This exploration of the private wartime diary of Alfred RosenbergâHitlerâs âchief philosopherâ and architect of Nazi ideologyâinterweaves the story of its recent discovery with the revelation of its never-before-published contents, which are contextualized by the authors: The result is a unprecedented, page-turning narrative of the Nazi rise to power, the Holocaust, and Hitlerâs post-invasion plans for Russia.
A groundbreaking historical contribution, The Devilâs Diary is a chilling window into the mind of Adolf Hitlerâs âchief social philosopher,â Alfred Rosenberg, who formulated some of the guiding principles behind the Third Reichâs genocidal crusade. It also chronicles the thrilling detective hunt for the diary, which disappeared after the Nuremburg Trials and remained lost for almost three quarters of a century, until Robert Wittman, a former FBI special agent who founded the Bureauâs Art Crimes Team, played an important role and tells his story now for the first time.
The authors expertly and deftly contextualize more than 400 pages of entries stretching from 1936 through 1944, in which the loyal Hitler advisor recounts internal meetings with the FĂŒrher and his close associates Hermann Göring and Heinrich Himmler; describes the post-invasion occupation of the Soviet Union; considers the âsolutionâ to the âJewish question;â and discusses his overseeing of the mass seizure and cataloguing of books and artwork from homes, libraries, and museums across occupied Europe. An eyewitness to events, this narrative of Rosenbergâs diary offers provocative and intimate insights into pivotal moments in the war and the notorious Nazi who laid the philosophical foundations of the Third Reich.
