- Summary
- Ernst "Putzi" Hanfstaengl was one of the most unusual members of Hitler's early entourage, distinguished principally by his American heritage, elevated social standing, involvement in high-brow culture, and supply of U.S. dollars at a time when they were an astoundingly valuable commodity. As this study shows, Hanfstaengl stood out in nearly every situation in which he was involved throughout his colorful life: as a student at Harvard, as an art dealer in New York during the First World War, as a co-conspirator during the Beerhall Putsch in 1923, as a Nazi Party official, as an exile in prewar Britain, as an internee, and, finally, as a wartime advisor to the Western Allies. This biography of the former Foreign Press Chief of the Third Reich and early intimate of Hitler focuses primarily on a two and a half period, from February 1937 through the start of the Second World War, when Hanfstaengl was in exile in England, having escaped what he believed was an attempt to murder him. In the first of three major sections, this dissertation examines Hanfstaengl's youth, experience at Harvard, and the circumstances surrounding his initial meeting and early association with Hitler, and also tries to account for Hitler's powerful and enduring attraction for Hanfstaengl by considering the impact of Hanfstaengl's experiences during World War I. This study analyzes the circumstances surrounding Hanfstaengl's unusual departure from Germany in February 1937 and, in the second major section, chronicles in some detail his manifold attempts to return to Germany under terms he believed were honorable. Hanfstaengl's experiences in British internment and his ultimately successful attempt to be released so that he could join in the allied war effort against Germany are the subject of the third major section.
- Variant Title
- Unwanted exile
- Format
- Book
- Author/Creator
- Marwell, David G. (David George)
- Published
- 1988
- Locale
- Germany
- Notes
-
Thesis (Ph. D.)--State University of New York at Binghamton, 1988.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 518-529).
Photocopy. Ann Arbor, Mich. : UMI Dissertation Services, 2002. 23 cm.
Dissertations and Theses
