The Invasion of the German Mind, Listen, Hans by Dorothy Thompson – The First American Journalist to Interview Adolf Hitler – Published by Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1942 – First Edition – A sharp, incisive, and profound analysis of German society and culture at the peak of the rise of Nazism and its takeover of the German national spirit.
Thompson provides a deep analysis of German society and culture, focusing on the factors that led to the rise of Nazism. Drawing on two decades of experience and familiarity with the German nation, she offers insights into the history, geography, social structure, and psychology of the German people. The book is based on a series of weekly radio broadcasts that Thompson delivered between March and September 1942, during which she addressed a fictional German character named “Hans”. These broadcasts combined historical arguments and penetrating analysis of the German nation’s character, incorporating debate and polemics. They were intended to provide a critical perspective on the Nazi regime. The book is regarded as one of the best analyses of the German people written by a non-German.
Thompson points to how German history and philosophy shaped the national perception and led to the adoption of totalitarian ideas among the German people. The Nazis, she claims, used propaganda sophisticatedly to alter the German public’s consciousness and establish blind loyalty to the regime. She describes how speeches, films, and education were used to silence dissent and spread racial superiority messages. According to Thompson, the German people tend to believe in authoritarianism and seek strong leadership during times of economic and political instability. Germany was a highly class-conscious society, where the middle class struggled with economic fears and anxieties about losing their status. Thompson argues that the Nazis exploited these fears to unite the public behind their ideology. She portrays Hitler as someone who knew how to manipulate the distress of the German people, presenting himself as a savior – charismatic but full of tricks and schemes.
Her book demonstrates that Nazism was not a historical accident but the result of prolonged social, psychological, and political processes. Thompson calls on the world to learn from Germany’s lessons to ensure the survival of democracy and freedom. She also identifies specific traits of the German character that served as fertile ground for Nazism, writing: “The German has immense respect for only one thing and confidence in only one thing: precise work. Whether in science, war, agriculture, technology, or manual labor, his meticulousness is legendary… This is what makes them outstanding geographers, excellent producers, and great organizers. They pay attention to details; they plan carefully… I am sure that someone in Germany knows where every oil well on the planet is located and its average production over the last twenty years. They are the greatest cartographers in the world, and I treasure old German maps because I cannot find better examples today.”
In the introduction, the publisher writes about Thompson’s perspective:
“Thompson’s struggle stood out because of its purity; the complete absence of resentment toward the German people and the German nation. She managed, in the midst of the battle, to maintain a calm perspective above the fray, devoid of personal grief, devoted to the truth, striving for precise justice… This proves that to win this war, we must understand the enemy’s mind and assault it with ideas that originate within it…”
Dorothy Thompson [1893-1961], an American journalist and radio broadcaster, was known as the “First Lady of American Journalism.” In 1939, Time Magazine named her the most influential woman in the United States after Eleanor Roosevelt. Thompson was the first American journalist to be expelled from Nazi Germany in 1934 and was one of the few women who worked as news commentators during the 1930s. Thompson’s most significant work during her European years took place in Germany in the early 1930s. She met and interviewed Adolf Hitler for the first time in 1931, and later wrote the book “I Saw Hitler, ” based on that interview, describing Hitler as:
“He is formless, almost faceless, a man whose appearance is caricature-like, whose build seems cartilage-like, as if he lacks bones. He is inconsistent and speaks fluently but unsteadily, his posture insecure and crooked. He is the prototype of the little man.” In the mid-1930s, NBC recruited Thompson as a news commentator. Starting in 1936, she remained with NBC until 1938, delivering some of the most popular broadcasts in the United States, which made her one of the most sought-after speakers of the time. With the Nazi invasion of Poland in 1939, Thompson broadcast for ten consecutive days and nights. In June 1939, she appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, alongside a microphone in a radio station, with the editorial stating that she was second only to Eleanor Roosevelt in popularity and influence in the United States. After World War II, Thompson continued to be a prominent figure in American journalism. She wrote a monthly column in Ladies’ Home Journal for 24 years, from 1937 to 1961, addressing diverse topics such as gardening, children, and art. She passed away at the age of 67 in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1961.
V, [6], 130 pages. Very good condition.
