Stalin had never been able to shake off the nightmare of Adolf Hitler. Just as in 1941 he refused to understand that Hitler had broken their non-aggression pact; he was in 1945 unwilling to believe that the dictator had committed suicide in the debris of the Berlin bunker. In his paranoia; Stalin ordered his secret police; the NKVD; precursor to the KGB; to explore in detail every last vestige of the private life of the only man he considered a worthy opponent; and to clarify beyond doubt the circumstances of his death. For months two captives of the Soviet Army--Otto Guensche; Hitler's adjutant; and Heinz Linge; his personal valet--were interrogated daily; their stories crosschecked; until the NKVD were convinced that they had the fullest possible account of the life of the Führer. In 1949 they presented their work; in a single copy; to Stalin. It is as remarkable for the depth of its insight into Adolf Hitler--from his specific directions to Linge as to how his body was to be burned; to his sense of humor--as for what it does not say; reflecting the prejudices of the intended reader: Joseph Stalin. Nowhere; for instance; does the dossier criticize Hitler's treatment of the Jews. Today; the 413-page original of Stalin's personal biography of Hitler is a Kremlin treasure and it is said to be held in President Putin's safe. The only other copy; made by order of Stalin's successor; Nikita Khrushchev; in 1959; was deposited in Moscow Party archives under the code number 462A. It was there that Henrik Eberle and Matthias Uhl; two German historians; found it. Available to the public in full for the first time; The Hitler Book presents a captivating; astonishing; and deeply revealing portrait of Hitler; Stalin; and the mutual antagonism of these two dictators; who between them wrought devastation on the European continent.
#182760 in Books New Hampshire 2011-03-08Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.27 x 1.20 x 6.38l; 1.45 #File Name: 1584659807360 pages
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Things you didn't know about the Slave Trade.By Dan HarrisThoroughly enjoyed the book; an easy read packed full of facts about the Slave Trade that I had not encountered before.Anyone who has been brow-beaten with claims that race problems are all the fault of the Trade should read this book.Slavery; in Africa and many other parts of the world was a well established method of trade long before Europeans commenced shipments to the New World. Africa had no official currency so a slave was looked upon as a walking banknote to be exchanged for goods required by the regional kings. African kings tended to ship to the west coast and Arabs to the east.In 1807 the UK was the first of the European countries to outlaw slavery; closely followed by the Dutch but it took another 50 years before Spain; France; Portugal and America stopped. In fact America was the last to halt the trade.The Royal Navy paid a heavy price in implementing international treaties;17;000 deaths mainly through sickness and the loss of many ships; all paid for by the UK. Their task was made more difficult by other countries exploiting loop-holes in any agreed treaty so they could could continue to profit from the trade whilst paying lip-service to the prohibition. Many people had a vested interest in keeping the trade going; from corrupt officials and commissioners down to the local grocer who sold West Indian sugar.The book explains why it took so long to finally stop the trade.A great read.1 of 2 people found the following review helpful. a story not often toldBy Les FearnsA history of the 19th century Royal Navy Preventive Squadron - the naval vessels set up to end the African slave trade with the Americas. It is not a story often told: how 160;000 slaves were set free between 1815 and 1869; how new settlements for these liberated and repatriated slaves gave rise to the new countries of Sierra Leone and Liberia; as well as helping to bring about the annexation of Nigeria by Great Britain.Rees makes it clear that the American slave trade was but a modern extension (albeit the most inhuman element) of a "business" long rooted in native African and Arab culture and society with many kings and tribal leaders amassing huge fortunes by supplying fellow Africans to the slave shippers. It is also shown how; at least to begin with; many of the Royal Navy ships were fired not by philanthropic motives to free Africans but on the possibility of taking "prizes". At the time; if a Royal Navy vessel captured an enemy/slave ship it would qualify as a "prize" to be sold off and the proceeds divided amongst the officers and crew. Paradoxically; the slaves were often "freed" as apprentices and sold to landowners. The proceeds went the prize crew also.....However the heart of the drama is in the machinations used by slavers and governments to defy; undermine and escape the Navy patrols determined to block the transit of Africans as slaves. France; Spain then the new independent states of latin America all sought ways to continue the trade (the legal methods alone used to circumvent the squadron would make present day international bankers proud!) until treaty; bribery or blunt coercion forced them to stop and join a growing coalition of anti-slave states. This took a long time and in the process 17;000 squadron sailors lost their lives; mainly due to diseases such as yellow fever. By the 1850.s only the USA and Cuba were still slave running; however Lincoln's war torn northern government put its weight behind the aims of the Preventive Squadron and the illegal Atlantic trade ended.I found the book heavy going in places (which may say more about me than the author) and found the narrative difficult to hold on to at times as it moved from one vast and often unfamiliar geographical area and set of individuals to another (a process not helped by the provision of a single map which does not show all the places mentioned in the text). Equally the conclusion is very abrupt.
