"Hitler's Table Talk" Study Hour

July 31, 2014

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Carolyn Yeager and Ray Goodwin read and comment on the January 17-22, 1942 dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down by trusted aide, attorney Heinrich Heim.  Included in this episode:

• The unexpected winter temperatures in Russia were providential even if difficult;
• Stories about Hindenberg and Von Papen, plus Hitler's first financial decision after becoming Chancellor;
• Thoughts on dueling;
• Discussion of nationalities - Czechs compared to Hungarians, Romanians and Germans;
• About food - fish, the potato, herbivore vs carnivore, vegetarianism, alcohol and tobacco;
• The story of Foxl [Fuchsl], his WWI pet dog.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

August 14, 2014

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Carolyn Yeager and Ray Goodwin read and comment on the January 25-28th, 1942 dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down by trusted aide, attorney Heinrich Heim.  Included in this episode:

• Hitler speaks of his love of dogs, human origins, beauty of ancient Greeks, cosmic theories, his preference for art over politics;
• Women should not be in politics - Men run the state, women run the home;
• Foreign blood in war - the social caste system in Britain needs changing - National-Socialism encourages the selection of the fittest;
• Difficulties in getting hold of the German economy - negotiating with adversaries - Jews must leave Europe.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here

August 21, 2014

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Ray Goodwin and Carolyn Yeager read and comment on the Jan. 28-Feb. 2, 1942 dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by trusted aide, attorney Heinrich Heim. Included in this episode:

• The importance of large families and the rights of growing populations;
• Recollections of prison days and how to handle the Czechs;
• Long discussion on his friendship with the Duce, Italian Fascism and the "fossils" of the Italian Court;
• Hitler describes his early political opponents, plus his experiences with the police and with procuring weapons;
• Tells some amusing stories about French Ambassador to Germany, Andre-Francois-Poncet;
• Hitler criticizes his diplomats and questions how to reorganize German diplomacy.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here

August 28, 2014

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Carolyn Yeager and Ray Goodwin read and comment on the Feb 2nd-5th, 1942 dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down by trusted aide, attorney Heinrich Heim. Included in this episode:

• German Freemasonry - Hitler's experiences with it and some tales about the early days of the NSDAP;
• Times at Bayreuth and his love of motor cars;
• His feelings when he was in prison and his story of leaving Landsberg Prison after 13 months, and the later release of his 13 companions;
• The burning of "witches" in German villages by the thousands, and other misdeeds of the Christian Church;
   
• Americans successfully produce industrial goods with far less labor than Germans, and Hitler wants to emulate this;
• The importance of climate in developing civilization, which comes from the South (Greece, Rome) in Hitler's opinion;
• Raids on the Brown House (NSDAP headquarters) and relations with the police. 

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here

Sept. 3, 2014

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Ray Goodwin and Carolyn Yeager read and comment on the Feb. 6th-17th, 1942 dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down by trusted aide, attorney Heinrich Heim. Included in this episode:

• Commentary on Britain, France and Japan, plus Germany's best engineers come from Swabia and Württemburg;
• More on criminals and the judicial system, and Church doctrines that oppose truth;
• Various types of government - monachy vs republic;
• A loyal state church, the beauties of Obersalzberg;
• The kind of aircraft Germany needed, and some of the "luck" involved in the Narvik victory;
• More humorous stories of Hitler's motor cars and his drivers;
• The Duce should get rid of the monarchy, and how Jews interfere with the natural order.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Sept. 11, 2014

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Carolyn Yeager and Ray Goodwin read and comment on the Feb. 17-22, 1942 dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by trusted aide Heinrich Heim. Included in this episode:

• Country estates in Hungary compared to  Wagner's Wahnfried and his own Berghof, and the stories of Karl May compared to American classics;
• Hitler's preference for Bavarian-Austrian lederhosen (leather shorts for men) and why he had to give them up;
• Wrong to shower too much care on colonial subjects, plus not enough theaters in Germany;
• Why Hitler plans for his great observatory to be built at Linz, and the importance of teaching the people the wonders of the physical universe;
• The privilege of playing the role of patron to the arts and sciences;
• Ferdinand Porsche is the greatest engineering genius in Germany at the time, and Hitler sees continued success for the Volkswagen;
• Praise for Schwartz and Amman as great talents who served the NSDAP, plus strong words against the "Jewish virus."

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Sept. 18, 2014

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Ray Goodwin and Carolyn Yeager read and comment on the Feb. 22-27, 1942 dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by trusted aide, attorney Heinrich Heim. 1hr25min. Included in this episode:

• The success of the NSDAP newspaper empire;
• Importance of laughter and fun;
• How to carry out a revolution, and Hitler's dislike of Christian dogma;
• The weakness of King Michael of Romania and how to handle German minorities in the Balkans;
• Hitler expresses happiness the winter is over (soon) and admits the losses the Wehrmacht endured because of it;
• Long talk on God, religion and Truth;
• Govenors for the occupied west, and the nuisance of old monarchs;
• Thoughts on German expansion.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Sept. 25, 2014

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Carolyn Yeager and Ray Goodwin read and comment on the Feb. 27 to March 7th 1942 lunch and dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by trusted aide, attorney Heinrich Heim. 1hr21min. Included in this episode:

• Hitler's planned response to the housing crisis - to build a million standardised houses a year for five years "after the war";

• His treasured experiences at Bayreuth and with the Wagner family;

• Stories about the NSDAP printer Müller and his women;

• Criticisms of women's vanities, followed by men's, followed by marriage and his acceptance of single mothers;

• How to treat the Eastern territories, plus school curriculums in Germany;

• The virtues and faults of the German language compared with others, and usefulness of "borrowed words".

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

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Ray Goodwin and Carolyn Yeager read and comment on the March 7-24, 1942 dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by trusted aides. On March 21st the note-taker switches from Heinrich Heim to Henry Picker. 1hr36min. Included in this episode:

• Jealousy among women explained as result of prehistoric period when female protection depended on one man;

• Hitler compares men and women to the detriment of women at 3 different mealtimes;

• Hitler on smoking and why/when he quit the habit-(Who knew he had ever smoked?!);

• Questions of the Wehrmacht, private property vs the State, lotteries and gambling, Capitalism and monopolies;

• Stafford Cripps a more threatening figure than Churchill to the health of the British Empire;

• The disastrous influence of Jews on the Arts--the genuine artist and the fake.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Oct. 9, 2014

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Carolyn Yeager and Ray Goodwin read and comment on the March 29-April 4, 1942 lunch and dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by aide Henry Picker. 1hr29m. Included in this episode:

• Honesty in trade set by the Hanseatic League for over 500 years, which only degraded to "Buyer Beware" when Jews got involved;

• The sorry state of the Judiciary, and Hitler's intention for judges to put the interests of the State first;
• Hitler sees the mentality of the Russians revealed in their Feb. 24th attempted assassination of Amb. Franz von Papen in Turkey;
• Explains why the Turks are better allies than the Bulgarians;
• Long exposition of the Policy of the Reich in the East, with historical perspective including Charlemagne and Frederick the Great;
• Why Frederick the Great was a better man than Napoleon and the weakness of hereditary monarchies;
• Hitler concludes that the future Germany must be a republic with a Führer at the head, chosen by a specially selected Senate.
• Very important ideas are presented in this episode.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Oct. 16, 2014

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Ray Goodwin and Carolyn Yeager read and comment on the April 2-April 5, 1942 lunch and dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by aide Henry Picker. 1hr39m. Included in this episode:

• Hitler praises Tsar Ferdinand and his son Boris, Tsar of Bulgaria;
• Criticism of existing German protocols for visiting dignitaries -prefers the French and Italian way of treating visitors;
• Terrorism of the Jews - cowardice of our monarchs - laws of inheritance - the necessity of struggle - rulers should come from soldiers;
• Protecting German patents - lands of the North, Finland & Russia - Leningrad;
• Whether and how to incorporate Germanic peoples into the Reich - schools for political education - problems of the Poles, Czechs;
• The treachery in Germany after 1918 - getting around the disarmament diktat of the Versailles Treaty.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Oct. 23, 2014

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 Carolyn Yeager and Ray Goodwin read and comment on the April 5 - 11, 1942 lunch and dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by aide Henry Picker. 1hr29min. Included in this episode:

• German diplomatic corp and the giving of awards to foreign dignitaries;
• Too much money going to churches - defends Reich Bishop against Martin Niemöller;
• NSDAP vs the bourgeoisie;
• Standardization of the motor car industry;
• German-Italian friendship and good relations have been helpful;
• Japanese religion compared to Christianity, and more opinions on the Church and its dogma;
• Alfred Rosenberg's The Myth of the Twentieth Century is published and Hitler comments on it;
• The correct German policy in the Eastern territories.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Oct. 30, 2014

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Ray Goodwin and Carolyn Yeager read and comment on the April 12-24, 1942 lunch and dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by aide Henry Picker. 1hr24sec. Included in this episode:

• Cost/benefit of the Olympic Games in Berlin;
• Elementary schooling, schoolmasters vs schoolmistresses, "Reich Schools;
• Installing Dr. Schacht as head of the Reichsbank over Dr. Luther was a complicated processes;
• Why the Metropolitan Opera House in New York has just closed its doors;
• The SS contribution to good German blood and babies - the importance of who carries arms;
• Praise for the Duce, dislike of the Italian aristocracy;
• Decisive events of the war so far reveal the weakness of German High Command in 1st WW - the build-up of the new navy;
• No sanction for soldiers to marry foreign women - the importance for children of true affection between marriage partners - domestic trouble in marriages of National-Socialist leaders.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Nov. 6, 2014

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Carolyn Yeager and Ray Goodwin read and comment on the April 25 - May 3, 1942 lunch and dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by aide Henry Picker. 1h28m. Included in this episode:

•  Considerations on the escape of a French General and more of Hitler's thoughts on diet - importance of raw food;
• On the competition between art museums and his plans to make Linz the most beautiful city on the Danube, surpassing Budapest;
• Hitler continues to talk about his plans for the Eastern territories, says roads are better than inland waterways;
• The German opera, and his opinion of various conductors;
• Architectural problems - artistic cities vs political/military cities - art for all the people and school children too;
• How he avoids the assassin's bullet - too much police protection a negative.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Nov. 13, 2014

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Ray Goodwin and Carolyn Yeager read and comment on the May 3-11, 1942 lunch and dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by aide Henry Picker. 1h31m. Included in this episode:

• Importance of spreading artistic treasures to the provinces, not allowing Berlin to hog all resources;
• Bayreuth, Linz and Nuremberg as important symbols of the Reich;
• Why the Duce's entourage constantly changes, and the difficulty of finding first-class men for every job;
• Hitler praises certain youth leaders, and says he is not a Messiah;
• Infiltration of Jews into the media contrasted with the independent National Socialist newspapers;
• British hypocrisy vs German respect for the truth, and a national sanctuary for the burial of Germany's great men.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Nov. 20, 2014

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Carolyn Yeager and Ray Goodwin read and comment on the May 12-13, 1942 lunch and dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by aide Henry Picker. 1h26m. Included in this episode:

• Sane economic and racial principles, and racial problems in Prussia must be addressed;
• Discussion with Danzig Gauleiter Forster and Reichsleiter Bormann on germanizing Poles ... or not;
• Hitler says the origin of the Czechs is Mongolian, the Bulagrians are Turkoman, and each case of potential germanization must be examined on its own merits;
• Marriage is sanctified by the birth of a child, and it is the duty of men to marry;
• Frederick the Great's racial policy was on a par with the National Socialist policy;
• The choices France now faces, Marshal Petain is honorable but too old to lead, German construction on the French Channel coast.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Dec. 4, 2014

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Ray Goodwin and Carolyn Yeager read and comment on the May 14-20, 1942 lunch and dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by aide Henry Picker. 1h29m.  Included in this episode:

• The importance to the rise of National-Socialism of having its own national press;
• The people want a leader - leadership is a masculine trait;
• Lax patriotic standards during the First World War and the issue of handing out decorations to both Germans and foreigners;
• Danger of arming small nations, and the faults of diplomats;
• Usefulness of Japanese alliance and necessity of swift decisions toward Russia;
• Why National-Socialism is not for export and the special qualities of and decorations for the German worker;
• The new Man and the accomplishments of the National-Socialist revolution (this is some very inspiring prose);
• Good relations with the Czechs.

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.

Dec. 11, 2014

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Carolyn Yeager and Ray Goodwin read and comment on the May 20-June 4, 1942 lunch and dinner table monologues by the German Leader, as taken down in shorthand by aide Henry Picker. 1h46m. Included in this episode:

• Hitler explains how he raised the standard of living for showgirls in Berlin;
• He describes in detail his assumption of power, including negotiations with Von Papen, Generals Schleicher and Hammerstein, and the "Old Gentleman" Hindenburg;
• How his relationship with Hindenburg became very warm and close;
• Treatment of spies and war-time criminals must be the most severe--compares them to the idealist at the Front;
• Approves of a movie film about Lola Montez and Ludwig 1 of Bavaria;
• Artists should be recognized in their lifetimes--Mozart, Bruckner and Haydn--Vienna compared to Munich as art capitals;
• Hitler advises to follow nature in designing aircraft and ships--the importance and difficulty of invention;
• Murder in Prague--Hitler reacts angrily to the assassination death of the "irreplaceable" Reinhard Heydrich and orders that all must obey regulations intended to ensure their safety. 
   

The edition of Hitler's Table Talk being used was translated by Norman Cameron and R.H. Stevens, published by Enigma Books, New York, and can be found as a pdf here.