First published 2016
Former FBI agent Robert Wittman discovers the missing diary of Alfred Rosenberg, Hitler's ideological architect and the man who led the Nazi party during Hitler's 1923 imprisonment. The diary contains Rosenberg's observations, conversations, and plans that shaped the Third Reich. Wittman traces how German-born Jewish prosecutor Robert Kempner stole the diary after the Nuremberg trials, where he had prosecuted Nazi leaders like Göring and Frick. For decades, archivist Henry Mayer searched relentlessly for the missing document. The diary reveals new details about Hitler's rise to power and his personal control of the Reich. Rosenberg served as a core member of Hitler's inner circle, helped plan the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union, and became Reich Minister for the Eastern Territories. His ideas provided the ideological foundation that justified the slaughter of millions. Wittman's investigation uncovers how this dangerous document shaped Nazi ideology and the Holocaust, while following the decades-long quest to recover this crucial piece of history.
Genres: biography, history, historical-fiction, 20th-century, crime, 21st-century, academic, american-history
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-mystery, investigative-narrative
Setting: Germany, Nuremberg, Soviet Union
Period: 1923, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s
513 pages · Paperback · William Collins
Content warnings: violence