Louis Bertrand

Hitler: a View of the 1935 Reichsparteitag by a Member of the Academie Francaise Louis Bertrand

First published by Artheme Fayard in 1936, this book is an account of Louis Bertrand's visit to the Reichsparteitag at Nuremberg the previous Fall. Bertrand spent an entire week in Nuremberg, observing both Adolph Hitler and the National Socialist movement. It was a unique occasion to view Hitler up close, to hear him speak and see him in contact with fellow Germans. Bertrand felt such an event should interest a Frenchman to the highest degree, particularly a professional observer such as himself. In writing this book, Bertrand was quick to point out he was not an Hitlerian. He was in Nuremberg for the sole reason to observe and understand: this, he claimed, was the duty of every patriot capable of influencing public opinion. He therefore limited himself to reporting only what he saw and commenting on his impressions. However, these are not the comments of an ordinary person, for Bertrand was a noted biographer with keen insight into human personality. As a member of the Academie Francaise, he was also one of France's most prestigious academicians. Bertrand's observations therefore stand as important testimony regarding political events and a world leader having significant portent for the world's future.