To The Bitter End

This chronicle of German resistance begins in 1933 with the torching of the Reichstag and ends with a bang--literally--in 1944 with a failed bomb plot to knock off the Fuehrer. Hans B. Gisevius was an observer and participant in these events, working to undermine the Nazi regime from within (he served in German counter- intelligence). All along, he considered himself a patriot, even though this book contains a ringing condemnation of the German people for their complicity in Hitler's wicked regime. To the Bitter End was written practically as events unfolded, smuggled out of Germany in portions because Gisevius wasn't sure he would live to complete it, and first published in 1946. It offers a firsthand account of Nazi Germany and the various underground efforts to prevent Hitler from doing what he ultimately did. Gisevius may not have earned credit for halting the tragedy, but he does offer today's readers important lessons about the nature of dictatorship and the seductive powers of evil. Allen Dulles, who played a small role in helping Gisevius escape from Germany after the failed assassination, wrote the foreword. --John J. Miller