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As Adolf Hitler's official interpreter, Paul Schmidt's account of the events from 1935 to 1945 is a classic contribution to the knowledge of what took place at the highest level in the Third Reich in its relation with England, France and beyond.
Über den Autor / die Autorin
Paul-Otto Schmidt, (1899-1970) was an interpreter working in the German foreign ministry where he served from 1923 to 1945. He was fluent in English and French and was the main interpreter for Adolf Hitler during the key pre-war moments, such as the Munich Agreement, the British Declaration of War and the surrender of France. During the war years he served as Hitler's interpreter during his meetings with Marshal Philippe Pétain and Francisco Franco. After the 1942 Dieppe Raid resulted in thousands of Canadian soldiers captured, Schmidt was in charge of their interrogations. Schmidt joined the NSDAP in 1943. Arrested in May 1945, Schmidt was freed by the Americans in 1948. In 1946 he testified at the Nuremberg Trials, where conversations with him were noted down by psychiatrist Leon Goldensohn and later published. In 1947, he testified for the prosecution against the directors of I. G. Farben. He later taught at the Sprachen and Dolmetscher Institute in Munich, and he retired in 1967.
Zusammenfassung
As interpreter for Adolf Hitler during the key pre-war moments, such as the Munich Agreement, the British Declaration of War and the surrender of France, Schmidt was well placed to record his impressions of events from 1935 to 1945. His memoirs provide an important contribution to our knowledge of important meetings before and during the War.
