Adenauer's Foreign Office: West German Diplomacy in the Shadow of the Third Reich. By Thomas W. Maulucci Jr. DeKalb, IL: Northern Illinois University Press. 2012. Pp. xiv + 389. Cloth $45.00. ISBN 978-0-87580-463-7.

2014 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 472-474
Author(s):  
Günter Bischof
Author(s):  
Eric Kurlander

This chapter evaluates the influence of the supernatural imaginary on the Third Reich's conception of foreign policy, investment in fanciful weaponry, and use of astrology, divination, clairvoyance, and telepathy in prosecuting the war. The Second World War was neither caused nor directed primarily by occult designs. However, many aspects of the war were influenced or determined by folklore, border science, and the broader Nazi supernatural imaginary. Rather than rely on a practical evaluation of risks and rewards, Hitler frequently tapped into his own intuition in making foreign-policy decisions and appealed to the German people's collective unconscious in selling his aggressive policies. Abetting Hitler's faith-based foreign policy, the Propaganda Ministry and Foreign Office employed professional astrologers and diviners to produce wartime propaganda aimed at both the Allies and the German public. Finally, the Third Reich utilized occultism and border science to gather military intelligence, search for enemy battleships, and train Nazi soldiers.


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