BY WALTER C. LANGER WHY THE EVIL GENIUS ACTED THE WAY HE DID. “A MASTERPIECE.” —The New Republic — PROBING THE STRANGE PSYCHE OF ADOLF HITLER During the dark years of World War II, there was no one who fully understood Nazi Germany’s leader —or could predict his behavior. No one except Walter C. Langer, an American psy- chiatrist, who was asked in 1943 to prepare this psychological analysis of Hitler for the OSS and the Allies. By drawing on intelligence reports, interview- ing people who had known Hitler, and studying his writings, Dr. Langer was able to make astonishing predictions about Hitler’s future conduct which were borne out in history. Here is the most fascinating and significant exploration ever made into the uncon- scious conflicts behind the rise and fall of Adolf Hitler. “AMAZING. An intriguing and significant book that helps explain our century’s greatest enigma.” John Toland “FASCINATING. Langer outlines Hitler’s various manias (wolves, severed heads, pornography), phobias (horses, germs, moonlight, syphilis), and contradictions.”—Newsweek “A MASTERPIECE. A powerful study, remarkable both for the scope of Dr. Langer’s understanding and the depth of his research.”—The New Republic “FASCINATING READING. Stands the test of time remarkably well.”—Los Angeles Times “AN ABSORBING, FAR-REACHING BOOK.” —Chicago Tribune/Book World — Other SIGNET Books You’ll Want to Read TREBLINKA by Jean-Francois Steiner. An inter- national bestseller, the powerful story of a group of Jewish prisoners who led a successful armed rebellion against their Nazi captors in a model death camp. (#Y5679—$1.25) THE INDESTRUCTIBLE JEWS: An Action-packed Journey through 4,000 Years of History by Max I. Dimont. From the author of Jews, God and His- tory comes the magnificent story of the Jewish people from earliest times to the present. Here is a book for Jew and non-Jew alike—a superla- tive work on an amazing and indestructible people. "An epic drama, searchingly and nobly con- ceived!”—Publishers Weekly (#W5389—$1.50) THE RISE AND FALL OF NAZI GERMANY by T. L. Jarman. The incredible history of the Third Reich, authoritatively traced from the beginnings of the Nazi Party to the final debacle. (#W5179—$1.50) GENESIS 1948: The First Arab-lsraeli War by Dan Kurzman. Here is the story of an impossible dream and an incredible victory. Everything seemed against it: the Arabs, the British, the numbers in the opposing armies. The Jewish people should have given up their 2000-year-old dream of a homeland in Israel. Instead, in 1948 they went to war. "The best book of the 1948 .” $1.95) war. —Washington Post (#J5174— THE NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY, INC., P.O. Box 999, Bergenfield, New Jersey 07621 Please send me the SIGNET BOOKS I have checked above. order I am enclosing $ (check or money no currency or C.O.D.'s). Please include the list price plus 25$ a copy to cover handling and mailing costs. (Prices and numbers are subject to change without notice.) Name . Address — City State Zip Code Allow at least 3 weeks for delivery THE MIND OF ADOLF HITLER The Secret Wartime Report m WALTER C. LANGER FOREWORD BY WILLIAM L. LANGER AFTERWORD BY ROBERT G. L. WAITE © A SIGNET BOOK NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY TIMES MIRROR © 1972 by Basic Books, Inc. All rights reserved. For information address Basic Books, Inc., 10 East 53rd Street New York, New York 10022. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 72-86336 This is an authorized reprint of a hardcover edition published by Basic Books, Inc. <z> SIGNET TRADEMARK REG. U.S. PAT. OFF. AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES REGISTERED TRADEMARK MAROA REGISTRADA HEOHO EN CHICAGO. U.8.A. SIGNET, SIGNET CLASSICS, SIGNETTE, MENTOR and PLUME BOOKS are published by The New American Library, Inc., 1301 Avenue of the Americas, New York, New York 10019 First Printing, August, 1973 123456789 PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 1 CONTENTS foreword by William L. Longer vii INTRODUCTION 11 PART I HITLER As He Believes Himself to Be 35 PART II HITLER As the German People Know Him 49 PART III HITLER As His Associates Know Him 67 PART IV HITLER As He Knows Himself 103 PART V HITLER Psychological Analysis and Reconstruction 141 PART VI HITLER His Probable Behavior in the Future 21 afterword by Robert G. L. Waite 219 NOTES 242 BIBLIOGRAPHY 257 INDEX 281 FOREWORD by William L. Langer In his introduction to this psychological analysis of Adolf Hitler, my brother Walter gives a vivid account of the un- usual progression of events leading up to his involvement with the Office of Strategic Services and of the circum- stances under which his essay was written. These matters had gradually faded from my memory, and I was therefore glad to be reminded of them, if only because they brought into high relief the character of the moving spirit: “Wild” Bill Donovan. My brother’s introduction pays an implicit tribute to that extraordinary character, but a full apprecia- tion of Walter’s role and assignments calls for a more ex- plicit portrayal of the man who inspired them. Having my- self worked closely with Donovan throughout the war period I can testify to the brilliance of his mind, the range of his imagination, the independence of his judgment, and the foresightedness of his thinking. “Wild Bill” was decidedly an activist: restless, daring, and utterly fearless. At the same time, he was a man widely read and traveled, constantly preoccupied by do- mestic and international issues, and ever groping for new solutions to old problems. While he was not academic by nature or training, he had an enormous respect for schol- arship and was always ready to listen to those who had specialized knowledge! In my earliest contacts with him, he frequently expressed impatience with the crude, inane, and generally immoral propaganda characteristic of the First World War and expressed the hope that something better could be devised for the conflict that impended. Un- der these circumstances my brother’s initial letter, written from a hospital bed, could not have fallen on more recep- tive ears. Still, I marvel at Donovan’s readiness to accept psychoanalysis as a potential contributor to the solution of current problems. After all, psychoanalysis did not at that time enjoy the wide acceptance it has now attained. Dono- vii viii THE MIND OF ADOLF HITLER van’s initial idea of studying domestic morale by mobiliz- ing the talents of psychoanalysts across the country was, to my mind, a truly bold venture into unexplored territory. Donovan had an ingrained interest in problems of hu- man motivation and reaction, presumably a reflection of his distinguished career as a lawyer and later as a military leader. In any event, his prime objective was always to learn as much as possible about his adversary, to study his tactics and to evaluate their effectiveness. With his tem- perament, he undoubtedly chafed under the divergences of opinion among our policy makers concerning Hitler and his relationship to the German people. As an activist, he had but a low tolerance for uncertainty. He never could see why, given our ignorance on this or that point, we could not call in experts from the universities or business and get a professional evaluation on which to base our fu- ture course of action. It was this general approach to problems which led him to initiate scholarly research on a large scale, and at the same time to inspire a psychological study of Hitler and his influence on the German people. I played no part in the preparation of my brother’s book and saw it for the first time in printed form. It seemed to me both fascinating and revealing. I was partic- ularly intrigued by my brother’s approach, which reflected many discussions I had had with him, especially those af- ter his return from Vienna in 1938. The all but incredible events that were unfolding in Europe left no doubt that the world was threatened by irrational and demonic forces. I more and more came to realize that we historians often indulged in very superficial estimates of men and their mo- tives. In time I became completely converted to the notion that historians should explore and exploit the findings of modem psychology. And, eventually, I became a veritable apostle of the doctrine. At times my brother and I even toyed with the idea of attempting a collaborative study of some historical figure or movement in which psychological insights could be blended with historical data to yield a deeper understanding of its significance. Circumstances never permitted us to carry out this potentially interesting enterprise. This psychological study of Hitler was a pioneer effort to apply modem psychological findings not to a distant historical figure, but to one who was very much alive and busily engaged in making history. As far as I know, this Foreword ix was the first systematic attempt to deal with a pressing po- litical problem in this way. The final product may have some shortcomings, of which my brother is only too keenly aware. These were inevitable in view of the frag- mentary data at his disposal and the wartime difficulties and pressures under which he had to operate. Neverthe- less, his effort set the pattern for later investigations of this type. While it is and always has been impossible to psychoanalyze personalities with whom direct and frequent contact is out of the question, it has been demonstrated that a good deal can be done to study their character and make their actions more meaningful by gathering all per-' tinent data and subjecting them to the dispassionate evalu- ation of qualified persons who have clinical experience to draw upon.