He found was not reliable to begin with and unauthorized, signed only by hossbach himself. A good example is william shirers bestselling but unreliable rise and fall of the third reich, which alleged that the protocol recorded the decisive turning point in the life of the third reich. The hossbach memorandum was a written summary of a november 1937 meeting between adolf hitler and several of his ministers and military commanders. The hossbach memorandum was the summary of a meeting in berlin on 5 november 1937 between german dictator adolf hitler and his military and foreign policy leadership in which hitlers future expansionist policies were outlined. It was used at the nuremberg war trials, and by intentionalist historians such as hugh trevorroper and richard overy to. Shortly after the end of the war, martin turned over this copy to the allied occupation authorities, who used it to produce a substantially altered version for. William shirers the rise and fall of the third reich is a good example. The hossbach conference of 1937 history learning site.
The document that he produced has become known, therefore, as the hossbach memorandum, and the meeting that it covered has come down in the history of world war ii as the hossbach conference. If the inline pdf is not rendering correctly, you can download the pdf file here. Minutes of a conference in the reich chancellery, berlin, november 5, 1937, from 4. So, what exactly is the hossbach memorandum, and why do nazi apologists hate it so much hitler called a meeting on 7 november 1937 of his closest military advisers. The hossbach memorandum is the name given to the notes of a 1937 meeting with hitler made by one of the officials present. Read the excellent but challenging article that provides a fantastic insight into how the historical interpretations of nazi foreign policy are based on two extremely problematic pieces of evidence.
The hossbach memorandum was a note compiled by colonel count friedrich hossbach of a secret meeting between hitler and his top military and political leadership on the 5 november 1937. The hossbach memorandum the hosbach memorandum is frequently quoted in popular historical works as a definitive proof of hitlers plans for aggression war. The hossbach memorandum is often used as early evidence of this, showing hitlers plans for a war of expansion. The hossbach memorandum was a certified photocopy of a microfilm copy of a retyped certified true copy, prepared by an american, of a retyped certified true copy, prepared by a german, of unauthenticated handwritten notes by hossbach, written from memory five days after the discussion led by hitler on 5 november 1937.
Hossbach memorandum adolf hitler nazi germany scribd. Hossbach wrote the memorandum in order to provoke the answer. Hossbach memorandum memorandum berlin, november 10, 1937. Consideration of the hossbach memorandum has played a significant role in deciding the question of hitlers intention to wage war in europe. At this meeting hitler delivered a haranguing monologue which was recorded by a colonel hossbach. However, the british historian a j p taylor, who was certainly no friend of germany. It was based on the proceedings of the hossbach conference, a top secret meeting held by hitler on 5 november 1937 to discuss nazi germanys future. His manuscript was put in a file with other miscellaneous papers, and forgotten. Hossbach memorandum there is no original, but only a microfiche and several writeoffs is in fact authentic and reflects somehow the actual event as it took place on nov. The hossbach memorandum was the summary of a meeting on november 5, 1937 between german dictator adolf hitler and his military and foreign policy leadership where hitlers future expansionist policies were outlined. The nazis hossbach memorandum of 1937 consideration of the hossbach memorandum has played a significant role in deciding the question of hitlers intention to wage war in europe. It is evidence of a foreign policy, which would offer the rest of the world a simple choice as to how it could react. And that time table was developed, as the tribunal has already seen, in the conference of 5 november 1937, contained in our document number 386ps, exhibit usa25, the hossbach minutes of that conference, which i adverted to in detail on monday last. Friedrich hossbach 22 november 1894 10 september 1980 was a german staff officer in the wehrmacht who in 1937 was the military adjutant to adolf hitler.
Hossbach memorandum his most important contribution to history is his creation of the hossbach memorandum. The hossbach memorandum is frequently cited in popular historical works as conclusive proof of hitlers plans for aggressive war. His account was found among the nuremberg papers, where it was an important piece of evidence. The hossbach memorandum was the summary of a meeting on november 5 1937 between german dictator adolf hitler and his military and foreign policy leadership. At the great postwar nuremberg tribunal the victorious allies sought to prove that hitler and his henchmen had engaged in a sinister conspiracy to wage aggresive war. The conference gets its name after friedrich hossbach who wrote what was to be called the hossbach memorandum after the conference had ended hossbach was at the time adolf hitlers military adjutant. The meeting marked a turning point in hitlers foreign policies, which then began to radicalise. The hossbach memorandum may not be a complete blueprint for war but it is a clear statement of expansionist intention rees, 18. The fuehrer began by stating that the subject of the present conference was of such importance that its discussion would, in other countries, certainly be a matter for a full cabinet meeting, but he the fuehrer had rejected the idea of making it a subject of discussion before the wider circle of the reich cabinet just because of the importance of the matter. Hitler, goering, and a number of other highranking military germans met at the chancellery in berlin on 5 th november 1937 and hitler outlined a number of his ideas as to where he saw things. During this meeting, the fuhrer discussed his motivations and intentions for a war of expansion in europe. The meeting marked a turning point in hitlers foreign policies, which then began.
The hossbach conference took place on 5 november 1937. It is named after adolf hitlers military adjutant, friedrich hossbach, who wrote the hossbach memorandum once the conference was over. The hossbach memorandum in 1937 hitler called a meeting of the german war minister blomberg, three chiefs of staff and the foreign minister neurath. The meeting marked a turning point in hitlers foreign policies, which then began to radicalize. The meeting and its document were later to be at the core of the conspiracy charges against the nazi high command at the subsequent allied international. The meeting marked a turning point in hitlers foreign policies, which t. In the process of being programmed for the worldwide web, its appearance particularly with regard to tabs, spaces, columns and indentations was forced to deviate from the original. On monday, july 29th, 20 i was deanna spingolas guest on her radio show on republic broadcasting network rbn during which i discussed hitlers concept of lebensraum as put forth in his autobiography mein kampf which many believe was a blueprint for aggressive war but was not. Hossbach was hitlers military adjutant at the time. Hitler reveals his plans to take over austria and czecoslovakia, if britain and france intefere hitler plans to attack. In 1943 a german officer, count kirchbach, looked through the file, and copied the.
Hossbach memorandum document right from the outset. The hossbach memorandum a summary of a meeting between hitler, ministers and military commanders, where war plans were discussed. After germanys final defeat in 1945, the prosecutors at the nuremberg tribunals produced the hossbach memorandum as evidence that goering and others on trial had planned the war as far back as 1937. Richard overy and other historians generally believe hitler declared his war plans on europe at the hossbach conference. The hossbach memorandum was the summary of a meeting in berlin on 5 november 1937 between german dictator adolf hitler and his military and foreign. Primary source 14 feb many thanks to the avalon project at yale university for this, they have archived one of the most crucial documents recorded during the twelve years of the third reich, the hossbach memorandum. My view is that the significance of the meeting on 5 november 1937 should be evaluated on the basis of a careful and thorough analysis of what the hossbach memorandum actually says, rather than on the basis of a spin put on the document in hindsight. The hossbach memorandum was the summary of a meeting on 05111937 between german dictator adolf hitler and his military and foreign policy leadership where hitlers future expansionist policies were outlined.
As we shall see, this meeting and its document was later to be at the core of the conspiracy charges against the nazi high command at the subsequent. At the nuremberg trials this hossbach memorandum was used as evidence that hitler had planned a major war all along and had not just wanted small wars. Reclaim history 4 comments in other words, the sensational document, which was the primary instrument used in securing the conviction and execution of a number of germanys top leaders, has. The hossbach memorandum the hossbach memorandum in. The document discusses in some length the shortages of foodstuffs, now if we assume that foreign trade is out of the question was the foodstuff situation really that dire as the document makes it out to be. At the time, no one attached importance to the meeting.
It was used at the nuremberg war trials, and by intentionalist historians such as hugh trevorroper and richard overy to prove that hitler. Here the memorandum is presented as the decisive turning point in the life of the third reich. Hossbach memorandum wikimili, the free encyclopedia. The hossbach memorandum on november 5, 1937, adolf hitler held a secret conference in the reich chancellery during which he revealed his plans for the acquisition of lebensraum, or living space, for the german people at the expense of other nations in europe. The most important piece of evidence produced to sustain this charge was and is a document known as the hossbach protocol or hossbach memorandum. The meeting marked a turning point in hitlers foreign policies, which then. Hi, the hossbach memorandum is as i understand it the historical source that provides the closest thing to a programme declaration of german foreign policy. Hossbach created the document which later became known as the hossbach memorandum. The hossbach memorandum was the summary of a meeting on 5 november 1937 between german dictator adolf hitler and his military and foreign policy leadership where hitlers future expansionist policies were outlined. Friedrich hossbach, hitlers adjutant a military officer who works as an administrative assistant to a more senior officer wrote the hossbach memorandum on 10 november 1937.
I spoke about the problems with the hossbach memorandum. This document is in the public domain and may be freely reproduced. The document was edited altered when presented nuremberg, and even the imt did not find it useful or at least incriminating, but they used the lebensraum theory nonetheless in their. Hitlers revealing his clear aims for war whilst successfully hiding this from the british and france as.
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