[Commander Stephen King-Hall's propaganda battle with Joseph Goebbels.] Printed pamphlet, in German, a letter from King-Hall to 'Lieber deutschen Leser', ridiculing Hitler, Goebbels and the Nazis. With contemporary English translation.

Author: 
Stephen King-Hall [William Stephen Richard King-Hall, Baron King-Hall] (1893-1966), writer, politician, naval officer, propagandist
Publication details: 
[London, 1939.] Letter dated from 162 Buckingham Palace Road, London, S.W.1. Slug: 'L.C.P. - 5404'.
£180.00
SKU: 21296

The present item is part of a propaganda battle between King-Hall and Goebbels. The only other copy of the item located is at the German National Library, King-Hall having 'contrived to infiltrate', as his Oxford DNB entry has it, this 'German version' of his 'King-Hall News Letter' to 'individuals in the Reich, provoking a vehement reaction from Goebbels and Hitler himself'. See also the article in Time magazine, 7 August 1939: 'Last week all Europe was excited about the propaganda battle between England's Commander Stephen King-Hall and Germany's Paul Joseph Goebbels (TIME, July 31). As Commander King-Hall's fourth letter to his "dear German readers" reached Germany, Britishers received in their morning mail copies of a mimeographed pamphlet entitled News From Germany. Published by Dr. Goebbels' good friend H. R. Hoffmann of Starnberg,' The item is 4pp, 12mo. Bifolium on thin paper (for dropping from the air?). The first page carries the beginning of the letter (salutation: 'Lieber deutschen Leser'), in a facsimile of King-Hall's handwriting (but addressed in type from 162 Buckingham Palace Road, | London, S.W.1.'), the other three pages give the letter's continuation, closely printed in small type. The letter ends with a facsimile of King-Hall's autograph signature. Slug at bottom left of final page: 'L.C.P. - 5404'. In fair condition, on lightly-aged paper, with slight rust-spotting from paperclip. The item is accompanied by a contemporary carbon typescript translation into English (9pp, 8vo), with the first page headed: 'D.M.T. | Trans. | Letter from Commander Stephen King-Hall.' The translation begins: 'Dear German Readers, | I cannot understand why Dr. Goebbels is considered so clever. Can the poor man not grasp that all the excitement over my letters will simply wake one question in you - “Why are the Nazis so afraid for me to read the letter of a former English Naval Officer?” And what will be your reply?' He gives examples of 'lies' by the Hitler, the Nazis and the German Government, from 'a Note to the English Government', 9 August 1935, to 15 March 1939, when 'German troops march into Czecho-Slovakia and annex Czech land'. The letter ends with three proposals 'in order to stop this race towards War': 'Would the Nazi-Regime allow such a thing? Though they say that it is high treason for a German to reply to this letter, I doubt it.'