The Secretary: Martin Bormann - The Man Who Manipulated Hitler

When Martin Bormann's name came up again and again at the Nuremberg Trials as the man responsible for some of the most nefarious acts of the Third Reich, most Germans had never heard of him. Yet, 27 typewritten pages of references to documents gave irrefutable proof of his guilt in crimes against humanity. Officially he had been Hitler's private secretary--and almost inseparable companion. Because Bormann himself could not be found, he was condemned to death in absensia, and the search for the missing person made him more famous than he had ever been in his lifetime. During the next quarter century two dozen alleged "Bormanns" were disproved to be and imposter. Finally, in 1972, thanks in large part to the investigative work of the author of this book, Bormann's remains were discovered and identified in Berlin, where he had killed himself shortly after Hitler's death. This book is the story not only of the dramatic discovery of Bormann's remains but of the man himself--the almost incredible story of a not very talented, totally unimaginative, dedicated, ruthless, crafty and tireless bureaucrat who skillfully played on Hitler's weaknesses until he had made himself the most powerful man in Germany next to Hitler himself, the man through whom all the other Nazi elite--Goebbels, Goring, Speer, Ribbontrop, Schirach--had to approach the Fuhrer. It is perhaps the most devastating picture yet of the arbitrariness and disorganization of the Third Reich. Even more important, it is a chilling case history of how a desire for power and a will to succeed can, if all other considerations are put aside, carry a man to the top. It is impossible to conclude after reading it that another Bormann could not rise in almost the same way in another country today.