Benjamin Carter Hett - The Nazi Menace: Hitler, Churchill, Roosevelt, Stalin, and the Road to War

This book has been an adventure into areas in some ways very different from those of my previous books. It is a pleasure to thank the people who have made this adventure both easier and more enjoyable than it might have been.

At Germanys Federal Military Archives (Bundesarchiv Militrabteilung Freiburg), I am grateful for the assistance of Christiane Botzet and Ralf Schneider, who among other things allowed me to examine a huge swath of uncatalogued material from the papers of Friedrich Hossbach. This book has benefited greatly from that opportunity. I must also thank the owners of the papers of Werner von Blomberg, who kindly gave me permission to read the unpublished memoir in volumes 16 of Blombergs Nachlass. At the Koblenz branch of Germanys Federal Archives, Alexandra Kosubek helped me navigate the copious papers left by Fritz Tobias.

For advice on literature and sources, I must thank Professor John Robert Ferris, who was particularly generous in telling me about the Foreign Office documents recording MI5s concerns about Neville Chamberlain. I thank KC Johnson, Susan Pedersen, and Danny Orbach as well. Idan Liav provided very able research assistance. I owe a particular debt to my former graduate student, Dr. Ky Woltering, who helped me with research on the American material and to whom I owe the concept of the Christian-totalitarian dichotomy.

Although this book rests on a good deal of archival and published primary sources, a project of this nature must also necessarily draw on a wide range of published scholarship. Many brilliant historians have dedicated themselves to the issues discussed here. It has been a pleasure to read and learn from their work, the influence of which is readily apparent from the end notes.

As always, I owe huge thanks to my agent, Scott Mendel, for his unfailing encouragement, enthusiasm and support. The professionalism and good humor of everyone at Henry Holt makes it a delightful publishing house for a writer to work with. My editor, Paul Golob, has continued to amaze me with his erudition and the skill with which he can nurse a rambling manuscript into something much better. Production editor Hannah Campbell has been a model of efficiency while Jenna Dolans painstaking copyediting and fact-checking has made this a much more accurate book in all respects. Natalia Ruiz has helped with a myriad of matters large and small. Finally, I am grateful to be able to work with Marian Brown on publicity. Many thanks to all.

Several friends and colleagues read various drafts of the manuscript, providing essential feedback and saving me from many errors: Sam Casper, KC Johnson, Christoph Kimmich, Philip Klinkner, Eric Lane, Elidor Mehili, and Steve Remy. These friends could not talk me out of all my wayward interpretations, and for those, as well as all remaining errors, I am solely responsible.

Some years ago, over a beer in Berlin, Steve Remy and I swapped rueful stories about the things that spouses or partners of historians like us must enduredistraction, extended research trips, the renunciation of normal life as deadlines approach. And after all that, said Steve, they get books about Nazis dedicated to them. This book actually owes its inspiration to a comment my wife, Corinna, made after reading my last one, The Death of Democracy: she said she wanted to read about what happened next. Through the writing of this book, and some personal ups and downs that went along with it, Corinna has been a constant source of love and support. Here is your book about Nazis, Corinna! Despite the subject matter, all my love goes with the dedication.