December 2, 2022 • 28 mins
Dromyrk finds love while his distressing relationship with Hitler continues as Hitler rises to power, leading to an unexpected visit and an incredibly dangerous proposition.
The Hitler File is a production of Voyage Media. The series is produced by Nat Mundel, Robert Mitas, and Dan Benamor. Directed and produced by Dan Benamor. Written by Desmond Fosbery, based on the novel The Dromyrk File by Brandon Rolfe. You can find the novel on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dromyrk-File-Brandon-Rolfe/dp/1909204943
Starring Peter Stormare, as Dr. Dromyrk, Denis O’Hare, as Adolf Hitler, Kieren Van Den Blink as Tilda Mannleifen, Jerome St. Jerome as Krunz, and Gianluca Malacrino as Falzoni. Edited, sound designed and mixed by Nick Messitte. Original music by Derlis Gonzalez.
If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a 5 star review in Apple Podcasts or anywhere you’re listening, and subscribe now for future episodes.
The Hitler File is a production of Voyage Media. The series is produced by Nat Mundel, Robert Mitas, and Dan Benamor. Directed and produced by Dan Benamor. Written by Desmond Fosbery, based on the novel The Dromyrk File by Brandon Rolfe. You can find the novel on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dromyrk-File-Brandon-Rolfe/dp/1909204943
Starring Peter Stormare, as Dr. Dromyrk, Denis O’Hare, as Adolf Hitler, Kieren Van Den Blink as Tilda Mannleifen, Jerome St. Jerome as Krunz, and Gianluca Malacrino as Falzoni. Edited, sound designed and mixed by Nick Messitte. Original music by Derlis Gonzalez.
If you’re enjoying the show, please leave us a 5 star review in Apple Podcasts or anywhere you’re listening, and subscribe now for future episodes.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
Late in nineteen thirty four, Isomewhat reluctantly started again as a psychotherapist to
my former patient, the diminutive corporal, who was now the Fureur of Germany,
a man who had been responsible earlierin the year for the brutal murderer
perhaps hundreds of his perceived enemies andpolitical rivals in the infamous event known as
(00:28):
the Night of the Long Nights.I was now playing Daniel to his nebuchanessur,
listening as he recounted his dreams andI delved into his psyche. He
was particularly concerned with providence, ancientmythology, distantly, and fate, but
(00:49):
in our early sessions I sought tohear more of his developing years. He
was unwilling to come to my ownconsulting rooms, but I did manage to
persuade him that our therapy discussion shouldbe in a more secluded, intimate and
dedicated setting than in his chancellery office, somewhere more conductive to uninterrupted relaxation.
(01:17):
As our form of patient therapist bondre kindle. He became more willing to
accept my questions, though in truthI was more interested in the attitudes induced
by them than in his actual spokenwords. His reactions were sometimes violent outburst,
sometimes secretive and evasive. I knewhow many people he'd killed who displeased
(01:42):
him. I knew that demanding Iceesas his therapist would displease him. Our
sessions were a ti trope walk ona race of wire. You remember once
years ago, Adolf, ut,only of an unhappy time in your childhood.
(02:04):
Ma, Yeah, about my father'sducks. That's it. But do
you recall any more happy times whileyou were a child grown up? No?
Except when my brother Edmund was alive. We were happy together. He
was younger than I, but hecut nieces and died in nineteen hundred.
(02:25):
It was only six, I wasten. That would that would have made
you very sad. So what happenedafter that? I used to go and
sit on the cemetery wall and lookat the stars and to try and see
Edmund again. Do you believe weall have our own star in the sky?
(02:49):
Doctor? Well, there are manyancient myths and legends about the stars,
or anything might be possible. Aftermy brother died, I had a
bad time. We used to protectand comfort each other from our father's anger,
and after Edmund died. My fatherwas worse with me, and I
stopped being so good at school.That would have made your father even more
(03:14):
angry. Yeah. Yeah. Theonly thing I enjoyed studying was history on
art. I wanted to become anartist. My father tried to beat that
idea out of me, but theharder he tried, the more resilient I
became. He wanted me to becomea civil servant. Did your mother approve
of your interest in art and music? I pass in the church choir and
(03:38):
she was quiet and loving. Whatcould never stand opposed to him her husband.
I loved her. She was lovingto me. But my father was
unlovable. I was glad when hedied suddenly in nineteen or three, when
you were fourteen, I was stillthirty. You didn't love your father that
(04:01):
he was a brute. He neverloved anybody. Nobody ever loved him.
Then there was only my sister Paulaand me, but she was very young,
only six, So my mother andI were very close. Here,
I added to my notes, edithUs Triumphant. She had only my father's
pension, so she had to sellup and we had to move to a
(04:25):
smaller residence. Times were hard done, not so bad. The three of
us were happier without him. Myfather had two other children, Aloi and
Angela, but they were much older, and though they lived with us when
my father was alive, they didnot come with us after he died.
You're being very forthcoming, hate offand that's good. Now. How did
(04:49):
life go after your father died?Good? At first? Mother let me
change schools. But after a whileI and went to Vienna to study art,
and the mother got sick, andhe would turn her home to look
after. You must have been disappointedat having to interrupt your studies. You
(05:13):
should. She'd found a lump,you know, in one of her breasts,
yeah, cancer, and the damneddoctor instructed me to tell her she
needed surgery. I was seventeen.Paula was too young to know anything.
And how did that goal? Andawful? She had wounds, terrible stinking
wounds that never healed. I gota local woman to come in and help
(05:36):
me with them. She had awfulpain, distressing for her and for her
children. You and Paula. Thatbest. The doctor said he could do
nothing further, he stopped coming.We couldn't pay him. He still should
have offered your mother medication. Heleft a small bottle of tincture of opium.
(05:57):
I wanted to put her out ofher misery. For an animal,
you would have shot it, appoistonedit, but I didn't. Do you
regret that my mother was suffering.She deserved release. Indeed she did,
but she had to linger for ayear until she died in nineteen or seven,
just before Christmas. That was ourChristmas present that year, Paula and
(06:19):
me. The loss of your mothermust have been very hard to bear,
Yes and no, for the reasonsI told you. Her biggest pension was
allocated to us, but I signedmy share to Paula and went to Vienna.
She spent the rest of her childhoodwith some relative or the other.
I had no interest in any ofthem except Paula. But I couldn't keep
(06:42):
it with me. And how didyou fare in Vienna? After mother's death,
I grieved for a long time.I was destitute and homeless. I
tried to get into the Fine ArtsInstitute, but they rejected me twice.
They suggested I tried for architecture,but they failed me too because I hadn't
(07:04):
finished maths at school. And afterthat I lived frugally and became vegetarian.
I couldn't afford meat, and thenI went off it. I lived in
shelters, tried to sell my drawingsto tourists as postcards. I spent a
lot of time at the library.I was warm, indivdu and I enjoyed
(07:26):
beating European and military history. WheneverI had a couple of shippings, I'd
buy chocolate and cakes, a specialtreat. In your distress. I can
live on chocolate and pastries, myfavorite food, those and eggs. Did
(07:46):
all your studying in the library helpyou? Yes? I came to despise
the remnants of Austria, Hungarianism andthe Habsburgs. Germany was my true destiny.
Began to see that and to followthat dream. Austria was bastardized,
society impure. How old were youby then? In my early twenties,
(08:13):
around nineteen twelve, Yeah, thatsame year they wanted to constrict me into
the Austro Hungarian Army, but fortunatelyI managed to fail their medical board.
They said I was too small inheight and phyzike if only they could measure
zego. He didn't want to bein the army. The food would have
(08:33):
been regular, not that army,and not their kind of food. I
moved them to Munich to get outof Austria and to follow my German destiny.
And then came nineteen fourteen, Yes, the glorious second of August,
when Germany mobilized for war. Enough, I have much to do. We
(08:56):
stopped for today. Doctor. Ashe rose, he glanced at me with
a twinkle in his eye. Youremember you once told me you had difficulties
but women, Yes, are youstill unmarried? Not the a serious relationship.
(09:20):
My relationship would till the florist whenshe was based in Berlin. We
would go to other concerts when shewas free, and visit each other at
home. You hesitate. My workkeeps me busy. If I do have
free time, I like to goto concerts alone invariably. Do you have
(09:46):
a favorite orchestra here in Berlin?Oh, there are several. They're all
good, the billion Philharmonic paps.How could he know? How could he
possibly know? Until the next then, and I've read this in mine Fuor.
(10:07):
I shuddered at the thought of howhe had acquired this information Until next
time? Doctor, Thank you youforgot to castle. Your king is everything
(10:33):
all right? Oh, it's nothingreally, just that I can get this
feeling I'm being watched. It's difficultin Burly in these days, their eyes
everywhere, we all feel it.But we're going to that fund raising concert
tomorrow. It's a concert house.Remember that should break in your spirit?
Are you right, my darling.I'm just getting too stressed with one of
(10:56):
my patients. This stressed shep hisproblem not Yes, you assume it's well,
isn't. Its a matter of fact? It is good. I shouldn't
like you to be getting so upsetover another woman, even if she was
a patient. I'm glad to hearyou say that we finished last time.
(11:31):
Madolf has Germany mobilized for war Ahthe glorious second of August nineteen fourteen.
Yes, so then you did getinto the Bavarian regiment. Oh, I
managed to get classified as tronomy.That was an exemplary social twice decorated.
But enough for that for a moment. Why is that you failed to answer
(11:56):
my question to you last time?And what was that concerning female relationship?
I explained my workload precluded. Um. Now, doctor, I understand you
have overcome your fear and avoidance ourfemale companionship. Huh isn't that the truth?
(12:16):
And how would you know that?One would think you'd be proud,
not just any woman, but thebeautiful violinist, the fouline Matilda man life.
Yes, I am proud, andI suppose you would like to continue
seeing her? I would good.I think you should. He let that
(12:46):
hang in the air, delighting inthe implication that the choices of my personal
life required his approval. Delighting morePerhaps that have flustered he'd made me to
continue doctor. Yes, yes,after your leg injury had some and then
your second injury when you were temporarilyblinded at you pray in nineteen eighteen,
(13:11):
that was not an injury. Itwas a divine sign of my being chosen
by providence just before the traitress betrayedof the armistice by the Jews and the
Communists. So then you stayed onin the army. I was promoted as
an intelligence officer to work with theGerman Workers' Party, and that's how you
entered politics. Of course, theyrecognize my aratorical skills and my leadership quality.
(13:33):
That you were just a corporal duringthe war, you say, just
but those imbssiles in charge had notthe wits to perceive my supreme abilities.
But I showed them. I'm stillshowing them, so I'll continue to do
so until they all understand. Quiteso, you know you are skeptical.
I'm prepared to hear you tell meabout it as we go forward in our
(13:56):
sessions. What an honor you forgetyourself? Doctor, Perhaps you're a distracted
today. Let's continue. Let's continue. You enjoyed your time and the army
they were good years. The Trumanspirit was alive and strong among the men
until they were betrayed. The soldiersand the people were angry. What was
(14:22):
needed then and now is for Trumanyto rise again, to throw off the
shame and disaster. After Treaty ofVersailles, we gain our nation strength,
cleanse it, and read ourselves afterdraws in our midst expand our territory to
give us room to grow pure andstrong. We need Laban's town. So
your association with the Worker's Party wasthe beginning of your political interest. It
(14:46):
was to stop. But they werea disorganized bunch. They lacked a true
leader, but they could recognize one. So once I began to influence them
and organize our protection, your brownshirts the essay. We had to keep
order and dissuade subversive elements. Butthen I came up against serious opposition within
(15:07):
the organization, and what did youdo? But only a man of my
stature and intelligence would do. Iresigned and walked away. But I had
my spies to keep me informed.So what happened not The fools were in
such disarray that when I reappeared,they agreed implicitly to my terms, made
(15:28):
me chairman throughout the opposition. Andthen I turned that small group, the
German's Workers Party, into the NationalSocialist German Workers Party NASDAP that became the
Nazi Party. And then in nineteentwenty three we failed in an attempted arm
coudita. They put me in jail. I told you about it years ago
when we met in Munich. Ohyeah, yeah, where you wrote my
(15:50):
income. Once released, I wasable to get back to my NASDAP work.
We started to run in elections.Our gains were small to start with,
but then came the depression. Theeconomy collapsed, unemployment rose, a
hyperinflation, our numbers soared. Wegained the support of businessman, the middle
(16:11):
class and the farmers, who wereall terrified of the Communists, whose support
came from the unemployed industry of workers. By nineteen thirty two, we were
a major party. In January thatyear, President Hindenberg appointed me Chancellor head
of the government. Then four weekslater our opposition, the Communists, set
(16:32):
fire to the rex Start building.Are you sure it was the Communists?
Of course it was them. Whoelse could it have been? I was
calm, at least outwardly. Yethe was threatened by a simple question.
For all his power, he wasstill a little man. But it was
to our advantage because it allowed forstronger controlling measures to be and acted immediately.
(16:56):
The President made the reichstead Fire Decree, of which all civil liberties were
curtailed. We were able to arrestand in turn members of the Communist Party.
Then came the Enabling Act that gaveme a chancellor total control of legislation
without reference to the Leichstag or thePresident. In effect Germany who was now
(17:17):
heading toward a dictatorship, with Hitleras dictator and the President a mere puppet.
What that made me, I didn'tknow a trifle of the king to
be discarded at his leisure. TheReichstag ceased to be able to provide any
opposition to the Nazi Party and asa one party state, and with the
(17:41):
aid of my public promotion officer JosephGobaz did show me people could be aligned
into one great force, all movingin the same direction under my leadership.
All I had to do then wasto eliminate the subversive elements and traitors within
my own party and those among theparty troopers. Essay, my own guard
(18:02):
the ass were given orders to doaway with a list of my opponents.
The lining matter the night after longknives, dead men cannot trouble him.
A brutal and unlawful act. Whatamnster a small man had become? How
did that make you feel cleansed?Do you think it was right? Right?
(18:30):
It was necessary? And what wasthe general reaction? But fortunately Hindenberg
died within the month, and that'ssaved me a lot of time and trouble.
I abolished the office of president anddeclared myself here extreme leader of Germany.
No one was then in a positionto challenge my authority. You were
(18:51):
more and more fortunate. No,do you still not understand it's my destiny?
It is preordained Megalomania is a mentalillness that causes a person to think
they have great power and importance.In his case, he had always thought
that, and now the world hadaligned with his beliefs. Imagine a schizophrenic
(19:18):
who who has delusions and hallucinations ofa giant bird, and then the giant
bird appears in reality. What wouldhe do next? Following year nineteen twenty
five, at our glorious Nuremberg,really, I proclaimed the Nuremberg Laws,
the laws that now defined those entitledcharming citizenship by purity of race. He
(19:44):
was a child with a grenade,and he had pulled the pin. My
romance would till the floorist while eachof us sued our professional careers. Then
came a time with the Berlin PhilharmonicOrchestra. I went on a tour and
(20:07):
one of the stops of their eyeTannery was my old home city of Stockholm,
and that provided a perfect opportunity formy parents to meet my sweetheart.
So I traveled back to Sweden fora few days. The concert was a
resounding success, and the visit tomy family home not as much. I
(20:30):
loved meeting your family. All ofit was the highlight of the hotel.
But your mother doesn't seem to approveof me. Check. My grandmother would
have been worse. She barely acceptedmy mother's position in the house. I
do love you. Check again.You saw her mother froze when you offered
(20:52):
my grandfather your condolences. She figuredyou had no place in doing such a
thing. My first meeting so oldfashioned. Yes, and she practically had
a stroke when I wanted to gofishing with her. Men. Now you
have it, Edipus and his mother. Checkmate. Oh, I despair to
find topics that would not endanger mylife as I continue to treat my singular
(21:18):
patient. Most men enjoy the companyof women. It seemed unlikely to be
perceived as a threat by him.It alf Let's explore something else. You're
not married? Are you a man? If my status, my status cannot
afford to be married. Think ofthe position that they put me in,
(21:41):
just one woman beside me, whenall of the femininity of Germany longs to
be in my embrace and mine alone. No, No, I'm unmarried.
Have you never been close to onewoman besides my mother? Yes? I
prefer them to be young, young, on naive, not too serious like
(22:06):
your sister Paula. Perhaps I wasuncle and guardianto my seventeen year old half
niece Gary Rouble. She stayed withme for a few years until the crazy
girl shot herself nineteen thirty one.She was twenty three. How did that
affect you? I was disappointed.You're very close. I kept her out
(22:26):
of trouble. She shot herself withmy pistol. I even considered doing the
same thing myself. I was sodistressed. You say you kept her out
of trouble in what respect? Wasthat? So she did not have to
encounter men and their sordid ways?Your relationship was platonic? Then? Are
(22:49):
you not aware of Cherner's doctrine thatthe man should remain celibate until twenty five
and abstained from meat and alcohol.No, oh, I have not heard
that. I have proposed to carrythat directive further in my life. So
Scherner has been instrumental in your socialand political evolution. Would you say he
(23:11):
impressed me greatly in my student daysfollowing the tragedy class, So you have
niece Gaily, you remain without femaleassociation apart from my photographic assistant and secretary.
If a Brown I met her innineteen twenty nine. She was a
seventeen year old assistant to photographer HeinrichHoffmann. Like the other one, she
(23:36):
was young, on naive, andafter Gelly's suicide I saw more of ever,
and she's now my personal secretary.But she remains in the background.
She has nothing to add to Nazibusiness meetings. She's a loyal associate.
I believe so. The Cilly Goosealso tried to suicide a couple of years
(23:56):
ago. Can you believe it?Short, I said, unsuccessfully in the
chest with her father's pistol. First, I'm purity to get me to take
her a more serious interest in her. She tried again with pills in nineteen
thirty five for the same reason.She's obviously more keen on a deeper relationship
than you are. As I havetold you already, I cannot conceive of
(24:18):
any such relationship, not in myposition as furer. My brain is not
within my breeches. Huh you talkmuch of women, doctor, Perhaps all
that time with the fowline man lifeand has begun to corrode your brain.
Perhaps you'd spend too much time withher. Are you teasing me? Am?
(24:41):
I do I require your permission tosee her. Are you asking for
it? This is your session,not mine. I felt myself shake a
bit and came flushed through my bodyat my fear. One afternoon in nineteen
(25:06):
thirty eight, as social conditions inGermany continue to deteriorate rapidly, I received
a visitor. I'm not seeing newpatients, sir, well, I'm not
seeing two women at the same time, but don't tell either of them about
it. With his hands on Italianfeatures of dark complexions, perfectly sculptured,
(25:30):
strong Roman nose and chin, anda rich stach of shiny black hair,
the man looked more like a moviestar than my average patient, and certainly
not German who likes doc. Letme tell you who I am or what
I want. I wish to discusscertain things with you that do not relate
to my psychological well being. Allright, go on. I'm American,
(25:56):
obviously, but we're working in tandemwith a branch of British intelligence, who,
it turns out, are well awareof the developing situation here under Nazi
Party rule, and who know ofyour work from their pal Professor Freud,
who now lives in exile in London. Is that a fact? Sure.
Is it's true the situation here getsworse day by day. Because I'm Swedish,
(26:18):
I have no reservations about continuing thisconsultation. Please go on, perfect.
We're aware that you treat a certainpatient in whom we have a keen
interest. I'm not saying I do. You don't need to. Then we'd
like you to prepare a psychological profilefor us so we can develop counterintuitive measures
(26:40):
in the event is wild actions leadto a declaration of war, as seems
to be the most likely outcome inplain English, Dock, the Americans and
the Brits want to know how wecan beat him, and you probably know
him as well as anyone. I'mnot sure how professional illegal it would be
for me to leading buster. Thelonger crazy horse is at large, the
(27:03):
worse for everyone. You'll kill youeventually, like he does everyone else who
hangs around him too long. Youknow that unless you do something about it,
we can set up another consultation ina few days that you over your
report. I haven't said yes.You haven't said no either. To know
(27:25):
your enemy, one must delve intohis psyche. Professor Freud taught me that
I knew the choice I was makingthis could only end with one of us
dead. The Hitler File is aproduction of Voyage Media. The series is
(27:49):
produced by nat Mondel, Robert Midas, and Dan Bennomore, Directed and produced
by Dan Bennomore, Written by DesmondFosbery, based on the novel The Drameric
File by Brandon Rolfe, starring PeterStormare as doctor Drmieric and Denis O'Hare as
Adolf Hitler. Additional cast credits availablein the show notes. Edited sound designed
(28:12):
and mixed by Nick Missidi. Originalmusic by Derlas Gonzalez. If you're enjoying
the show, please leave us afive star review and Apple Podcasts or anywhere
you're listening and subscribe now for futureepisodes.
Late in nineteen thirty four, Isomewhat reluctantly started again as a psychotherapist to
my former patient, the diminutive corporal, who was now the Fureur of Germany,
a man who had been responsible earlierin the year for the brutal murderer
perhaps hundreds of his perceived enemies andpolitical rivals in the infamous event known as
(00:28):
the Night of the Long Nights.I was now playing Daniel to his nebuchanessur,
listening as he recounted his dreams andI delved into his psyche. He
was particularly concerned with providence, ancientmythology, distantly, and fate, but
(00:49):
in our early sessions I sought tohear more of his developing years. He
was unwilling to come to my ownconsulting rooms, but I did manage to
persuade him that our therapy discussion shouldbe in a more secluded, intimate and
dedicated setting than in his chancellery office, somewhere more conductive to uninterrupted relaxation.
(01:17):
As our form of patient therapist bondre kindle. He became more willing to
accept my questions, though in truthI was more interested in the attitudes induced
by them than in his actual spokenwords. His reactions were sometimes violent outburst,
sometimes secretive and evasive. I knewhow many people he'd killed who displeased
(01:42):
him. I knew that demanding Iceesas his therapist would displease him. Our
sessions were a ti trope walk ona race of wire. You remember once
years ago, Adolf, ut,only of an unhappy time in your childhood.
(02:04):
Ma, Yeah, about my father'sducks. That's it. But do
you recall any more happy times whileyou were a child grown up? No?
Except when my brother Edmund was alive. We were happy together. He
was younger than I, but hecut nieces and died in nineteen hundred.
(02:25):
It was only six, I wasten. That would that would have made
you very sad. So what happenedafter that? I used to go and
sit on the cemetery wall and lookat the stars and to try and see
Edmund again. Do you believe weall have our own star in the sky?
(02:49):
Doctor? Well, there are manyancient myths and legends about the stars,
or anything might be possible. Aftermy brother died, I had a
bad time. We used to protectand comfort each other from our father's anger,
and after Edmund died. My fatherwas worse with me, and I
stopped being so good at school.That would have made your father even more
(03:14):
angry. Yeah. Yeah. Theonly thing I enjoyed studying was history on
art. I wanted to become anartist. My father tried to beat that
idea out of me, but theharder he tried, the more resilient I
became. He wanted me to becomea civil servant. Did your mother approve
of your interest in art and music? I pass in the church choir and
(03:38):
she was quiet and loving. Whatcould never stand opposed to him her husband.
I loved her. She was lovingto me. But my father was
unlovable. I was glad when hedied suddenly in nineteen or three, when
you were fourteen, I was stillthirty. You didn't love your father that
(04:01):
he was a brute. He neverloved anybody. Nobody ever loved him.
Then there was only my sister Paulaand me, but she was very young,
only six, So my mother andI were very close. Here,
I added to my notes, edithUs Triumphant. She had only my father's
pension, so she had to sellup and we had to move to a
(04:25):
smaller residence. Times were hard done, not so bad. The three of
us were happier without him. Myfather had two other children, Aloi and
Angela, but they were much older, and though they lived with us when
my father was alive, they didnot come with us after he died.
You're being very forthcoming, hate offand that's good. Now. How did
(04:49):
life go after your father died?Good? At first? Mother let me
change schools. But after a whileI and went to Vienna to study art,
and the mother got sick, andhe would turn her home to look
after. You must have been disappointedat having to interrupt your studies. You
(05:13):
should. She'd found a lump,you know, in one of her breasts,
yeah, cancer, and the damneddoctor instructed me to tell her she
needed surgery. I was seventeen.Paula was too young to know anything.
And how did that goal? Andawful? She had wounds, terrible stinking
wounds that never healed. I gota local woman to come in and help
(05:36):
me with them. She had awfulpain, distressing for her and for her
children. You and Paula. Thatbest. The doctor said he could do
nothing further, he stopped coming.We couldn't pay him. He still should
have offered your mother medication. Heleft a small bottle of tincture of opium.
(05:57):
I wanted to put her out ofher misery. For an animal,
you would have shot it, appoistonedit, but I didn't. Do you
regret that my mother was suffering.She deserved release. Indeed she did,
but she had to linger for ayear until she died in nineteen or seven,
just before Christmas. That was ourChristmas present that year, Paula and
(06:19):
me. The loss of your mothermust have been very hard to bear,
Yes and no, for the reasonsI told you. Her biggest pension was
allocated to us, but I signedmy share to Paula and went to Vienna.
She spent the rest of her childhoodwith some relative or the other.
I had no interest in any ofthem except Paula. But I couldn't keep
(06:42):
it with me. And how didyou fare in Vienna? After mother's death,
I grieved for a long time.I was destitute and homeless. I
tried to get into the Fine ArtsInstitute, but they rejected me twice.
They suggested I tried for architecture,but they failed me too because I hadn't
(07:04):
finished maths at school. And afterthat I lived frugally and became vegetarian.
I couldn't afford meat, and thenI went off it. I lived in
shelters, tried to sell my drawingsto tourists as postcards. I spent a
lot of time at the library.I was warm, indivdu and I enjoyed
(07:26):
beating European and military history. WheneverI had a couple of shippings, I'd
buy chocolate and cakes, a specialtreat. In your distress. I can
live on chocolate and pastries, myfavorite food, those and eggs. Did
(07:46):
all your studying in the library helpyou? Yes? I came to despise
the remnants of Austria, Hungarianism andthe Habsburgs. Germany was my true destiny.
Began to see that and to followthat dream. Austria was bastardized,
society impure. How old were youby then? In my early twenties,
(08:13):
around nineteen twelve, Yeah, thatsame year they wanted to constrict me into
the Austro Hungarian Army, but fortunatelyI managed to fail their medical board.
They said I was too small inheight and phyzike if only they could measure
zego. He didn't want to bein the army. The food would have
(08:33):
been regular, not that army,and not their kind of food. I
moved them to Munich to get outof Austria and to follow my German destiny.
And then came nineteen fourteen, Yes, the glorious second of August,
when Germany mobilized for war. Enough, I have much to do. We
(08:56):
stopped for today. Doctor. Ashe rose, he glanced at me with
a twinkle in his eye. Youremember you once told me you had difficulties
but women, Yes, are youstill unmarried? Not the a serious relationship.
(09:20):
My relationship would till the florist whenshe was based in Berlin. We
would go to other concerts when shewas free, and visit each other at
home. You hesitate. My workkeeps me busy. If I do have
free time, I like to goto concerts alone invariably. Do you have
(09:46):
a favorite orchestra here in Berlin?Oh, there are several. They're all
good, the billion Philharmonic paps.How could he know? How could he
possibly know? Until the next then, and I've read this in mine Fuor.
(10:07):
I shuddered at the thought of howhe had acquired this information Until next
time? Doctor, Thank you youforgot to castle. Your king is everything
(10:33):
all right? Oh, it's nothingreally, just that I can get this
feeling I'm being watched. It's difficultin Burly in these days, their eyes
everywhere, we all feel it.But we're going to that fund raising concert
tomorrow. It's a concert house.Remember that should break in your spirit?
Are you right, my darling.I'm just getting too stressed with one of
(10:56):
my patients. This stressed shep hisproblem not Yes, you assume it's well,
isn't. Its a matter of fact? It is good. I shouldn't
like you to be getting so upsetover another woman, even if she was
a patient. I'm glad to hearyou say that we finished last time.
(11:31):
Madolf has Germany mobilized for war Ahthe glorious second of August nineteen fourteen.
Yes, so then you did getinto the Bavarian regiment. Oh, I
managed to get classified as tronomy.That was an exemplary social twice decorated.
But enough for that for a moment. Why is that you failed to answer
(11:56):
my question to you last time?And what was that concerning female relationship?
I explained my workload precluded. Um. Now, doctor, I understand you
have overcome your fear and avoidance ourfemale companionship. Huh isn't that the truth?
(12:16):
And how would you know that?One would think you'd be proud,
not just any woman, but thebeautiful violinist, the fouline Matilda man life.
Yes, I am proud, andI suppose you would like to continue
seeing her? I would good.I think you should. He let that
(12:46):
hang in the air, delighting inthe implication that the choices of my personal
life required his approval. Delighting morePerhaps that have flustered he'd made me to
continue doctor. Yes, yes,after your leg injury had some and then
your second injury when you were temporarilyblinded at you pray in nineteen eighteen,
(13:11):
that was not an injury. Itwas a divine sign of my being chosen
by providence just before the traitress betrayedof the armistice by the Jews and the
Communists. So then you stayed onin the army. I was promoted as
an intelligence officer to work with theGerman Workers' Party, and that's how you
entered politics. Of course, theyrecognize my aratorical skills and my leadership quality.
(13:33):
That you were just a corporal duringthe war, you say, just
but those imbssiles in charge had notthe wits to perceive my supreme abilities.
But I showed them. I'm stillshowing them, so I'll continue to do
so until they all understand. Quiteso, you know you are skeptical.
I'm prepared to hear you tell meabout it as we go forward in our
(13:56):
sessions. What an honor you forgetyourself? Doctor, Perhaps you're a distracted
today. Let's continue. Let's continue. You enjoyed your time and the army
they were good years. The Trumanspirit was alive and strong among the men
until they were betrayed. The soldiersand the people were angry. What was
(14:22):
needed then and now is for Trumanyto rise again, to throw off the
shame and disaster. After Treaty ofVersailles, we gain our nation strength,
cleanse it, and read ourselves afterdraws in our midst expand our territory to
give us room to grow pure andstrong. We need Laban's town. So
your association with the Worker's Party wasthe beginning of your political interest. It
(14:46):
was to stop. But they werea disorganized bunch. They lacked a true
leader, but they could recognize one. So once I began to influence them
and organize our protection, your brownshirts the essay. We had to keep
order and dissuade subversive elements. Butthen I came up against serious opposition within
(15:07):
the organization, and what did youdo? But only a man of my
stature and intelligence would do. Iresigned and walked away. But I had
my spies to keep me informed.So what happened not The fools were in
such disarray that when I reappeared,they agreed implicitly to my terms, made
(15:28):
me chairman throughout the opposition. Andthen I turned that small group, the
German's Workers Party, into the NationalSocialist German Workers Party NASDAP that became the
Nazi Party. And then in nineteentwenty three we failed in an attempted arm
coudita. They put me in jail. I told you about it years ago
when we met in Munich. Ohyeah, yeah, where you wrote my
(15:50):
income. Once released, I wasable to get back to my NASDAP work.
We started to run in elections.Our gains were small to start with,
but then came the depression. Theeconomy collapsed, unemployment rose, a
hyperinflation, our numbers soared. Wegained the support of businessman, the middle
(16:11):
class and the farmers, who wereall terrified of the Communists, whose support
came from the unemployed industry of workers. By nineteen thirty two, we were
a major party. In January thatyear, President Hindenberg appointed me Chancellor head
of the government. Then four weekslater our opposition, the Communists, set
(16:32):
fire to the rex Start building.Are you sure it was the Communists?
Of course it was them. Whoelse could it have been? I was
calm, at least outwardly. Yethe was threatened by a simple question.
For all his power, he wasstill a little man. But it was
to our advantage because it allowed forstronger controlling measures to be and acted immediately.
(16:56):
The President made the reichstead Fire Decree, of which all civil liberties were
curtailed. We were able to arrestand in turn members of the Communist Party.
Then came the Enabling Act that gaveme a chancellor total control of legislation
without reference to the Leichstag or thePresident. In effect Germany who was now
(17:17):
heading toward a dictatorship, with Hitleras dictator and the President a mere puppet.
What that made me, I didn'tknow a trifle of the king to
be discarded at his leisure. TheReichstag ceased to be able to provide any
opposition to the Nazi Party and asa one party state, and with the
(17:41):
aid of my public promotion officer JosephGobaz did show me people could be aligned
into one great force, all movingin the same direction under my leadership.
All I had to do then wasto eliminate the subversive elements and traitors within
my own party and those among theparty troopers. Essay, my own guard
(18:02):
the ass were given orders to doaway with a list of my opponents.
The lining matter the night after longknives, dead men cannot trouble him.
A brutal and unlawful act. Whatamnster a small man had become? How
did that make you feel cleansed?Do you think it was right? Right?
(18:30):
It was necessary? And what wasthe general reaction? But fortunately Hindenberg
died within the month, and that'ssaved me a lot of time and trouble.
I abolished the office of president anddeclared myself here extreme leader of Germany.
No one was then in a positionto challenge my authority. You were
(18:51):
more and more fortunate. No,do you still not understand it's my destiny?
It is preordained Megalomania is a mentalillness that causes a person to think
they have great power and importance.In his case, he had always thought
that, and now the world hadaligned with his beliefs. Imagine a schizophrenic
(19:18):
who who has delusions and hallucinations ofa giant bird, and then the giant
bird appears in reality. What wouldhe do next? Following year nineteen twenty
five, at our glorious Nuremberg,really, I proclaimed the Nuremberg Laws,
the laws that now defined those entitledcharming citizenship by purity of race. He
(19:44):
was a child with a grenade,and he had pulled the pin. My
romance would till the floorist while eachof us sued our professional careers. Then
came a time with the Berlin PhilharmonicOrchestra. I went on a tour and
(20:07):
one of the stops of their eyeTannery was my old home city of Stockholm,
and that provided a perfect opportunity formy parents to meet my sweetheart.
So I traveled back to Sweden fora few days. The concert was a
resounding success, and the visit tomy family home not as much. I
(20:30):
loved meeting your family. All ofit was the highlight of the hotel.
But your mother doesn't seem to approveof me. Check. My grandmother would
have been worse. She barely acceptedmy mother's position in the house. I
do love you. Check again.You saw her mother froze when you offered
(20:52):
my grandfather your condolences. She figuredyou had no place in doing such a
thing. My first meeting so oldfashioned. Yes, and she practically had
a stroke when I wanted to gofishing with her. Men. Now you
have it, Edipus and his mother. Checkmate. Oh, I despair to
find topics that would not endanger mylife as I continue to treat my singular
(21:18):
patient. Most men enjoy the companyof women. It seemed unlikely to be
perceived as a threat by him.It alf Let's explore something else. You're
not married? Are you a man? If my status, my status cannot
afford to be married. Think ofthe position that they put me in,
(21:41):
just one woman beside me, whenall of the femininity of Germany longs to
be in my embrace and mine alone. No, No, I'm unmarried.
Have you never been close to onewoman besides my mother? Yes? I
prefer them to be young, young, on naive, not too serious like
(22:06):
your sister Paula. Perhaps I wasuncle and guardianto my seventeen year old half
niece Gary Rouble. She stayed withme for a few years until the crazy
girl shot herself nineteen thirty one.She was twenty three. How did that
affect you? I was disappointed.You're very close. I kept her out
(22:26):
of trouble. She shot herself withmy pistol. I even considered doing the
same thing myself. I was sodistressed. You say you kept her out
of trouble in what respect? Wasthat? So she did not have to
encounter men and their sordid ways?Your relationship was platonic? Then? Are
(22:49):
you not aware of Cherner's doctrine thatthe man should remain celibate until twenty five
and abstained from meat and alcohol.No, oh, I have not heard
that. I have proposed to carrythat directive further in my life. So
Scherner has been instrumental in your socialand political evolution. Would you say he
(23:11):
impressed me greatly in my student daysfollowing the tragedy class, So you have
niece Gaily, you remain without femaleassociation apart from my photographic assistant and secretary.
If a Brown I met her innineteen twenty nine. She was a
seventeen year old assistant to photographer HeinrichHoffmann. Like the other one, she
(23:36):
was young, on naive, andafter Gelly's suicide I saw more of ever,
and she's now my personal secretary.But she remains in the background.
She has nothing to add to Nazibusiness meetings. She's a loyal associate.
I believe so. The Cilly Goosealso tried to suicide a couple of years
(23:56):
ago. Can you believe it?Short, I said, unsuccessfully in the
chest with her father's pistol. First, I'm purity to get me to take
her a more serious interest in her. She tried again with pills in nineteen
thirty five for the same reason.She's obviously more keen on a deeper relationship
than you are. As I havetold you already, I cannot conceive of
(24:18):
any such relationship, not in myposition as furer. My brain is not
within my breeches. Huh you talkmuch of women, doctor, Perhaps all
that time with the fowline man lifeand has begun to corrode your brain.
Perhaps you'd spend too much time withher. Are you teasing me? Am?
(24:41):
I do I require your permission tosee her. Are you asking for
it? This is your session,not mine. I felt myself shake a
bit and came flushed through my bodyat my fear. One afternoon in nineteen
(25:06):
thirty eight, as social conditions inGermany continue to deteriorate rapidly, I received
a visitor. I'm not seeing newpatients, sir, well, I'm not
seeing two women at the same time, but don't tell either of them about
it. With his hands on Italianfeatures of dark complexions, perfectly sculptured,
(25:30):
strong Roman nose and chin, anda rich stach of shiny black hair,
the man looked more like a moviestar than my average patient, and certainly
not German who likes doc. Letme tell you who I am or what
I want. I wish to discusscertain things with you that do not relate
to my psychological well being. Allright, go on. I'm American,
(25:56):
obviously, but we're working in tandemwith a branch of British intelligence, who,
it turns out, are well awareof the developing situation here under Nazi
Party rule, and who know ofyour work from their pal Professor Freud,
who now lives in exile in London. Is that a fact? Sure.
Is it's true the situation here getsworse day by day. Because I'm Swedish,
(26:18):
I have no reservations about continuing thisconsultation. Please go on, perfect.
We're aware that you treat a certainpatient in whom we have a keen
interest. I'm not saying I do. You don't need to. Then we'd
like you to prepare a psychological profilefor us so we can develop counterintuitive measures
(26:40):
in the event is wild actions leadto a declaration of war, as seems
to be the most likely outcome inplain English, Dock, the Americans and
the Brits want to know how wecan beat him, and you probably know
him as well as anyone. I'mnot sure how professional illegal it would be
for me to leading buster. Thelonger crazy horse is at large, the
(27:03):
worse for everyone. You'll kill youeventually, like he does everyone else who
hangs around him too long. Youknow that unless you do something about it,
we can set up another consultation ina few days that you over your
report. I haven't said yes.You haven't said no either. To know
(27:25):
your enemy, one must delve intohis psyche. Professor Freud taught me that
I knew the choice I was makingthis could only end with one of us
dead. The Hitler File is aproduction of Voyage Media. The series is
(27:49):
produced by nat Mondel, Robert Midas, and Dan Bennomore, Directed and produced
by Dan Bennomore, Written by DesmondFosbery, based on the novel The Drameric
File by Brandon Rolfe, starring PeterStormare as doctor Drmieric and Denis O'Hare as
Adolf Hitler. Additional cast credits availablein the show notes. Edited sound designed
(28:12):
and mixed by Nick Missidi. Originalmusic by Derlas Gonzalez. If you're enjoying
the show, please leave us afive star review and Apple Podcasts or anywhere
you're listening and subscribe now for futureepisodes.
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