Ulrich von Hassell Diaries, 1938–1944

Without doubt, Ulrich von Hassell was one of the most important members of the German Resistance: this is the first complete edition of his wartime memoir with new material from his grandson, Agostino von Hassell.

Von Hassell began working for the German Foreign Office in 1909, then aged 28. Two years later, he married Ilse von Tirpitz, the daughter of Grand Admiral Alfred von Tirpitz. After being wounded in the First Battle of the Marne, he worked as the Admiral’s advisor and private secretary.

Hassell joined the Nazi Party in 1933, but strongly opposed the Anti-Comintern Pact (1937) and was sacked by Ribbentrop from his posting in Rome. After Poland was attacked, he led a delegation to allay European fears of further German aggression. He participated in plans to overthrow Hitler, acting as a liaison between Carl Goerdeler, Ludwig Beck and the Kreisau Circle and attempted to recruit Halder, Fromm and Rommel to the idea of a military coup then a negotiated peace. He also used his position on the Central European Economic Congress committee to discuss with Allied officials what could follow a coup d’état in Germany. He played the role of a principal civilian advisor in the July Plot of 1944 and was executed after a two-day trial.