Historians push for new 'Mein Kampf'

Some want Hitler's manifesto to be republished before copyright lapses

The Associated Press
updated 2:02 p.m. CT, Tues., April. 29, 2008

BERLIN - German historians want Adolf Hitler's infamous manifesto, "Mein Kampf," to be republished in the country before the copyright lapses in 2015.

Though the book is widely available in the English-speaking world, its publication has been banned in Germany since World War II and its resale is tightly regulated.

But German copyright law dictates that an author's work enters the public domain 70 years after his or her death, and that deadline is fast approaching. Hitler killed himself in his Berlin bunker on April 30, 1945.

Before that anniversary, historians want Bavaria — which controls the copyright because Hitler's last official address was in Munich — to authorize an annotated version of "Mein Kampf." They say a thorough, academic presentation that places Hitler's work in historical context would be the best defense against radical right-wing groups and neo-Nazis who might want to use the book to advance racist agendas once the copyright expires and anyone is free to publish it.

"The legends and myths connected with this book should be destroyed once and for all," said Hans-Christian Taeubrich, director of the Documentation Center at the Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg, the Bavarian city where Hitler staged some of his most monstrous gatherings.

Taeubrich envisions a joint project between his center, prominent historians and the Institute for Contemporary History in Munich. The institute's director, Horst Moeller, has also called for "Mein Kampf" to be annotated and republished.

The work should begin soon, says Taeubrich, because it might take up to three years to illuminate all the sources Hitler used in his rambling and highly subjective book.

"This work has not been done before," said Taeubrich. "Everyone knows this book and what it symbolizes, but no one has recorded where his inspiration came from."

Bavarian lawmakers have routinely turned down calls to reprint the book for fear that it might be misused by right-wing extremists and out of respect for the victims of the Holocaust.

A representative of Bavaria's Finance Ministry, which manages the copyright, told a German radio station last week that the decision not to publish the book was "commonly accepted and highly valued, especially by the Jewish community, domestically and abroad." The ministry did not immediately respond to calls Tuesday seeking comment on Taeubrich's statements.

The Central Council of Jews in Germany had previously supported Bavaria's efforts to suppress the book, but this week the council's director, Stephan Kramer, told The Associated Press that he now endorses work on a new academic edition, a move he described as a "deep change of position."

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There are obviously some difficulties in doing this productively, and some questions as to whether it can be certain to have the "value" claimed in the article.

Having read as much as I could stomach of it (in English translation, of course) I'm not interested in another attempt. A good annotator might make it more interesting than the original, but I probably wouldn't buy the book regardless.

If an authoritative annotation isn't done soon, there may be nobody left (and fewer records accessible) to permit doing it later(?). But is it worth doing?

And if it's done, will anyone actually read the footnotes?

Also at the link: "The book has sold well in translation in the Arab world and in Turkey, where it became a surprise best-seller in 2005."

(I'm pretty sure GWB has had a copy, but DC probably works directly from Hermann's unpublished notes. ... (?))

John