Customer Reviews

Hitler and His Secret Partners: Contributions, Loot and Reward, 1933-1945

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James Pool provides an alternative viewpoint to the history of the Nazi Regime by focusing on Hitler's economic motivations and policies. He illuminates many grey areas of the war by examing them from a perspective that pure military or political histories neglect. His writing style is a pleasure to read, probably to his detriment, as the simplistic style may convey the idea that this book is not well researched. However, those who are well-versed in the history of the Third Reich will recognize that a great deal of research has been condensed into a straightforward account of Hitler and his partner's actions. A must-read for modern history buffs.

I have no doubt that most Americans will not believe much of what Mr. Pool outlines with regards to the allied support of Adolf Hitler. I have been doing considerable research on this subject and the more I dig, the worse it gets. And the damnable information comes from numerous varied and different sources. Most Americans have no idea. I am finding out that this book and Mr. Pool's first book on this subject contain more fact than fiction. Which is very, very sad and unfortunate for those of us who harbor any reasonable amount of patriotic fervor. All veterans of any war should read these two accounts by Mr. Pool.

Richard Edward Noble - The Hobo Philosopher - Author of:

America On Strike - A survey of Labor strikes in America

I've read both of Pool books, and I've found them both very insightful on the American, England and German "money" interest in the Nazi's rise to power. Without their backing, Germany would have fallen into a communist state in the early 1930s. Certainly, the high-powered money interest of Europe preferred the Nazi Party to the communist. This is why the "money" interest supported the Nazi party. Understanding this truth is key to understanding the Nazis rise to power.

We all know what Hitler's views were, but we haven't until Pool research, addressed what powerful forces were instrumental in his rise to power. As a history major, Pool represents what the craft of history is all about. A high recommended reading for anyone.

It seems that many Americans don't want to hear the facts about where and who kept Hitler's war machine greased. It's about time Aemricans began to see just how the fear of communism by the wealthy led to a war that ulitimately ended with the world's first detonation of a nuclear device and has kept the defense industries palms well greased ever since. Apparently people prefer fear to truth in America and always have. They certainly never heeded the words of Eisenhower in his farewell speech as he left office warning the people of the dangers inherent in giving in a creating a military-industrial complex which is the very thing that led Hitler to WWII and the rest of the world to misery. Wake up America is what this book is about. Communism is not the only path to totalitarianism.

I've read both of Pool books, and I've found them both very insightful on the American, England and German "money" interest in the Nazi's rise to power. Without their backing, Germany would have fallen into a communist state in the early 1930s. Certainly, the high-powered money interest of Europe preferred the Nazi Party to the communist. This is why the "money" interest supported the Nazi party. Understanding this truth is key to understanding the Nazis rise to power.

We all know what Hitler's views were, but we haven't until Pool research, addressed what powerful forces were instrumental in his rise to power. As a history major, Pool represents what the craft of history is all about. A high recommended reading for anyone.

I borrowed this from a friend, thinking I would skim through it. Whether you will love it or hate it, you must read this book! It's a fascinating read which I couldn't put down!
Fear of communism and business interests played a major role in the war but to what extent the war played out according to those interests makes astonishing reading. James Pool makes you want to look around your house and car to see what products might have been made by companies that supported the Nazis and profited from looting and slave labor.
If, like me, you have always wondered how the Nazi's stayed in power as long as they did and wrought such destruction in Europe, you must read this book. Every single chapter is interesting and even though you know the outcome of the war, the end chapters are quite exciting and you won't be able to put it down! James Pool is an excellent writer and yes there are some minor editorial glitches but you get that everywhere now as less money is spent on editing.
Pool shows the Nazis in their true colours; greedy, crass, vain, ambitious, tasteless, sycophantic, cruel, opportunistic parasites living off each other in the most uneasy symbiosis where things can turn againsst them at any given moment and their looted booty be given to an upstart. They make Caligula look good (almost) The author also exposes the fictions surrounding Hitler's semi-ascetic lifestyle to show a life of luxury funded by looted property. Hitler is portrayed as neither a madman nor a genius, Hitler had charisma, he had some military insight and he was also incredibly lucky a lot of the time. He knew how to play the old rivalries between France, Britain, Russian and the USA against each other quite effectively. And he did have support abroad, there can be no doubt. Pool gives you the impression that without Churchill Britain would also have succumbed, a frightening thought.
I am always worried whether all the documentaries screening regularly about Hitler and the Nazis are glorifying them and whether the Roman concept of Damnatio Memoriae would be better (erase of all traces of these sub-human men) but I know we cannot afford to do that yet. You will finish this book sobered by how much of war is about money and who controls it and how much big business will back wars to protect their markets and access to raw materials.
I am now interested to read the books by Albert Speer and Winston Churchill's memoirs.

This book was recommended to me by a friend, who thought it was an amazing book. So I went online and bought it. I was pleasantly surprised.

Pool gives us an insight inside the economical side of the Third Reich: the policies, the looting, the funding, etc. Ever wondered where did Hitler get all the money to sustain the SA and the SS during the initial phases of the Reich? Ever wondered how Hitler managed to amazingly recover the entire German economy, or how did he gain the trust of the noble German class? Did you ever think about how Hitler looted every country he invaded, such as France, and enslaved them economically?

Read this book and you will get the answer to all those questions. It's properly documented. You will not be disappointed.

This book has a different perspective and for that it is interesting. I cannot believe it was written by an academic however; the spelling mistakes "halfs", "Entant", etc. do not suggest someone educated as being responsible.

It does digress from the key issue to a potted, and in some aspects contentious view of the progress of the War without any real basis, as if certain pet themes had to be smuggled into the text because the author was burning to make some political point.....such as suggesting paratroopers attacking Auschwitz.....without explaining why this suicide mission should succeed when even the advancing Red Army was having difficulty killing enough Wehrmacht soldiers to advance.

It is a book artificially bulked-out with unfounded speculation, and diminished by exceedingly poor editing or maybe just illiteracy on the part of the author which suggests a slapdash approach. When I pay money for a book, I do not expect to have to proof-read the manuscript and pencil in spelling corrections.

Overall, worth reading once but check the facts before quoting them too widely, and keep a dictionary handy.

I very much enjoyed James Pool earlier book about who financed Hitler. This book I enjoyed far less. It exaggerates the economic forces driving Hitler and the power of the business people in Germany.

It has selective quotes from Speer. For example Speer makes it quite clear in his book that Hitler never was as dependent on these financiers as Pool states. When he asked Hitler to make a statement to support them in the long term, Hitler refused.

Many fact Pool states I doubt. Such as that Hitler needed to attack Russia for financial reasons. That Dr Todt was murdered by Goring (I would like to see more evidence for this).

Some I just think are ridiculous such as the Allied could have dropped paratroop near the dead camps, given the Jew's weapons and so freed thousands of Jew's. Then he goes to state that such an attack would have created serious military problems for Germany. Untrained men, without leadership and starving with a few hand guns would have I am sure made a heroic resistance but I doubt little military problems to the German military.

Furthermore his so called "new" evidence that he presents about the drugs that Hitler was taking affecting Hitler's physical and mental state is hardly new.

Overall I think he exaggerates the business world hold on Hitler. I agree many business people took advantage of the war but they certainly did not control Hitler and were hardly his partners.

Grade school history, more legend than fact. Example: He tells the Nazi school boy legend of how Hitler won his Iron cross instead of the less exciting true story.