Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth

Late in 1989, when I was living and working on contract overseas, I read Albert Speer's book Inside the Third Reich, in which he described, in extensive detail, the blossoming of his career, first as Hitler's principal architect throughout the 1930s and the early war years, and later as der Führer's Minister of Armaments and War Production from 1942 to 1945. He and Hitler (who fancied himself an architect given his lifelong passion for art and architecture) had a uniquely special relationship. I was utterly enthralled with that book because it provided me with a tangible sense of how Germany functioned under Hitler and his chief lieutenants (e.g., Goering, Hess, Bormann, Himmler, and Goebbels) ---- most of whom Speer knew very well.What is more: unlike many of his contemporaries in the Nazi Party, Speer, upon being brought to trial for war crimes at Nuremberg, was the only one who freely confessed his responsibility as Minister who used slave labour to help sustain the German war machine, and thus prolong the war. He impressed me deeply because, upon being fully apprised of the enormity of Hitler's crimes in the weeks and months following V-E Day, Speer --- normally not a person given to introspection and displays of emotion --- accepted Germany's guilt and sought to atone for that. Thus, he served a 20-year prison sentence and spent the rest of his life trying to face up to his onetime devotion and faithful service to Hitler and his regime.This particular book gave me a rigorous, more objective look at Albert Speer (during various stages of his life), both from the vantage point of those who worked with him before and during the war, as well as his critics and detractors in subsequent years.For all his organizational brilliance and intelligence, Speer could, at times, be arrogant, abrupt, and emotionally detached. The latter trait he recognized in himself and sought to address, with a view to self-improvement. For it was during Speer's time in Spandau prison that he made the acquaintance of a young French chaplain, with whom he became especially close (the chaplain served at Spandau for about 3 years) and gave him the impetus to strive to become a different, better person.I'd like to cite some of Speer's own words, which I hope will convey to the person reading this review, his struggle for truth:"I have often asked myself what I would have done if I had come to feel a share in the responsibility for the things Hitler did in areas other than those in which I was directly involved. And unfortunately, if I'm honest, my reply has to be negative --- the tasks Hitler had confided to me, first in architecture, then in government, his 'friendship,' the passionate conviction he radiated, the power his favor conferred on me, all this was quite simply overwhelming and had become so indispensable to me that to hang on to it I would probably have swallowed anything."True ... much later I did oppose [Hitler] in many ways. But... that cannot serve as justification of my previous passivity.... The truth is that I only woke up to what he was doing --- what he was --- when I had to acknowledge to myself that he intended to pull the German people down into perdition with him. And really, all I did then was only in an effort to prevent that."For anyone who wants to examine the life and times of a person who turned away from having once served so faithfully one of the world's most brutal dictatorships and spent the remainder of his life in atonement [Speer gave the bulk of proceeds from his best-selling books anonymously to various Jewish charities worldwide.] and self-examination, READ THIS BOOK. I think, by so doing, you'll come to share (as I do) the author's assessment of Albert Speer:"I came to understand and value Speer's battle with himself and saw in it the re-emergence of the intrinsic morality he manifested as a boy and youth. It seemed to me it was some kind of victory that this man --- just this man --- weighed down by intolerable and unmanageable guilt, with the help of a Protestant chaplain, a Catholic monk and a Jewish rabbi, tried to become a different man."

Sereny's style is irreproachable and this book offers profound insights. Its uncomfortable to read, especially for those of us who grew up knowing Speer's involvement with the Nazi regime to see him and other members of that regime portrayed as human beings, and rather ordinary human beings at that. The extent of self-delusion amongst this group is frightening but real. Considering the crimes of the Nazi's one tends to turn away in disgust, wishing that it would suffice to hang a few leading figures. What one retains from Sereny's books is the awareness that we must struggle to eliminate the cultural and systemic conditions that facilitate Genocide and war, but that punishing individuals for such enormous crimes really does not solve anything.I have been reading Sereny's books for better insight into the 'others perspective.' The Nazi top were really no different than contemporary politicians who promote all kinds of injustices at a distance through a burocracy that relieves them of moral responsibility and awareness of the consequences to others. The over 100.000 civilians who have died in Iraq since the beginning of the war on terror are just as much collateral damage as the millions of Russians and Poles murdered by the Nazis. The methods and intentions may be different, but what do the victims care?Like Sereny, I believe we cannot really learn everything we need to learn to prevent war and injustice if we ignore the voices and experiences of perpetrators and accomplices and this is what her work does best.

This is a work of astonishing breadth and detail. The author knew Speer for four years before his death and spent time with him and his wife at their home. Having spent a career of studying and writing about the Nazis, Gitta Sereny has interviewed a great many people intimately involved with or victimized by the Third Reich.She also talked at length and even developed friendships with several very important Speer intimates, such as his secretaries and his literary executor. Given that Sereny obviously came to like Speer and perhaps even admire him, it's not surprising that at times, she seems at pains to accept his ultimate guilt. Speer was a charming, erudite, and extremely intelligent man who was also engaged in an intense battle for the truth that he eventually probably lost. But the immense wealth of important information she brings to the discussion of Speer and the Third Reich is unquestioned.Speer was a fascinating man and the book is very aptly subtitled. Unless someone comes out and says, "I spoke with Speer about the destruction of the Jews during the war," we will likely never answer for certain whether he knew, and whether his breakdown after Posen and Dora was due to his shattering break with Hitler over this knowledge.But what is clear is that Speer was quite honestly tortured about his participation in Hitler's madness and spent the rest of his life being unable to let it go.I could not put this book down and at 720 pages, it keeps you riveted throughout.

Incredibly well written account of the life of Albert Speer. He was certainly not a hero in the accepted sense, but his life gives us a first class telling of life during the rise of Adolf Hitler, his effect on on Speer, the war years, Nuremberg, the imprisonment, and the aftermath.This is a splendidly, psychologically presented perhaps, life story of the Nazi who apologised by Gitta Sereny. She conducts numerous interviews with Speer, his family, friends, wartime survivors, collaborators and so on. It tells it as it was, and I cannot fault it at all.

If you want to understand how horrors can be allowed to happen this is as good a place to start as any. An apparently “decent”, but flawed man totally seduced by success and power into looking away. For evil to flourish it only needs good men to look the other way. Easy to see with the passage of time and such an obvious crime, but one needn’t think it doesn’t still go on in less obvious ways. In that sense not just a historical book but relevant for today.

Fascinating and extremely well written book. Unstinting in her assessment of him and his responsibility for events of the period. Thoroughly enjoyable book which touched on thoroughly unpleasant events, well worth reading as it explores the morality of singular and collective guilt as well as how Speer saw his role and how he lived with his own true level of guilt. Fascinating

... she's too soft on the crusty old Nazi. See Adam Tooze's  'The Wages of Destruction'  for a deliciously sardonic smack-down of Speer.Also see:Schwendemann, Heinrich (2003). "'Drastic Measures to Defend the Reich at the Oder and the Rhine ...': A Forgotten Memorandum of Albert Speer of 18 March 1945". Journal of Contemporary History 38 (4): 597-614.Schwendemann notes mistakes by Sereny, and advances damning material about Speer.Some kind soul has uploaded Schwendemann's article on Scribd (obviously replace the DOT with a . ):scribdDOTcom/doc/138353127/Heinrich-Schwendemann-2003-%E2%80%AF-Drastic-Measures-to-Defend-the-Reich-at-the-Oder-and-the-Rhine-A-Forgotten-Memorandum-of-Albert-Speer-of-18-Mar 'The Wages of Destruction'

a fascinating insight into Hitlers Architect, who remained in denial all his life. I didn't find it an easy read, it is a book where you constantly have to re read passages. A brilliant man who unfortunately for us and for him, was completely completely taken in by one man. .