The Peoples Receiver Hitlers Social

When I was growing up in the 50s, 60s, and 70s, you heard folks asking not infrequently, “How could Hitler have taken power and do the things he and his government did?” My mother who was born in 1928 and lived through WWII often asked this question, once in the mid-1960s seeking but not really finding an answer from a German friend who had lived through the war as a young person growing up in Germany. Not surprisingly our German friend couldn’t really tell us how it happened, couldn’t say why people didn’t see what was happening.

Fast forward years later, eighty years since the end of WWII and Hitler’s suicide in the Berlin bunker. I was visiting my ancestral village tucked away in a valley in the Black Forest. I always make sure I am there on a Friday so I can visit the local farmers’ market and the little community museum. This year, I climbed the old steps to the third floor of the museum which houses an extensive radio collection. While talking to the very knowledgeable docent, I found a piece of the answer to the question of how Hitler consolidated power: The People’s Receiver (Volks Empfänger in German).

Shortly after being installed as Chancellor, Hitler aided by Josef Goebbels, the Reichs Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, developed a program to produce incredibly cheap radios with a limited reception bandwidth. The first model carried the designation VE 301. Yes,

Hitler was appointed Chancellor on January 30, 1933. 301 is shorthand for 30 January –Europeans put the day first, then the month when writing dates. Autocrats and dictators link meaningful dates to events or things designed to enhance their prestige. These inexpensive little radio receivers were widely available. People could even buy them on an installment plan and make payments with their utility bills. And, no surprise, most of the information carried over the airwaves to these special receivers was Nazi propaganda. One very good and effective method for controlling the message. As the docent said, “The social media of the day.”

It is worth reflecting on the role of propaganda and deception in our current world. Where is it taking us as a nation and as a world? What role do the lies broadcast in some media outlets play in dividing our nation? What can be done to deliver factual, unbiased information to the public? Is it too late?

Read more about the VE 301 here: https://exhibitions.ushmm.org/propaganda/german-radio-the-peoples-receiver and here: https://www.dw.com/en/nazi-germany-radio-propaganda-turns-90/a-66551137

Diane Blust retired after 25 years with the CIA. She spent 15 years in Western Europe as an operations officer. In retirement, Ms. Blust has volunteered with non-profit organizations dealing with sustainable development and local food issues. Ms. Blust is a member of The Steady State, a coalition of more than 250 former national security, intelligence, and diplomatic professionals.