Churchill Tells Chamberlain To Get Real In Historic Inscribed Rare Book

by Stephen J. Gertz

In August, 1938, as Nazi  aggression against the Sudetenland threatened war, Winston Churchill  presented Britain's Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, with what  was a sharply inscribed and what would become an acutely historic copy of the fourth volume of his Marlborough. His Life and Times.

The significance of this set thus inscribed cannot be discounted. In fact, Bonham's, which is offering the set in its Knightsbridge, London Books, Maps & Manuscripts sale Tuesday, March 27, 2012, is not discounting it at all, estimating the set to sell for £40,000 - £60,000 ($62,682 - $94, 023).

Each volume in the set was inscribed and dated by Churchill at the time of its original appearance: October 1933 (the year that Hitler came to power);  October, 21, 1934 (Hindenburg dead, and Hitler now supreme leader); October 1936 (Axis declared between Italy and Germany); and here, in volume four, August 1938 (official publication date September 2d), Europe on the brink of war and with Churchill's pointed post-script:

"Perhaps you may like to take refuge in the Eighteenth Century." 

Chamberlain and Hitler, Munich, September 30, 1938.

The inscription captures Churchill's sardonic, mordant wit and rings with poignant irony, written as the world stood on the brink of "sinking into a new Dark Age," with Chamberlain desperately seeking peace at any price and Churchill amongst a few lone voices for confrontation before Hitler became further emboldened against his neighbors and thence the entire Continent.

"My good friends, for the second time in our history a British Prime Minister has returned from Germany bringing peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time" (Chamberlain, announcing the agreement).

"We have suffered a total and unmitigated defeat... you will find that in a period of time which may be measured by years, but may be measured by months, Czechoslovakia will be engulfed in the Nazi régime. We are in the presence of a disaster of the first magnitude...we have sustained a defeat without a war, the consequences of which will travel far with us along our road...we have passed an awful milestone in our history, when the whole equilibrium of Europe has been deranged, and that the terrible words have for the time being been pronounced against the Western democracies: "Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting". And do not suppose that this is the end. This is only the beginning of the reckoning. This is only the first sip, the first foretaste of a bitter cup which will be proffered to us year by year unless by a supreme recovery of moral health and martial vigour, we arise again and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time" (Churchill, denouncing Chamberlain's agreement in the House of Commons).

The provenance of the set is impeccable: from the private collection of Mrs. Francis Neville Chamberlain, daughter-in-law of the recipient, Rt Hon. Neville Chamberlain M.P.

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Inscription image courtesy of Bonham's, with our thanks.
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CHURCHILL, Winston S. Marlborough. His Life and Times. London: George G. Harrap, 1933-1938. First edition. Four octavo volumes. Publisher's original burgundy cloth.

Woods A40(a).

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Eyewitness Account of Hitler Assassination Attempt Surfaces at Auction

by Stephen J. Gertz

An important eyewitness account of the July 20, 1944 Hitler assassination attempt signed by General Adolf Heusinger, who stood next to Hitler in the Wolf's Lair  when the Operation Valkyrie bomb exploded, came to auction on Tuesday, January 31, 2012.

Offered by Nate D. Sanders Auctions and dated November 1945, the six-page typed document  contains Heusinger's account of the assassination attempt on Hitler, including his hand-rendered diagram of the room and the seating arrangement of Hitler and his staff, as well as the list of who was in the room.

The lengthy typed document, in German, is entitled "The Progression of Events of 20 July 1944" and translates in part:

"The daily review of current happenings took place…at 12:30 in the afternoon in the headquarters of the Fuehrer in Rastenburg. All people indicated on the attached sketch/diagram took part. I, myself represented the then-ill chief of the army, Colonel-General Zeitzler…Hitler entered the room coming from his bunker…First I addressed the situation on the Eastern Front…maps were spread on the tables…Field Marshal Keitel entered the room with Colonel Graf Stauffenberg…Hitler briefly turned around when Stauffenberg made his presence known…The meeting continued…

"Hitler, however, interrupted, saying he only wanted to hear Stauffenberg at the end of the discussion of the Eastern Front…I went on with my speech. Stauffenberg…walked over to Colonel Brandt: 'I have to go make a phone call and I'm leaving my briefcase here until then.'  With these words he left the room, went straight to his car and drove to the exit of the headquarters. There he was said to have waited until the explosion occurred to fly back to Berlin.

Brandt, who was uncomfortable with the briefcase between his feet, pushed it with his foot a little farther underneath the table…About ten minutes later I was reporting on the situation near Duenaburg when Hitler leaned over the table next to me…Right at that moment, at around 12:50 the explosion occurred under the table…I found myself after a few seconds lying on my back, to my right, Colonel Brandt, to my left, Hitler, both lying on their backs as well.

"I heard a loud scream, probably from Keitel: 'The Fuehrer!' And I saw how the big map that was in flames was about to fall on top of me, probably because of the draft coming through the window. I pushed it away with my right arm and crawled backwards toward the door out of the room while the uninjured tended to those who were badly injured. When I reached the outside I sat myself on a patch of grass together with Colonel-General Korten and General-Major Scherff. I realized that I could barely hear, was bleeding on the head and the legs, burned my right underarm and that my uniform was completely torn apart. 

"After a few moments Hitler came out of the building supported by Keitel and his servant Lingen, who must have been near the room, and probably Fegelein, the leader of the Waffen SS, and walked to his bunker fifty paces away. His right pant leg was completely torn as well. All other wounded were immediately sent to the sick bay. I myself was arrested on the eve of 23 July 1944 in the sick bay by the Gestapo due to [involvement] in the assassination attempt and taken to the Gestapo prison in Berlin where I was detained for ten weeks.

"I ATTRIBUTE THE FAILURE OF THE ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT TO THE FOLLOWING: 

1. The floor of the room was made out of wood and not concrete. Some of the bomb's effect must have been absorbed by the floor. 

2. The windows flew out right away, which allowed some of the pressure to disperse. 

3. The thick oak table blocked the upward force of the bomb. 

4. Between Colonel Brandt and myself supposedly was a big column from the table. It probably absorbed some of the force of the bomb in Hitler's direction. The Composition of the Bomb is unknown to me. The detonator must have been an English chemical time fuse as it has been frequently dropped behind our front for reasons of sabotage and was picked up by our defense department. [signed] Heusinger".

A notation in pencil on the first page reads, "for Captain GRUENDL". Accompanied by full translation.

The bidding closed at 5:30PM Pacific. As of 8:52PM Pacific the last bid was $2,853. A bargain, it seems to me.

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Images courtesy of Nate D. Sanders Auctions, with our thanks.