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Fascinating letter and document collection related to the Nazi Party’s investigation into Inga Arvad, a Danish journalist who claimed to have had three personal meetings with Adolf Hitler, and who later shared a two-year romance with John F. Kennedy during World War II. A newspaper columnist, former Miss Denmark, and wife to a Hungarian filmmaker, Arvad began a relationship with Kennedy in Washington in 1941, the same year that FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover suspected her of being a Nazi spy. The Nazis were just as wary of Arvad, whose claims that she had been received by Hitler on several occasions prompted the Reich Chancellery to begin an investigation. The letters and documents, which are all in the German language, are listed in chronological order:
Carbon copy of a typed letter from Dr. Helmuth von Feldmann, a senior member of Goebbels' Ministry of Propaganda, to the German Embassy in Copenhagen, one page, 8.25 x 11.75, March 26, 1936, essentially warning them of Arvad's reputation. Von Feldmann mentions Arvad's first husband, an Alleged 'Egyptian prince who was soon imprisoned' (actually an Egyptian diplomat), her return from Paris, 'penniless,’ and her relationship with her second husband, Paul Fejos, 'the Jewish film man Fejos,’ married 14 days ago. Von Feldmann mentions 'alleged relations' with the wives of Joseph Goebbels and Hermann Goring, and that the Danish correspondents were amazed at her securing an interview with Hitler on a freelance basis. He concludes by saying that the German Foreign Office has been informed.
TLS from Danish journalist Herluf Andersen, one page, 8.25 x 11.75, August 17, 1936 (Copenhagen), addressed to Adolf Hitler and explaining that he has been invited to attend the Nazi Party Rally in Nuremberg, and is currently working for the right-wing Berlingske Tidende, and would like to take the opportunity of his visit to meet Hitler for a personal interview, adding that the questions will be submitted ahead of time so that Hitler can decide whether he answers all of the questions or not, as well as choosing any other topics he may want to discuss. Includes two additional documents related to Andersen’s request, dated August 26 and 28, 1936.
Carbon copy of a typed letter from Georg Ferdinand Duckwitz, the Nazi Ambassador to Denmark, who later helped rescue 95% of Denmark's Jews from deportation, sent to the Foreign Office in Berlin, three pages, 8 x 11.75, September 10, 1936. Duckwitz expresses the view that the embassy has always rejected requests for interviews with Hitler from Danish press representatives, and then complains that Arvad's underhanded tactics, her relationship with 'a Jewish film man,' amongst other worries, have created much bad feeling in the professional Danish press. Duckwitz explains that it is thought that Hitler had been incorrectly informed about Arvad's background at the time and describes an embarrassing incident Arvad was involved in at a New Year's review hosted by Denmark's largest newspaper, Berlingske Tidende. He closes, recommending that Herluf Andersen, rather than Arvad, be given the honor of interviewing Hitler.
TLS from Wilhelm Wolf, a senior member of the Foreign Office, one page, 8.25 x 11.75, September 18, 1936, to the Secretary of State and head of the Presidential Chancellery, which bears handwritten notations, one of which reads (translated): “For the attention of the office. According to the report here from Copenhagen, Frau Arvad is supposed to have had an audience with the Fuhrer. Do we hold any information about this?” Wolf was an Austrian politician and historian (1897–1939) who served as the last Austrian foreign minister before the de facto annexation of Austria by the Nazi German Empire in 1938.
The reverse of the Wolf letter bears a TLS from German diplomat Werner Kiewitz, a ministerial adviser in the Reichs Chancellery, dated December 1936, which states, in part (translated): “The files of the Presidential Chancellery show no evidence that the Danish woman, Frau Inga Arvad, asked for, and had, a conversation with the Fuhrer and Reich Chancellor. Jung, a counsellor in the Reich Chancellery, informed me, in answer to a telephone enquiry, that – according to papers held there – Frau Arvad was merely received by the Fuhrer at the end of 1935, but that, on the other hand, there is no trace of an audience in September 1936 on the files. The Reich Chancellery has, in addition, obtained from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs a copy of a report from the German embassy in Copenhagen, dated 10th September 1936, and as a result, is now in the picture as to the background of the journalist Frau Arvad. Care is to be taken that Frau Arvad is not received again. It is also impossible to tell from the files whether the Dane, Herluf Andersen, perhaps had an opportunity to talk to the Fuhrer, on the occasion of the Reich Party Rally, to which – according to his letter – he was invited. It can certainly be seen from the above that there are further steps to be taken in this matter.” In overall very good to fine condition, with edgewear, creases, and small tears. An intriguing group of documents linking two of the 20th century's most famous political leaders, Adolf Hitler and John F. Kennedy, via a Danish journalist who may—or may not—have been a Nazi spy.
The career of Danish journalist Inga Arvad is marked by a blend of fact and embellishment. Despite her claims of being Hitler’s guest at the 1936 Olympics and meeting him three times, the documents here show no evidence to support them.
Arvad described Hitler in glowing terms and even recounted checking him for a bulletproof vest at his request, after which he called her a “perfect example of Nordic beauty.” She also alleged close ties to Hermann Göring and Joseph Goebbels, though the documents dismiss these as exaggerations. While she did accurately report Göring’s 1935 engagement to actress Emmy Sonnemann, her claims of attending the wedding and befriending Goebbels—who supposedly arranged further interviews with Hitler—are unsubstantiated and contradicted by the evidence.
Arvad’s sensational claims of intimacy with Hitler and other Nazi leaders soon caught the attention of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI while she was working in the U.S. as a journalist. In late 1941, she began a passionate romance with John F. Kennedy, then a young naval intelligence ensign. Their relationship was serious—Kennedy even brought her to family gatherings—but it quickly drew suspicion. Convinced she was a Nazi spy, the FBI wiretapped their calls and planted listening devices in the hotel rooms where they met, making their affair one of the most closely monitored romances of the era.
Had Hoover possessed the present documents, it would have been clear that Arvad’s supposed connections to Hitler, Göring, and Goebbels were largely fabricated, and the fears that shadowed her relationship with Kennedy would likely never have taken hold.
