Hitler's Obersalzberg Speech

The problematic nature of the claimed transcripts of Hitler's Obersalzberg Speech of August 22, 1939, stems from the existence of multiple versions, including the notorious Lochner and Boehm documents, raising serious questions about their authenticity and the motivations behind their creation.

Problems with Versions

Multiple Versions with Discrepancies

There are several versions of the speech, including the Lochner version (L-3), 798-PS, 1014-PS, and the Boehm version. These versions contain significant differences in content, with some having more inflammatory language and others appearing more restrained.

The 798-PS and 1014-PS versions, which were presented at the Nuremberg trials, were interpreted as transcripts from two separate speeches Hitler allegedly gave on the same day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. However, the 1014-PS version is heavily abbreviated and not directly quotable.

Questionable Authenticity

The Lochner version (L-3), which contains the most brutal and incriminating language, was rejected as evidence at Nuremberg due to its implausibility and lack of credible chain of custody. It was long considered a forgery, created by German resistance circles supposedly to “warn the British government about Hitler's intentions.”

Norman Domeier's 2022 article claims to have proven the authenticity of the Lochner version, but this claim is contested due to its reliance on a copy rather than an original transcript and the questionable chain of custody.

The Boehm version, which appeared post-war, is also viewed skeptically due to its delayed emergence and lack of clear origin. It contains phrases that align with the narrative of Hitler as a megalomaniac, but its credibility is questioned by historians like Domeier.

Propaganda and Political Motivations

The Lochner version was widely circulated during the war as propaganda against Germany. The language used in its introduction in the Deutsche Blatter magazine suggests it was meant to vilify Hitler and German generals, portraying them as complicit in his madness.

The Boehm version might have been fabricated to provide a more credible alternative to the Lochner version while maintaining a similar narrative of Hitler as a genocidal maniac.

Inflammatory Content and Historical Manipulation

• The Lochner version includes explicit references to genocide, brutal tactics, and grandiose plans for world domination, which are not found in the more restrained 798-PS version. This suggests possible embellishment or fabrication to serve political purposes.
• The Boehm version includes phrases that emphasize Hitler's self-aggrandizement, racial supremacy, and the necessity of violent expansion, which align with the more sinister portrayals found in the Lochner version.

• This version was allegedly discovered post-war and was used in German admiral Erich Johann Albert Raeder's defense at Nuremberg, with Boehm as its only witness. The Boehm version is less incriminating to Raeder and the Wehrmacht leadership specifically, suggesting it may have been fabricated or promoted by them to shift attention and blame more toward Hitler, exclusively.

Historical Context and Source Reliability

The reliability of the sources is compromised by their associations with wartime propaganda and post-war attempts to vilify Hitler. The German resistance circles, motivated to portray Hitler as a genocidal maniac, had vested interests in promoting such versions.

The 798-PS version, considered more reliable and similar to Hitler's other speeches, lacks the sensational and incriminating language found in the Lochner and Boehm versions.

Summary

The discrepancies between the various versions of the Obersalzberg Speech, their questionable origins and authenticity, and the evident use of propaganda and political motivations in their creation and dissemination, highlight the problematic nature of these transcripts as historical sources. Caution should be exercised when considering these documents in uses for historical interpretation.