Background: Goebbels may be feeling a little sorry for himself in this essay. He discusses those people who think that they know more than he does. He describes his daily routine, suggesting that he works day and night for the good of Germany.
The source: Joseph Goebbels, “Weiß die Regierung das eigentlich?,” Der steile Aufstieg (Munich: Zentralverlag der NSDAP, 1944). pp. 376-383.
by Joseph Goebbels
Of course the government knows that. That is our stereotypical answer to the often stereotypical question of whether the government knows about this or that, the questioner assuming that it has no idea whatsoever and that it must be enlightened by him. The government knows more than what one generally believes. The antediluvian idea that it is surrounded by a Great Wall of China made of evil-minded people intent on keeping the government ignorant of things that it does not know and must be kept ignorant of belongs in the realm of fairy tale and fantasy. That may have been true in an age when autocratic and ill-tempered counts and kings were at the head of the state, surrounded by courtiers who had to protect them from any annoyance or unpleasant news. We cannot say that any trace of that remains by us today; to the contrary, we have the impression that the government has too many worries, not too few. In any event, one cannot say that it protects itself or is protected from what is going on.
It knows what it has to know and more that that, which is good. When it makes a decision, everyone can be sure that it was made with full knowledge and understanding as well as in full knowledge of the circumstances. Never have things been governed so far from the conference table as by us today. How does the government get its information? From a thousands various places. It hears from the relevant state organs, but above all through its deep connection to the people. We obviously cannot personally read the countless letters from unknown correspondents that arrive constantly in good times and in bad, for two eyes would hardly be enough and these eyes have other things that must be read, seen, and attended to. However, these letters get careful consideration by conscientious people who have often proven themselves at the front and pass along everything that is really important. The rest are passed on to appropriate party and state bodies to deal with. Those are the individual cases without larger significance. The important matters are passed up the line. When the matter looks to be of significance it does not disappear into the sausage machine of the bureaucracy, but rather we attempt to grab the bull by its horns, usually successfully.
The government is always paying attention. From early morning to late in the night, and sometimes through a good part of the night, streams of information flow, both good and bad. One should not believe that it has all gone through a sieve that filers out everything unpleasant that could cause trouble. The news is brought unfiltered to the leadership, and we are not so sensitive to annoyance that we have to tell our subordinates to keep it from us. By 7 a.m. we have the latest telegrams from around the world to give us a picture of how the enemy sees the military and political situation. At 8 a.m. there are reports from areas impacted by the air war with all the essential details, although the most important facts have usually been telephoned in by the relevant Gauleitungen during the night. A substantial mountain of laws and reports about all matters of military significance waits in the office. They must be read quickly and rapid decisions made. These decisions generally are made within an hour, unless they require longer discussions with the appropriate experts. A report of all significant events in Reich territory follows. They are usually detailed and are supplemented by oral or written reports from the people. It is only by accident that something significant is forgotten or overlooked. That does not last long. If something falls under the table, it surfaces tomorrow or the next day.
Here is a report about the situation in my own Gau. It is particularly thorough and comprehensive. For example, it does not conceal the fact that potatoes are scare at the moment, that we must bridge things over until the new harvest, and how we can do that. Why should old and tested party comrades pass along such unpleasant information? They are happy to get it off their chest and get a clear decision. When a popular bus route in Berlin is shut down, the decision is not made by some lowly bureaucrat who enjoys it. Rather, the measure is carefully considered in all its aspects and in the end reason triumphs over popularity. Decisions made at a high level must always be tested below. That happens through the Party, which knows the pulse of the people. Each Kreisleiter [a district Nazi leader] has access to us at any time and Kreisleiter are not the sort of people who build Potemkin villages for their superiors. We are happy to administer not only Reich agencies, but also to be a Gauleiter. We have excellent opportunity to constantly follow what happens at lower levels. We so not sit at a conference table, but rather among the people. Nobody can fool us.
The military conference is at 11 a.m.. Everything one needs to know is presented that is required for a clear and thorough understanding of military matters. After that there is a one-hour conference with the closest colleagues from the Party, government, radio, film, and the other political and spiritual means of leadership. Old and tested colleagues speak. Most have long service at the front and have earned high decorations. Now they live amidst the people and each has something worthwhile to say. The custom in this circle is not to keep one’s mouth shut. Orders are given only when everything has been thoroughly considered and talked over. The participants have already carefully studied the relevant material and are well informed. One cannot speak of empty talk here. Were someone to speak in cliches or of illusions, he would be met with general laughter.
Matters that cannot be discussed in this large forum are reserved for individual conversations. What one does not know is briefly and clearly stated, then the decision is made. And visitors wait outside the door. They come from all classes of the people and certainly did not come to Berlin to throw sand in one’s eyes. Colleagues volunteer for the front or return from it. Soldiers of every rank come from the east and other fronts to report. It is clear that they have waited days, perhaps even weeks, and are prepared to express all their concerns. Why should they conceal their problems? From the entire Reich and occupied territories, serious and reliable reporters appear who cannot be put off with empty phrases. Telephone calls come in from every corner of the Reich. One wants this, the other that. It is a steady flow of information. If someone asks if the government knows this or that, we can give a confident answer: It knows more than the layman realizes.
There are usually a few visitors for lunch who have the need for honest talk. The war is debated. One gives and receives suggestions. Honesty is called for. One learns a mass of details that are hard to get through official channels. Often such conversations continue into the afternoon until a few hours later more telegrams arrive from abroad. These are discussed over the telephone with colleagues, since there is not enough time for personal meetings. If there is half an hour remaining, it goes to writing articles or speeches. On such days one sees the outside world only through occasional glances out the window, and the weather is interesting only insofar as it may have a favorable or unfavorable impact on the harvest.
In the evening, the third chapter of the day’s work begins. It usually lasts into the night. One has to be pleased if the last telephone calls arrive around midnight; usually it is later. To calm one’s nerves, one pages through a new book that interests the public or looks at the opinions of the enemy.
Then there are trips throughout the country. One goes to the Gaue that need it the most, where one has something to say to the people and where one an directly observe the events and facts, which at the moment means the areas affected by the air war. Here one hears and sees everything, nothing is hidden. We would like to meet the Gauleiter or Kreisleiter who thought his job was to put rose-colored glasses on his visitor. He brings him where the problems are the greatest, introduces him to all classes and groups, and tells him the things that have to be dealt with in Berlin, not the ones he has already resolved. It is childish to think that he avoids tough issues, leaving the visitor and the visited no wiser than before.
National Socialism is the most modern system of popular leadership and the Party exists to care for and expand this system. Since it is responsible for everything, it has an interest to straighten out everything that is unclear and concerns the people, to find as just and bearable a solution as is possible. This war is our great historic test. We all know that we stand or fall with its outcome. What would make us want to take it carelessly? One may not believe that we are not able to bear troubles and concerns because we are too weak. Decades of strains have thickened out skin. Were we too sensitive none of us would have survived 1923, much less 1943. We have had unbroken training in dealing with challenges such that we find hardly anything particularly extraordinary. Even if it rains bricks we are not defeated.
We have to say something clearly to the people. Many people have an entirely false idea of what leadership in war means and involves. It is an unbroken progression of work, worries, and responsibility that continues throughout the day and usually into the night. It does not distinguish between workdays and Sundays, between Pentecost and Christmas. Who even thinks about a vacation! One cannot leave behind things that have become one’s flesh and blood, without which one cannot live and would not want to live, and which cause more worry when one is away from them than when one deals with them. Vacation is only a brief sleep in a restless night, if the unsolved problems are gracious enough not to show up in dreams. Who has the courage to ask if the government knows this or that and what they plan to do about it? It knows so much and does so much that it would be just to cover it with the blanket of love and understanding, even if that does not happen. Each mind, each spirit, has its limits. They react only naturally if they ignore unimportant things when important things are waiting, perhaps even setting aside important things when the most important things are at risk.
It is understandable that during war an individual makes his judgments based on what he can personally observe. The larger the radius, the more mature and sounder the judgment. Should in this case or that the decision that comes from above not meet the wishes and expectations of someone here or there below, one should not immediately conclude that the government knows less that oneself. Most of the time it knows more, and because it knows more and must consider more, one or the other thinks he is ignored or discriminated against. The German leadership today feels itself above any personal advantage. It knows no private ambition, only keeping victory in mind. That will crown its historic work. That is where its thoughts and aspirations are, where its actions and omissions aim. It carries responsibility gladly, since it is not only a burden, but also an honor. It puts its full energy into gaining the broadest picture of the situation and its possibilities. It waits when there is time to wait, it strikes when the time to strike has come. It fulfills its national duty to the present, and even more to the future.
That is why it serves the trust and absolute loyalty of the entire people. It depends on that when making history.
Last edited: 18 August 2024
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