Joseph Goebbels' secretary, Brunhilde Pomsel, has died at the age of 106. She is widely viewed as being the "last living survivor" from the Nazi leadership's "inner circle", as reported in the Guardian newspaper. But as to not give too much away, I am going to be answering questions in accordance with comments made by Pomsel as I delve into the subject matter.
The background
Brunhilde Pomsel was born in January 1911. In her teenage years Pomsel worked as a writer for a Jewish insurance broker, before taking a similar job with a right-wing writer, according to the BBC.
In 1933 she joined the Nazi Party and in 1942 began her role as Joseph Goebbels' secretary. Goebbels was Adolf Hitler's "trusted friend and colleague" according to the History website and held the position of 'Minister for public enlightenment and propaganda'.
What was said
But what I would like to focus on here is the comments made by Brunhilde Pomsel herself. In interviews conducted towards the end of her life, Pomsel said a number of things, one in particular that she feels no remorse. As reported on the BBC website, Pomsel stated that "I wouldn't see myself as being guilty". She described her work as "just another job" and that "I didn't do anything other than type in Goebbels' office", as revealed in the Guardian newspaper.
In addition, Pomsel also stated that "I knew nothing" and went on to say that "we knew nothing, it was all kept well secret".
The questions to ask
It is here that the questions need to be asked. Number one, should she feel remorse? Although it was not her giving the orders to exterminate the Jewish people or to advise Adolf Hitler, she was part of the system.
She was a Nazi party member, she worked in the offices of a senior Nazi official and therefore must be guilty by association. Although not central to the regime, she should feel immense guilt at what she was a part of. And secondly, was it plausible that she did actually know nothing? I do not believe so. It would be near-on impossible to know nothing having spent three years as Geobbels' secretary.
She must have overhead something, typed a certain letter or seen something. How can someone so enshrined in the system not know a single thing?
Brunhilde Pomsel, despite her position as a secretary, should feel immense guilt at what she was a part of. She did not need to accept the job, and in doing so, became a cog in the system. I believe that she knew what was going on; to not know would be naivety on a whole other level.
