Hitlerland

Hitlerland: American Witnesses to the Nazi Rise to Power (2012) by Andrew Nagorski. The author has done extensive research into a previously unreported area -- the experiences of Americans who lived in or visited Germany during the 1920s and '30s. Those who personally talked to Hitler are given special attention. For the record, Truman Smith was the first official to meet Hitler, in 1922. Others who observed the Nazi rise to power firsthand were newsmen, expatriots, diplomats, military attaches. Some of them were dazzled by the flash of Nazi theatrics, some were horrified by what they saw of Nazi ruthlessness and plans for future war. It's all laid out in this very interesting book, and for anyone with an interest in 20th-Century history, especially the Nazi era, I highly recommend it. Grade: B+