Interviewing Hitler
George Ward Price rose to prominence as the leading journalist in the 1930s, thanks to a string of world exclusives on Nazi Germany. He spent an hour alone with Hitler and Göring after the remilitarisation of the Rhineland, stood next to Hitler as he addressed a crowd on the night of the invasion of Austria, and joined him for afternoon tea at the Eagle’s Nest following his historic first meeting with Neville Chamberlain.
These stories made Ward Price world famous, but he often seemed uncomfortable in the glare of the spotlight, hiding his true self behind a carefully cultivated veneer of suave and easy-going charm. It meant that he left unanswered questions: what drove his all-consuming ambition? Was his success down to journalist brilliance, or was there something more sinister that lay behind it? And were there any lengths to which he would not go to make sure that, as one of his colleagues put it, he ‘always got his story’?
Interviewing Hitler is the first book to explore the real Ward Price and the truth behind his reporting on the Nazis. It is a journey that takes us through a series of century-shaping events and deep into the dark heart of British journalism. As well as being one of the most controversial figures in newspaper history, Ward Price’s career serves as a warning for today’s world of disinformation and fake news.