correct, however, we gain the impression of a
peculiar and stormy relationship. Rumors have it
that Hitler's sexual life, such as it is, demands .
a xmique performance on the part of the women, the
exact nature of which is t atate secret.
11. A great deal has been made in Germany of
Hitler's asceticism, but this, when you, .ccoe down
to it, amounts to a vegetarian diet, served; him by
the best chef in' the Reich, and a great variety o/.
soft driiiks in place of hard liquor* It is said
that he did not permanently give up meat until after
the death of his niece Oeli *
V. PERSONALiry STRUCftJRE
A. EGO, SUPEREaO, AND ID
1 , Ego
According to the criteria we are acouetomed
to uae In meaaurlng ego strength and structv»re,
' Hitler's ego Is surprisingly We iik* Here we are
of cotirsa using the tern ego to apply to an institu-
tion of the personality (nbt to narclasisBi, or self-
esteeai). Hitler is cwisplcuously low In the following
powers :
^a) Defi<;lent at?lllty to organize and
coordinate . his efforts .
(I) During Ms boyhood, especially
at the time he was living as an Indulged youngster
m his mother's apartment, Hltle^»d activities :were
markedly Irregular and aimless. He ti^s unable to
apply himself except when his impulse prompted him
to do so»
(II) Hanlsch reports that in Vienna
Hitler wis never an^ ardent worker, was. unable to
get up in the morning, had difficulty in getting
started, suffered from paralysia of the will. He
always stepped work the moment he had earned a little
money, explaining that "he must have some lie dure, he
was not a eoolle".
t^
.* X40 .
(Ill) AciBordlng to Rauschnlng, "H6
does not know how to work steadily. Indeed, he Is
Incapable of working. Be gets Idea?, Impulses, the
realization of which must be feverishly achieved
and Immediately got rid, of . He does not know what
It Is to work continuously. Everything about him
la 'spasm'^ to use a favorite woi?d of hl4B.
(Iv) Although Hitler prescribes
disciplined order of work for those about hlm> he '
hlniself lives like an artist or Bohemian. lUs habits
are aa erratic and Irregular as his temper. He may
go to bed at eleven P*M.,' or four A.M., getting up
at seven or at noon. He Is rarely p\inctual.
(v) According to Rauschnlng again;
"Hitler seems a man of tremendou* will powers but •'
the appea:pance Is deceptive. He is languid nhd '
apathetic by nature, and needs the stimulus of
nervous excitement to rouse him out of chronic lethargy
to. spasmodic activity,.." -
(b) Deficient ability to re golve conflicts. -
EHltldr ha S; always suffere<f from periods of Indeclslve-
neas and mental confusion that Inoapacltate him to
the extent of* being unable to make any. decision or
come to any conclusion". Then. quite suddenly his •
.. Ul
inner voice will speak, but as. a rul^, not until
the situation has become threatening^ As Roehm says,
"Usually he solves suddenly, at the .very last moment...
only beca\ise he vacillates find procrastinates."
(c) Deficient ability to control emotion . ^
His tantrums have been often described., and even
thought it be admitted that Hi tier, has a capacity
to turn them on and off as he sees fit, stilly such
unmanly display of infantile intolerance to frustra-
tion, or tears and shrieks, is entirely out of a
keeping with his own ideal of the Jron Supermensch.
(i) Rauschning: fMy own experience of
him and what I have learned from others indicate a
lack of cpntrol amotinting to total demoralization."
(d) Deficient 6 b.1ectivity >-^lA8tQrtioh of
human behavior and social events by frequent projec-
tions giving rise to delusions of; all.»Qrt».
(e) Disjuhctivitv 6t thought and : speech . -
All. of Hitler's writing* and reported speeches
exhibit a disorganization of ideas .^d verbal ex*
preasion which at times verge's on the pathological.
(f) Insight deficiency # * Hitlei? has never
shown any capacity to perceive or admit his errors
and defects. Part of this, is a ;Conscious determina-
tion to folloit the policy of denying them, this
being considered by him politically expedient.
- X4a -
(g) Inability to keep his word and jCttlfiH
oblif^ationa .^^ ^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ „^^^^^ ^^^^
cards with perfect ease every thing that a moment
before has passed as a fixed principle.. His political
attitude is characterized by two things: first, an
unbelievable capacity to tell fslsehcod, end second,
a quite disarming naivete, a tot^l innocence of
promises and assertions. made only a moment before,
(h) In contrast to these signs of weakness /
Hitler is high, sometimes very high, on the following
cr iteria:
(i) power to dp. what he wants to do and
has the capacity to do,
(ii) counteractive restriving,
(iii) power to resist undesirable coercions
from society,
(iv) power to resist dictatorship of ooh-
ventlonal superego,
(v) initiative and self-sufficiency,
(vi) ability to take responsibility and
C effectively direct others^
(vii) long apperceptive span (taking account
of a distant future in making decisions.
(i) The situation may be briefly formulated
by stating that Hitler bperatea on t halamic energy
rather than o n conacious will en d rational planning.-
Possessed by fanatical paadion he can accomplish
things, which those who act on cooler and more moderate
plan fall to tchleve* Tbff f&tt^, in other worda,
oomes from the Id, and the ego is tiaed In Ita aei?-
vice. This comblaatlon i* typical of the g^ngiter;
hut Hl'tler la different frott th» ordinary type,
havitts flome of the attributes of the romantic artiat.
He 1« a compound, say, *f Lord Byron and Al Q&pone,
2. Id
Under the term id I am including all unconseioua
poychic proceaaea — principally affective and
conatlve proceaaea which emerge suddenly without
voluntary effort and take poaaeaaion of the ego tout
alao unconaclous Intellective proceaaea resulting in
atadden Ji*dffBenta and deciaiona. Such proceaaea are
an Important part of every man»a paychology* It la
only when they play a» unuaually dominant rSle in
determining action that we a tree a them. They are
especially prominent in the Intuitive type. Hitler
being one of these, ^tler'a aentimenta Ih tbla
regard confoi^^ to his behavior*
(i.) Wa: muat distrust the intelligence
and the conscience and must place our trust
m (^ur instincts. We have to regain a new
simplicity. (Quotfedi by Rauschning).
(11) ...Qver- educated people, stuffed
with Imowiedge and intellactj but bare of any
sound Iniitincts • . •
« 144 - .
(111) ,*.0f . secondary Importiince is
the training of mental aMlltlea. (H.K» 913).
Hitler's basic assumption, as Max Lesner polnti -■
out. Is that there are no logical categories in the
perception of values but only an lnt\iltlonlsm that
la Its own principle and Its own Jus tlf' cation. He
functions. In other words, as does a creative artist,
which Is unusual in one who chooses politics as his
field, . It is his dependence on involuntary processes
that gives rise to hils inability to make dscisions
about a hundred and one little mattsxis that com^
to him in the routine of his daily OfScupation, He
must -nati upon the spirit'.
. (Iv) Its the subconscious the work
goes' on. It matures, sometimes it dleS.
Unless I haV'e the inner incorruptible con-
viction: this is the solution, I do nothing.
Not even if the whole party tried to drive me
to action. I will not act; I will wait, ho
matter what hfiippsna. But if the voice speaks
then I know the time has pome to act. (Quoted '
fromi Raus chining )*
Many a<$qiiaintahO$s have remarked on Hitler^ s .
periods of abstractlott And r^Very. He "spent his
time building castles in the air**, Hariiach reports.
"I had the Impressl^o.n,'' writea RausChnlhg, "that he
was not listeniftg».*his thoughts ware far away^"
Another informant, Roberts, believes that Hitler,
- 145-
wrapped. up In his dream world, is unaware of a large
part of the practical activities and even brutalltiea
ot. hla party. His movements would be impossibly
without the continued co'operation of men like Goebbels,
Ooering, and Hlnmler. Because of the tremendous
downward pull of unconficioua processes Hitler must
often ptai himself up by the bootstraps, as it were,
to meet an emergency.
(v) I go my way with the certainty
and security of a soitoambullst.
Among id processes we should stress particularly
that ^dynamic pattern of energy bolted up in hlin
which we call the unity and orienting themas. This
compound of motivations, which amounts to a monomanla.cal
idea* will be fully described later. It is a rigid,
fanatical, and indurable reservoir 6f the thalamltJ
energies which, on release,, have two or threa times
the potency that a normal man brings to bear upon any
one reasonable objects The ego Is in collaboration
with this unconscious complex,, operates In its service,
and can, within limits, call it intd play or check
it momentarily. On appropriate ocoasions, indeed.
Hitler makes, good "use of his capacity to be possessed
by the complex. He dramatizes it, whips it up, and
intoxicated by the worda that pour out of his mouth,
deliriously gives vent to his passion.
yj'
- 146 -
Also characteristic of one who so readily aeqtdeacea
to the deml-\irge la Hitler •s superatltlousness, his
feeling that he la an object of divine protection^
his tendency to Interpret striking events as slgna
or omens of success or failure* Like many a rellglotis
leader he Is said to hear voices and see spirits.
Here we would compare him to Joseph Smith, the founder .
of Mormonlsm, the chief difference being that Smithes
voices gavd him permission to free the sex Instinct,
whereas Hltler^s volces^ncburcige brutality and
destructlont Hitler also bears compiarlson to Mary
Baker Eddy*
i; Hysteroid Personality .^ It Is clear from
what has ^een said that Hitler has manifested many
features of the hysteroid type of make^up# Besides
the definitely recorded hysterical attack of blindness
and iaphonia (In 1918), there are his paroxysms of
emotion, his hallucinations, coming out of nightmares,
his sudden revelations and hearing of Inner voices,
and the periods of day-dreaming and abstraction, all
of which are reminiscent of hysterics, inspired and
uninspired, of which the history of religion furnishes
so many striking examples. Here he might be likened,
perhaps, to Joan of Arc.
c
- 147 •
. &• Schizophrenic Festva^ea .^ It will be made^
clear ad we go on that Hitler is possessed by a
complete seini^deltisional system characteristic of
paranoid schizophrenia. Beside this, many of the
symptoms which have been listed in the previous!
paragraph tinder hysteroid personality are also
typical of schizoid states* . The enormous banked--up
hate and revenge fulness "in the man and the acts of
cruelty i*iich he is able to execute apparently with*
out the normal recriminations of conscience are also
symptomatic of schizophrenia •
Although it might be said that Hitler is an
hysteric on the verge of schizophrenia, and this
may be truer today than it was a while ago, still
it must be acknowledged that conditions in Germfiny
have been such and the man^s success in imposing his
delusional system on his fellow coiintrymen has been
so phenomenal that he has remained within the
boundaries of technical sanity*
3. Superego
Iti fBems deary that Hitler in not an amoral
brute like Qoering or the majority of his followers,
that is to say, his close ^follQWers* Be has a super-
ego but it is repressed, tbie mechanisms of the ego
- 148 -
being set up against its interference. The con-
ditions that usually prevail might be described ai
an alliance between the ego and the Instinctual
forced of the id against the dictates of the super^
egoe A g|*eat deal of endppsychic energy is wrapped
up in this effort to repress and deny the superego
and the guilt feelirigs that it gives rise tOe Its
activity, however, can he Judged by (1) the vehemence
of his affirmations of brutality (and thus his denial
of conscience), (2) the Justifications that he feels
called upon to give when his actions are particularly
repellant to the conscience of. his world, and (3)
certain syinptons that are generally recognizable as
indications of unconscious superego activitye
Surely Hitler is speaking of himself as well
as of others when he writes:
(i) Only when the time comes when the
race is no longer overshiidowed by the. conscious-
ness 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 •
That Hitler sees himself as the destroyer of an
antiquated Hebraic Christian superego is shown by many
passages :
(ti) I am freeing men from the restraints
of an intelligence that has taken charge; from
the dirty and degrading modifications of a
r
- X49 .
chimera called conscience and morality,
and from the demands of a freedom and
personal Independence which only a very .
few can bear.
(Ql) We must be ruthless • We must
regain our clear conscience as to ruthlessmess.
Only thus shall we purge .our people of
their softness and sentimental Philistinism^
and their degenerate delight In beer- swilling.
(Iv) I recognize no moral law In
politics*
(v) Conscience Is a Jewish invention*
It is a blemish like circumcision.
ObvlOtisly Hitler Is posing here as the Nletzschean
Antl-Chrlst who Is going to create a new superego
for mankind^ the exact antithesis of that which has
prevailed since the establishment of Christianity.
This pose, however, is for the benefit of his close
followers such as Rauschning, who has recorded the
above aasertions.' **Moral commonplaces,^ he affirms,
''are indispensible for the masses. Nothing is
more mistaken than for a politician to pose as a
non-*moz^l superman. ** The tenor of many of Hitler's
public speeches, however, prcmM that he has not
entirely conquered his superego, acquired during
early years tander the influence of his pious mother,
the Catholic monaaj^ery at Lambach, and his teachers
at school. 'The following may be taken a^ examples
of an \mqulet conapience:
- 150 -
(vl) It (Storm Troop) did not want ^
to establish violence as its aim, but it
wanted to protect the messengers of the
spiritual aim against oppression by violence.
(K.Kt 790) •
(vii) However, I did not wish to
carry out my purposes by force, instead I
did my utmost to accomplish my ptirpose by
persuasion alone.
(vtii) It never has been my in-
tention to wage wars, but rather to buildt##
(M.N.Ot 836).
(ix)' I forbade the sacrifice of
more human lives than was absolutely
ndcessary. (Speaking of the war with
Poland* M.N,0. 723) • -
There is.no question that Hitler succeeds in
repressing his superego most of the time. He has
consciously and openly committed most of the crimes
on the calendar, so much so that the diagnpsis
, '^psychopathic personality" or "moral imbecile" seems
almost justified; however, there are many indica*
tdLons that a superego of sorts operates unconsciously.
After the bloody purge of 1934, for example, it is
said that he was not able to sleep quietly for weeks.
At night he prowled restlessly up and down. His
expressions and feazftd nightmares can be explained
in part^ as rissultants of disquieting guilt feelings •
Also to be included in this category are his frequent
thoughts of suicide. These are often avowed, to be
* 151 -
/ •
\ . . . ,
8ure^ wl1;h the purpose of linpresslng hlis close fDllbw-^
ers, but they are also In conformity with an unconscious
tendency. According to our hypothesis^ In fact^ we
would attribute a good many of Hitler's latisr acts of
aggression to his superego. They are crlmetf ti3
appease conscience. Bavlh^ once started da a career
of brutality^ he can only' c^ulet the palrt of a bdd
conscience by gpink on with ever greater ruthlessness
to aohley e ' successes ^ and so to'ddmohstrate to him-
self and ' others that dod at^proves of him and his
methods t This dynamism^ however, can work only Irj
so far^s his ^ggrecislons are successful; that Is,
only good fortione can prove that conscience (anticipa-
tory anxletsy) was wrong --^ there was nothing to be
afraid of after all. Failure will undoubtedly be
followed by gtillt feelings.
Further evidences of superego -activity can be
found In the charactisr pf the' pi^ojectlons so common
In Hitler's speeches and writings, as we shall now
show* ,^
I ...
/
/ -152^
4. Ego Defenae Mechanlsma: Pro.^eetlon »
6y ffep the moat common form of defenae mechanlrflm
in Hitler 'a peraonallty ia that of projeiitlon. Thla
worka in the aervi^e of aelf-eateem, in blinding him
both to hia guiltineaa and to hla inferiority. There
ia no record of any caae in which thia. proceas ia
uaed ao often and ao intenaely. It operate* ao
promptly and conaiatently, indeed, that by paying
cloae attention to the objecta that gitler acoma
and-obndemna one gets a fairly accurate and <?ompre-
henaive view of hia own id. HLb caae ia rather un-
uaual in that he haa conacioualy adopted and
furthered what was once no doubt a purely unconacioua
mechanlam. For example, he aaya, "As aoon aa by one»»
own propaganda even a glimpae of right on the other
aide is admitted the cauae for doubting of one 'a own
right ia laid." The necessary corollary to this
proposition would bS: As soon as one's 6wn wrong
is admitted the cause for doubting the wrong of
oneU opponent is laid. He also has enough know-
ledge to realize that accusations are evidences of
guilt, for he says, "If they now say that this is the
signal that Germany now wants to attack the entire
world, I do not believe that this is meant seriously:
fe'v
- 163 -
such could QDly be tho expression of a bad conscience."
— * a rental rkabXe statement to be made by the world's
greatest projector.
Two or three Illustrations would suffice to make
plain th* nature of Hitler *8 projections, but they
represent such' unique descriptions of himself that a
larger collection of examples will be of interest to
psychologists •
(i) In Vienna, Hanisch tells ixB, Hitler
wore a long coat given him by a Jewish friend, ^an
incredibly greasy derby on the back of his iMad.
His hair was long and tangled, and he grew a beard
on his chin such as we Christians seldom have, though
one is not uncommon in* • .the Jewish ghettos •••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*** '
Compare this to Hitler ^s accdurit of the first
conspicuously Jewish person he met in Vienna. "I
suddenly came upon a being clad in a long cliftan,
with black curls* Is this also a Jew? was my first
thought^*' Then he goes on to list the rejiellent
traits of the Jew: ^Later the smell of these caftan
- 154 -
wearers often made zae 111. Added to this was their
dirty clothes and their none too heroic appearance."
Recalling Hitler's immorality at school and the fact
that he is down (according to one Informant) in the
Vienna police records as a sex pervert, the following
statement is pertinent: "Aside from the physical
•uncleanlineas, it was repelling suddenly to discover
the iboral blemishes of the chosen people."
(ii) Hitler was charged with theft in
Vienna, according to one informant, and yet Hitler
broke off his friendship with Hanish by wrongfully
accusing him of having misappropriated a water color
of his worth fifty Kronen. ^
(iii) In Wly life Hitler oscillates
between extreme energy and utter listlessness, and yet
Hitler: "All passivity, all
inertia •••is senseless, inimical to
life."
(iv) Hitler has never admitted to being
wrong. According to the Nazi creed. Hitler is always
right, and yet -- / '
Hitler: "These Impudent ras6als
(intellectuals) who always know every-
thing better than anybody else.*^"
"The intellect has grown autocratic,
and has become a disease of life."
- - - 155 -
(v) Hitler has often affirmed that he waa
governed by inatlnct and int\aitlon rather than by
reason*
Hitler: "The people.,. are so
so feminine in their nat\irs and .'
attitude that their activltieo and
thoughts are motivated leas by apber
considerations than by feeling and
sentiment."
(vi) Roehm has said; "He doesn't even
seem to be aware how dishonest he is."' By now the
whole world agrees that' Hitler is a monumental liar.
Hitler t "what a race (Jews);
As such they have been nailed down
forever... the great masters of lying."'
. • -b •
(vii) Hitler has a way of staring at people
as if he were attempting to hypnotize them.
Hitler; "They,, .tried to pierce
me even with their eyes. Innumerable
faces were turned toward toe with
Sullen hatred,"
(viii) Hitler's favbrite entertainment
is to witness private performances of . naked dancing.
Hitler; "Chicherin -* arid with
him a staff of over two hundred Soviet
Jews --visits the cabarets^ watches
naked. dancera perform for his pleasure,,*"
(ix) Below I have lieted a m?.scellany
of Hitler's statements which are more acciorate as
descriptions of himself than they are of others.
- 156 -
a. In such hours I had
sad forebodings and was rilled with
a depresslnR. fear. 1 was faced by
a doctrine TsoclAl Democrats) consisting
of egoism and hatred; It could be
victorious, following mathematical
laws, but at the same tlire It could
bring about the end of mankind.
b« Social Democracy.., directs
a bombardment of lies and calumnies
towards the adversary who seemed most
dangerous, till finally the nerves of
those who had been attacked give out
and they, for the sake of peace, bow
down to the hated enemy.
c. They (opponents at Nazi
meetings) resembled a powder keg that
might blow up at any moment, and to
which the burning fuse has been attached.
d. -For his (the Jew's) entire
activity is unrestricted by moral obliga-
tions,
e. I talked until my tongue was
weary and till my throat was hoarse. ..
of the destructiveness of their Marxist
doctrine of irrationality. p
f. ...we will not let the Jews slit
our gullets and not defend ourselves.
g. (Jew). ..the higher he climbs,
the more alluringly rises out of the
veil- of the past his old goal, once
promis'^d to him, and with feverish
greed he watches in his brightest heads
the dream of world domination step
into tangible proximity.
h. They (Marxists) began to treat
us as genuine chief criminals of humanity.
1, 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...
• X57 -
1. •*.lt was in keeping with our -own
harmleesnesfl that England took the JpJJ^y
of some day meeting our peaceful activity
with the brutality of the violent egoist.
)t. ...the outstanding features;^ of
Polish bharacter were cruelty and lack or
morjBl re9tj*alnt.
The intensity and frequency of these projections
amply justify the diagnosis of paranoid delusion.
'S>
5. idea lego
The Idealego, as we define It, is a compound
of images, engendered in the mind of the subject, which
represent what he would like to be, his level of aspira-
tion, his best self at the height of his career, the man
reaching the goal of his ambition. The idealego may
be the figure of a master criminal or that of a great
benefactor or prophet, its exact nature being dependent
upon a host of factors stemming from the Id, ego, and
superego. lii Hitler's case it is clear that the ideal-
ego is the aominant force of his conscious and un-
conscious life. We shall discuss, it presently in
connection with his major configuration of drives and
sentiments*.
(
108
B. MAJOR CONPIGTJRATION OP OVERT DRIVES AND SENTIMEHTS
Aa a rule it is difficult to demonstrate a
clear-cut integration of evert drives and sentiments
ir) an individual, either (1) becavise the majority of
people are not integrated according to a very fixed :
and consistent pattern or (2) because the configurations,
such as they are, are not wholly discernible, important
elements being repressed and lonconscious to the subject.
We use the term orienting thema to include both conscious
and unconscious elements. In Hitler's case, however,
it is not expedient to make a distinction between the
major configurations of overt drives and sentiments
and the orienting thema, because the latter has been
made explicit in word and deed ftid is of a relatively
consistent and obvious type. Hitler is one of the
relatively few men who has largely lived out his fantasy.
The main elements of his major configuration are the
following:
X. f>68itiv9 Cathexis-^ of power
Hitler's' sentiments in favor of power as opposed
to all forms of weakness may bo divided into (a) cathexis
of powerful nations and (b ) cathexis of powerful rulers •
* Posikve cathexis - value, attraction, power to evoke
love, respect.
Negative cathexis « the reverse: power to evoke
. aversion, scorn, hate.
- 169 -
' (1) Poaitive cathexls of powerful gfoupa
(natlona ). »
The vety first enthusiasm entertained by the boy
Hitler iras an ftdnilratl on for Germany. We have already
noted his membership In the itatlonallst movement as a
school boy and listed the determinants of this enthusiasm.
The following quotations will Illustrate the persistence
of this attitude In later life.
a, Hanlsch: Hitler always took the
Government's, part.. .Invariably approved
of all such violent methods as necessary
for the Stabs* s sake.
b. Hitler: In Vienna I continued
as I had done before, to follow up all '
events In Gisrmany with the fiercest enthusi-
asm, no matter whether political or
cultural questions were concerned. With
proud admiration I compared the rise of
the Reich with theadecllne of the Austrian
State. (M.K, 69-70).
c. Hitler: Pxoissla, the germ cell of
the Reich, was created by resplendant
heroism and not by financial operations
or oom^rclal affairs, and the Reich Itself
. was in turn only the most glorious reward
of political leadership and military death-
defying courage. (M.K. 201).
It was Hitler/ s love of power that attracted him
to the history of Great Britain.
d. Hitler: No nation has more care-
fully prepared its economib conquests
with the sword with greater brutality
and defended it later more ruthlessly
than the British. (U.K. 189).
- 160 -
e. Hitler: England did not conquoi?
India toy the way of Justice and law: she
conqaiored India without reig^rd to the
wishes, to -the views of the natives, or
to their formulations of justice, and,
when necessary, she has upheld this
suppremacy with the moat, toiratal ruthlesi-
hess. (M.N.O. 103).
Hitler has always admired the ruling classes
everywhere as Opposed to the underprivileged.
f. Hitler: Our big industrialists
have worked their way to the top by
reason of their efficiency. In virtue of
this seliection, which merely proves their
higher race, they have a right to lead.
(ii) positive catheacia of powerful individuals
(rulers) . ,
It is difficult to say whether it was the figure
of a powerful individual or the vague sense of a power-
ful class or nation that first excited Hitler's admira-
tion, tout certainly in ti^' co\arse of his life there
have toe en a series Of heroes who have stirred his enthu-
siasm a^^, shaped his ego ideal. Among these may be
mentioned his teacher of history, Ludwlg poetsch; the
fervent antli- Semitic, -Georg von Schoenerer; the Viennese
mayor, Karl Lueger; Richard Wagner; Frederick the Great;
Bismarfek; the Kaiser; and Mussolini • >: )
a.'^' Hi tie J?: It Infuriated me
even more. than the Viennese Press...
expressed its objections against the
German Kaiser. ..Such things made the
toiobd rush to my head.
- X6X -
b. flanlsch: He said. ..Wagnex*
was a nghtar^ there was more greatness
and power in Wagner.
c. Over Hitler's desk han^s a
portrait of Frederick the Great, ^^i°l
■ all Germany's historic characters. Hitler
has chosen as his hero.
d. Heiden: Roehm's frank hrutal
energy iJdemed to inspire ft blissful
sense of security in Hitler.
e. Hitlert In those dayii -- I
admit it openly — I conceived the most
orofound admiration for the great man,. •
. what will rank Muddolini among the great
of this earth is the determination not
to share Italy with Marxism.
The figui^e of power admired by Hitler is marked
by cournge, fldlitary valor, brutality, and absence of
sympathy or compassion, tt is characteristic 6f him
to interpret humane feeling a s weakness .
2, Heed for t)eferenc e toward t»6wer«
Differing from "a good many other would-be dicta-
tors or revolutioniata. Hitler <ai8plftyed, and still to
some extent displays, a marked deference towards his
superiors, exhibiting thereby, no doubt, a pattern
that he was forced to adopt in the presence of his
overbearing father. ,
(i) Heiden: Subordination he took
seriously down to the smallest details r to
respect one's superior officers, never to
contradict, to submit blindly. Hitler dis-
llBj^l swvile solicitude for the clothes
boots fltnd food of his superior officers .
i si^ g ^ g es
(ii) Strassei?.":. Hitlei:*'^ attitude towarda
the General wa3 obsoqyi^^^J. ^^ was In agreesienf ■
with. everything Lxiden^orff said*
Hitler and Presiflent Hinde^nbui^s
on the Dsy of Pot^dscm ■
' March J 1933
/ ■. , •;'.[LT.::/^.r. : '^ w>zj>r^;5.;*y: *'+?i7>« *.'^ -z':*;- .it*. <r; .^v. : -■^\. vj ,r^. '•"^V^?^*^' V •¥. f-'fir'V*" ■ '
>li'ijV*"'i- i:r ^ '4 s " ; A-^\-- t.'^.^.fM w.' ,
^il53 -
Ji ..,
Kote the subaervierice of
. Hltlei? 'a "boiw*
•"!■ (ill) • Eeiden: In the midst of the Munich
Putsch Hitler exclaimad to Kahi- in a hoarsa
vole©!.' "Bxesllency, I will stand behind joii as
raithfvinT as a ao^!".
(iv) Lamia: In the; coui-s^ of his perora-
tion he. came to apaak of. Generals Ludendoi?ff
. -J and von' Seeckt; at such momenta ho. stood at
attention arid trvmip^ted forth the words "genei^al
,, and "ESccellency'^ It mads no difference that
one of the generals was on his sld^, -while the.
other, von Seeckt, commander-in-chief of the
Reichayrehr, was his eriemyi he- abahi^ on ad himself
entirely to the pleasure of pronouncing the hlgh-
- . sounding titles* Ha never said "General Seecict ,
he said "His Excellency, Herr Kolonal General
* ' ■ von Seeckt", letting the words melt on hLs tongue
- -H atid savoring their after-taste. At this moment
;. he was the typical profesalonal sergeant.
■^.' 5, Nepsative Cathajcls' of "Weafcnesa .
Eitler'a, sentliuents ih^ this category are the
'• ; natural completots of his. high positive oathexis for
,, power. A' few illiAstrations will suffice.
• 164 -
o
(i) Hitler: A atiPonger generation will
drive out the wenkllnga, becaiase in its
ultimate form the urge . to live will again
and again break the ridiculous ^fetters of a
so-called "humanity" of the Individual, «"
that its place will be taken by the "humanity
of nature, which destroys weakness in order
to give its place to strength.
(ii) mtler: ...these upper layers
(of intellect\iaU) Ift^ the necessary will
power. For will power is always weaker in.
these . secluded intellectual circles than in
the masses of the primitive people.
(iii) Hitler: .. .the Jewish
Christ-Creed with its effeminate pity-ethics.
(Rausohning) ♦
(iv) Hitler: Anybody who is such a
poltroon that he can't bear the thought of
someone near by having to suffer pain had
better join a sewing- cirale, but not my
p^rty comrades. (Rauschning) .
(v) Hitler: Unless you are prepared
to be pitiless, you will get nowhere^ Our .
opponents are Aot prepared for it, not because
they are humane... but because they are too
weak. (Rauschning).
4, IdealegOy Powerful Individual .
Tlie process involved here is n»er.ely that of
the internationalization of the positively c»t;)iect?ed
powerful individual described above . What was orice
external became internal and was accepted as the goal
of endeavor. Around this central notion- of the. powerful
individual there has developed an ideology based on
the so-called aristocratic principle in nature. The
final conception is that of a super superman, leader
- 165 -
of a nation of supermen who govern the globe. This
notion is deeply imbiadded in the German character as
a result of (1) the autocratic position of the father
in (i^rman family structure; (2) systematic indoctrina-
tion in the home and in the schools; and (3) the
position of Germany among the European nations, a
powerful community encircled and for a long tinie
eclipsed in power and glory by Prance and then Great
Britain. The main source's of Hitler's ideology are
such men as Carlyle, through his life of Frederick the
Great, Oobineau, Wagner, Houston Stewart Chamberlain,
Nietssche, and Georges Sorel ( fteflexjohs eur la Violeftce) .
Not that Hitler read all or even most of these alatho^s
but their ideas were transmitted to him through various
secondary sources li^ch he read ea^rly and took to
heart during his years in Vienna. 1?he follo^ng
quotations give an outline of Hitler's philosophy,
(i) Hitler: ...most important,
precondition in life — namely, the necessity
to be strong. ;(M.ir.O. 526) ♦.
Cii) Hitler, quoted by Rauschningj
But fortune follows where there is a. firm will.
* (iii) Hitler: Always before Gbd and
the world the stronger has the right to carry
through what he will. (M.N. 0. 50).
<iv) Hitler, quoted by Rauachning:
Brutality is respe<sted. Brutality ftrtd physical
strength. 'The plain man in the street respects
- 166 ^
nothing but brutal strength and ruthleasne ja .
"SrsT^Via la an excellent e^f°Pl« ^f ^"^ J"
p?ijeition and sums up in a nutshell the crux
of Hitler's personality. )
(v) Hitler: In the end, only the urge
for selfipreservatipn will ;*^??;°«^J;y ^j^^^^
Under its pressure so-called "humaniry", aa
the expression of. a mixture of stupidity,
cowardice , an imagintiry a^PJ^^SLiS siJ ^ '
will melt like snow under the March sun.
(U.K. 175).
(vi) Hitler: Every view of life,.,
will remain without Importance... unle»»J^?
.principles have become the. banner of a fighting
movement. (M.K. 675).
rvll) Hitler: Terror is not t)roken by
power ofilnd but by terror. (K.K. 494-5) .
(viii) Hitler: The terror in the work-
shops, in the factory in ^^^lH^^l^Hi^Vi^
on occasions of mass demon st rat lops ^l\l^'^l'^
S" accompanied by success aa long as i^^s «<>| . q.
met by aS equally great force and terror. <M.K. 58).
$. Social Idee t ; t>6Werful Folk.
One will not be able to understand Hitler's
personality, its extraordinary force, its maintenance
this side insanity, and its influence on the German
people witiliut taking full account of hia emotional
identification with an ideal Germany a a he concelvea
It and the dedication of his efforta to the creation
of such a Germany. The prlnciplea of hia program are
expressed in the following series of quotations :
- 167 -
c
(I) Hitler, quoted by Rauachnlng: There
will be a Herren<*Cla$s, an hlatorloal class
tempered by battle and welded from the moat
varied elements*
(II) Hitler: ... (The Polklsh view) feels
the obligation In accoi«dance with the Eternal
Will that dominates thla universe to promote
the victory of the better and stronger, and to
. demarid the stibmlsslon of the worst and the
weakar. (H.K. 580).
(ill) Hitler: We recpgnlBe that free-
dom can eternally be only a consequence of
power and that the source of power Is the
will. Consequently, the will to powei* must be
strengthened In a people with passionate ardor.
(M.N.O. 24).
(Iv) Hitler: Hia (Youth's) entire
education and development has to be directed at
giving him the conviction of being absolutely
superior to the others. (M.K. 618).
(v) Hitler: The parliamentary principle
of decision by majority, by denying the authority
of the person and placing in its stead the member
pf the crowd in question since against the
arlatocratic idea of Natiire, (M.K. lOS).
(vi) Hitler: We want to be the supporters
of the dictatorship of national reason, of
national energy, of national — brutality and
resolution. (M.N.O. 66).
(vil) ffiLtler, quoted by Rauschfiing: One
tbfe% is and. remains eternally the same: foroe«
Bnplres are made by the isword, by superior force —
not by alliances*
What must bi9 pointed out here Is (1) that Hitler
came in to Qerm^y as an outsider .(h« was not reared
in the system), (2) that he started operating with a
relatively sli«pl«, clear«»cut, fanatically held conception
- 168 -
C
Of the proper eocial, pattern, (3) that ha atartea with
a. small nucleus and built a rapidly growing party
according to his preconceived social ideal, (4) that
this, party usurped power and spread to Include most
of the nation:
(viil) Hitler: The N. S. G. W, P. must
not be the masses' slave, but their master!
(M.K. 698).
and, finally, (5) that Hitler's social.ldeal is not
confined to the German people within the national
boundary but to the German folk or race wherever
they are. It is a world dominion that he envisages
by people that are cons titutionally alike.
What we have here in the slpplest terms is the
Master-Slave pattern of social relationships to the
exclusion of all other patterns. What is most distinc-
tive is not the presence of this idea,, which is as old
as the history of man, but the absence of other patterns,
' the complete substitution of contempt for sympat;hy.
• 6, Need for Dominance. Ru thless Will to Power.
Hitler's positive oathecatlon of a powerful,
nation and a powerful ruler has been described, as
well as his creation of a social ideal in which Power
was to be carried to Its furthe.^t point. His deference,
even obsequiousness when face to face with representa^
tlves of power has also been described. What we have
- 169 -
now to deal with 18 the problem of the gradual change .
of emiAaaia frtnn deference to dominance. We can say,
I think, with aome jxustlflcatlon that If F^tler»e Ideal
aoclal pattern had existed In Germany, that the nation
had been under the. dictatorship of an iron man, he might
have been willing to take his place In the eyatem aa a
aubordlnate, Juat aa he did aa a 'corporal in the army,
but the fact that av^ch a aoclal pattern was not in
operation atimulated him to Inaugurate it. He became
diaaatlafied with one political leader after another,
Kahr, Ludendorff , etc., and by degrees forced himself
into the rfile that according to his scheme somebody
must fill. It is as if a masochlst, finding no one
to play a i^e auffioiently aadiatic to gratify his
eroticism, were to decide to adopt that r^e himself.
we have to take account here of the possibility of
vicarious pleasure in either rSle. Listening to flitlei^'s
words, wo often get a certain sense of his Idehtlflca-
tlbn with the aadist whe^ he is adopting the 'submissive
r^e, <^d his identification with the masochlst when he
la acting as a brutal tyrant. To exj^laih the identifica-
tion with the sadist, we must assume an elementary heed
for domlnanae, or wiU to power,'which gets aatisfied
in this roundabout Way. Anyhow, it Is clear that as
- 170 -
timdv went on during the years after World War 1,
Hitler's attitude unden&ent some modification. Prom
the obtrusively submissive corporal he became the
obtrusively dominant leader of a party.
(i) Heiden: ,..(Aa time i^ent oh) he felt
himself superior to his re cognized superiors.
The obedient soldier was transformed into one
who knew better, the \anderling into one who
c«tild do things. better, .
This change was concomitant with Hitler* a
discovery of his own oratorical powers. He gave
way more and more to the demon within him. The ambi-
tious sadist, his infantile belief in omnipotence
beihg reactivated by the hyaterieal approval of the
masses, came into his own, We are dealing here with
a personality who enviously admires his enemies. His
enemies are those who dominate ahd oppose and frustrate,
him with, force. He hates the person who embodies
this force but he worships the force and as ao patterns
himself on the object of "his hate. This explains
why Hitler was attracted to tha Marxists and their
methoda for gaining power.
(13) turner : He want to school not only
to the Marxists. He has a great admiration for
the organization and UJethods" of the Catholic
Church. He speaks again and again of ^o^ "^J J. .
he learned by studying the propaganda the British
used during the war. And he expresses admiration
for American advertising technique. ^
4 in*
(ill) . Hitler: Wd had a chance (dNirlng
World War I) to becoiie acquainted irtth the In-
credible discipline cf our oppunents V propagandli .
And still today It is «y pr^de to have f otind the
means. .^f or beating flnnlly Its very laairers.
Two years later I iHiar" isAster In his craft.
The picture^ we get here la that of a man who,
like a great number of Oermana, entertains the ooncep-^
tlon of an Iron man who will save Germany, and wonders
at the aaise tlaie whettier he hlii^elf has not the neCeisary
genius to be Ihet Ircn manv . A$ time went on. Hitler
oane more and more to Identify himself with the hero,
but even at th» mcmee^ ijlrtrt he mtta approaching the
very stonnli o^ his power he was- overcome. with mlSt
glvlngs. perhap* he was not thla superman but merely
the mrldge to the superman, as Hie tsssche often said
of himself.
(iv) Hitler r We aM are. In a small wayj
iltee St* John^ (the Baptist). I wait for Christ I
(v) ^tier, quoted by Rauscbningj The
hew map. 1* among \i|>t He is hare I Sow are you
satisfied? I will tell you a secret* I have
seen ttof Vlsieh of the new mien '- fearlesa and
formidable. X shrank f rem |ilml
(9#B« Eete Is a suggestion tb^t
b^yond^ the exercise of pdw«if there Is a grd&ter
enjoyment -- shrinking before a still greater
force*)
^
- 173 V
7* Ideptlfl cation wltii MemXQgo *
A few quotations will be sufficient t^o show the
extent of Hitler's Identification with hla <nm (and
the average Genoan's) Idealego.
(I) Hitler, quoted by Jhiasell:
Who won the canipaign in Poland?
I dldl
I- ■
Who gave the orders?
X dldl
■ Who had all the strategic ideas
which made victory possible?
I dldl
Who ordered the attack?
Ich, Ich, Ich, IchI
(II) Hitler, addressing Schuschnlgg,
quoted by Puchs:
Do you not realize that you are in
the presence of the greatest German ever-
\ known to historyl
(ill) Hitleri I am one of the hardest
men Germany has had fm decades^ perhaps fbr centuries,
equipped with the greatest authority of any German
leader.. .but above all, I believe in my success, I
believe in it unconditionally* (M,N,0. 871)^
(iv) Hitler, addressing the Supreme Commanders
before the polish campaign, quoted by Lochner:
^in *
IB the laat anilyil* thei»e ar* only
three g^eat statdsnidn iii th^ world, Stalin,
I, and llu*s6Xifil.*.otir strength oonilats
in our ap6©d a6d in our -brutality.^ Genghla
KhaA lad mllliadaa* of woii»^n and dhildreft td
alatightar flth premeditation and a hajjipy
heart, metory seea In feim solely *5^w^4ff«,^
foufider of a etate. it 'a a matter of irtdlffer-
eh6e to m i*hirt a weak western Europeafl
elvlUMitlofl will say ahout aie. I ha^e Issued
the coflBilind -* and I'll haire afoybody whe^
uttera but one word of crltlcl«fi ^bcefislited
by a firing squad — that our war aim does
not consist In reaching certain lines, but
In the»physlcal destruction of th« eneftj*
Accordingly, I have placed my death-head
foraiatlons In readlneai...wlth orders to
theai to send to death' mercilessly and with-
out cooroasslett, toert, women, and 6hiMrei4
of Polish derivation and language;
Hitler sees himself not only as Germany's greatest
strategist and war lord but as the chosen Instrument
of Ood, the savior -of the German folk, arid the founder
6f a new spiritual era which will endure, as Christ's
kingdom was designed to endure, for a thousand years.
It is not to be wondered at, therefore, that Hitler
has often identified himself with Christ,
(v) Hitler: Therefore, 1 believe today
tljat I am acting In the sensa of the Almighty Creator:
By warding off the Jews I am fighting for the Lord's
work* <M.K. 84),
Hitler: My feeling as a Christian
points me to my Lord and Savior as a
fighter. It points me to the man who once
in loneliness, surrounded by only a few
- 174 ^
folXowers, reoognJLzed those Jews tar jib&t
they were and s-ummoned men to the fight
ftgalnat them an<ai who, Ood»s tj?uthl wa»
greatest not as a stiffs re r but as a
fighter. In boundless love as a Christian
and as a man X read through the passage
which tells us how the X.ord rose at last
in his might and seized the scourge to drive
ou^ of ' the^f emple the brood of vipers and
adders. ••I rectjgnize more profoundly than
ever before the fact that it was for this
that He had to shed his blood upon the
cross* (M,N.O» 26).
Hitiler: vftien..*! see these men standing
in their queues . .then I believe I would be
no Christian, out a very devil, if I felt
no pity for them, If. I did not, as did our
Lord two thousand years ago, turn against
those by whom todajr this poor people is
plundered and exploited. (M.N.O* 27).
Hitler may very well have reaXizod that he could
not make of his. physique anything very imposing or
resplendent. Perhaps it was an uncanny wisdom on his
part that paused hiro to adopt, or at least, retain, the
appearance of a, typical lower middle class man. Anyhow,
he stands out among others of his type by an adherence
to the uniform of a commonplsc^ storm trooper or the
vestments of an average ^jitizan:. He has not yielded
to the temptation of dressing himself up in a fine
uniform or In imperial robes as did Napoleon. After
the war, he went about in jack-boots swinglfflg a
hippopotamus- hide whip and a plastic surgeon has
removed superfluous fat from his nose, and he has
- 175 - '
stxMlied as ooBaclo^aly aa any actoir the walk, the
geaturaa^ and the manner 8\tL table to hia pdaitloh; ^
but atill^ deapite th«tae and many othet efforta to
create a aatlafyJ^ng viaual impresalon, he h^a pre^
aerved Certain modeatlea that have Ingratiated him with
certain olaaaea In Germany. Adoordlng to the legend,
he la a humble aacetlo man, and thla holda, deaplte
the known fact that In hla atudy at tl« Berghof a hQge
portrait of hlmaelf aa Fuehrer hangs over him eternally,
8, Reed for Aggresalon. Sadism .
The Marqula de Sade maintained that his cruelties
were not Inflicted with the purpose of giving others
pain but rather to Increase to the utmost his own
sense of power; thus, according to. hla version, aggres-
sion waa aubaldlary to dominance. In Hitler's case,
however, although the will to power Is the central
principle, fxtoed with It la a, vlndlctlveness which
takea pleaaure In the painful htmilllatlon of hla
adversarlea. Bnough llltistratlons of the aadlam mixed
up with Hitler » a need for dominance have already been
given; we on^y need to point out here what Is known
the world over, namely, that his Ideplogy of power
has been expressed In definite aetlona of aggression.
: D
- 176 -
particularly against weaker, helpless individtials
and groups. Statements such as the followiiig have been
the precursors of unprecedented hrutalitys
(i) Hitlei», quoted by Rauschnigg: I shall
spread terror by the surprise employment of all my
measures.
(ii) Hitler^ quoted by Helden: There- will be no
peace in the land until a body is hanging from every
lamp post.
(iii) Hitler, quoted by Rauschning: But even if
we could not conquer them, we should drag half the
world into destruction with us, and leave no one to
triumph over Germany. There will not be another 1918,
We shall not surrender.
An account of Hitler's personal aggressiveness
against another man is given by Heiden:
(iv) (At the M\anich Putsch) The first to be
arrested was the Standard leader. Count Spretl. The
young Count was set in front of Hitler; he made a
movement toward his pockety as though to grasp his pis-
tol. Thereupon Hitler raised his whip^ struck Count
Spreti on the head with the stout iropbound end, and
threshed him on the face in blind fury tmtil Count
Spreti collapsed r^
i J>
r
- i77 -
The pvirge of 1934^ the anti-Semitic atrocities,
the unspeakable crimes committed in Poland, these and
many other actions executed or o>rdered by Hitler demonstrate
the extent of his sadism and revengefulness*
9. Need for Insociation (Collective Identification) .
Hitler's psychology cannot be \anderstood if he is
considered apart from his identification with the German
people, or rather with his ideal for Germany • Prom the
very beginning, we have evidence of his desire to become
a member of the Reich, which, to be sure, was more in
the nature of a fantasled insociation with a vaguely
conceived tradition than it was a desire for relation-
ship with concrete individuals* Until he enlisted in
the German Army, there are no definitive instances of
his ever belonging to an organized group, -unless it
was -a little Nationalist's Club in school. No doubt
this long period of egocentric isolation increased his
need, for insociation* We note that at school he showed
tendencies to be an agitator; and Hanish tells us that
in Vienna be was continually talk ii)^ up the idea of
forming ati association among his flophouse friends for
financial or political purposes* Although iri a sense
he was a lone wolf (he went by the name of Wolf), it
was also true that he had to have followers about him*
- 178 -
One of th.e first things he created was a bodyguard
and the creation of the National Socialist Party was
essential to his achievement* Hitler is inconceivable
without the masses, but it was not so much the concrete
individual party members whom, we have in mind here,
rather Hitler's conception of the German Volk, with whom
in his imagination he was identifiedt He believed,
and the people believed, that he loved Germany, and ;
if Germany is perceived in his terms there is no reason
to doubt this dedication, v/ithout this, he would have
become a criminal or live 4 out his life as a futile and
penniless paiftter of postcards, it was this feeling
of oneness with Germany and the fact that^ he could
identify his revengefulhess with the heed for aggression
latent fn the German nation which ehabled him to hold
his grouhdv this side Insanity » Once the Party had
conquered the German people, he could function corporo-
centrlcally rather than egocentrically. It v:as this
that saved him and won him adherents.
10. Need fo r Creation (Social )
It was hot Germany as it was or had^ b^en that
Hitler represented but rather the ideal social pattern
which h§ wished to impose on the country. Not only
- 179 -
during his days of rumination. in Vienna but later
it was necessary for hiin to construct an ideology
from diverse sources in terms of which he -coiild
preach to the people • Nonis of the elements were
original with him hut some inventiveness was required
in developing the precise combination of principles
that became the cre^d of the Nazi Party. Besides this,
he wag continually preoccupied with inventing means
to his goaltf, which involved a considerable aihoiint
of creative thought; thus, to a certain extent, he
functioned as a creative artist and certainly con--
ceived of tdLmself as such.
(i): IBLtler: Or mus'fe' not tiie task of
the leading statesman be seen in the birth
of a crdiitive idea or plan in itself, rather
than in the ability to make the ingenuity of
his plans understandable to a flock of sheep
and empty-heads for the purpose of begging their
gracious consent? (M.K. 101-102).
11. ^eed for Exposition .
Having Arrived at his major policy, his ideological
goal with its subsidiary aims, it was necessary to
communicate these to thiei people, and so to create a
Party and later a nation dedicated to the achievement
of the determined goal. * Hewi the need for exposition
took the form of writing MEIN' KAMPP, but more especially
the forpi of speeck- makings Hitler is eloquent in
- 180 -
stressing the importance of the orator as opposed
to the writer when it conies to immediate potency in
instigating action. We must certainly rate the need
for exposition as maximally strong in Hitler's per-
sonality. In boyhood he was already haranguing his
schoolmates and his family. Likewise in Vienna and
at Company Headquarters dtiring the war, and everlasting-
ly from then on he has continued to make speeches to
real or imaginary audiences. His chief function, per-
haps, as he conceived it, was to convert the German
people to his way of thinking -and thus to create the
Germany that he was devoted to in his imagination.
■One final point: insociation, creation, and
exposition were fused by Hitler's conception of himself
as mouthpiece of the whole people. He was not creating
an individualistic philosophy and imposing it on
Germany, but rather, as he saw it, giving voice to the
deepest heeds and longings of the masses. Here the
editors' of MEIN KAMPP have, something to say:
. (i) The leader* is he who most strongly
senses the needs and desires of the unified
nation, and not he who — as Nietzsche and Stefan
George believed -- makes use of the "slaves" in
order to assure the triumph and happiness of a
more regal aristocracy than the world has known,
in short, fcr all his elements of patriotic
mysticism. Hitler is no Platonist, bu^ a Spartan
in the simplest sense. That iS why Germans have
found it so difficult to resist him. As one of
them has put it, "He flatters us all into acquies-
cence. -" (M.K*Nbt$, 127*8)* '
- 181 -
In so far, as Hitler conforms to this rale, he is
egocentric, corporocentriCj, and ideocentric all at once.
12 • Orienting 'l?heina
Much evidence could be brought to bear to demonstrate
that Hitler's energies would never have been fully-
involved if it had not been for Germany's, defeat and
collapse, tip to that time, he had political convictions,
to be sure, but the sufficient stimulus was lacking*
The critical point came, as was mentioned above, when
he lay blind in the military hospital ar>d made his vow
to reinstate hij^ fallen motherland. Therefore, we
would be inclined to put Hitliar's orienting thema,
the plot of his active striving, in these words: .
The treacherous, overpowering, and contaminating, th^
weafcehifig and depreciation, df a pure and nob l e object
is ' the tragic ' spectacle which arouses ' th6 hero ' and
ificites him' t6 agitate revenge. As L ^ad^r and Me ssJah ^
tie cempels the, objebt, by sheei* wilj and eloqviehce ,
to adopt a cbursS of ruthless dggressjoh, the goal
feeinp^ to annihilate the contamlhator and aggressor^
and- so, guided by its almighty ruler ' and . redeemer ,
to become ' supremely pure, powerful, and superior, and
thug everlastingly respected . His work done, the
- 182 - ,
hefcb. f e linq-ul 3 he s powe r and di e s , re ve red a 3 the
pi'ogenltor of an un corrupted and masterful race that
Dtfill live on tin fulfllAent of his word.
(N.Bi^ (the elements of purity and contamination
will be fully discussed later.)
13 • Lack of Need Affiliation^ Need Nurturance .
Hitler's strong drives for aggressive dominance
and self-assertion have been described. These are
the features of the man's personality which have
attracted and shocked the world but what is more dis-
tinctive perhaps is not the presence of these all-too-
human tendencies but the lack of opposing drives which
in normal people balance and mitigate the evil effects
of rampant egocentrism* Hitler has sh6wn extraordinarily
little ability to establish and maintain friendships,
to adjust himself to the needs and wishes of other
people and a minimum of sympathy for hviman suffering
and affliction. Whatever tendertcies of this sort he
once possessed have been long-since trampled \inder
foot.
^185-
. C. MINOR CONFIGURATIONS OP NEEDS AND SENTIMENTS
Hitler is a peculial'ly single-minded fanatic and
the '^gi^eater part of his energies haVe been caught up
In the major configuration outlined in the previous
section. Anyhow, other cdnflgurationis and .patterhB
of behavior are of relatively little consequence in
a: Nummary analysis of this sort. Suffice it to
mention:-
1. Need for Sex.
■ ■■ » ■' »» I 111* II ■
Although the Press has led the German people to
believe periodically that Hitler had found, the girl
he was looking for all these yeai?6, a good many close
observers have come to the conclusion that he is asexual.
It ii3 generally said that Germany i3 his beloved, his
mother an^ his wife, and that when he addresses the
masses, whom hk. thinks of as feminine, he is courting,
appealing to, complaining to, and arousing the woman
of his heart. That this is not entirely satisfying
to his sex instinct will be indicated in a later
section i /^
2* Need for Creation (Architectvire) #
mt-ler's ambitions to become an architect were
frustrated by his lack of education and talent, but
- 184 -
since he has "become supreme ruler of Germany he has
given free play to this interest. He has had a part
in planning and designing a number of the recent
buildings, system of roads, etc. This tendency is only
of significance to us in so far as we can infer from
the products of his mind certain underlying forces;
f therefore, we will postpone consideration of this
side of his character rintil a later section.
it should be noted here that Hitler *s interest
in architecture is very real* It forms an essential
ingredient in his. system of sentiments. The evidence^
for this is not limited to his own statements but is
furnished by a close study of his metaphors. He speaks
of architecture as the queen of the arts. No doubt
painting and architecture were connected to some
extent with a certain voyeurism, but they also had
other significances. The following passage is
S'^ggQ stive of voyeurism:
(i) I had eyes for nothing but the
buildings. ..all day long, from early morn
. -until late at- night, I tan from one sight to
the next, for what attracted me mcftt of all
were the buildings* For hour a "on end I would
stand in front of the opera or a^dmire the
'parliament Buildings; the entire Ringstrasse
affected me like a fairy tale out of the
Arabian Nights ., (M.K. 26-27).
- 185 -
In accordance with the conventions of symbolic
interpretation, it is possible to conceive of these
impressive buildings as psychic equivalents of the
mother whom he has lost. We are also reminded here
of the unique claustrim which Hitler had constructed
for himself on the top' of the mountain behind his
retreat kt Berchtesgadent
D. TYPE OP PERSONALITY STRUCTURE: COUNTERACTIVE NARCISM
.The drives, sentiments, and traits so far listed
and discussed -- ,Hitler*s high idealego, his pride,
his dominance and aggression, and his more or less
successful repression of the superego -- Indicate
that his personality structure corresponds to that of
pounteractive Nardisni, The implication of this term
is that the manifest traits and symptoms of Hitler^ s
personality represent a reaction formation to \inder-
lying feelings of wounded self-.esteem* When one
examines syi^tematically the common manifestations of
Co\interactive Narcisra, one finds that ^fxe majority
of them are clearly exhibited in Hitler* 3 behavior;
therefore, by running over- the list of these common
ch?tracteristics we can bring together some loose ends
and subsume them all under one formulation^ Here we
- 186 -
shall not attempt to bo exhauativo but satisfy ourselves
with some of the more typical manifestations •
1. Naroigensitivity; ^ low tolerance of belittle-
ment, depreciation, criticism, contradiction, mockery,
failure; inability to take a joke; tendency to harbor
grudges, not forgetting and forgiving.
(i) Hanisch: Hitler could never stand
any criticism of his paintings*
(ii) Hanisch: Hitler could not stand to
be contradicted. He would get furious. He
couldn^'t restrain himself, would scream and
fidget with his hands.
(iii) Rauschning: He looked round appre-
hensively and suspiciously, with searching glances
at us* I had the impression that he wanted to
see if anyone was laughing* .
2. n Recognition (Self-^ Exhibition ) ;- self-display;
extravagant demands for attention and applause; vainglory.
(i) Hitler ^s appearance at meetings and
rallies are dramatized to the fullest extent.
He is c^r^ful to have electric lights shining
^ on him in such a way as to produce the most
striking effects possible, etc., etc. However,
one gets the impression the exhibitionism is
limited to talking before a crowd — at which
times it is extreme --but that ordinarily he is
self-conscious and ill at ease, and does not
|)articularly enjoy showing himself in public,
although he must do this to maintain' his power*
3. n Autonomy (Freedom) ;- self-will; to insist
on a sufficient area of liberty, on free thought, speech
and action* Resistance or defiance in the f^c^ of force-
ful coersions or restraints; to combat tyranny.
- 187 -
(1) It is said that Hitler was unruly as
:. aiyouth, intolerant of frustration. After his
father's death he was given his own way and
after leaving. school became increasingly resistant
to rules and regulations. He was never able
to hold a job. He wanted to be an artist and
live like a Bohemian. « We must therefore place
him high on this variable although in him it
does not take its usual form (defenisive individual-
ism), due to his political ambitions — Hitler
needed the alliance of the masses..
(ii) Hitler: The thought of being a
slave in an office made me ill; not to be
master of my own time, but to force ah entire
life-time into the filling in of forms.
(M.K. 12).
(iii) Heiden: Peder...also said that
the Ptehrar must be educated in systematic work.
For this purpose he had selected an officer,
who was to serve Hitler as secretary, to map
out' the day's work according to the clock and,
in general, to introduce order and a programme
into the Ptbhrer's activity.- When Hitler heard
this, he banged his fist on the table and
shouted, "Who do those fellows think they are?
I shall go my own way, as I see fit." But he
■^ " accepted the secretary.
4. n Dominance (Self -^Sufficiency) : - When one is in
a position of authority, to plan and make decisions
v/ithout consulting others; to refuse to change an
announced decision; to resent disaigreements and
interferences; to.be annoyed by opposition; to insist
on being sole ruler of on^'s province — home, business,
political party, nation.
(i) ' Heiden, quoting Hitler: I am not
contending for the favor of the masses.. .I
alone lead the movement, and no one can itapose
- 188 -
conditions on me so long as I personally
bear the responsibility. And I once more
bear the whole responsibility for everything
that occurs in the movement*
5* Refusal of Subordinate Position :- to avoid,
refuse, or leave a position which does not do Justice
to one*s felt powers or accomplishments; to want the
first place or nothing (fusion with n Autonomy)*
(i^ Hitler's refusal to accept membership
in the Cabinet in 1932* He insisted on complete
power.
5* Reluctance to Admit Indebtedness ;■* to be
disinclined to express gratitude or acknov/ledge help
received, to deny or minimize the contribution of
others.
(i) Rauschning: Hitler has always been
a poseur . He reinembers things he has heard
and has a faculty of repeating them in such a
way that the listener Is led to believe that
they are his own.
7# Oouhteractive Achievement :- persistent
efforts in the face of unexpected obstacles; or
restriving after a defeat; or repeated and enduring
attempts to overcome fears, anxieties, deficiencies
or defects; efforts to defeat a. once successful rival,
(i) Heiden: When others after a defeat
would have gone home despondently, consoling
themselves with the philosophic reflection that
it was no use contending against adverse circum-
stances. Hitler delivered a second pnd a third
assault with sullen defiance. V/hen others
- 189 -
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.
(ii) The very first condition for s\lch a
manner, of fight with the weapons of pure force
is, and will always be, perseverance* • .As soon
as intermittent force alternates with indulgence,
the doctrine to be suppressed will not only
recover again and again, but it will be able
to draw new values from every persecution* • •
Only in the eternally regular use of force lies
the preliminary condition to success* (M*K* 222)#
8. n Rejection (Verbal Depreciation) ;-^ to
belittle the worth of others, especially if they be
superiors, rivals, and potentifetl critics (fusion of
verbal Rejection and. Aggression) #
(i) Rauschning: Hitler distrusts everyone
who tries to explain political economy to him.
He believes that the intention is to dupe him,
•and he makes no secret of his contempt for this
branch of science.
(ii) Hitler: My mind was tormented by
the question: Are these still human beings,
worthy of being part of a great nation? A
torturing question it was...(M.K. 54) >
(ill) Hitler: ••♦it brought me internal
happiness to realize definitely that the Jew
was no German. (M.K. 77)."
(Iv) Hitler: jt.#*armed in one's mind
with confidence in the. dear Lord anc^ the unshake-
able stupidity of the bourgeois. (M,E. 585).
- 190 ^
9, Counteractive Aggression >^ to repay an
insult in double measure -- a tooth for a tooth;
to revenge an injury; to attack opponents, superiors,
and frustrators.
(I) Verbal : to accuse, condemn, curse,
damh, depreciate, or mock an enemy to his face, or
behind his back by criticism, slander, subtle under-
mining of prestige, smear campaigns, etc.
There are h-undreds of illustrations
of this* It is Hitler's conviction that:
"One can only succeed in winning the soul
of a people if ^ apart from a positive
fighting of one's own for one's ov/n aims,
one also destroys at the same time the
supporter of the contrary." (M.K. 468) •
(II) Physical ; to attack or kill the
depreciating, injuring or frustrating object.
Purge of 1934, Anti-Semitism, V^/ars, etc*
10^ Intradeference (Compliance ) : - obadlance
to own intuitions and impulses; self- trust; fidelity
to own feelings, -sentiments,, tastes, judgments, ex-
periences.
(I) Hitler: But I knew just the same
that my place would be there where my inner
voice directed me to go.
(II) Hitler: Nothing will move me to
go another' way but the way which experience,
insight, and foresight tell me tj^ go. (M.N.O* 374)
(N.B., Illustratioiia of this are plentiful;
see Id. )
- 191 -
lit Creation and Cathectlon of an Idealego ;-
satisfaction with one's ideal, with the height of
one's aspirations; identification with this ideal.
(i) Many illustrations have been given
under Idealego and Identification with Idealego.
12. idealego IntreLdefei?ence (Respec t) ^ self-
esteen; satisfaction with conduct, abilities and
accomplishments of self.
(i) Although, as I shall attempt to prove.
Hitler's character structure is a reaction
..formation to tendencies of which he is highly
contemptuous, both these tendencies and the
contempt. are largely unconscious to him. Much
more conspicuous in his conscious psychology
are his superiority feelings, his self-esteem,
his outf lying self-confidence.
(ii) Hitler (at the age of nineteen years) :
I waited with pride and confidence to learn
the result of my entrance examination • I was
so convinced of my success that the announcement
of my failure came like a bolt from the blue.
(M.K. 27).
'. (iii) Hitler: I devoted myself en-
thusiastically to my passion for architectvire. • .
I was able to read or draw late into the night.
I was never tired. Thus my belief that my
beautiful- dream of the future would become
reality, perhaps only after many years, was
strengthened.. I was firmly convinced .that
some day I would make a name as an architect.
(M.K. 45). ./
(iv); (tlitler believed himsQ^f a man of
destiny even while serving as a ci^rporal): In
those months^ for the first time^ I felt fully
the whims of fortune which kept me at the front
in a place where any lucky move on the part
of a negro could shoot me down, while somewhere
else I would have been able to render a different
- 192 -
service to my cotintry. For I was ^old
enough to believe even then that I wouia
have succeeded in this. (M.K, 244)*
(v) Hitler addressing Schuschnigg,
quoted by Puchs : Do you not realize that
you are in the presence of the greatest
German ever known to history!
13. n Defendance: to defend'dne's self-esteem
verbally — by offering excuses and justifications,
by blaming Qther^, by depreciating the judges, by
exalting other aspects of one's personality, etc.
Hitler's prime method of defending, the
status of. his sdlf ia'by blaming others (extrapuni-
tive reaction). Two other common methods are these:
(i) Connecting se-lf with other
' (respectable or great) people, who have
done the same, or had the same l^^ppen
to them, or suffered from the same defect .
(n Rec).
Hitler: . If we committed high
treason, then countless others did the
same. I deny all guilt so long as I do
not find added to our little company those
gentlemen who helped... (M3.0. auj.
(ii) Proclaiming worth of criticized
part of self,, or another pa?t, or of self
as' a whole (A Rec) : to assert the merit of
what others condemn; to balance a Refect
with an asset; to wipe o^^v^i^fl^i^^J^n
recalling one's successes in this -^r in
some other, field.
Hitler:- I believe that as a
Nationalist Socialist I appear in the eyes
of manv bourgeois democrats as only a wild
SL! Lt :l^ .»1W man I still .{j-^'^^S^: .
self to be a better European, .. (M.N. 0. 4U4;.
- 193 ^
Throughout the whole of Hitler's spoken and
written words are to be found many evidences that
he highly approves of the traits attributed to him
in this section and, more than that, advocates their
"adoption as the preferred pattern of behavior- for
the whole nation.
Hitler: •••if a people is to become
free it needs pride and will-power, defiance,
hate, hate and once again hate, (M.N.O. 49)»
14, Insult as stimulus ;*^: It is characteristic
of the proud counteractive type of personality that
his energies are not engaged unless he has been
insulted or injured or imagined himself belittled in
some way. Thus the man of this sort will often
actively seek such a stimulus. The following
quotation illustrates this important principle:
(i) Hitler: • If we had been attacked
at that time, nay, if one had only laughed at
us, we would, have been happy in both evenbs.
For the depressing thing was neither the
one nor the other, but, It was only the complete
lack of attention we encountered at that time.
This was true mogt of all for my person*
(15, K, 490), . . '
15* Compulsive Crimix>allty :- Having started
on a courge of revengeful aggression instigated by
a real or supposed -Insult the individual is often
led to act or to plan actions which are opposed by
- 194 -
his conscience. Therefore he is compelled, if he
is to fulfill his resolution of revenge, to repress
his superego*. This often results in a condition of
mounting lanconscipus guilt which must be further
subdued by a repetition or extension of the criminal
behavior in order, as it were, to prove, by the
success attending this conduct, that it is favored
by fortune and hence right. This is demonstrated
in Hitler's case and is an important dynamical
principle of his, personality. . It is necessary for ,
him to commit crimes, more crimes, in order to appease
his superego. As soon as successful offensive action
becomes impossible, the man will become a victim of
a long-repressed superego, a condition which will
lead to suicide or. mental breiakdown.
- 195 -
VI. DYNAMICAL INTERPRETATION
OF THE lilA JOR CONFIGURATION
A. REVENGEFUL DOMINANCE AS A COUNTER*
' ACTION TO INSULTED NARCISM
• Almost all psychologists who have analyzed
Hitler's personality have interpreted it by referring,
among other concepts, to Adler's formula: craving,
for superiority coming out of unhearable feelings of
. inferiority . We also agree to this conception with
. special stress laid upon the press of Insult (wounded
narcism) and the consequent residual tension of
revenge bolted up for years and then finding expression
in the Cult of Brutality. Even some of his non-
psychological associates Reached essentially the
■ same conclusion.
(lO Rauschning: Every conversation,
however unimportant, seemed to show that this man
was filled with an immeasurable hatred. Hatred of
: what? It was not easy to say. Almost anything
might suddenly inflame his wrath and his hatred.
He seemed always to feel the need of something to
hate .
(ii) RauchniRg: In the harshn;)ss and
unexampled cynicism of Hitler there is something
more than the repressed effect of a hypersensitiveness.
- 195 -
which has hsndicapped its bearer. It is the urge
to reprisal and vengeance, a truly Russian-nihilistic
feeling.
(iii) Rausohning: Hatred — personal
hatred — rang out in his words, revenge for early
ye^rs of , poverty, for disappointed hopes, for a life
of deprivation and humiliation.
(iv) Heiden: Anyone acquainted with the
unhappy life of this lonely man knows why hatred
and perse cutibn mania guided his first political
footsteps. In his heart he nursed a grudge against
the' world, and he vent«d it on guilty and innocent
alike. His cracking voice, his jerky gait, his,
sawing gestures expressed a hatred of which all who
saw him were conscious.
Hitler has experienced almost all the varieties
of press that in our experience are capable of giving
rise to wounded narcism; chiefly the following
deserve mention:
!• Pl:tyaical inferiority :- Hitler *s youthful
frailty and general bodily awkwardness and weakness
has already been described.
2. Press of aggressive dominance^Jlnsult) ;- Know-
ing something of the character of Alois Hitler, we can
safely infer experiences of abasement and hvmlliation
suffered by the son*
-.197 -
3* Press of rejection:- S6me evidence for this
has already been given, (Sec. IV), and more will follow*
4. Press' of lack (poverty and low social status );-
Here we would point especially to the four years of
living among the derelicts of Vienna.
5. Press of failure ;- The failure to graduate
from the Realsohulej the failure to pass the examina-
tions of- the Academy of Arts; and the failure to make
his living in Vienna -- these and many others were
summated to produce feelings of humiliation and in-
adequacy.
6. ' Press of subordinate office, ' success of
rivals ;" ■ The fact that Hitler was not promoted in
the Army beyond the position of corporal and that he
must have seen many younger men being advanced above
him helped to aggravate his wounded pride.
7. Sexual inferiority :- Perhaps crucial in this,
whole cluster of debasing press is Hitler's reported
inability to have sexual intercourse ♦ This may be
due to physical or psychic impotence.
8. Breakdown of courage :- Hitler's war neurosis
is a sign of a breakdown of nervous stamina ^n the
face of overwhelming odds, which was probably experienced
by him as a humiliation, especially in view of his ego
ideal.
. 198 -
(a) .; Our own hypothetical reconstruction
of the traumatic events which led to the feeling of
insulted pride would be somewhat as follows:
(i) Abasement and humiliation of the mother
as the result of the press of a^ggressive dominance
and insult from the father, leading eventually to
the death of the mother. According to our hypothesis
the boy Hitler identified with his mother on the
lowest level of his nature • This led to the desire
for revenge: aggressive dominance and humiliation
of the father.
(ii) Press of rejection coming from the
father and perhaps to some extent from the mother
(birth of younger sibling)* This led to the boy'g
desire for supraflliation, incorporation in a larger
and more p owe rful^ group, namely, Germany, and a feeling
of superiority (glory) in this fantasied alliance,
together with the justification of releasing aggression
against his Government, Austria.
(iii) Abasement apd himiiliatiop on self as
a result of the press aggressive dominance and insult
from his father. This is similar to th§ travima in
(i) except here it is on his own account entirely.
- 199 -•
It led to the same counteractive need for aggressive
dominance and vengeance, the goal being hiomlliation
of the father and omnipotence for himself • The death
of his father when he was thirteen years old and the
, five subsequent years when he had his mother pretty
much to himself may. have served to engender the
confidence (enjoyed throughout his life) that he
. v;ould eventually suQceed as ruler,
/ (iv) Humiliation of self in Vienna as
the result bf press rejection,- press deprivation,
and press aggressive dominance. Since many of the
prominent positions in Vienna were held by Jews,
some of Hitler's anti-Semitism, aa well as his hatred
. of Vienna, can be attributed to humiliations received
from the upper classes during these years* These
wounds to pride helped to augment the mounting
residual tension of aggressive dominance.. Later
his acceptance as a soldier in the German Army
served to relieve his painful feelings and give him
feelings of exultation similar to those experienced
when he joined the Nationalist's Club as ^ boy*
(v) Hixmiliation of self (war ^neurosis)
concomitant with the humiliation and abasement of
his motherland as the result of press aggressive
- - 200 -
dominance and insult (Versailles Treaty) at the
hands of the Allies, As in the previous four cases,
this led to the need for aggressive dominance with
the aim of reinstating the ppwer and glory of Germany
and wreaking vengeance on the Allies •
The hypothesis of identification with the mother
on a physical erotic level calls for the assiomption
of strain of femininity in Hitler, combined with a
trend of passive homosexuality and for this we must
now list the evidence.
.1. Femininity, Passive fiomosexuality. Masochism .
(a) The feminine component in Hitler's
physical constitution had already been described
(i) Feminine traits. Hitler/s senti-
mentality, his emotionality, his shrieking at the
climax of his speeches, his artistic inclinations,
his sudden collapses, his occasional softness —
these are all typical not so much of a woman as of
a woman in man#
(ii) Identification with mother. Hitler's
belief that he is going to: die of cancer as did his
smother is suggestive of an underlying empathic relation-
ship • . :
- 201 -
(ili) .Abasement to superiors, strong
males. Instances of exaggerated submisslveness to
powerful superiors have already. been listed.
(iv) Cathexis of male symbols. Hitler
has a special liking for a multiplicity of tall,
conspicuous columns in architecture and for paintings
of stallions (they must never be mares).
(v) Attraction to homosexuals followed
by their murder. It is known that Hi t lis r had a special,
admiration for Roehm; whether it was this individual
or Hitler himself who was chiefly responsible i n ^
attracting such a large proportion of homosexuals to
the Nazi Party is uncertain, but it is known that
after two or three months of anxiety and delusions
to the effect that. Roehm and his fellow homosexuals
were plotting' to usvirp power Hitler had them all
njurdered in the purge of 1934.
(vi) Homosexual panic. Some of the
nightmares described by several informants are very
suggestive of homosexual panic*
).
Rauschning: Hitler wakes at
night with convulsive shrieks. ■. He shouts for
help.' He sits on the edge of his bed, as if un-
able to stir^ He shakes with fear, makipg the
whple bed vibrate. He shou,ts confused, totally
unintelligible phrases. - Hq ,gasps> as if
imagining himself to be suffocating^. .Hitler
- 202 -
stood swaying In his room, looking wildly about
him. "Hel He I He^s been herel" he gasped,.
His lips wq re blue. Sweat streamed down his
face. Suddenly he began to reel off figures,
and odd words end broken phrases, entirely
devoid of sense •••then he suddenly broke out,
"There, therql In tho corner l Who^s that?"
He stamped and shrieked in the familar way**.
A number of metaphors used by Hitler, images
of being stabbed in the rear, recur in his writings*
(vii) Hitler:/ The development has shown
that the people who stab with stilettos in
Germany are more powerful than before.
(viii) Hitler: Slowly the fear of the
Marxist weapon of Jewry sinks Into the brains
and souls of decent people like a nightmare.
(M.K. 447).
(ix) Hitler: One bejgins to tremble
before the terrible enemy, and thus one has
become his final victim. (M.K# 447).
(x> Hitler: There can navey be tmity
between- those who manned the walls in the hour
of danger, and those who in the last moment
pushed the stilelbto into their backs.
(xi) Hitler: God be thanked, this is
just the meaning of Germanic democracy, that no
unworthy climber or moral shirker can come in
the back way to rule his fellow citizens* . .but
should, nevertheless, such a fellow try to sneak
in, then he will be easily found out and ruth-
lessly rebuffed. Out with you, cowardly wretch!
Step bapk, you ar^ soiling the steps; the front
stairs leading to the Pantheon of History is
not for sneaks but for heroes. (M.lK. 117).
Pertinent at this poipt, perhaps, is' Hitler's
fear of being poisoned by some deathly; powder sprinkled
on his bedclothes; as was shown on his visit to Rome
- 203 -
and at other times, his bod must be made up by a
woman in a particular way, never by a man»
(b) Need for abasement; - Hitler's exaggerated
submissiveness has been desoribed (B^ 1 (ii)), but a
few more notable quotations should be added to transmit
the passion that sometimes accompanies this' tendency
in Hitler. They are all ^strongly, suggestive of
masochism ^
(i) Hitler, quoted by Rauschning: The
plain man in the street respects, nothing but
brutal strength and ruthlessness -- women,
too, for that matter, women and children.
They need wholesome fear. .They want to fear
something* They want someone to frighten them
and make them shudderingly submissive •
(ii) Hitler, quoted by Rauschning: I
have seen the vision of the new man -- fearless
and formidable,: I shrank from him.
(iii) Hitler: I^ike a woman, whose psychic
feeling is influenced less by abstract reasoning
than by an uhdefinabie, sentimental longing for
complementary strength, who will, submit to the
strong man rather than dominate the weakling,
thus the masses love the ruler rather than the
suppliant. (M.K» 55) i
(N.B^i. Another excellent example of
projection of self).
(iv). Hitlerr He who would win the great
masses mustv know the key which ppens the door
to their hearts* Its name is not objectivity,
that is^' weakness, but will powey and strength.
(M.K. 458). :, , . ~
• 204 -
Hitler has a peculiar habit of falling to the
ground suddenly when faced by a critical situation or
insurmountable frustration* Ho does not struggle
persistently until he is completely overpowered but
he makes an enormous show of strength and, when he
sees the odds are against him, .\inexpectedly collapses.
Together with these critical abasements, we
might include thq inti'aggressivo tendencies: his
preoccupation with suicide and death,
(c) Cathexis for Hitler Youth ,
(i) Hitler, quoted by Rauschning: But
my magnificent V youngsters! Are there finer
ones any^'here in the world? Look at these
young men and boys J What materia 11 With
- them I can make a new world
(ii ) Hitler :' • . .how did the eyes of
my boys (Hitler youth) shine when I made clear
to them the necessity of their mission. (M.K. 729).
(ili) Hitler: ..•vanity in a beautiful,
well shaped body (to be encouraged by men
wearing less concegiling clothes).
It is reported by Rauschning that Hitler has
had overt homosej^ual relationa and in this connection
has mentioned three lovers; one, Porstor (Gauleiter
of Danzig) .
II. Repression of Femininity, 'Counteraction
by Identification with Powerful Male Idea l ego
The ruthlesg aggressiveness of Hitler is the
trait which first strikes the eyes of the whole world.
- 205 -
but It is not tho healthy aggressiveness of a full-
blooded male animal but a reaction formation to the
tendencies which we have subsumed -under inferiority,
femininity, passive homosexuality. Hitler^s aggressive-
ness i3 the compulsive frantic hate of a neurotic for
some unreyenged insult of infancy. The varieties
of expressions of this vindictive will to power have
already been fully listed. There remains only. to
be mentioned the many indications that we have of
an intense and lanrelen ting' self-contempt which has
causedl him to admire what he is- not, the very opposite
of hi&self .^
III* Need for 'ihtrarejecibioh ' (Self^ Con tempt )
Under the heading proj^ectlons^ we enimie rated
many instances of where Hitler attributed the traits
of his inferior' and rejected self to external objects.
Air of these i and there were many of them, ihight be
cited as evidenaes^ of self- contempt, sihce they^^
represent refusals to acknowledge aspects of himself.
Here we' ha^ve t6 call: attentlpn^ opposite tendency,
namely that of praising the antithesis of what he is
or has been in reality.
- 206^
(a) Hitler has talked incessantly of
superiority of bteed. He has praised the aristocracy
as the noble result of the process of natural selec-
tion ^ — the nobility were the superior race'. He,
in contrast^ was born of; lowly stock, sevefral members
of his family being mentally retarded, one feeble-
minded. His mother was\ a simple peasant and dbmestic
servant, and his father an illegitimate son who begot
an illegitimate child.
■ :\ (b) Hitler hag scarcely one Of the attributes
which. hi's own experts ascribe' to the Nordic race,
and he cpuld never )3ecome a member of his own elite
guard; and yet he says i "Strong and handsome must
my young men be . 1 will have them fully trained in
all physical exercises. I intend to have an athletic
youth -»- that is the first and chief thing," Note
that Hitler has never had the slightest aptitude for
athletics*
(c) Hitler is vmmarried and has ho children,
and yet preaches increase of population, the sanctity
of the family, and the necessity of bearing more and
more Germans.
- 207 -
(d) Hitler's own life is one of individual-
istic anarchy - self-willed and disorderly and yet he
preaches "my new order" and demands pxmctilious
discipline from his subordinates .
All these contrasts, and th^re are many more of
them, are pitiful demonstrations /of Hitler's self-
loathitig and as such clinch the diagnosis that we
have outlined here. The nearest to a recorded con-
fession of his own self-contempt that has ever come: to •
us is a statement of Hitler's reported by Rauschning.
(i) I km hegihnilng with the young,
we older ones ai-e used up, Y^s, .we are old
alreadv We ar e rotten t n the marrow. . .we
f^^'ttl:.A rZ ".n^ .entimenUi.- We are bearing
; ^^ ^!::L» If' » humiliating pas t; ana have on
our bi^Xthe dull recoiiec L Xou of serfdom ..
and servility.. But my magnificent youngster^l
■ etc* '-' .' \ ,-■ .^ ■.-./.
Ml) . The uninitiated but .pure man
"^ ' is tempted to abanddn himself in Kling>«.or'3 magic
gardeS! to the lusts and excesses of corrupt
llviS^ation, instead of ^joining th. elite of ^ ^
kniehts who guard the secret of 411 e,puioux
;?^^!?r„o .>.! .offering frott the allmen^_^f
V, LI : corrupted . bi^ : How ^ c Tn^i^i^puriry ^
ourselves and make aton ement? ...mount the
steps. of a new nobility, ,
IV. we q^tlve Cathexis of th e Jewish Race.,
This is as good M place as any to mention Hitler's
Anti-Semitism and toliat what seer^s to have been, in
his case, the chief determinants of this sentiment:
- 208 -
1. The influence of a number of political,
thinkers and speakers whom he admired: Lueger,
Ped^r, Eckartj^ etc.
2. His repressed hatred and the need to find
an object on which to vent it: the suitability^
of the Jew as a scapegoat because he does not fight
with fistai and Vreapons*
3* The suitability of the Jew as an object
on which to project his own repudiated background
and traits: his Jewish god-.f a ther-^ and posjsibly^-^ y
his Jewish grandf a thei^); his physical, timidity and
sensitiveness,; his; jpol:ymprphou3 sexual impulses •
4* The recognition thaV the repreased •
aggression in the German people after the Versailles
Treaty required a scapegoat^ condemnation of the
Jew as good political strategy •
5^ The realization^ after having 'once embarked
on the road to militarism, that the stirred- up
aggression of his f ollbwers needed some outlet —
a warming up period — during the years they had
to wait before .they were strong enough to declare
war on a foreign power* Directing. aggression against
a common enemy would greatly diminish the likelihood
of its being turned against himself ♦
- 209 -
3* The intensity of his Anti-Semitism is partly
accoiinted for by one of his principles of political
action: focus, hostility on a single enemy at a time*
'?• In building his military machine the anti-
militaristic Jewish people could not be of much help
to him; At bottom Fascism Xb the advocacy of the
aggressive drive over and above the acquisitive drive
(with which the Jew has . generally been identified) ,
etnd, by the same token, it is the substitution of
Power and Glory for Peace and Prosperity, a material-
istic paradise on earth (with which Cpmm-unism and the
Jew have also been identified)* Finally, the Nazi
doctrine of fanatical irrationality (thinking with
the blood) is antipathetic to the intellectual
relativism of the Jew. Thus there ara several
fundamental points of opposition (as well 6s certain
points of kinship) between Nazi ideology and Jewish
ideology^
kT
- 210 -
VI. SECTIONS B, C, D, E.
DEVELOPIvIENT OP HITLER »S SEX COMPLEXES
(Omitted from this edition)
By careful study of the three thousand me taphcirs
that .are to be found in MEIN KAMPP it was possible to
work out. the chief patterns of Hitler's emotional and
perverse sexual^ complexes. The conclusions reached by
the uae of this method were later verified in a conversa-
ti on with a man who has questioned two of the women
with whom Hitler has 'had relations. There were no
discrepancies between the conclusions reached here
and these first hand reports. Although the discovery
of these sexual patterns is helpful to a psychiatrist
in arriving at a complete formulation of Hitler's
character and therefore indirectly pertinent to the
.final diagnosis and the predictions of his behavior,
it has no bearing on the political situation. Conse-
quently, .the sections dealing with this aspect of his
personality have been omitted.
/'7
u^.
\.
- 211^
VII. ABILITIES AND PRINCIPLES OP ACTION
Hitler has a number of unusual abilities of which
his opponents should not be ignorant* Not only
is it important to justly appraise the strength of an
enemy but it is well to know whether or not he possesses
capacities and techniques which can be appropriated to
good advantage • Hitler »s chief abilities, realiza-
tions, and principles, of action as a political figure,
all of which involve an uncanny knowledge of the
psychology of the average man, are 'briefly these:
1. Pull appreciation of the importance of the ^
' ' ■■ ■ . I n ^m I I I ■ »■ ■ 1 . - I - ■ . .., I . ■■ I ,1.1
• . • ,.■";.... , ,.
masses in the success of any movement ; -' Two quotations -
might serve to bring out this point.
(I) Hitler: The lack of knowledge of
the internal driving forceai of great changes
led to an insufficient evaluation of the im-
portance of the great masses of the people;
from this resulted the scanty interest in the
social question^ the deficient and insufficient
courting of the soul of the nation's lower
classes* ..(M.K. ISS).
(II) Helden speaks of "Hitler's frequently
.-noted incapacity to Impose his will in a small
circle, and his consummate skill in winning over
a crowd prepared by publicity ajid stage manage-
ment, and , then, with its aid, vanquishing the
small circle, too."
2r Recbghitibn of the inestimabj.e value of winning-
the support of youth; realization of the Immense momentum
- 212 -
•I
given a social movement' by the wild fervor and
enthusiasm of young men and women* Here we must al3o
include the importance of early training and indoctrina-
tion.
3. An identification^ through feelinp;> with the
deepest needs and sentiments of the averap;e German
and the, ability to give passionate expression to these
longings.
4. Capacity to appeal to the most pfdmitive.
as well as the most ideal^ inclinations in man\ : to
arouse the basest instincts an d yet cloak them with
nobility^ justifying all actions as means to the
attainment of an ideal goal> Hitler has seen that men
will not combine arid dedicate themselves to a common
purpose unless this purpose be an ideal one capable
of survival beyond their generatioh. He has perceived
also that although men will die only for an ideal
their continued zest and enterprise can be maintained
. only by a succession of more immediate and earthly
sa tisf actions <!'
5g Ajppreciatiori of the fact that the masses
are as- hungry for a sustaining ideology in politJoal
action as they are for daily bread* It is with the.
masses that religious belief has taken root, and
maintained itself and in the last decades the
- 213 -
ideologies of communism and fascism have also flourished
among the common people • It is an error to believe
as many democratic leaders do that the average man.
cannot understand and cares nothing for political
philosophy. Hitler is most specific on this point,
two quotations from his writings being particularly
pertinent, - , ■
(i) All ft)rce which does not spring from
a firm spiritual foundation will be hesitating
and uncertain* It lacks the stability which
can only rest on a fanatical view of life*
(M.K. 222).
,(ii) Every attempt' at fighting a view of
life by means of force will finally fail, \mless
the fight against it represents the form of an
attack for the sake of a hew. spiritual direc-
tion. Only in the struggle of two views of
life with each pthei*. ;Can the weapon of brute
force, used continuously and ruthlessly, bring
about the decision in favor of the side it
supports. (M.K. 223).
8. The ability. to analyze complex social condi-
tions into a few domi nant human forces j -Hitler is
. - . - I I ; I . ■ , ■ • -
Speaking the truth when he says, "I have the gift of
reducing all problems to their simplest foundations...
A gift for tracing back all theories to their roots
in reality." He has the ability, Rauschning tells
us, "of breaking through the wall ^f prejudices and
conventional theories, of the experts, and in so doing,
h9 has frequently discovered amazing truths.".
- 214 .
7 . The ability to portray conflicting human
forces In vlvld^ concrete iinagery that is linderstand-
able and inoving to the ordinary, man > This cornea
down to the use of metaphors In th(3 form of Imagery
which, as Aristotle has said, is the most powerful
force on earth* Public speakers of recent years
seem to have overlooked the importance of this principle^
relying more on the marshalling of cold,, objective
facts and figures*
8. The ability to draw on the traditions of
the peoples and by reference to the great classical
mythological themes evoke the, deepest unconscious
emotions in his audience* The fact that the unconscious
mind is more intensely affected by the great eternal
symbols and themes, (that it naturally thinks in
these terms,) is not generally understood by speakers
and writers* Undoubtedly in Hitler's case the
permeability, of his ego to unconscious processes
has made this form of utterance more natural than
it would be for others.
9. Realization th^t enthusiastic ' pblitical
action does not take placei if the emotions are not
■ ■ ■ ■i" n « m ii « I I >ii I *! «i ■ Ml. " ' ' . ' "^ ' * ' ' " ^1. II ■■■ II . I, I II ■■ ■■
involved * Hitler has always insisted that he was
bringing about a veritable conversion in the
- 215. -
personalities of his adherents rather than a mere
intellectual agreement with his views.
10* Realization of the importance of artistry
and dramatic Intensity in the 6pn'ductaride of large
iheetlriga, rallies, arid feiatival a. This involves
I I ii B iiaiiM i Wf a r ill |,iw , 1 111,1,11, I i{ .,, n il M l ii m ii n ii n i ^ ^
not only an appreoiation of what the artist --» the
writer, musician, and painter — can accomplish
in the way of evoking pbjpular support but also the
leader's recognition of the necessity of his participa-
tion in the total .dramatic effect as chief character
and hero. Thus Hitler has. become master of all the
arts of high-lighting his own role in the movement
for a greater Germany. Democratic leaders, on the
other hand ^ disregarding the fact that, the artist
is trained aboVd all others to animate the human
spirit, have disregarded this important aspect dt life,
11. The ability' to appeal to the sympathetio
concern and protectiveness of his people, to represent
himself a*. the bearer of their burdens and their
» • • •
future,, with th^ result that many people, particularly
the womett, feelt^hderly. arid Compassibnateiy about
him, being always careful to avoid inflicting undue
annoyance or suffering on their Xea'der. The intense
loyalty of Hii:ler'a Body Guard is an illustration of
this protectiVeness.
- 215 -
12. Dedication to his mission . This most
essential of all Hitler's characteristics should
perhaps have been mentioned first. What is involved
here is an intense and profound insociation with the
German people, or at least with his vision of what
the German people might become. All close observers
have agreed that Hitler is sincere ih this feeling,
and whether this is strictly true or not, he has
succeeded in convincing his people that he is a
passionate and devoted patriot. It is the spectacle
of his far-*seeing dedicated vision and firm dedicated
utterances which arouse the selfless energies of
his followers. Citizens of democratic countries
who have been brought up in the tradition of extreme
individualism cannot readily appreciate^ this sub-
mission of the leader to a social purpose. They
are naturally skeptical of Hitler ^s sincerity and
believe that it is forced and artificial. I submit,
on the contrary, that it is this insociation, as we
have stressed abbve, which is responsible for the
maintenance of Hitler's partial sanity, despite the
presence of neurotic and psychotic trends.
13. Self-confidence and sens6 of infaliibiiity.
This might have been detrimental to Hitler's popularity
- 217 -
if his decisions had often met with failure, but in
as mutfh as his rise to power was almost phenomenal
and evehtfl proved that he was so often right in his
predictions, his claim to infallibility was accepted
and- his word was eventually reverenced as a divine
pronouncement •
14 • Fanatical stubbor nness In his adherence
to a few principles and to one coromon^bial *
(1) Hitler, quoted by Deuel: 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.
(ii) .,.the forceful impression- of
great pverwheimlng viewpoints. .» the
convincing force of \inconditional belief
in them. (M.K. 570).
15 . Mastery, of- the art of political. Ofj^aniza -
tion4 Here vindoubtedly Hitler was assisted by
several of his shrewder associates, but his own
judgment in matters of organization was usually
influential "above that of the others ,
16 . Ability to sxirround himself with devoted
ai des whose talents c-omplemeht his own . In many
respects Hitler is deficient, especially in the
practices of orderly adrainistration,; but he was
capable of finding sufficient skill .among 'his ad-
herents and make them work for him regardless of
their failings in other respects.
- 218 -
17 • Mtler Is Tonusual in hi3toj?y in his concep-
tion of the le ader as a creator of social forms.
.. ' . " ' ' 1 1 ■■■ .1.1 I 1 1 I . ■ ■■ I.. ■ p
Holding this view, it^ is natural that he should
conduct hi a life at certain seasons as an artist
does, seeking rest and seclusion and waiting for the
vision or plan to develop in his subconscious. What
other: politicians refer to as his bohemianism, his
disorderly and romantic style of life is .very compar-
able to the pattern which authors have found most
effective in the production of their works • . Tempera-
mentally indeed. Hitler is the arch-romantic. One
might suppose that this way of governing one ^ a life
has no place in, politics, but without question in
this instance mahy^ of the startling innovations intro-
duced by the Nazis are the results of Hi tier* s
reliance upon the creative imagination directed toward
social issues.
18* Most of the world will concede that Hitler
has tactical genius . The particular feature that
has impressed most observers has been" his uncannily
precise timing of decisions- and actions. As Thyssen
has put it, "Sometime^ his intelligence is astonish^
ing.# •miraculous political 'intuition, dexjoid of all
moral sense, but extraordinarily precise. Even in a
very complex situation he discerns what is possible,
and what is nott"
- 219 . .
19 • The fact that Hitler ha a repudiated the
operation of conscience in arriving a^ political
decialona has eliminated once and for all the force
which checks and complicates, the forward-going
thoughts and resolutions of most socially responsible .
statesmen* • Thus, Hitler Vs course is immensely
simplified since it is not incumbent upon him to
respect the dictates of conscience and so reject a
path of action which appeals to him as being most
effective. Other statesmen, on the contrary, must
either renounce certain, programs or pull their punches*
20 • Hitler has boasted that he learned the use
of terror from the communists and employed it with
more effectiveness ' than his instructors*
21. Mastery of the art of propagandas This has
consisted in the following of certain rules such as:
never to admit a fault or wrong; never to accept
blame ; concentrate on one enemy at a time ; blame that
(
enemy for everything that goes wrong; take advantage
of every opportunity to raise a political whirlwind.
^ Many of the specific abilities listed above are
exercized as part and parcel of his quite unusual
- . 220 -
power as a popular orator I So much has been written
about Hitler's ability to galvanize an audience by
his gestures, the cadence of his sentences, the
resoluteness of his declarations, the passion of his
appeals that any further description here would X>e
superfluous. It is clear that Hitler becomes transported
during a speech and exhibits' a personality that is kept
in the background at other times. When face to face
with his public he becomes a clairvoyant, shaman in
a trance, as he relinquishes normal controls and
allows his emotions full sway.
- 221 -
PREDICTIONS
I shall assume that from, now on the Allied
Nations. will be closing in on Germany; that Hitler
will be confronted by an increasing:.xrumber of military
setbacks in the field, by the devastation of one'
industrial center after another, ^nd by the spread '
of a defeatist spirit among the civilian population.
How will be behave? There are various possibilites,
some of which are more or less desirable, others
more or 16ss undesirable, from the Allied standpoint.
It is possible, however, that some .of the liess
desirable final acts of his career may be prevented.
The chief possibilities are these:
1. Hitler ^s behavior will become Increasingly
neurotic ; - his capacity to make correct decisions,
to devise effective strategy, to encourage his
people, will diminish steadily. For eight months
there have been signs of such a breakdown of psychic
strength. Hitler has not appeared and spoken in
public at customary' occasions, or, if Ije has spoken,
his words have lacked confidence and ^lustaining
value. Several times there have been rumors that
he had retired, to Berchtesgaden, the victim of
- 222 -
nervous Illness • Whether this is true or not, it can
be certainly predicted that Hitler will experience
an increasing number of hysterical seizures in which
he will pace and stamp the ' floor, shriek with rage,
and eventually collapse in tears • He will seek the
solitude of his refuge in the mountains where he will
be tormented by dreadful nightmares and melancholia,
and become inert •
Then^ after a period of recuperation, he will
arrive at a new plan of aggressive offense. If his
military Staff are" opposed to it, he will assume
command himself, and lead his troops on- another
desperate assault against the Russian lines. If
unsuccessful, he will have more nervous seizures,
relinquish command, and again retreat to Berchtes-
gaden* Hitler has no capacity for sustained defense.
He will speak less and less in public, because
he cannot face his people if his star is not ascending.
He can speak" only when he anticipates progress or
after a victory. The Russians have shattered Hitler ^s
confidence; and without confidence h0 is paralyzed.
If he stbod before his followers now he would probably
weep^
- 223 -
Without doubt he will become inci^easingly fearful
of being poisoned, betrayed, or shot*
VTiatever else happens, the above course of events
will almost certainly occur • Hitler will becbipe less
and less of a leader; others will take over. On the
one hand, the military staff; and, on the other,
Himmler, Ribbentrop, Goering, Goebbels, Pffrster and
Koch* There will be dissensions between the Army and
the Party; as well as bet^itfeen the Party leaders* But
the people will be kept ignorant as long as possible
of Hitler^s failing nerves,, and they will not easily
lose their faith in him. Furthermore, he will always
reserve and exercise the right- to step in at any
moment and dictate what shall be done. Thus we can
expect to. hear nothing of him for a whtlis and then
suddenly he will appear unheralded at some spot and
something new will happen/
2. Hitler may go insane : - He has the make-up
of -a paranoid schizophrenic, and the load of frustra-
tion and failure that is coming to him may crack his
resistance, causing him to yield his will to the
turbulent forces of his vincohs-cious. This is not
•undesirable; because, ev^en if the truth be kept
hidden from the people^ the greatest source of strength
- 224 -
in Germany will be* removed from , the scene of action^
and morale will rapidly .deteriorate as rumors spread.
Furthermore, the Legend of the Hero will be severely
damaged by such an outcome. There is no good historical
instance of the deification of a military or political
leader who was defeated and went insane. Finally, if
Hitler became insane, he would probably fall into the
hands of the Allied" Nations, and this, as I shall
argue, would be the most desirable possible out come •
3. Hitler may get killed in battle ; * At a
critical moment Hitler may decide to lead his e'^lite
troops against the Russians, exposing himself so that
he will get killed, and so live in the hearts of his
countrymen as a valiant hero. He is very likely to
choose this course^ most undesirable from our Allied
point of view. It is undesirable, first, becausiS
his death will serve as an example to all his followers
to fight^ with fanatical death-defying energy to the
bitter end, and second, because it will insure Hitler's
immortality -*- the Siegfried who led the Aryan hosts
against Bolshevism and the Slav*
4» Hitler may be killed by d Serman : -^ Hitler
la most efficiently protected and it is not likely
that anyone will wilfully attempt to kill him. But
he may contrive to have someone, a half-crazy paranoid
- 225 -
like himself. Instigated to do the deed at some
prearranged moment when he" purposely exposes his •
person in public. If he could arrange to have a
Jew kill him, then he could die in the belief that
his fellow countrymen would rise in their wrath and
massacre every remaining Jew in Germany. Thus, he
would get his ultimate revenge* This would be the
most dastardly plan of alt, and the very most undesir^ •
able. It would increase the fanaticism of the soldiers,
and create a Legend in conformity with the ancient
pattern, Siegfried stabbed in the back by Hagan,
Cftesar by Brutus, Christ betrayed by Judas -- except
that here the murderer would not be a close follower.
However, it is just possible that Hitler could persuade
the beloved pBrster to kill him.
5. Hitler may commit suicide; - Hitler has often
M ill II .n il I III r . ■■ I M l IP I.. Itll. ^1. 11 ^ > H .ll.*! ■
vowed that he would commit suicide if his plans
miscarried; but if he chooses this course he will do
it at the last moment and in the most dramatic possible
manner* . He will retreat, let us say, to the impregnable
little fortress he has built for himself on the top
of the moiwtain beyond the Berghof (Berchtesgaden) •
/■ ■ . ■ ■ •
There alone he will> wait urftil troops come to take '
him prisoner* Ais a: clima-jc he will blow up the moun-
tain and himself with' dynamite, or make a fvineral
- 226 -
V
pyre of his retreat and throw himself on it (a suitable
G8tterdamerung) or kill hTmself with a silver bullet
(as did the Emperor Christophe), or possibly throw
himaelf off the parapet. This is not at all unlikely.
For us it would be an und^esirable outcome*
6. Hitler may seek refuge in a neutral country : -
It is not likely that Hitler, concerned aa hq is with
his immortality on .earth, would take so cowardly a
course. But one of his followers might drug him, and
take him in a plane boxond to Switzerland, and then
persuade hiir that he should stay there to write his
long-planned Bible for the Germanic folk. Since the
heroes desertion of his people would considerably
damage. the Legend, this outcome would be much better
that either 3 or 4. .
?• Hitler may dle i -There is no reason to _
believe that Hitler will die of natural causes in the
next three or four years; but he might poison himself
and have it announced that he had died of cancer of the
stomach, or some other incurable illness. This out-
come would be natural..
&m Hitler may be seized by th^ military command
or by a revolutionary faction in Germany before the
end of the war and immured in some j>rison fortress.
\
This event is -diffioulfe to envisage from, what we
surmize and have been told of the popularily of the
man and the protection afforded him, but if it were
to transpire, it would put an ignominious end to
the. myth or the invincible leader and eventually
deliver him into our hands .
9. Hitler may fall into our hands before or
after the Germans have surrendered:^ - This would be
the next most desirable outcome after 8 but is
perhaps the least likely*
SECTION IV
Predictions of Hitler's Behav ior in the Coming Futiire
I I ■> I ■ III! I II I . I n. I II I 1 r I
(See Section I, Part B)
SECTION V
Suggestions for the Treatment of Hltl^er >
Now - and After Germany > s: Surrender ; . /
(See Section I, Part C)
Secition VI
Suggestions for the Treatment of Germany
(See' Section' I,' Part D)
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