512:, according to which you had referred certain decisions to me and emphasized that I, in case negotiations would become necessary, would be in an easier position than you in Berlin. These views were so surprising and serious to me that I felt obligated to assume, in case by 2200 o'clock no answer is forthcoming, that you have lost your freedom of action. I shall then view the conditions of your decree as fulfilled and take action for the wellbeing of Nation and Fatherland. You know what I feel for you in these most difficult hours of my life and I cannot express this in words. God protect you and allow you despite everything to come here as soon as possible.
24:
447:
110:
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331:, the state secretary of the Reich Chancellery, Göring concluded that by remaining in Berlin to face certain death, Hitler had incapacitated himself from governing. All agreed that under the terms of the decree, if Hitler had indeed lost his freedom of action, it would be incumbent upon Göring to take power in Hitler's stead.
356:, claiming that the telegram was not a request for permission to assume power in accordance with the decree but a demand to resign or be overthrown. Hitler, according to Speer, originally did not show much reaction to the telegram, responding with a bleakness that had come over him in recent days during the
371:
as the Reich collapsed. A number of telegrams from Göring to various officers that referred to his invocation of Hitler's secret testament sent Hitler into a rage. Speer noted one in particular in which Göring directed
Ribbentrop to report to him if neither he nor Hitler sent further communication
285:
on 22 April. The same day, upon learning that an order to counterattack the Soviet forces had not been obeyed, Hitler went into a lengthy diatribe against his generals and publicly admitted, for the first time, that the war was lost. Hitler announced that he intended to remain in Berlin to the end
375:
On 25 April, Hitler issued a telegram to Göring telling him that he had committed "high treason" and gave him the option of resigning all of his offices "for reasons of health", in exchange for his life. Göring subsequently resigned. However, Bormann soon ordered the SS in
Obersalzberg to arrest
403:
was written on 29 April and was prompted by Hitler receiving Göring's telegram, news of
Himmler's attempted negotiations of surrender with the Allies, and reports that Red Army troops were within a block or two of the Reich Chancellery. In the document, Hitler dismissed Göring from all of his
338:, asking Hitler to confirm that he was indeed to become the leader of Germany in accordance with the 1941 decree. He added that if Hitler did not reply by 22:00 that night, he would assume Hitler had lost his freedom of action and so would assume leadership of the Reich as Hitler's deputy.
326:
if he did nothing. He reviewed his copy of the 1941 decree, which not only designated him as Hitler's successor but also vested him with complete authority to act on Hitler's behalf if Hitler ever lost his freedom of action. After conferring with Koller and
321:
Although Göring had for some time been looking forward to the day he would succeed Hitler, he was taken by surprise at this development. Göring feared being branded a traitor if he tried to take power, but he also feared being accused of
244:, Hitler issued a secret decree that formally stated that if he ever lost his freedom of action, by way of incapacity, disappearance or abduction, Göring was to act as his deputy, with full power to act on Hitler's behalf.
314:(OKW), he immediately flew to the Obersalzberg to notify Göring of the news. If Göring was to lead peace negotiations, Koller felt that there was no time to waste. Additionally, he wanted to prevent the
477:
and discovered an original carbon copy of the telegram, marked with an 'F' in a group of Hitler's papers; the copy was given in later years to Robert W. Rieke, a professor of history at
606:
478:
62:
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229:, Hitler made a speech stating that Göring would succeed him "if anything should befall me". That status was underscored in a 1940 decree, naming Göring as
350:
from the
Obersalzberg at 00:56 on 23 April 1945, Bormann, who controlled access to Hitler, seized upon it as evidence of Göring's intent to launch a
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367:, the telegram initiated a crisis in the form of Hitler's psychological breakdown, which precipitated the political disintegration of military
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offices, cancelled his succession rights and expelled him from the Nazi Party. It was dictated by Hitler to his secretary,
240:), a specially created rank that was second only to Hitler's position of Supreme Commander. On 29 June 1941, one week into
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360:. However the words of both Goebbels and Bormann stirred up a more fiery response not seen in him in weeks, even months.
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in 1923. During the early years of Hitler's regime, Göring continued to pile on titles at will, including
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General Koller today gave me a briefing on the basis of communications given him by
Colonel General
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was also trying to discuss surrender terms with the Allies. He ordered
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caused an infuriated Hitler to immediately strip Göring of power and to appoint new successors,
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published an early
English translation of the Göring telegram in his book
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536:, United States, an unnamed buyer purchased the telegram for $ 54,675.
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and took away papers and documents, which were analysed by historians.
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in 1933, having joined the party in 1922 and been wounded during the
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and chief of the Naval High
Command, who would become President (
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To inform Hitler that Göring was prepared to take command of the
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The new political succession divided power between
Goebbels and
438:) of Germany after Goebbels committed suicide with his family.
809:
462:(Naval Intelligence) form with a carbon copy and classified "
974:. Translated by Bögler, Helmut. London: Arms and Armour.
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In July 1945, Captain
Benjamin M. Bradin entered the
277:, the Nazi leadership's underground complex near the
764:
Dr. Robert W. Rieke, "Goering Telegram," unpublished
840:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
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90:
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The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina
46:
38:
16:
1945 message sent by Hermann Göring to Adolf Hitler
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114:de:Göring an Hitler über dessen Nachfolge-Erlass
393:, who had previously been caught attempting to
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178:had been the second most-powerful man in the
8:
376:Göring. On 28 April, Hitler discovered that
334:On 23 April, Göring sent a carefully worded
221:On 1 September 1939, on the outbreak of the
900:Learn how and when to remove this message
996:. New York: W. W. Norton & Company.
752:
740:
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458:, the Göring telegram was typed onto a
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304:, heard about Hitler's statement from
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143:'s designated successor as leader of
7:
1017:The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
838:adding citations to reliable sources
318:from intercepting a radio message.
1020:. New York: Simon & Schuster.
926:. New York: Viking-Penguin Books.
788:"Goering Telegram sold at auction"
389:, Himmler's representative in the
14:
171:Göring as Hitler's political heir
814:
450:The copy found by Captain Bradin
401:Hitler's last will and testament
247:
108:
22:
825:needs additional citations for
346:Upon the telegram's arrival by
515:Your faithful Hermann Göring.
212:and commander-in-chief of the
170:
1:
683:, pp. 923–925, 943–945.
526:Alexander Historical Auction
426:, commander-in-chief of the
644:. New York: Avon. pp.
484:
98:should Hitler relinquish it
1091:
924:Berlin – The Downfall 1945
607:"Goering telegram picture"
485:Trevor-Roper's translation
454:Upon its reception in the
412:married. Hitler and Braun
311:Oberkommando der Wehrmacht
308:, operations chief of the
234:des Grossdeutschen Reiches
210:Reich Minister of Aviation
192:President of the Reichstag
560:, pp. 255, 256, 278.
408:, on the day that he and
107:
21:
719:, pp. 943–949, 953.
341:
1065:Germany in World War II
972:The Last Days of Hitler
775:The Last Days of Hitler
524:On 7 July 2015, at the
495:The Last Days of Hitler
460:Marinenachrichtendienst
1060:World War II documents
948:The Third Reich at War
641:Inside the Third Reich
517:
451:
252:On 21 April 1945, the
236:(Reich Marshal of the
129:was a message sent by
968:Joachimsthaler, Anton
952:. New York: Penguin.
584:, pp. 1115–1116.
499:
449:
182:for some time before
834:improve this article
242:Operation Barbarossa
238:Greater German Reich
184:Hitler came to power
96:Greater German Reich
28:Copy printed at the
994:Hitler: A Biography
773:Hugh Trevor-Roper,
755:, pp. 949–950.
743:, pp. 953–955.
731:, pp. 947–949.
707:, pp. 943–947.
693:Joachimsthaler 1996
369:command and control
324:dereliction of duty
286:and then to commit
1012:Shirer, William L.
489:British historian
452:
300:s chief of staff,
227:invasion of Poland
196:Minister-President
1027:978-0-671-62420-0
1003:978-0-393-06757-6
959:978-0-14-311671-4
942:Evans, Richard J.
933:978-0-670-03041-5
910:
909:
902:
884:
849:"Göring telegram"
655:978-0-380-00071-5
491:Hugh Trevor-Roper
442:Postwar discovery
414:committed suicide
372:before midnight.
342:Hitler's reaction
279:Reich Chancellery
201:Reichsstatthalter
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387:Hermann Fegelein
383:Heinrich Himmler
358:Battle of Berlin
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271:remained in the
223:Second World War
188:Beer Hall Putsch
167:, respectively.
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435:Reichspräsident
379:Reichsführer-SS
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269:Joseph Goebbels
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248:Göring's "duty"
232:Reichsmarschall
225:with Germany's
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153:Joseph Goebbels
127:Göring telegram
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176:Hermann Göring
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133:, head of the
131:Hermann Göring
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890:February 2019
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832:Please help
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797:. Retrieved
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619:. Retrieved
615:the original
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508:and General
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475:Führerbunker
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468:Führerbunker
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456:Führerbunker
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283:Obersalzberg
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141:Adolf Hitler
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58:Führerbunker
53:Obersalzberg
31:Führerbunker
29:
594:Shirer 1960
582:Shirer 1960
558:Beevor 2002
534:Connecticut
501:My Führer:
479:the Citadel
424:Karl Dönitz
353:coup d'état
306:Alfred Jodl
302:Karl Koller
261:into Berlin
198:and acting
157:Karl Dönitz
1039:Categories
860:newspapers
799:2015-07-28
669:Evans 2008
621:2015-07-28
611:Boston.com
570:Evans 2008
540:References
263:. Hitler,
180:Nazi Party
161:chancellor
118:Wikisource
81:Media type
1045:Telegrams
638:(1971) .
510:Christian
410:Eva Braun
348:radiogram
295:Luftwaffe
293:When the
215:Luftwaffe
136:Luftwaffe
103:Full text
71:Author(s)
1014:(1960).
992:(2008).
970:(1996).
944:(2008).
922:(2002).
530:Stamford
397:, shot.
336:telegram
257:Red Army
149:telegram
85:Telegram
47:Location
874:scholar
646:571-572
288:suicide
206:Prussia
91:Purpose
39:Created
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777:, 1947
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464:Geheim
395:desert
316:Allies
254:Soviet
208:, and
881:JSTOR
867:books
545:Notes
298:'
159:, as
1022:ISBN
998:ISBN
976:ISBN
954:ISBN
928:ISBN
853:news
650:ISBN
506:Jodl
267:and
163:and
155:and
139:and
125:The
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528:in
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