"Hitler's Table Talk" Study Hour

Nov. 6, 2014

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.

Image: Interior of the Bayreuth Festspielhaus facing toward the box seats: An example of Hitler's wish to bring world-class performances and fine art throughout the Reich, not exclusively in Berlin and Vienna. Enlarge

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

"Thanks to the presence of a regiment of the Leibstandarte, the countryside is abounding with jolly and healthy young children."

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.

Oct. 23, 2014

Alfred Rosenberg's opus came out in April 1942 and Hitler had little interest in it, but the opposition of the Churches helped increase its sales to a million by 1944.

 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. 16, 2014

 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.

Image: Reichsfuehrer SS is dinner guest as they discuss the creation of Reich schools for children in Germanic countries.

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

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.

Image: Lübeck, on the Baltic Sea, was the capital of the Hanseatic League that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe. Enlarge.

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.

Unity Mitford, of the famous English Mitford sisters, seated at table next to Hitler in Bayreuth, Germany in 1936. Hitler says in this episode he liked best dining with pretty women.

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.

Sept. 25, 2014

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".

Image: Richard Wagner's son Siegfried and his English wife, Winifred.

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

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.

Image: Young King Michael of Romania meets Adolf Hitler at the Reichs Chancellery in Berlin during WWII.

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

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."

Image: Hitler liked wearing lederhosen during the 1920's, which he said was not considered acceptable attire in North German society.

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.