Inside The Third Reich - Controversy About The Holocaust and Slave Labor

Controversy About The Holocaust and Slave Labor

In the book, as at the Nuremberg Trials, Speer denied any knowledge of the Holocaust. While he does admit to his knowledge of slave labor used in his ministry, Speer claimed that he tried to improve the slave laborers' condition, and that he preferred not to use such labor.

Even his editorial aide, Joachim Fest, noted in later editions of Inside the Third Reich that much of what Speer wrote disagreed with his testimony at Nuremberg. Most notably, Speer originally made up excuses as to why he stayed with Hitler until the end, but in his memoirs, admitted he did so out of personal loyalty.

In the book, Speer claimed to have contemplated Hitler's assassination in early 1945 to end the war. However, aside from an affidavit from one of his friends, Dieter Stahl, there is no evidence to substantiate this.

Moreover, Speer consented to numerous interviews after his release from prison, and some of the things said in these interviews, like those with Gitta Sereny, contradicted with both his court testimony and memoirs.

Supporters of Speer, such as Fest, claim Speer felt personal guilt about the Nazi genocide, and that he spent his remaining years trying to justify both to himself and the public why he had let himself be deceived. Before his death, Speer compared his work on behalf of the Nazis to that of a man who made a deal with the Devil.

Speer's detractors argue that his omissions and denials were based on his efforts to avoid execution at Nuremberg. Many accounts of the trial depict Speer as a crafty and intelligent defendant who pulled any string he could in his defense. Moreover, other Nuremberg defendants in positions similar to Speer's were hanged, most notably Fritz Sauckel, who actually worked under Speer's orders. Speer's claim to have tried to kill Hitler is usually cited as one of the main reasons he was spared the noose.

While arguments over Speer's guilt are ongoing, Inside the Third Reich is used by historians on all sides as a primary source on the inner workings of the Nazis. Speer's supporters have sardonically noted that even historians who claim Speer is untrustworthy nonetheless incorporate the memoirs into their work.