Description:

TRAUDL JUNGE EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF HITLER, HIS INNER CIRCLE, AND LAST DAYS
TRAUDL JUNGE (1920-2002) German secretary who worked as Adolf Hitler's last private secretary from December 1942 to April 1945. After typing out Hitler's will, she remained in the Berlin Fuhrerbunker until his death. The sole existing known copy of an extraordinary original document written by Junge in which she answers an American researcher's questions about her relationship with Hitler and the Nazi leadership, thoughts on Hitler's last days, and much more. The document, 21pp. 4to., was written on June 3, 1980 and signed by Junge on the original. Junge answers the researcher's questions, which are in English, with lengthy and informative observations in German. The document opens with Junge's observations on whether Hitler issued written orders to Heinrich Himmler or whether Himmler acted independently in the construction and oversight of concentration camps, in small part: ‘…To both questions I have no answer…I remember, however, that during a lunch at the Berghof, at which Himmler was also present, Hitler spoke of how well the concentration camps were organized, for example how a barrack would be built as a watchtower, etc. That made a deep impression on me, because among the guests present there arose the impression that Himmler was a psychologically extremely clever organizer for these concentration camps, in which above all criminals were housed…'. To the next question, ‘However were you selected to be a secretary to Hitler?', Junge responds: ‘…I actually wanted to become a dancer…but when I failed my examination…I applied to the Chancellery of the Fuhrer…After about three weeks, Hitler had a stroke. He was ill for some time, and the other two women were already in Berlin when he began dictating again. Thus a typing competition was organized…I performed quite well and was selected among with nine other women. We were all introduced to Hitler, shook his hand, gave our names and background…I was the first to be called in. I was extremely nervous, so the first lines were almost illegible. But Hitler was friendly and accommodating, so that I soon regained my composure…He was satisfied…I felt so flattered by it that I did not think much about it and had no political opinion at all…'. The researcher then presses Junge about Hitler's ‘real' opinion of the Jews. Not surprisingly, Junge demurs: ‘I cannot answer this question. On the few occasions when Hitler spoke in my presence about the Jews, he always spoke of only world Jewry…about [the] power and international Jewry...Nevertheless, I had the feeling that Hitler's radical rejection of Jews had its root also in personal experience. But as I said, he spoke about this only with the secretaries or at table only in the context of major political problems…'. The researcher than asks Junge for her thoughts on Hitler's role as a ‘matchmaker' for marriages of his staff: ‘…he tried…to bring the photographer [Heinrich] Hoffmann together with Illsebi Toadt, which did not succeed…Why Hitler liked to act as a matchmaker, I do not know…'. Regarding Hitler's thoughts about Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin, Junge reports: ‘Churchill…was a warmonger…it would have suited him perfectly if Churchill were to drink and smoke himself to death as quickly as possible…the news of Roosevelt's death brought him great joy…Hitler…spoke about Stalin with just as much hatred as he did about Churchill…but did not hold Stalin in contempt…after the assassination attempt of July 20, 1944, Hitler once said that Stalin had already done it by liquidating all unreliable elements from the army…'. Junge then delves into her opinions about Hitler's inner circle: ‘…Martin Bormann…knew how to make himself indispensable to Hitler and thus had reason to regard him as an enemy…his behavior was inconspicuous and reserved…[and] Eva Braun had to respect Bormann's power…I had only one personal encounter with [Heinrich] Himmler…I was surprised as how colorless and weak this feared, powerful man appeared…He spoke very quietly and gently…Himmler was regarded as a clever but unpopular man…[Eva Braun] was ‘nothing more than a very young girl…neither especially beautiful or sexy, and had no intellectual, social or political ambitions. She was a simple, uncomplicated person, endowed with a certain wit…Bavarian cheerfulness...these qualities and feminine weaknesses made her the ideal companion for the Fuhrer…he needed relaxation and distraction…I am convinced she truly loved Hitler…Wilhelm Keitel…[was] a polite, correct, but somewhat boring man…he was a yes-man…[Albert] Speer was a very likable man, who even in uniform always gave the impression of a civilian…who brought intellectual and friendly impulses into the Fuhrer's headquarters…He was able to inspire Hitler…stimulating conversations…I also liked his wife very much…Josef Goebbels…despite his ugliness, Goebbels was an exceptionally gifted ‘ladies' man'…Goebbels radiated a certain sexual appeal…he was a very sharp-witted, witty conversationalist…'. Regarding Hitler himself, Junge entirely declines to comment! However, when posed with the question ‘During the last days, did Hitler ever comment on or predict the future course of the world?', Junge replies: ‘…he stressed that after a lost war National Socialism would come to an end with him…he could no longer realistically judge the future and that later, in his last thoughts, he was no longer capable of sober, rational reasoning…'. Junge goes on to comment about her training in shooting while at the bunker, Hitler's mood on his 56th birthday (‘Hitler brooded to himself, rejected all suggestions…[and] I believe mentioned the possibility of suicide'). Much more content, including Junge's account about typing Hitler's last will and testament (‘he dictated to me word by word, placed an appendix in Goebbel's hands, and then ordered me to leave'), her thoughts on Magda Goebbel's murder of her children, Eva Braun's apparent courage, the location of Hitler and Braun's remains, and what she thinks, nearly 40 years after the collapse of the Third Reich, humankind has gained from World War II: ‘…[it has] sharpened awareness in the Western world of the dangers of dictatorship and extremism…But after all the horror humanity has committed and never learned from throughout history, power, egoism, fanaticism, and inhumanity will probably not die out…'. Much more! Very good condition.

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March 26, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

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