The Mitfords: Letters between Six Sisters

Tom has been awful, disappointing Farve by not coming, & resultant tempers very distressing for all.

I go back to Rose Cot on Fri but shall soon be coming over to see

Head of Bone

Heart of Stone

So au revoir till then

Love, NR

Darling Nard

The last two days have been wonderful. On Tuesday evening Muv & Miss Fenwick1 & I went to your hated Platzl,2 they loved it, I came away in the middle & went to the Osteria, & the Führer was there.3 He sent Brückner4 to invite me to his table, & I went & sat next to him, & on my other side was Gauleiter Forster of Danzig, who was very nice & invited me to visit Danzig. The Führer was sweet & stayed a long time & talked a lot about all these Notes.5 He said he would like to see Muv. The next day (yesterday) Brückner came to the Osteria to invite us to tea with the Führer at the Carlton at 6. We went, & there he was, and he said I must be interpreter, but as you can imagine it was very embarrassing as no-one could think of anything to say. After a bit, when Werlin6 came, the conversation warmed up a bit. Muv tactfully went away after about an hour, I stayed on & after that of course all went swimmingly, he stayed until ¼ to nine. Of course it was bound to be embarrassing with Muv, as she can’t speak German, that is always rather a wet blanket. Whenever I translated anything for either of them it always sounded stupid translated. On Tuesday by the way he asked after you, & sent you Grusses [greetings]. I do hope you will come soon Nardy, don’t forget to. I fear the whole thing was wasted on Muv, she is just the same about him as before. Having so little feeling she doesn’t feel his goodness & wonderfulness radiating out like we do, & like even Farve did. She still says things like ‘Well I’m sure he is very good for Germany, but’ and then she enumerates the things she disapproves of. The most she will admit is that he has a very nice face. She is going back to England this evening.

Collage of Hannibal crossing the Alps made by Unity for Hitler’s birthday.

Last night I went out with Stadelmann,7 he also sent you many greetings. He has been skiing & is dark brown, can you imagine it.

Do write soon & tell me all about what it is like where you are. And DO come soon to Munich.

Heil Hitler!

Best love from Bobo

Darling Nard

I got your letter yesterday but couldn’t answer it at once as Tom didn’t go until last night, and as you know when there is someone here one never has a moment. I think he enjoyed his stay, the heat was terrific the whole time. We lunched with the Führer twice – Saturday & yesterday – and although I didn’t want him to meet him I am quite pleased now.1 He adored the Führer – he almost got into a frenzy like us sometimes, though I expect he will have cooled down by the time he gets home – and I am sure the Führer liked him, & found him intelligent to talk to. So really I think no harm is done, though on Saturday as we went to his table my heart sank. If it hadn’t been for the Führer’s sudden habit of lunching early it would never have happened.

Did you like Ribbentrop?2 Did he remember me? He was at Berchtesgaden with the Führer for the week-end.

Tom Mitford, from Unity’s album. Munich, 1936.

Tom quite loved the Good Girl,3 yesterday we took her out to a café. They had a long argument – though of course GG took no notice of his arguments – and GG has requested him to keep her informed, on postcards, about the relations between America, Japan, Russia & Europe!

Heil Hitler!

With best love from Bobo

Darling Corduroy,

Many Happy Returns of the Day. I’m sorry this present is so beastly. I got it (as usual) at The Little Shop.1

You are lucky to have been out to Germany to see my hated Boudle. Did she write & tell you how she saw the Führer, of whom she writes as ‘Him’ with a capital H, as for Christ or God!! I love my Boud in spite of all.

Love from Decca

Darling Bodley

My book comes out on the 25th inst:, & in view of our conversation at the Ritz ages ago I feel I must make a few observations to you.

When I got home that day I read it all through & found that it would be impossible to eliminate the bits that you & the Leader objected to. As you know our finances are such that I really couldn’t afford to scrap the book then. I did however hold it up for about a month (thus missing the Spring list) in order to take out everything which directly related to Captain Jack, amounting to nearly 3 chapters & a lot of paragraphs. There are now, I think, about 4 references to him & he never appears in the book as a character at all.

Diana and Jessica in 1935, two years before politics separated them for ever.

In spite of this I am very much worried at the idea of publishing a book which you may object to. It completely blights all the pleasure which one ordinarily feels in a forthcoming book.

And yet, consider. A book of this kind can’t do your movement any harm. Honestly, if I thought it could set the Leader back by so much as half an hour I would have scrapped it, or indeed never written it in the first place.

The 2 or 3 thousand people who read my books, are, to begin with, just the kind of people the Leader admittedly doesn’t want in his movement. Furthermore it would be absurd to suppose that anyone who was intellectually or emotionally convinced of the truths of Fascism could be influenced against the movement by such a book.

I still maintain that it is far more in favour of Fascism than otherwise. Far the nicest character in the book is a Fascist, the others all become much nicer as soon as they have joined up.

But I also know your point of view, that Fascism is something too serious to be dealt with in a funny book at all. Surely that is a little unreasonable? Fascism is now such a notable feature of modern life all over the world that it must be possible to consider it in any context, when attempting to give a picture of life as it is lived today.

Personally I believe that when you have read the book, if you do, you will find that all objections to it except perhaps the last (that my particular style is an unsuitable medium) will have disappeared.

On darling I do hope so!

Always much love from NR

Darling Stony-heart

We were all very interested to see that you were the Queen of the May this year at Hesselberg.1

Call me early, Goering dear.

For I’m to be Queen of the May.2

Good gracious, that interview you sent us, fantasia fantasia. 5 July. I have been too busy in the giddy social whirl to finish this but will do so now – or never.

We are off to Amsterdam tomorrow so shall be nearer to you in body if not in spirit. By the way aren’t you going abroad, to England, quite soon. Well then I shan’t bother to send this to the nasty land of blood baths & that will save me 1d.

We were asked to stay with somebody called Himmler or something, tickets & everything paid for, but we can’t go as we are going to Venice & the Adriatic for our hols. I suppose he read my book & longed for a good giggle with the witty authoress. Actually he wanted to show us over a concentration camp,3 now why? So that I could write a funny book about them.

We went to Lord Beaverbrook’s4 party last night, it was lovely & I told him about how Goering called you early & he roared.

I must say you are a wonderful noble girl, & everyone who has read my book longs to meet you.

Well, I hope to see you when we get back from Amsterdam.

Love from your favourite sister, NR

Darling Cord

I was sad to hear about your accident,1 you can’t think how sorry we all were. I do hope you’re better now & not in too much agony, it sounded too frightful, poor Cord, having stitches in while you were still conscious (at least that’s what Farve said, I hope it wasn’t true).

All the Farrers wrote & sent you their love & sympathy.

Have you had any results from the chain letter yet, I’ve had about 3/–I think which, after all, although it isn’t exactly £312 isn’t too bad for 6d is it.

Much love from Decca

Darling Forge

This is to wish you many happy returns of your 21 birthday. I hope you will have a lot of lovely presents, & enclose a miserable cheque to buy yourself some pretty little Nazi emblem with.

Well much love from NR

1

Darling Boud

I’ve saved up £4 towards the Tour,2 it’s in the bank, I expect to add another £6 at the end of the month. When shall we go? About the beginning of October do you think? Also are we definitely going?

This is the new Honnish poem (to be pronounced in true Honnish)3

For into bed she sped

And in her bed she read

And while she read

A lump of lead

Fell on her head in bed.

Well Boud, write soon to your old Boud who loves her Boud in zbeed udj al4 and it’s in zbeed of a good deal.

P.S. I went to see poor Cord after her operation, she looked terribly ill. I kept nearly having to leave the room because she and Muv would keep talking about an awful thing called the after-birth.5

Darling Nard

I’m afraid you must have had an awful journey. Even I, travelling only as far as here, was frozen when I arrived; and when I woke up yesterday morning and heard the wind whistling I thought of your poor crossing.

Well now I have a lot to tell you. Yesterday about 12, on my way to the hairdresser, I was walking up the Ludwigstrasse & just going to cross one of the side streets & there was a large Merc in it waiting to be able to cross the Ludwigstrasse & to my astonishment in front sat the Führer. I stood for about ½ a minute saluting about 5 feet from him, but he didn’t see me. When I got to the hairdresser I felt quite faint & my knees were giving, you know how one does when one sees him unexpectedly. But I was so pleased, because it was the first time I had seen him like that, quite by chance, in the street. Hardly any of the other people recognised him.

I went to the Osteria, & found Erich1 & Heemstra2 & Micky3 there, I made them sit in the garden & I sat alone inside. He came about 2.30, & smiled wonderfully as he shook hands, but then I waited & waited & no-one came. I was in despair, I thought he wasn’t going to ask me. Rosa4 came & told me she had heard he wasn’t in at all a good mood, so then I thought he certainly wouldn’t invite me. However at last, at about 3, Brückner came & asked me to go to him. I feel sure the Führer had pains,5 which I know he sometimes does have. For one thing he didn’t stand up when I came to the table, which he always does. Also the skin round the outside corners of his eyes was yellow. And then he couldn’t seem to keep still, he moved backwards & forwards the whole time, with his hands on his knees, you know how he does. I was so unhappy about it, it is so terrible to think of him being in pain. However he was in the most divine mood imaginable, I think he was almost sweeter yesterday than I have ever known him. We talked a lot about the Parteitag, he was terribly pleased at the way it had all gone off. He said he felt terribly flat now that it’s all over, & that it was so depressing driving away from Nürnberg, a few people in the street for about 100 yards & then no-one. I explained to him why that was, that they all thought he was going to the Flughafen [airport] and I think that cheered him up, but he was sad that the people had waited so long & hadn’t seen him. He told me where we had sat at both the Congresses, and said he had seen me at the opera, but of course that was you. He put his hand on my shoulder twice & on my arm once. I told him about having to go to Paris, & he was sorry for me, but then he said ‘But in Paris you will see real Life, and then Munich will seem like a rocky island to you’. (He said the word ‘island’ in English.) I said no, Munich will always be my Paradise.

Now Nardy I am going to tell you a thing that will make you so jealous. We came to speak of the English National Anthem, and he whistled it all the way through. Wasn’t it wonderful. Hoffmann6 showed him a book of photos of him (Hoffmann) as a child, in different costumes – artist, soldier, sailor etc – and the Führer simply roared. I must say, although I don’t much like Hoffmann now, he was a most divine looking & lovely child, even at about 14. There were only Brückner, Dietrich,7 Hoffmann & the Doctor [Goebbels] at the table, & Dietrich left half-way through. After a bit the Führer sent to see if he was telephoning, but they said he had gone, and the Führer said quite sadly ‘einfach weggelaufen’.8 You would have loved him when he said that. Apparently he talked to Lord Rennell9 on Tuesday, and was full of praise of him. He was very surprised to hear he is a sort of relation of ours. He thinks he is wonderful. I asked him to sign my belt, and he laughed like anything, he didn’t do it very well but you can see it. I think it is the first time he has ever signed a belt. I have definitely arranged to go to Berlin in November, and he is going to take me on the Wannsee in Dr Goebbels’ ship. There was no one else in the garden except Erich & co & one old woman, who presently came up to the Führer & with a trembling voice asked if she might greet him, she had never seen him & this was the second time she had come all the way from Dresden to see him, the first time she hadn’t succeeded. He stood up & gave her his hand & she said ‘God bless you mein Führer. This is the schönster Augenblick meines Lebens’.10 Then she was so overcome she went away, but he called her back to sign a postcard she had in her hand. It was really wonderful. He asked where you were, & whether you were coming back. Have you sent your letter? I wrote one & sent it, I do hope he will understand what I mean, I think he will.

Well Nardy this letter is already far too long, so now I will stop. But I thought you would like to hear some of the little details of my lunch with the Führer.

I do hope your journey wasn’t too bad. Please give my love to all Kits.

V Best love, German greetings & Heil Hitler!

Bobo

2

Darling Cord,

I did mean to write ages ago but somehow time really flew.

It is so lovely being in Paris again, we are all enjoying it terrifically, specially me. Do try & get the Boud not to come as I don’t think she’d like it, one doesn’t want a really huge wet blanket in such a small flat.

Cordy it was kind of you to lend me that beautiful fur, it’s naturally made the whole difference to the coat.

We went to Molyneux dress show, where we saw several lovely things, and we are going to Worth’s & Vionnet’s if the Fem can get a card for that one. Yesterday we went to tea with Princess F Lucinge,2 she is a spamp3 I must say, & her house is too fascinating & wonderful for words.

Are you coming to Paris soon? You did say so. Nancy’s coming on the 25th for a bit. Hm.

Muv saw in the papers that the filthy old Boud has been putting posters in people’s cars saying ‘The Jews take everything, even our names’ (it didn’t actually say Boud, but of course we guessed).

Didn’t it seem awful & in a way unnatural Lady A.S. & the Duke of4 having rose petals sprinkled over them. I see it said in the Tatler, ‘PART of the h.moon is bound to be delightful as it’s being spent in hunting country’. Well Cord goodbye, I DO hope you will SOON come.

Much love from Decca

Dee Droudled Boudle,

Well here I am back again. What agony to leave Paris. You can’t think what a lovely time we had, but still I am thrilled for my dance which is fairly soon. I do think you might come back for it. I gave Diana a present for you, I am afraid it’s beastly & anyhow I hope you will throw it from you with disgust as it was made by enemies of Germany.

This is the new Boud song, Id1 came in to my room in Paris one day & found me singing it to myself. I will write it in English as it is easier to understand & takes up less space.

I went down to St James’ infirmary

I saw my Boudle there

Stretched out on a long white table

So cold so beastly so fair

I went up to see the doctor

‘She’s very low’, he said;

I went back to see my Boudle

Good god!!! She’s lying there DEAD Let her go, let her go, God bless her; Wherever she may be She can search the whole world over And never find a sweet Boud like me.

It has actions, too.

We are going to see Womb [Pamela] today, & stay there a night. Diana has given me a HEAVENLY evening dress.

Give her my love, & hate to Hitler

Lodge Vrudub, Je Boudle2

Darling Nard

I must write again, because such a lot seems to have happened since I wrote.

Firstly DO write & say when you are coming. Everyone keeps asking. I will get you a room here when I know.

I didn’t expect to see the Führer, as he apparently hasn’t been to the Osteria for weeks. However today at last he came, it was wonderful, & he was tremendously surprised to see me. He immediately asked me, as he came in (himself, for the first time), to go & sit with him. A bit later Max Schmeling1 came with Hoffmann, & sat on the Führer’s other side. He remembered you & me from the Parteitag. The Führer was heavenly, in his best mood, & very gay. There was a choice of two soups & he tossed a coin to see which one he would have, & he was so sweet doing it. He asked after you, & I told him you were coming soon. He talked a lot about Jews, which was lovely. News from Abyssinia & Egypt kept on coming through on the telephone, which was rather exciting. The Führer stayed in the Osteria for two hours, wasn’t it lovely. After he went Werlin drove me to see his new shop, which is wonderful.

The most amazing piece of news of all is – Baum2 is out of the Partei! She was in the Osteria yesterday, & Rosa told me. According to Stadelmann she was discovered to be a half-Jüdin [Jewess]. Isn’t it amazing. She also hasn’t any work poor thing, as there was a big row in her Mütterheim at Starnberg & she was kicked out. I am really sorry for her, as the Partei & her hate for the Jews were really all she had.

This evening I went to the Christmas party in Hössl’s3 Clinic, it was terribly pathetic, with all the little lupus-faced children dressed up as angels. The grown-up patients were very pathetic too. I think you would have hated it. The head doctor rushed up to me & thanked me profusely for all my kindness to the children, I felt awful as all I have ever done is to club with Armida & Rosemary4 & send them a Prinz-Regenten-Kuchen [cake]. So I sent them another today. Hössl, of course, sends you best love. He walked all the way home with me this evening, & I must say he is sweet.

Luckily Stadelmann has got hols now, so he stays around most of the time as a sort of Adjutant. Erich comes to-morrow evening.

Come SOON.

With best love & Heil Hitler! Bobo

Darling Nard

Yesterday the Führer was in the Ost, he came about 3 & left at 5 & was in a wonderful mood, quite different from last week. He told me that Lord & Lady Londonderry & the youngest daughter1 had visited him in the Reichskanzlei last week. I felt bound to say that I was horrified that he should receive such people, and that he would soon find that practically all his English acquaintances were in concentration camps. He also admitted to having seen Beaverbrook, which horrified me even more. You know Nardy he must have a very bad adviser as to which English people he receives. I think this time it wasn’t Ribbentrop. After all, he isn’t like an ordinary politician, who has to receive anyone who is important. Visits to him should be reserved for those who have deserved it, by doing something for his cause or at any rate for really loving him, regardless of titles & money & importance, don’t you think. I mean, to my mind it would have been much better to receive your Mrs Newall,2 who really does adore him, than Lady Londonderry, who will simply go back & say just as nasty things as ever. If they want to get on the right side of some important person, they should take them to see Hess3 or Goebbels or Goering or anyone, but not the Führer. We talked about it quite a lot, and he seemed to understand. Of course it’s impossible for him to know whom to receive, but he should be better advised. However he said that to make up for it, whenever you & I are in Berlin, he will give an ‘Abend [evening]’ for us in the Reichskanzlei. So that is lovely, isn’t it. We must go. He said he had never seen such jewels as Lady L wore.

He talked a lot about England & Germany, & said that in 2 years time the German army will be the strongest, not only in Europe but in the WORLD. Isn’t it wonderful. And he said that with the German army & the English navy we could rule the world. Oh if we could have that, and what wouldn’t be worth doing to help the cause of friendship between the two countries even a little.

He is going to invite Mary4 & me to tea in the Wohnung [flat] tomorrow, isn’t it wonderful. To a ‘kleine Gesellschaft’.5 Herr & Frau Hoffmann were also at lunch yesterday, & he invited them too. I am thrilled. And Oh Nardy, what do you think, he mentioned his SISTER.6 Wasn’t it thrilling. He said he had wanted to send for her to come to Munich, but couldn’t get hold of her. I am so miserable, because if she had been in Munich PERHAPS she would have come to the kleine Gesellschaft.

The curse came today, & I have a pain, thank god it didn’t come tomorrow. Mary is in a quandary as she hasn’t anything to wear. I shall wear my white fur blouse & black skirt.