GARETH JONES' REPORTING ON HITLER

As much as Gareth Jones is being honoured again by Ukrainians for his exposure of the 1932-33 Famine-Genocide in the Soviet Union, one should remember that he initially first made his journalistic name covering the rise of the Nazi Party from 1930-34. His independent articles even foresaw the oncoming of the Second World War over the Danzig Corridor as early as July 1931, in an article for The Contemporary Review.

Being fluent in German (as well as Russian), Gareth wrote for the then much respected & liberal Berliner Tageblatt, and was afforded the privilege of an invitation to be the first foreign journalist to fly with Hitler on 23 February 1933 , less than  a month after Hitler was appointed Chancellor and just four days before the fire at the Reichstag. 

Gareth's first article described the experience of this flight, for The Western Mail, is one of the most graphic and poignant of his career and is transcribed below.

1. With Hitler Across Germany - a fascinating account of flying in Hitler's plane 'Richthofen'

2. Beginning of German Fascism - relates his impressions of Goebbels.

3. Primitive Worship of Hitler - where Gareth describes attending a Nazi Rally at Frankfurt with Hitler's entourage. He then compares and contrasts the oratory  of Hitler and Lloyd George.

Gareth prophetically ends his last article, before entering the Soviet Union with:

"The Europe of 1933 has seen the birth the Hitler dictatorship in Germany. 

What will it see in the Soviet Union?"

In fact, his many covering this turbulent period of Germany's history (available online by clicking here) are in many respects much better crafted than his later factual reports from the Soviet Union.