Ernst "Putzi" Hanfstaengl together with Adolf Hitler, at Cafe Heck in Munich in the 1920s (when he acted as Hitler's Press Agent).

Ernst Franz Sedgwick Hanfstaengl (Munich, February 2, 1887 - November 6, 1975) worked for both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Adolf Hitler. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. Events 962 - Translatio imperii: Pope John XII crowns Otto I Holy Roman Emperor, the first Holy Roman Emperor Year 1887 ( MDCCCLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 355 - Roman Emperor Constantius II promotes his cousin Julian to the rank of Caesar, entrusting him with Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Hi and welcome to Wikipedia! Please understand that this article is frequently vandalized and vandalism is reverted immediately

Early Life

Ernst Hanfstaengl, nicknamed "Putzi", was born in Munich, Germany, the son of a wealthy German art publisher, Edgar Hanfstaengl, and an American mother. Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as The United States of America —commonly referred to as the He spent most of his early years in Germany and later moved to the United States. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the His mother was Katharine Wilhelmina Heine, daughter of William Heine, a cousin of John Sedgwick. John Sedgwick ( September 13, 1813 &ndash May 9, 1864) was a teacher a career military officer and a Union Army general in the His godfather was Duke Ernst II. Ernest II Augustus Charles John Leopold Alexander Edward Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (b He had one sister, Erna. He attended Harvard University and became acquainted with Walter Lippmann and John Reed. Walter Lippmann ( September 23, 1889 - December 14, 1974) was an influential American Writer, Journalist, and John "Jack" Silas Reed ( October 22, 1887 &ndash October 19, 1920) was an American Journalist, Poet A gifted pianist, he composed several songs for Harvard's football team. He graduated in 1909. According to John Tolland's biography of Hitler, Hanfstaengl was a tall man, almost six and a half feet tall; his nickname, "Putzi", was a sort of a joke, since it means "little" or "cute".

He moved to New York City and took over the management of the American branch of his father's business, the Franz Hanfstaengl Fine Arts Publishing House. The City of New York Every morning, he would practice on the piano at the New York Harvard Club, where he became acquainted with both Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt. Theodore Roosevelt (ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 27 1858 January 6 1919 also known as T Among his circle of acquaintances were the newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst, author Djuna Barnes, and actor Charlie Chaplin. For other people named William Randolph Hearst see William Randolph Hearst (disambiguation William Randolph Hearst I (April 29 1863 &ndash Djuna Barnes (12 June 1892 &ndash 18 June 1982 was an American Writer who played an important part in the development of 20th century English language

Upon the outbreak of World War I, he asked the German military attache in New York to smuggle him back to Germany. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Slightly baffled by the proposal, the attache refused and Hanfstaengl remained in the U. S. during the war. After 1917, the American branch of the family business was confiscated as enemy property.

On February 11, 1920, Hanfstaengl married Helene Elise Adelheid Niemeyer of Long Island. Events 660 BC - Traditional founding date of Japan by Emperor Jimmu. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar Long Island is an island located in southeastern New York, USA, its western shores directly across from Manhattan, from which the island stretches Their only son, Egon Ludwig, eventually enlisted in the US Army air corps. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. A daughter, Herta, died at the age of five.

Hitler's Confidante

Returning to Germany in 1922, he was living in his native Bavaria when he first heard Hitler speak in a Munich beer hall. Bavaria ( German:, with an area of 70553 Km² (27241 square miles and almost 12 Munich (München; Minga is the capital city of Bavaria, Germany. A fellow member of the Harvard Hasty Pudding club who worked at the U. The Hasty Pudding Theatricals, known informally simply as The Pudding, is a theatrical student society at Harvard University, known for its Burlesque S. Embassy, asked Hanfstaengl to assist a military attache sent to observe the political scene in Munich. Just before returning to Berlin the attache, Captain Truman Smith, suggested to Hanfstaengl to go to a Nazi rally as a favor and report his impressions of Hitler. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Nazism, which was a short name for National Socialism (Nationalsozialismus refers primarily to the Ideology and practices of the National Socialist German Hanfstaengl was so fascinated by Hitler that he soon became one of his most intimate followers, although he did not formally join the Nazi party until 1931. "What Hitler was able to do to a crowd in 2½ hours will never be repeated in 10,000 years," Hanfstaengl said. "Because of his miraculous throat construction, he was able to create a rhapsody of hysteria. In time, he became the living unknown soldier of Germany. "

Hanfstaengel introduced himself to Hitler after the speech and began a close friendship and political association that would last through the 1920s and early 1930s. After participating in the failed Beer Hall Putsch in 1923, Hanfstaengel briefly fled to Austria, while the injured Hitler sought refuge in Hanfstaengel's home in Uffing, outside of Munich. The Beer Hall Putsch (also known as the Munich Putsch) was a failed Coup d'état that occurred between the evening of Thursday November 8 Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Uffing is a town in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, in Bavaria, Germany. Hanfstaengel's wife, Helene, allegedly dissuaded Hitler from committing suicide, when the police came to arrest him.

For much of the 1920s, Hanfstaengel introduced Hitler to Munich high-society and helped polish his image. He also helped to finance the publication of Hitler's Mein Kampf, and the NSDAP's official newspaper, the Völkischer Beobachter. Mein Kampf ( English: My Struggle/My Battle) is a book by Adolf Hitler. The, officially National Socialist German Workers' Party, ( abbreviated NSDAP) was a Political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945 The Völkischer Beobachter (" Völkisch Observer" or less strictly "People's Observer" was the newspaper of the National Hitler was the godfather of Hanfstaengl's son Egon. Hanfstaengl wrote both Brownshirt and Hitler Youth marches patterned after his Harvard football songs and, he later claimed, devised the chant "Sieg Heil". The, abbreviated SA, ( German for "Assault detachment" or "Assault section" usually translated as " stormtroop(ers For the SS division with the nickname Hitlerjugend see 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend The Hitler Youth ( German:, Sieg Heil is a German phrase which literally means "Victory Hail" or "Hail Victory" Included among Hanfstaengl's friends during this period were Hanns Heinz Ewers and fellow Nazi party worker and journalist Kurt Lüdecke. Hanns Heinz Ewers ( November 3, 1871, Düsseldorf - June 12, 1943, Berlin) was a German Actor,

Fluent in English, with many connections to higher society both in England and the United States, he became head of the Foreign Press Bureau in Berlin. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Aside from this official position, much of his influence was due to his friendship with Hitler, who enjoyed listening to "Putzi" play the piano. Hanfstaengl later claimed to have alerted Hitler and Hermann Göring about the Reichstag fire. Hermann Wilhelm Göring (also spelled Goering) (12 January 1893 15 October 1946 was a German Politician, Military leader and a leading member On 27 February 1933, the Reichstag building was subject to an arson attack and as a result seen as the pivotal event in the establishment of Nazi Germany

Fall From Power

As the NSDAP consolidated its power, several disputes arose between Hanfstaengl and Germany's Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels. Paul Joseph Goebbels (German pronunciation ˈɡœbəls English generally ˈɡɝbəlz (29 October 1897 1 May 1945 was a German politician and Reich Minister of Public Hanfstaegl was removed from Hitler's staff in 1933. He and Helene divorced in 1936. Hanfstaengl fell completely out of Hitler's favour after he was denounced by Unity Mitford, a close friend of both the Hanfstaengls and Hitler. Unity Valkyrie Mitford ( 8 August, 1914 – 28 May, 1948) was one of the noted Mitford sisters.

In 1937, Hanfstaengl received orders to parachute into an area held by the nationalist side of the Spanish Civil War, to assist in negotiations. The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of While onboard the plane he feared a plot on his life and learned more details from the pilot about the mission, who eventually admitted he had been ordered to drop Hanfstaengl over loyalist-held territory, which would have meant almost certain death. Hanfstaengl convinced the pilot to let him escape.

This version of the story was related by Albert Speer in his memoirs, who stated that this "mission" to Spain was nothing more than an elaborate practical joke concocted by Hitler and Goebbels, designed to punish Hanfstaengl after he'd displeased the Führer by making "adverse comments about the fighting spirit of the German soldiers in combat" in the Spanish Civil War. Berthold Konrad Hermann Albert Speer, commonly known as Albert Speer ( 19 March 1905 - 1 September 1981 was an Architect, author and for part of World Hanfstaengl had been issued sealed orders from Hitler, which were not to be opened until the his plane was in flight. These orders detailed that he was to be dropped in "Red Spanish territory" to work as an agent for Francisco Franco. Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (born December 4, 1892 in Ferrol, died November 20, 1975 in Madrid The plane, according to Speer, was merely circling over Germany containing an increasingly disconcerted Hanfstaengl, with false location reports being given to convey the impression that the plane was drawing ever closer to Spain. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. After the joke had played itself out, the pilot declared he had to make an emergency landing and landed safely at the Leipzig airport. This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong ^[1] Hanfstaengl was so alarmed by the event that he defected soon afterward.

He made his way to Switzerland and after securing his son Egon's release from Germany, he moved to England where he was imprisoned as an enemy alien after the outbreak of World War II. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including He was later moved to a prison camp in Canada. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page In 1942, Hanfstaengl was turned over to the U. S. and worked for President Roosevelt's 'S-Project,' revealing information on approximately over four hundred Nazi leaders. He provided 68 pages of information on Hitler alone, including personal details of Hitler's private life, and he helped Professor Henry A. Murray, the Director of the Harvard Psychological Clinic, and psychoanalyst Walter C. Langer and other experts to create a report for the OSS, in 1943, designated the "Analysis of the Personality of Adolph Hitler. Henry A Murray ( May 13, 1893 – June 23, 1988) was an American Psychologist who taught for over 30 years at Harvard Psychoanalysis is a body of ideas developed by Austrian physician Sigmund Freud and his followers which is devoted to the study of human psychological functioning and behavior Walter Charles Langer ( February 5 1899 – July 4 1981) was a Cambridge Massachusetts Psychoanalyst best known for his The Office of Strategic Services ( OSS) was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. Analysis of the Personality of Adolph Hitler was a report commissioned by Office of Strategic Services head William "Wild Bill" Donovan, in " In 1944, Hanfstaengl was handed back to the British, who repatriated him to Germany at the end of the war. Repatriation (from late Latin repatriare - to restore someone to his homeland is the process of return of Refugees or Soldiers to their homes William Shirer, a CBS journalist who resided in Nazi Germany until 1941 and was in frequent contact with Hanfstaengl, described him as an "eccentric, gangling man, whose sardonic wit somewhat compensated for his shallow mind. William Lawrence Shirer ( February 23, 1904 – December 28, 1993) was an American journalist and historian CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. "

Hanfstaengl wrote Unheard Witness (1957) about his experiences. In 2004, his story was told by author Peter Conradi in his book Hitler's Piano Player: The Rise and Fall of Ernst Hanfstaengl, Confidante of Hitler, Ally of FDR. Peter Conradi is an author and journalist who should not be confused with Peter J

In popular culture

Hanfstaengel has rarely been mentioned or portrayed in dramatizations of Hitler's life or of life in Nazi Germany. Nazi Germany and the Third Reich are the common English names for Germany under the regime of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers He was, however, an important supporting character in both the TV movie Hitler: The Rise of Evil (in which he was portrayed by Liev Schreiber) and author Ron Hansen's historical fiction novel Hitler's Niece. Hitler The Rise of Evil is a TV Miniseries that aired in two parts in May 2003 on CBS, and was produced by Alliance Atlantis Isaac Liev Schreiber (born October 4, 1967) is an American Tony Award -winning Actor. Ron Hansen may be Ron Hansen (novelist, American novelist Ron Hansen (politician, Canadian politician Ron Hansen (baseball Historical fiction is a sub-genre of Fiction that often portrays alternate accounts or dramatization of historical figures or events

References

Further reading

• Hanfstaengl, Ernst 'Putzi'. Hitler: The Missing Years. London: Eyre & Spottiswoode, 1957. Arcade Publishing, reprint 1994 ISBN 1-55970-278-8
• Peter Conradi Carroll & Graf. Peter Conradi is an author and journalist who should not be confused with Peter J Hitler's Piano Player: The Rise and Fall of Ernst Hanfstaengl, Confidante of Hitler, Ally of FDR, 2004 ISBN 0-7867-1283-X
• Metcalfe, Philip. 1933. New York, The Permanent Press, 1988. ISBN 0-9329-6687-X

See also

• List of Adolf Hitler books
• Hitler: The Rise of Evil

External links

• imdb link: A German documentary

• UK resources for school work
• Neemeyer Genæology
• Putzi Lives!
• Yale Alumni Magazine
• Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler by Antony C. Sutton

• "Hitler's Americanization" by Nikos Raptis (Z Magazine)
• Sedgewick Genæology
• Historian: Harvard Was Tied to Nazis
• The Nazi Who Returned to Harvard
• He played piano for Hitler — and FDR; Otto Doelling, Associated Press 2/23/71