I

o. S. S. Confidential Copy No. 3 of 30

tAnalysis of
The Personality of Adolph Hitler
With Predictions of His Future Behavior

and

Suggestions for Dealing With Him

Now and After

Germany's Surrender

By- HENRY A. MURRAY, M. D.

Harvard Psychological Clinic

OCTOBER, 1943
ANALYSIS OF l'HE PERSONALITY OF ADOLF HITLER

with predictions of' his f'uture beha.vior

and

sUGgestions for dealing wit~ him

now and af'ter Germany's surrende~

iI'3nry A. Tviurr9.y, i,i. D.,

II2..rvai"d PsychoJ.ogical Clinic

 FOREWORD

Aim

The aim of this memorandum is (1) to present an

analysis of Adolf Hitler's 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 U. S.
Government might now influence his mental condition
and beh~vior (assuming it sees fit to do so), and
might dS31 with him, if taken into custody, after

The prcp~~ i~terpretation of Hi tler's person-

_-
_... _.. --_ . . .. ----._-_ ...... the
ality i3 impovtsnt 63 s stS? in .und9rstanding
E~:Y..:El_?f5y_..Ef....!:.~~. _.~)!)::,j._?_:\l:..._~€::~~) and - since the
typ ical Ihzi 6xh:l.bi. ts a strain that has, for a
long till1B, besl1 p!'c·valont a~ong Germans - as a
step in understandir.g t;13 psychology of the German

tion of this man t o the status of ~ demi-god, can

be explained only on ths hypotherd.s th1 t; he and his
ideology have almost exactly met the n~ ~ da, longings,
and sentiments of the majority of Germans.
 - 2 -

The attainment of a clear impression of the

psychology of the German people is essential if,
after surrender, they are to be converted into a
peace-loving nation that is willing to take its
proper place in a world society.

Sources of Information for this Analysis~ -

As is well known, there are no thoroughly re-
liable sources of information about Hitler's early
life and what is known a.bout him since 1918 is in
many respects insufficient or contradictory.
Th13 analysis has been based, for the most
part, on the following material:
1Q Data supplied by the Office of
Strategic services
2. Hitlsx>is MEIN K.AMPF, New York,
Reynal & liitchcock, 1939
3. Hitlar1s MY NE~,1r ORDER~ NAW York,
Reynal & Hi~chcock, 1941
4. Heiden, K •.• HITIJER, A BIOGRAPHY,
London, 1836
5. Ra.uschning, H., VOICE OF DESTRUCTION,
New Yot'k
6. Baynes, H. G., GERMANY POSSESSED,
London, 1941
It is generally agreed that MEIN KAMPF is not to be
relied on as a fact~.113.1 document, but as the translators
say in the introduction to the American edition,
this work "is probably the best writ~ep evidence
of the character, the mind, and the spi~.:·j t of Adolf
Hitler." An a.nalysis of the metaphors used in
 - 3 -

l\IEIN KAMI'F has proved re'.\T8rding in the attempt to

discover the underlying forces of his persona1ity3
MY NEW ORDER, edited by Roussy de Sales , has also
been utilized extensively.
A paper published by Vil.H.D. Vernon, HITLER THE
MAN - NOTES FOR A CASE HISTO~Y (Jour . of Abn. & Soc .
Psychc1., 1942, 37, 29S-308) , was written under my
general supervision and contains roost of the ideas
of Professo!" G, W. Allport and myself on this topic
so far ~R they were crystallized in the fall of 1941.
Thls art~c1e ~y Vernon is included in toto as an
introd~r;.~on. ther~~y relieving me of the necessity
of r''3:O; t? tlng (j n t'.16 d~ t;2.iled ana l;:rsis tha t follows )
all ··~h(4~C'''lJ'')r)n~ty k:l')wn fr·cts.
 CONTENTS OF THIS MEMORANDUM

,Section 1 ~ Summary of the Entire Bemorandtun .

Sec-tien 2. HITLER THE MAN - NOTES FOR A CASE HI3TORY
by W. H. D. Vernon (the best available
short outline of Hitler 's personality).
Section 3~ (Summar J Pa:r.t A) De tailed Analysis of
T,

Eitler's Personality (~ritten especially

for psychologists, psychiatrists).
S~ction IJ ~ (Summary, Part B) Predictions of Hitler's
~8havior in the Goming Puturee
Section 5~ (Sum~ary, Part C) Suggestions for the
Trea tment of Hi tIer'. Eo'v and. After
G9~manyls Su?rende~~

section ·S" (Su~~9ry, Part D) Sugge~tions for the

T~Aatment of Germany~
SECTION I
 CONFIDENTIAL MEMORANDUM

containing

A. Brief Analysis of Hitler's personality.

B. predictions of Hitler's Behavior.
C. Suggestions for the Treatment of Hitler.
D. Suggestions for the Treatment of the
German People.

S1"bl'J'1i.tted by Henry Aft Murray, i~.D.

P.a~vard Psychological Clinic,
Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Committee for National Morale,
New Yo!"k.

I. .Dyn~m!,c~]"..J..~_tte_r_~2untex:acti ve Type.-
The~~ is little disagreement among professional, or
even among amateur, psychologists that Hitler's
pers onali ty is an exampJe of the E..£.~~t~;,act1 ve tyt~~_,

a type that is marked by inten~e ana. stubborn efforts

(1) to overcome ea:r-ly uiJab~. liti'3[i ~wej:1. knesf3es and
hu.miliations {wounds to 8slf-Astee!;i, and sometimes

suIts to pride. This is achieved by m ~R ~3 of an

 - 2 -

Idealego . Rea~.~ion Format:!~9tl which involves (i) the

repression and denial of the inferior portions of
the self, and (ii) strivings to become (or to imagine
one has become) the exact opposite, represented by
an !d.ealego, or image of a superior self successfully
accomplishing the once-impossible feats and thereby
curing the wounds of pride and winning general
respect, pre~tige, fame.
This i8 a yerycommon ' for~la, normal (within
limits) and widely admired in WestA~n cultures, but
in Hitle~'s case aJl the non~tituAnt forces of the
pa ttA!'n are ~..o.~p-ul~ ~ye ~.;L~.:x:tre~~., and based on a
weak neurotic structural foundation. The chief
trends are these: (1) Counteractive Need for
D~~ina~_e_~.-...:~_u'p_e ri o_ri_ti; (2) Poun.t:..e r~_~.!.~~e Aggre s-
s~2.~.L-Reyeng.~) (:J) R~r.!'e}1_~oD_oZ __C.9E.~c_~~nce, Com-

P.:1J-~.~~_,.--l~~~) (4) prC?J.~_9li~p of q~_~.:!?!--..::_~_.za_bl~

.. __ ._-- -
ElementA
-- of-the
-- - - - Self.
1. ____
.__ __. _____ .. ____Need
Count~ractive ____for
.___________ .::::...z..
Dominance
Sup.~.;:iori t_Y... - 'l'he neve ~_ opr1ental fD'''mulp.. for this
is as follows: (i) i~tnle7qble fqelin~s of in-
feriority (partly hocausA of yieJ~5~~ to the will

contempt of O'.·.. n in~'erio:(' traits ('.~rqr'kr.iH·;"" timidity,

 - 3 -

submissiveness) and the fixed determination to repress

them in oneself and to condemn them in others,
accompanied by (iii) admiration end envy of power
in others a~d a vision of self as ultimately superior
(idealego) leading to (iv) repeated efforts to become
superior (counteraction orit of wounded pride), en-
couraged by moments of extreme self-confidence in
which one b e lleves oneself the equ~. l of one's vision.
This ." as 'Ne have said, 1s D. very common form
of davelorment, but in Hitler the t:'.:'end is so intense
an~ ~he c~.mo~ly b~lancing forces (~ffection,

l'l'''" .,1..,
•.• : .• .. ; • .:..
(.:.. ~ 1
\L.., • .• URl L~3
.. ,.., of omni90te~0e), despite the fact
sU~1eeded in gettj~g a large pro-

(~) tlmt he hPd be~n divinely appointed

to lead thGm to p0W2~ and glory , and (ii) that he

obdience, come w~~t ~ay~

Hi tIer i s u!'1derlyhH~ "i.n:'Ed'i orl t;y fel? J. tngB, his

basic self-conte~pt 9re shown by hi9 ~hoosing as
crite.'I:'Jf:1 of · mJ'6er~.C'.::i. i;jT
- - . - .- . - - _ _ _ _ _ . ___...... _ _ _ •• • _-1-
(-:;r~its of jrlo .. · le~o) attl'ibutes
 - 4 -

is himself or once was. This may be illustrated

by his fervent eulogy of (a) ?~ute strength; (b)
~~_~ty of blood; and (c) fertili~l.

1. (a) Admiration of Bru~~~~~~ngth,

Qon.teElpt of We~kne.~E.~ - Hitler has always worshipped

physical force, military conquest, and ruthless
domination. He has res~e6ted; ' en~~ed, and emulated
the tec~~ig~es ~f power, even when manifested by a
hated enemy. From first to last he has ~~pressed

c ~~~e~~t.....~t ' w~~ k~~~~, incecision, lack of energy,

fear of o.l)nsc:i.ence j

~E.'!._X~'l_! ..
HitJ:~t'_l::~."-IT:~17.:'[ 1fleD.~nes.~_~ - There is a
Jr:" e;e .feminine component in his con.s titution. As
a child he was f.r:.§d~--pE.~__~.~e.~~.)[, ~~~l_~t?a lly ' dependent
on his mother. He E e v'?~~~~.9 ...~~Y_fr!.~n_~~~~~r.~, never
engaged in athletics, W'IS tu:r'1ed down as £?rever
uriJit for conscription in the Austrian A rmy. Afraid
of his father, his behavior was ou.~~~ardly submissive,
and later he waS ~~noy~~~~y~!~~ee~v~erit to his superior
officers. Four yea:rs in the At'rny, he never rose above
the rank of corporal. A~ the end he broke down with
a ~.?r neur~~~_s_, hi'3_t.~ric6.1 bl~9.~~~_:o Evon lately,
in all his glory, he suffers !.req~!~~~~~~Jo?al
 - 5 -

£ollapses in which he yells and weeps. He has night-

mares from a bad conscience; and he has long spells
when energy, confidence and the power of decision
abandon him. Sexually he is a full-fledged masochist.
1. (b) Admiration of PUre Noble'German
Blood, Contempt of Jewish, Slav and other Blood.-
Hitler has always extolled the superior qualities
of pure, unmixed, and uncorrupted G~rman blood. He
admires the aristocracy. Concurrently he has never
ceased expressing his contempt of the lower classes
and his aversion to admixtures of the blood of other
races, of Jewish blood especially;
an~. yet -
l!.~.tler2-0wn · Q~}J~ins are 'Not Noble or
~eyond Reproach.- Hitler comes from illi~erat~

peainnt stock derived from a mixture of races, no

pure Germans among thorn. His father was illegitimate,
was married three times, and is said to have been
conspicuous for sexual promiscuity~ Hitler's mother
was a domestic servant. It is said that Hitler's
father's father was a Jew, and it is certain that
his £2dfather was a Jew; ond that one of his sisters
managed a restaurant for Jewish students in Vienna
and another was, for a time, the mistress of a Jew.
 - 6-

Hitler's appearance, when he wore a long beard during

his outcast Vienna days, was said to be very Jewish.
Of these facts he is evidently ashamed. Unlike
napoleon, he has rejected all his relations.
As a partial explanation of his complex about
impurity of blood it may be $aid that as a boy of
twelve, Hitler was caught engaging in some sexual
experiment with D little girl; and later he seems
to have deve loped a s yphilopho!>ia, wi th a diffuse
fear of contamination of the blood through contact
with a woman. It is almost certa5_n that this irrational
dreqd was partly due to the association in his mind
of sexuality and excretion. He thought of sexual
relations as something exceedingly fi~~h~.

1. (c) Advocacy of Ferti)itt.- Fertility,

the family as the breeding ground of warriors, multi-
plication cf the German race - these have been cardinal
pOints in Hitler's ideology;
and ' vet -
---"--
Hitler himself i::; ~!TIpo!:~~.- He is unmarried
and his old acquaintances say that he is incapable
of consummating the sexual act in a normal fashion.
This infirmity we must recognize as an instigation
to exhorbitant cravings for superiority. Unable to
 - 7 ..

demonstrate male power before a woman, he is impelled

to compen.'3ate by exhibiting unsurpassed pO'VIler before
men in the world at largee
1. (d) Achievement of Pcwe~ t~rough Oratory.-
Hitler could neither 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 t.he use of m~E~:-,i~tg~icatJng ~£t~~. Aristotle
has said that the ~et_~~~.r is the ' mg.E.t ' potent ' forci
~~.earth.t' flnd Hi tIer, ID8.S tel" of crude metaphor, has
nonfirmed th~ dictum in this generation. By seducing
the masses with his eloquence, and getting them to
accept lum as their divinely apPointod guide, he com-
pelled the smaller circles of indu3trialists, politi~

cians and military leaders to fall into line also.

Hitler speaking before a large audience is a
man possossed, comparable to a primitive medicine
man, or shaman. He is the - inc2rnntionof
- ----_ .. ' thecrowd's
unspoken needs ' and crav:tl1gs;
______ _ _ _ 10..:.._ and in this sense he has
been created, and to a large extent invented, by the
people of Gormany.
 - 8 -

Hitler has compared the masses to a woman who

must be courted with the arts and skills known to
passion only; and it is not unlikely that the emotional
source of his orgiastic speeches were childhood tantrums
by which he successfully appealed to his ever-indulgent
mothers

1. (e) Signi!.icar::.9.~.of _th~Clou!1t~racti ve

Pattern. - Counteraction is essential to the develop-

- -
ment of strength, but in Hitler's case it has been
extravag8~t and frantic. He has not ascended step
by step; building the structure of his character
nolidly as he went; but instead has rushed forward
with panting haste, pretentiously. As a result,
there is ~ ~~ea~ dis~ance between ~~tler at his best
and Hitler at his worst; which means -that when he is
---_.
overcome at last by a greater force he will collapse
suddenly Emd c~>npletely - and as an utter wreck.
2. Counter_a~~~_'Y~ AgBre3.sion, Revenge. - That
the will to power and the craving for superiority
can not account for the whole of Hitler's psychology
is evidenced by his !~ne8~~E:;~~3_J1~tE~~' 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
 - 9 -

and wounje~ v~i de in childhood. The source of such

insults, ','Ie have In8.ny reaDons to b81ieve, was Hitler's
father, a coarse boastful man who ruled his wife
(t\enty-three years younger than himself) and his
children with tyrannical severity and injustice.
2. (a) "Sxplanation. - The hypothesis is
advanced, supported by much evidence, that as a boy
Bitler was severely shocked (as it ~ere, blinded)
by witnessing sexual lntercourse between his parents,
end his reaction to this trauma was to swear revenge,
to dream of himself as reestablishin s the lost glory
of his Mother by oV8rco)1~ing and humilia ting his
fDther. The boy's relative weakness made thjs 8ction
impossible, and so the drive and passion of rev8n~e

was repressed and locked up within him under tension.

Only Inuch later ,~,hen a somewhat sirdlal'" stimulus
occurred - the subjugation and humiliation of his
motherland (Eitler's term for Germany) in 1918 -
was t~is energy of revenge rele~sed, after e short
period of shock and hysterical blindness.
This "ould eXDlein the fact that Hit13r exhibited
no energetiC ambitious c1rive of his oVln from the age
of 13 years (rhGn his father, the enemy, died) to the
age of 29 years (when a new enemy, the conquoror··
 - 10 -

of the mot~b.e ~~larid , appeared). It als 0 he Ips to account

for Hitler's relentless devotion to the rohabilitation
of Germany, a fact which is hard to explain in a man
who is so extrernely egocentric in other relations.
In ~n Kr.mr f Hitler repeatedly speaks of Germany
as a beloved woman.
(~ote. In this connection it may be said
that the evidence is in favor of Hitler 's having
experienced the common Oedipus Complex (love of mother,
hate of father), but that in his cas e this pattern
was repressed and submerged by another pattern: pro-
found admiration, envy and emulation of his father's
masculin8 power and a contempt of his mother's
feminine submissiveness and weakness. Thus both
parents were ambivalent to him: his father was
hated and respected; his mother was loved and de-
preciated . Hitler 's conspicuous actions have all
been in imitation of his father, not his mother.)
'Vvhether this genetical hypothesis is correct
or not , it is certain that there is a vast reservoir
of resentment and revenge in Hitler's make-up which
accounts for his cult of brutality and his many acts
of inexcusabl e destructiveness and cruelty. Ho is
possessed by what amounts to a homicidal cornpulsi0!l.
 - 11 -

which has no vent in a "weak piping time of peace"

(unless he became an out~ight c~iminal), and the~e­
fore he has constantly pushed events toward war, o~

scapegoating.
2. (b) Significance of Revenge. - As a
result of the fact that resentment is the mainspring
of Hitle~ 's care~, it is fo~ever impossible to
hope fo~ any mercy o~ humane t~eatment from him.
His revengefulness can be satisfied only by the
extermination of his countless enemies.
3. Repression of Conscience, Compliance, Lova._
Unlike Goering and other associates, Hitler is no
healthy amoral brute. He is a hiv~ of secret nAurotiri
compunctions and feminine sentimentalities which have
had to be stubbornly rep~essed ever since he embarked
on his career of ruthless dominance and revenge
(insti gated by ~eal 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 dejection and nightm3res_, 1Nhich

can be interpreted only as the unconscious operation
of a bad conscience. Hitler wants nothing so much
as to 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
 - 12 -

possible. The suicidal trend in his personalitt

is eloquent testimony of a repressed self-condemning
tendency.
In conjunction with the repression of conscience
and the advance of hate theTe has been a repressicn
of affection and sympathy as if "his spirit s e emed
to chlde such weakness as unworthy of its prlde,"
a reaction which sometimes occurn in child~oQd after
an experience of unbearable disillusionwent occasioned
by the felt treachery of a beloved person. One may
find "a vigilance of grief that '."!ould compel the
soul to hate for heving loved too well." Hitler's
affiliative tendenc.ies ~~::!e ._aI1JlJa~rs_t:'een very weak;
he has never had any close personal friends; he is
entirely incapable of noqnal human relationships.
This is due, in pert, to the cessation in early life
of sexual development.
3. (a) Self-Vindicating Cr':t111:t!2.~]}~Y.­

Paradoxical as it nay seem, Hi tIer I s E..ep~..§lted crimes

arsPar.:tly caused by~.?ri.~_cience a~lA.~he n~ce_~Ej· ty

of appeasing it. For having once set out on a life

of crime, the man can not turn back without reversing
his entire ground for pride and taking the humiliating
path of self-abasement and atonement. The only method
 - 13 -

he hns of subduing his mounting unconscious guilt

is to commit another act of aggrossion, and so to

F a ilu~e is the only wrong.

Con~6ienc q ~ y S u~ceDGful Crirni~nlity.

_"' _ _ ~ _ • • _ _ , . _ _ _ · _ ... a _ _ _ • • _ _ _ . _ ... _ _ _ _ _ _ _ .. _ _ ... _ - As soon as
the time con:s·'3 when :r e peated o::'f'o !l 3ive action!) e i.1d

--
rerressfld ('on n8i.enC'G
- - _ - .... _ ._-----_.-
... -------"
. \';l~h s·~:i. cide or l11E:l: cal brealcdown
as the most likely out~GW28

Self, - Hitler perceives in other people the tre.its

or tendencies that are criticizable in himself.
Thus, instead of being devoured by the vultur'e of
his own condemning conscience or of his own disdain ,

he can attack what he apperceives as evil or con-

temptible in the external world, and so remain un-
conscious (mest of the time) of hl"! e"ln p:;uilt or

his own inferiori ty . Tbis mechanj ~l"1 1rJr.1c.reby"_~~_1~~

~es his own v:icked impulses or v~eal~ne3~es in o".:;~ers ,

is called pro.i.~ti_~. It is one v'ay, the paranoid

way, of maintainin~ self-esteem . The mechanism
 - 14 -

OCCU1'S so constantly ~n Fitler thct it is possib:'..e

to get a very ~Qod idea of the repudiated portions
of his own personality by noticing what he condemns
in ot:~e rs - t:recc hery, lying, Corrupti on) W8.J'-mor. (Tc 1'-
ing, etc. This mechanism ~ould havo had more
disast~ou3 consequennes for his sanity if he tad
not geined SO:TIe [;ovornance over it by cODs,::i011r::ly

of blaming h~8 oppc~e~ts~

insanity. In:>:: sd h3 h2.3 n 71~:i.b:t ::0 (1. at one time or

another." ----.---
all 0:'- -t~le cl?,f, -~5J 8 1 f n ::'l,j n~ns u"f nni'rDoid
_
- - ._-_ .... _-- - -- - - - ' ... _, _... ..... - - - --",---- ... - .. .. -

irrationel jealousy, delusions o~ perseoution: de-

Ius ion3 of OID"15. Doten C9 8.nd me R;' ia \lship .
:10'.11 is it, then, that T~atlor he.s CSC8DCd COD-

finement as a dan;erous psychopath? Th5s i~ter8~ting

question will be considered later~

Reactions to. _ _
_____. _ _ _ 01')1')03i-:10n . _. _F:"a.:t.r8.'-7.on.
C0C~
'-L _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ . _ __ '._'" . ___ _

Opposition io the stimulus ~·TU.c.h fl·;~artlr:~.3 EiT,leT'

into life. In the face of it bis powero are ~Dth0red

and augrlented. When 0:9p08i tion bCGones ::tron 'scr

rcsultin8 in severo frustration , his reaction has
 - 15 -

often been as follows: (i) §motional outbur~t;

tantrum of rage and accusatory indignation ending

in tears and self-pity; succeeded by (ii) pe~iods

_C?;_~..!2e':'ti~_, exhaustion, melancholy and indecisive-

ness (accompanied sometimes by hours of acute dejec-
tion and disquieting nightmares) leading to reQupe.ra-
tion; and finally (iii) .£onfi.:l~nt ~l!d resolut~ __9..~

c~~~o~ to couni..eratt8.ck wi th great force 8.no. ruth-

lessness& The entire cycle may ru~ its uourOB in
24 hours; or it mAy be weeks befoTe the aggressive
decision of tho thi~d stege is reachcd ~

For yea:r8 thin patte:'~1 of reaction to frl:l.stra- •

tion has met with success; each counteTsttack has
brought Hitler nearer to his goal . Since the turn
of fortune on the Russian :'ront , howover, the number
of frustrations have increased and Hitler ' s counter-
attacks have failed) at times disastrously . There
is no structure for defen~e in 3itler'o personality :
he can only ~trike when inf~at;EJd '_wi to confidence,
or .£.ollapse ".,1ben confidence abandon.£3_ h:'rr...
As time goes on , therefore, we can anticipate
an increase in the intensity, frequency and duration
of Hitler's periods of collapse, and a decrease in
the confidence and power of his retaliations .
 - 16 -

A point to be rp,membered aoout Intler is that

he started his career at scratch, ~ nonentity with
~ot~~1~~..?-.J._~~~, and he sele0ted a fanati0al path

No compromise is possible. Since it ie not he per-

sonally who has to do the fighting, his collapses can
occur in priva~; 8 at Bel'chteiJg fJC:;.en~ v:Gore h-3 ('an re-

cuperate, and then once again come hac;};: "'i'ch some

new and always more Ciespe!'ate p12.n to deotroy the
enemy. There is a rowerf~l compuJ.sion in him to
sa cri fi c e him].~_lf ~ ~~~~.~.. ?!__qe r:ll'~~;E!Y to _ t h~r..~_y_e nge-
f'ul annil':.ilation of We~~eFj~cultt~!,p;_, to 0iey ,::'ragging
all of Europe with him into the abyss. This he would
feel was the last resource of an insulted and unendur-
able existence,
7. Need £01" Cr~ation, P~inting, Architecture ,
German S~ate? _Legerd of Self.- We surmise that
Hitler's early enthusiasm fOl' painting was due to
the fact (i) that this was the one exercise 8t which
he excelled in school (and thus it offered a compensa-
tory form of achievement); (ii) that it provided an
acceptable outlet fer a destructive soiling tendency
repressed in infancy; and (iii) that painting, and
 - 17 -

especially architecture later, also called for much

constructiveness, which served to balance (operate
as a reaction formation to, and atonement for) the
primitive tendency to destroy. Hitler has always
enjoyed the painting of ruined temples (just as he
has liked to contemplate the c.estruction of cit::es
inhabited by his enemies); but he has likewise tekon
pleasure in pa J. nting ir.::m8l1se ca8t~ ,=s (lust as he has

occup!ed him~elf designing buildi~ga fG( ~he Third

Reich) •
A careful study of rr itle~'s w~itings an~ conduct
has convinced U3 tha t he i 2 not ent~~ely devrtsd to
destruction, as so many claim. In his naturn th0re
is a deep valid strain of creativeness (lacking,
to be sure, the necessary talent). His creativity
has been engaged in combining ele~ents for an ideology,
in organizing the National Socialist ,arty, and in
composing the alle-eory of his own life. He is the
author and leading aotor of a great drama o
Unlike other politiciana; Hl 'cJ.'3;" n8C CDl1duct8d
his life at certain seasons as a ROMe.nt~c ar~~st

does, believing that it is the function of a nation's

first statesman to furnish creative ideas, new poliCies ,
and plans.
 - 18 -

8. Repressed :Need for Pas~iv.1.t:r and AbaseLlent,

~as_?chism.- Hitler's long.-concealed secret hetero-
sexual fantasy has been exposed by the systematic
annlY3is and correlation of the three thousand oCd
meta phors he uses in ~l e:'n Kampf ~ The results of t.hi.:3
study were later confir~ed by the testirrony of one
who "claims to Imow". It is not necessary to describe
its peculiar f ~ atu~sR here; suf:ic s it t ~ say that
the sexugl patt e rn ~as ~GDult ~ ~ fr ~~ ttc ~~sion of

(i) ~pr~mi t5:2,_~_~.:,,{cLC:~ orl.Y OJ,~.iDg-2:ende~sy'', and (ii)

a pa ssi VA Tim '::'~:.~11i .s !L~_~.~~:,1 ~~~~~-. (r,:,y.i,l31~tro'pilY of the
feminine comp Clnent i:.1 hi~ ::-:<.lke-·up) ~ The seccnd.
element (masochism) derives much of its streng~h

from an unconsd OUR need fox' pUJ.1~~~lm (:mt., a tendency

which may be expected in one who has assiduously re-
pressed, out of swollen pride, the submissive reactions
(complianco, cooperation. payment of debts, expression
of gratitude, Rcknowledgment of errors, apology,
confession, atonement) which are required of every-
body who would adaptivcly 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-abasem8nt.
 - 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 - repress.~~ (or as some cleim overt)
homosexuality, for exampler.
What is important to recognize here is th3t the
purpose of Hitler's prolonged counteractive efforts
is not so131y to rise above h::'s hur:blc crigll':s, to
overcome his ~e~knesses and ine~titude~, but rather
to check and conquo~, by means of a vigorous ~d8~le~6

rea~tion forrr,?_!?}oli, ~~~!'~-.~£~.t~£ti_J2.~'3i~JV3 C.1:'~.Y:tt:?Pl

for pass.:!:"~3-tY_.~..r?E_~~~2f.l~5..~.~.?E1.. Th('re is no spa~e

here for the mass cf evidence bcerlng cn thi0 point,
but a few examples can be briefly liated: (1) tho
large feminine compon r.m t in Ei tIe 1'" s phy.sicr.l cons ti tu-
tion, also his feminine tastes and sensibilities;
(ii) his initial identification with his mother;
(iii) his exaggerated subservien~c, in the past, to
masterful sureriors (army officors, Ludendorff, 3tC .);
(iv) attraction to Roehm and othor dominocring "10no-
sexuals; (v) Hitlor's nightmares which, as described
by several informants, are very suggestive of homo-
sexual panic; (vi) soma of Hitler's intorprotGtions
of human nature, such as whon he says that the people
"want someone to frighten them and make them shuddct'ingly
 - 20 -

submissive"; (v ii) Hitler's repeated assertions that

he intends, like Sulla, to abdicate power (after an
orgy of conquest with full catharsis of his hate)
and live quietly by himself, painting and designing
buildings; and finally, (viii) recurrent 8uicidr 1
threata.
TT
__ ...L.. •

------- -_.- ._ _
of · an· Ide81ly "?6wer·ful Gerl118;1~i',
. __...... -_ ..... ... - .- - - -... .......
~.-
- }-() tr·('s }~i.'Ii'ail,

friend or foe, ;".8S ever claj.m'2J tZ '<J c H~ .. r.,·{a . .' is not

sincere in his d6vction to thG P~~s8ian ~ilit~rist3'

1°d eocen t Y'?°.:..£. ('Ct6 d"lC8~G

r . d (;0
J.. Oea
an :t., J ' ... or
I _ t~e la 8 t h ;enty
years. Because the idea consists c~ a plan for a
society from which the majority of his fellow country-
men wi]l supposedly benefit, we can speak of hi~ as
sociocentric (S) also. But since this interest in
his countrymen is clearly secondary to his personal
ambition - fame, immortality - we put egocentricity
(E) first; and so write - E. S. Ideocentricity. It
is rarG to find so much ideocentricity in a nercistic
personality; but only those who are inccpablo of Duch
dedication are likely to doubt the reality of it in
Hitler.
1. Insociation in Germany ._ Since Hitler and
 - 21 -

a large body of the Ger~an people are mutually

agreeable, we can speak of him as insociated,
accepting Bnd accepted . It is Eitler's intense affsc-
tion for the Reich (perhaps felt to this e~tent only
by a nationalist born outside its boundaries) that
has acted as a decisive factor in (i) Gis ~dnn~n?;_ _
~~.e_

support of tb~... -_~eople

-----_._ .. _ - -
and so satisfying ~is will to
powe r; (ii) .81 Tj ng __~tm . th0ef3 ~:'n€ _~~~~: ::~~i~~~. , th.e
sen3 e of mis s:L:m; (i i i) F.:~ov.~d ir.:J~_.:!. ?;'_'3 ~ __ ~ ~7t~3 ti!~~_ca t.~ on
(in his own mind) f9~ many illegcl 8Ct~; and (iv)

association with a group G~ lika-~i2jed mGn and so

delivering him from the por:'ls of paychclo3icn1
isolation.
(Note. - The supposition that in Eit19r's !llind
Germany is identified ~ith his mother helps to explain
the fervor of his dedication.)
III. Sentiments.-
Host of Hitler's senti~ents &re well known and
have already been listed: his hie;h VG11)£',cior. of
Power, Glory: Dictatorship , Nationclisc, Nilitari~~ ,

and Brutality; ond his low valuation of V~8kness ,

Indecision , Tolerance , Compassion , Penco , Rotionnl

Debate , Democracy, Bolshevism, Materialism , Capitalism ,
 - 22 -

the Jewish Race, Chrlstianity. A simplification

would be that of regarding him as the advocate of
the a~p-;ressive instinct (war, Power and Glory) vs.
the acquisitive instinct (Business, Peace and
Prosperity). Two questions deserve special con-
sideration: (1) Why, when he was living as an outcast
in Vienna, did Hitler not become a Communist? and
(2) rh2t is the explanation of Hitler's extreme
Anti-Semitism?
1. Determinants of Hitlerfs Anti-Communism-
1. (a) Hitler's father was an upward
mobile individual. Starting as a peasant, he worked
his way into the lower middle class, establishing
a boundery between himself and those below him.
Both parents respected their social superiors. Thus
.
Hitler instinctively retre8ted from too close associa-
tion with the workmen of Vienna.
1. (b) Fitler was too frail for construc-
tion work, was unable to hold a job, and therefore
had little opportunity to become associated with a
union.
1. (c) Having been an ardent nationalist
since the age of 12, Hitler's line of cleavage (conflict
be tween nations) did not conform to the communists'
line of cleavage (conflict betweon classes).
 - 23 -

1. (d) Hitler has aJweys been an advocate

of the hierarchical p~inciple: government by the
fittest, rigorously trained and proved in action.
The ideal of Communism, on the other hand, calls for
a wide distribution of power among those untrained
to rule.
1. (e) Hitler's sentiments have been with
militarism from earliest youth. The materialism of
Co~munism never appealed to him.
1. (f) Lacking sympathy for the underdog,
the humanitarian aspect of Communism did not attract
him. Hitler hes always been a bully.
2. Determinants of Hitlerts Anti-Semitism. -
2. (a) The influence of wide-spread Anti-
Semitic sentiments (represented especially by such
men as Lueger and Feder), 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 not 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
s exuel i t y) •
 - 24 -

2. (d) After the Versailles Treaty the

German people also needed a scapegoat~ Hitler offered
them the Jewish race as an act of politic a l strategy.
20 (e) Having assembled a veritable army
of gangsters (Nazi troopers) and aroused their fight-
ing spirit, it was necessary for Hitler to find some
object upon whom these men could vent their brutish
passions, to canalize anger away from himself.
2. (f) Jews, being non-militaristic,
could only impede his program on conquest . In
eliminating them he lost 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 very rich and Hitler
needed an excuse for dispossessing them.
IV . Formal ·Structure, Hyster~ Schizophrenia.-
Hitler has a relatively weak char8ct c r (ego
structure); his great strength comes from an
emotional complex which drives him periodically .
Usually he can not voluntarily force himself to stick
to a routine of work; he must be compelled from insj.de,
lifted on a WDve of p~ssion . His id (instinctual
forces) and ego ~oluntary control) are in league;
his superego (conscience) is repressed.
 - 25 -

1. Hysteria. - Hitler has exhibi t ed 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
outbursts, visions of hallucinatory clarity. In
speaking before crowds he is virtually possessed.
He clearly belongs to the sensational company of
history-making hysterics, combining, as he does,
some of the attributes of the primitive shaman, the
religious visionary, and the crack-brained demag03ue -
consummate actors, one and all.
It is important to note, however, that Hitler
has a large measure ' of ' control ' over his complexes.
He uses an emotional outburst to get his own way,
turning it on or off as the occasion requires. As
Erikson says, he "knows how to exploit his hysteria •••
On 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 states lying between hystoria
and schizophrenia. In some cases the former develops
 - 23 -

into the latter (a serious variety of insanity).

Since Hitler, as noted above, has exhibited all tho
symptoms of ~aranoid schizophrenia, the possibility
of a complete mental breakdown is not remote.
Here again, ho lever, it should be observed that
paranoid dynamics can be used very effectively in
rou~ing and focussing the f6rces of a ~in6rity party
or of a defeated nation. The stretegy consists chiefly
in (i) painting vivid and exagger~ted word-pictures
of the crimes and treacherous evil purposes of your
powerful opponents (delusions of persecution); (ii)
persuading your own group of its innDte superiority
2nd glorious destiny (delusions of grandeur); (iii)
subduing consciencG by asserting that your common
end jus~ifies the means, that your opponents h8ve
used the most dastardly means in the past; and (iv)
blaming your enemies for every frustration, every
disaster that occurs. In oonsciously Gmploying theso
tactics Hitler has ~xploited his own paranoid trends
and retained some governance over them.
Thus the 8nswer to the question, Row has l"Jitler
escaped veri table insanity? might be this: (i) he
h2s g8ined 8 large measure of control over his
hysterical and pcranoid trends by using them
 - 27 -

consciously and successfully in the achievement

of his aims; (ii) he has identified himself with and
dedicated himself to a so6io68ntric purpose, the
creation of an ideal Germany, which has served to
diminish the pains and perils of an isolated egocen-
trism; and (iii) he has been supremely 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 has become re8l,
insanity is sanity.
V.I. Abilities and Effective Traits.- Hitler's
success has depe nded to a large 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 8S to the most
ideal tendencies in men.
1. (c) The ability to simplify complex
problems and arrive at the quickest
solution.
1. (d) The ability to use metaphor and draw
on traditional imagery and myth in
speaking and writing.
 - 28 -

1. (e) The ability to evoke the sympathy

and protectiveness of his people.
The leader's welfare becomes a matter
of concern to them.
1. (f) Complete dedication to his mission;
abundant self-confidence; and stubborn
adherence to a few principles.
1. (g) Mastery of the art of political
organi za ti on.
1. (h) Tactical genius; precise timing.
1. (i) Mastery of the art of propaganda.
2. Principles of Politi6al Action. -
Among the guiding principles of Hitler's
political philosphy the following are worth listing:
2. (a) Success depends on winning the
support of the masses.
2. (b) The loader of a new movement must
appeal to youth.
2. (c) The massos need a sustaining ideology;
it is the function of the loader to
provide one.
2. (d) People do not act if thoir emotions
are not roused.
2. (e) Artistry ,and drama are necessary to
the total effect of political rallies
and meetings.
 - 29 -

2. (f) The leading statesman must be a

creator of ideas and plans.
2. (g) Success justifies any means.
(h) A new movement can not triumph
without the effective use of
terroristic methods

B. predictions of Hitler's Behavior

Whatever else happens it can be confidently pre-
dicted ·that Hitler's neurotic spells will increase
in frequency and duration and his effectiveness as a
I

leader will diminish: responsibility will fall to a

greater or less extent on other 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 follo'wing things might happen:
1. Hitler may be forcefully seized by the
i

Military Command or by some revolutionary faction in

Germany and be immured in some 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 would end
 30 -

rather ignominiously, 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. IIi tIer may b~ shot by so~e Ge,~n. - The
man has feared this eventuality for many years and
today he is protected 8S never before. Germans are
not inclined to shoot their leaders. This is possible
but not very likely.

some ' German, perhaps by 'a Jew. ~This would complete

the myth of the hero - death at the hand of some
trusted follower: Siegfried stabbed in the back by
Hagen, Caesar by Brutus, Christ betrayed by Judas.
It might increase the fanaticism of the soldiers
for a while and create a legend in conformity with
the ancient pattern~ If Hitler could arr8nge to have
a Jew, some paranoid like 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 revengefulness for the last time.
4. Hitler may gethims~f killed leading his
/
o Ii te troops in ba ttle. - Thus he would Ii VB on as a
 - 31 -

hero in the heeres of his countrymen. It is not

unlikely that he will choose this course, which would
be very undesirable from our point of view, first
because his death would serve as an example to all
his followers to fight vii th fana tica 1 dea th-defying
energy to the bitter end, and second, because it would
insure Hitler's immortality - the Siegfried who led
the Aryan hosts against Bolshevism and the Slav.
This is one of Hitler's favorite poses.
5. Hitler may g6 insane.- 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 from our
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 demaged by the outcome. If Hitler became
insane, he should eventually fall into the hands of
the Allied Nations.
3. Hi tIer may commi t suicide. - Iii tIer has often
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
 - 32 -

manner. Eei~'LLl rctreDt, lot us say, to the impregnnble

little refuge thvt was built for him on the top of
tho mountain behind tho Barghof (Berchtcsgadcn) .
There alone 113 will wcit until troops come to take him
prisoner. As a grand climex he will oithsr (1) blow
up the mountain 2nd himsolf with dynamite; or (ii)
make a funeral pyre of his dwelling and throw hirrsolf
on it (8 fitting GBttcrd1llmmerungj or (iii) kill him-
self with a silvor bullet (Emp eror Christ opho); or
(iv) throw himself off th0 perr.pet. This outCOMe,
undosirable for us, is not at all unliksly.
7. Hitler mry die of neturel cruses.-
8. Hitl-r may seok rofugo in 0 ncutrFl crnlntry._
This is not likely, but one of his associates Dlght
drug him end take him to Switzerland in a plano and
then persuade him th:::-t he should stey ther': to ,,"Trite
his long-planned Bible fot' the German folk. Since
the Hero's dos~rtion of his poople would seriously
damage tho legend, this outcome ~ould be more
desirable then soma of tho other possibilities.
9. Hitlor may fall into the hands of tho
United Nations.- This is perhaps tho least likely,
but tho most desirable, outcome.
 - 33 -

In m~kin~ these pr8dictions we have beGn swayed

most by the supposition thet Hitlcr's chief concorn
is the immortality of his legend and consoquently
he will endeavor to plan his own end according to
the most heroic , tragic and dromatic patt e rn.
Options #5 (insanity to some cxtent) and #5 (drrmatic
suicide), or # 4 (death at tho front), strike us as
most prob8ble today.
propagande measures should, if fossiblc , be
devised to prov(;nt #4 and #3 .

c. Su~gestions f~! the Trcptmont of Hitler

1. Aft~r the Defest of ~crm~ny, if Eitl~r is

taken into custody by_the lTnitod Nntions .- Anyone
of the convention21 punisbnlcnts - Q trial followod
by execution, by life imprisonment or by exile -
will provide a tregic onding for tho dramr of 2itler 1 s
s e nsational c8rc or; and thus contribute the 01 cme nt
thct is noo os38.r1 to tho resurrection Dnd ]:,or:y,tuction
of tho Eitleri211 l ege nd. '''hp,t can the All i "'s do thnt
VI'ill spoil the tragedy ond thus kill the leg;Jnd ?
As nn answer to this que stion, tho following plrn is
suggo st ed . It should work if prop0r1y executed .
 - 34 -

1. fa) Bring the Nazi leaders to trial;

condemn the chief culprits the death, but proclaim
Hitler mentally unbalanced.
1. (b) Commit Hitler to pn insane asylum
(such as st. Elizabeth 's, Washington, D. C.) and house
him in a comfortable dwelling specially built for his
occupancy. Let the world know that he is being well
treated.
1. (c) Appoint a committee of psychiatrists
and psychologists to examine him and test his faculties
at regulEr intervals. Unknown to him, have sound-
films taken of his behavior. They will show his fits
and tirades ~nd condemnations of everyone in tho world,
including the German people.
1. (d) Exhibit regularly to the public
of the entire world selected segments of these sound-
reels, so thet it crn bo seen how unbalanced he is,
how mediocre his performance on the customary tests.
If teken in a routine, scientific 8nd undramatic manner
tho pictures will become quite tiresome ~fter a while
and the po oplc will get bored wi th Hi tlo!' in n yeer or
so. (Trust science to t8ke the drnm8 out of anything .)
1. (e) Hitler's case should be presented
to the ~norld as n lesson: "This is whet hnppens to
 - 35 -

cre ck- brained i'E'.natics who try to domina te the world. II

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;
and the publication of a carefully documented book
on the subject would not only act as a deterrent
(published in populnr form) to future would-be Hitlers,
but would be a significant contribution to sCience.
2. Betwcen"Nciw and the Ocssrition of H6~ti11t1es.­

The aim should be either (1) to Dccelerate Hitler's

mental deterioretion, to drivG him insane; or (ii)
to prevent him from insuring the perpetuation of his
legend by ending his lifo dramrtically and tragicclly.
There arc various psychological techniques avail-
able for accelerating Hitler's nervous brcrkdown,
but they will not be consid ored herc. None co uld be
so ccrtrinly effictivc as repeated military setbccks.
We shell limit ourselves to a few measures which
might serve {2. (a)) to deter Hitler from crranging
a hero's or a mcrtyr's death for himself, 2nd (2. (b))
to make him beliove thct tho immortrlity of his legend
will not suffer if he falls into the hends of the
United Nations.
 - 36 -

2& (p) Flood Germany with communications

(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, Strasser,
Hanfstaengel, Ra~schning and other N~zis in England
and America) to leave 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 GormGn people; he care~

only for, his own glory. He is no better than a soa-

captain who quits hiS ship, leaving his crew to
drown. Drop vivid cartoons of Hitler rushing
ludicrously forward to his death on the Russion front
(out of a guilty conscience over the noble Germans he
has condomned to die there for his glory); also
cartoons of his arranging to hove himself shot, and
others of his committing suicide. Interpret this as
the ecsy way out, a cowardly betrayal of his people,
the act of a bad conscience, the quintessen00 of
vanity. Wnrn the people agcinst him, the falso
prophet, the Judas Iscariot of tho German Revolution,
etcetera. If hundreds of these lecflets, prmphlets,
 - 37 -

streamers 81' C dropped over Berchtesg2den, the ch2nces

arc thet some of them will foll in places where Hitler
himself is likely to come on them. He is very sus-
ceptible to ridicule, and if the ccrtoons are clever
enough to mEke suicide seem cowerdly, grotosque, or
ridiculous, it may be enough to deter him. Predic-
tion will spoil the startling effect.
2. (b) Flood Germany with another series
of communications in which the people are told that
tho Nazi leaders who led them into this disastrous
war are going to be executed - all except Hitle r,
who will be exiled to Saint Helena where he can brood
over his sins for the rest of his life. Write as
if we thought thet this was the most terrible of all
punishments . But actually this idep should appeal
to Hitler , who grertly admi r es Napoleon ond knows
that the Napoleonic legend was fostered by the mon's
last years at Saint Helena. This treatment would
be better than Dny he could now be hoping to receive
from his enemies. It might positively attra~t him.
He would imagine himself painting landscepes, writing
his new Bible, E'nd making plons for on even greater
German 'l revolution to be corricd out in his nome thirty
years hence.
 - 38 -

By the r8peated and not too obvious use of these

two messages Hitler would be faced by a conflict
between (1) 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 allow himself to be taken by the Allies.
Only later would he discover that there was to be
no Saint Helena for him . This trick of ours is
justified by the necessity of preventing the resurrec-
tion of the memory of Hitler as a superman to rouse
futUre g~nerations of criminals and revolutionaries.

D. Sugeestions for the Treatment of the

German People
I. Hastening the Breakdown of Germany ' s Faith in
Hitler.- The German people have put their whole trust
in Hitler . He is their man , as no military conmander
representing a special class could be their man .
Having taken the entire responsibility for the conduct
of affairs , he has become their conscience and so
relieved them temporarily of guilt . The "p.rioJ3'"
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
 ... 39 ..

his incompetence and falseness . 'I'hey will cling as

long as possible to the illusion of his omniscienc e
because without this they have nothing . Vjhen it
comes, the. disenchantment will 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 the German people; but since events will march
faster and the war will end sooner if this disenchant-
ment can be hastened by other means , the Allies should
not overlook the power of words to change sentiments
and attitudes. The following suggestions may prove
of some value .
1 . (a) Technique of communication.- One
effective method would be that of printing leaflets
containing the names, rank and regiments of German
soldiers recently taken prisoner . The Gestapo could
hardly succeed in preventlhg anxious parents from
picking up these leaflets to obtain the latest news
of their sons at the front . Co~~unications of this
sort might start somewhat as follows: NE~jS FROT,I THE
FRON T . Among the 20,000 German so 1 dier s who s urrendere d
to the \~orld Army in Slcily the follovlinc; were hap py
at the prospect of going to America, the 1 and of free
speech an~ free action: Corp. Hans Schmidt, Capt.
Heinrich 1'~'ittels, etc. etc. "Why are you 18ughing?"
the y were D sked. "Because," the y answered, "we are
going to the United States; whereas you are going
to the land of the False Prophet and the Gestapo!"
etc., etc.
'Ne suggest that NEVilS FROM THE FRONT be distributed
et ~egulnr ' weeklj i6ter~als, like n newspaper; in
order that the Gcrm~ns will learn to expect it and
look forward to it, since it will contcin news that
they can not obtain in any other wDy~

Mixed in with the lists of German prison e rs could

be printed the messages that we wish t,o impart to the
people.
1. (b) Neme fo~ Hitler.~ In the minds of
many Germans the worQ''Hitler'' is st:i,ll surrounded
by a layer of revorcntiel feelings which protect his
image from cttack. Therefore it would be better not
to refer to him (except occasionally) by name. Huch
more subtly effective would be the usc of another
term: False Prophet or False Messiah. Later more
dorogato~y terms - the Amateur Strategist, Corporal
Satan, 110rld Crimincl No. l - might be effective.
 - 41 -

1. (c) Substitution of a Higher SYmbol ••

The German charccter-structure is morked by c strong
need to worship, obey, and srcrificB. ~hen this can
be focussed on some entity - God, the Absolute, tbe
German state, the Fuehrer - they are happy and heel thy.
Consequently, it will be eesier to break their present
allegicnce to Hitler if a satisfactory substitute is
presented. The Germans will not re8dily accept a
value thnt is identified in their minds rith the
special preferences of on enemy-notion (Democracy,
etc .); it must be something hi~hert !2mething supra-
national thrt will excite the respect of 011 peoples
alike . There is D. greet naed ~, rcther than later,
for some form of world Federation. But locking this,
the Allies in their message to Germany, should use
terms thDt suggest its spirit. Against Hitler, the
False Prophet , the propogendists should speck of the
World Conscience (the name of God C2n not be used
without hypocrisy), and should speak of the forces
of Russia, Greot Britain, France , and th8 Americas as
the 1vorld Army. (N.B. Suggestion for one leaflet:
Question: Who has seduced the Germrn people from
their true path? Who has turned their hcorts ogrinst
the Conscience of the World? "Tho is responsible
this time for Germany's encirclement by the 1Yorld
Army?). To be effective the terms "world Conscience"
 - 42 -

r:.nd II n orld Army" must be repc9 ted frcquently. "1"orld

Police Force" might olso be used.
1. Cd) A collection should be modo of
passages from the first unexpurgated edition of
Mein Kimpr demonstrating Hitler's cynical contempt
of the Masses. Each NEWS FROM THE FRONT should end
with one of these quotations.
1. ( G) Identificntion of Hitler ' with
---------------------------
Eussolin,t. - F;ussolini provided the model for the
development of the Nrizi Party end Hitler publicly
expressed his cdmir~tion for the Itclirn I C8 der.
(His words on this point should be reprinted.)
Mussolini 's fall "d.ll do much to und e rmine Germrn
morole, cnd no opportunity should be missed to
stress ,the . conpecti~n petween Hitler' s destiriY,~a~

r~~solini's deferit - tho Decline ond Fnll of the

Unholy Allirnce.
1. (f) The Conception of Destiny. -
Ge rmans believe inprcde~tin6tion (the wnve of the
future), end ell communications addl'essed to them should
be written as if the defent of the Fclse Prophet
were c foregono conclusion. Some messages should
como from the 'Voice of History' .
1. (g) Tcking Advantage of Hitler 's
 - 43 -

l"aninp; Powers.-Hitl c r's precise status r.nd r'01.c in

Germ~n politics ct this moment is not definitely known;
but the docrorsing frequency of his rppearoncos is
probably due to a growing incnpacity to fulfill his
former function. His mental stato is ~vidently

deteriorating. This should b~ cssumed in telking

to the GlJ rmnn people . For example : "No1.'V thnt
I.:ussolini has collapsed and Hi tIer is in tho honds
of me ntol specialists, wh~t has become of the Spirit
of Fnscism?" or "Do you still believe that c. ml:'cn
whose senity has b 'Je n completoly undermined by Guilt
cen lend the G2rmnn peopl e to victory a.g~inst the
World?"
1. (h) Ge rmcny's One remnining Ally, Japa~. -
The Nazi r~gimo should be constontly coupled with
Japan in rn ironicnl or s~tiric81 monner . For oxample:
"Tho Nt} zis and their blood- brothers, the Jr.pancs e ,
hnvo both demonstrat ed their willingness to die for
Saten - this summer one million of them have thrown
away their lives in a futile attempt to destroy
civilizntion." IIwho is responsible for this ignoble
league of Germany 8nd Japan agninst the Conscience
of the World?" "A fact to be explnined: Germans
oro dying every day fighting with Japanese against

Gormc.n-Amoricnns . Why is thet? Who is responsible."