Unity Mitford: World War II Adolf Hitler’s ‘British Girlfriend’

Description

 

The Mitford Sisters and Nazism

Timeline of Main Events

• 1910: Diana Mitford is born.
• August 8, 1914: Unity Mitford is born.
• 1917: Jessica Mitford is born.
• Early 1930s: Unity Mitford becomes a fervent admirer of Nazism and anti-Semitic views in England. She, along with her sister Diana, begins to spend much of their time in Munich.
• 1934: MI5 begins to take an interest in Diana Guinness (then Diana Mitford) because of her association with Oswald Mosley.
• August 1935: Special Branch reports that Unity Mitford’s hatred of Jews is revealed in the Jewish Chronicle.
• 1936: SIS reports that Unity is a close friend of Mosley and sees Hitler frequently in Munich; she is said to be “more Nazi than the Nazis.” She is reported giving the “Hitler salute” to the British Consul General in Munich, leading to a request that her passport be impounded. Diana Mitford secretly marries Oswald Mosley in the presence of Hitler and Ribbentrop.
• February 1937: A search of Unity Mitford’s baggage reveals Nazi literature and portraits of Hitler.
• April 1937: Another search of Unity’s belongings notes she is now wearing a swastika lapel badge.
• 1937-1939: Unity Mitford stalks Hitler for ten months, visiting his favorite restaurant daily, eventually being invited to his table. She writes an anti-Semitic editorial in an Austrian newspaper, which causes controversy in England and leads to her being inducted into Hitler’s inner circle. She remains with him for five years.
• 1938: Diana Mitford’s baggage is inspected at Heston Airport, revealing a new autographed photo of Hitler.
• 1938: Unity Mitford appears with Hitler on the balcony in Vienna when he announces the Anschluss.
• 1938: Unity is arrested in Prague for distributing Nazi propaganda.
• May 1939: MI5 reports describe Unity Mitford as “fundamentally a hysterical and unbalanced person,” recommending restrictions on her movements.
• September 1939: After Germany invades Poland, Hitler separates Unity Mitford from his inner circle.
• Late 1939: Unity Mitford attempts suicide in Munich by shooting herself in the head, causing substantial brain damage. German officials arrange her return to England via Switzerland.
• January 3, 1940: Unity Mitford arrives back in the UK, with a report refuting claims by the Daily Mail about her search and interrogation.
• Early 1940: Discussion ensues on whether Unity Mitford should be placed in internment.
• May 1940: The Home Office explains their decision not to intern Diana Mosley, at the time.
• June 1940: Diana Mosley is eventually detained after her former father-in-law, Lord Moyne, becomes involved.
• June 8, 1941: The Chief Constable of Oxfordshire gives reasons why Unity Mitford should not be interned.
• 1941-1943: Diana Mosley is interned in Holloway Prison.
• 1943: Diana Mosley is released from detention.
• 1944: Jessica Mitford becomes an American citizen.
• December 1946: The Home Office warrant on Diana Mosley is suspended.
• 1948: Unity Mitford dies from complications from her suicide attempt.
• Early 1950s: Jessica Mitford works as executive secretary of a Civil Rights Congress chapter and becomes active in civil rights campaigns.
• 1953: Jessica and her husband are summoned to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee and refuse to testify.
• 1958: Jessica and her husband resign from the Communist Party.
• 1960: Jessica Mitford publishes her memoir, Hons and Rebels (Daughters and Rebels in the US).
• May 1961: Jessica Mitford travels to Montgomery, Alabama, witnesses the arrival of the Freedom Riders, and is caught up in a riot led by the Ku Klux Klan.
• 1996: Jessica Mitford dies.
• 2003: Diana Mitford dies.

Cast of Characters

• Unity Valkyrie Mitford (1914-1948): A British socialite and fervent admirer of Adolf Hitler. Known as ‘Baba’, she became a prominent advocate of Nazism in pre-war England, spending much time in Munich with Hitler. She attempted suicide after Hitler distanced himself from her, resulting in severe brain damage and ultimately her death.
• Diana Mitford (1910-2003): Unity’s sister, often described as “the most beautiful and dazzling of the Mitford girls.” She was first married to Brian Guinness and later to British fascist leader Oswald Mosley. She was a strong supporter of Hitler and his political views. She was briefly interned in Holloway Prison during the war.
• Jessica Lucy Freeman-Mitford (1917 – 1996): Another Mitford sister, known as “Decca”. Unlike her sisters, she renounced her privileged background and became a communist, later an American citizen. She became an author, investigative journalist, civil rights activist, and political campaigner.
• Adolf Hitler: Leader of Nazi Germany. Both Unity and Diana Mitford admired him greatly. Unity formed a close relationship with him, while Diana married in his presence.
• Oswald Mosley: Leader of the British Union of Fascists, married to Diana Mitford. The MI5 files suggest he was not as clever or dangerous as Diana.
• Lord Redesdale: Father of Unity, Diana, and Jessica Mitford. Described as “one of nature’s fascists” and was reportedly upset at the cost of Unity’s return to the UK after her suicide attempt.
• Lady Redesdale: Mother of Unity, Diana, and Jessica Mitford, who cared for Unity until her death.
• Joseph Goebbels: Nazi propaganda chief, in some accounts he hosted the marriage of Oswald and Diana Mosley.
• Joachim von Ribbentrop: Nazi foreign minister, present at Diana and Oswald Mosley’s wedding.
• Brian Guinness (later Lord Moyne): Diana Mitford’s first husband, an heir to the Guinness company. His later intervention appears to have resulted in Diana’s detention.
• Guy Liddell: Head of MI5 B Division, who suggested that leaving Unity Mitford at liberty might lead to criticism given her aristocratic background.
• Martin Luther King, Jr.: Civil rights leader whose rally Jessica Mitford attended in Montgomery, Alabama.

Mitford Unity: World War II Adolf Hitler’s ‘British Girlfriend’ – MI5 British Intelligence File

World War II: Adolf Hitler’s British Girlfriend Unity Mitford MI5 British Intelligence Files

The collection includes 1,392 pages, consisting of 350 pages from MI5 British intelligence files about Unity Valkyrie Mitford, a devoted follower of Adolf Hitler, and her sister Diana, along with 1,042 pages of FBI files regarding their sister Jessica Mitford.

Unity Valkyrie Mitford (August 8, 1914 – May 28, 1948) was an English socialite from an aristocratic background who formed a relationship with Adolf Hitler. Prior to joining Hitler’s close associates, she was a vocal supporter of Nazism, fascism, and anti-Semitism in England before the war.

Known as ‘Baba’, Unity was the fourth daughter of Lord Redesdale and gained notoriety as a society figure who passionately admired and befriended Hitler. She and her sister Diana spent considerable time in Munich, backing the Nazi agenda. Diana later married Oswald Mosley, a notable British fascist and leader of the British Union of Fascists. Some reports suggest their wedding took place at Hitler’s residence, while others claim it occurred in the drawing room of Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda chief, with Hitler present.

After pursuing Hitler for ten months, frequently visiting his preferred restaurant, Osteria Bavaria, he eventually invited her to join him at his table. Mitford penned an anti-Semitic article that was published in an Austrian newspaper, sparking significant controversy in England and leading to her inclusion in Hitler’s inner circle. She remained with him for five years, appearing alongside him on a balcony in Vienna when he announced the Anschluss in 1938. Later, she was arrested in Prague for distributing Nazi propaganda.

A report from MI5 in May 1939 describes Unity Mitford as fundamentally hysterical and unstable, suggesting she would likely be of no assistance to the Germans in the event of war, and recommending limitations on her movements.

Following Germany’s invasion of Poland in September 1939, Hitler distanced himself from Mitford. In reaction to this rejection, she attempted suicide by shooting herself in the head in her Munich apartment. Although the attempt was unsuccessful, it resulted in significant brain damage. German officials arranged for her return to England through Switzerland.Upon her return to England, she was not placed in an internment camp. Documents in these files indicate that the choice not to intern her went against MI5’s preferences, as local police believed she was not involved in activities harmful to national interests and considered her simple-minded following her suicide attempt, rendering her incapable of such actions.

In Britain, she was looked after by her mother, Lady Redesdale, until complications from her suicide attempt led to her death in 1948.

Unity Mitford MI5 File

This file contains 82 pages of SIS reports and intercepted communications.

Key points from the file include:

A Special Branch report from August 1935 detailing Unity’s animosity towards Jews, as highlighted in the Jewish Chronicle.

SIS reports from 1936 indicating that she was a close associate of Mosley and frequently met with Hitler during his visits to Munich, describing her as “more Nazi than the Nazis.” It also noted that she had given the “Hitler salute” to the British Consul General in Munich, who subsequently requested that her passport be confiscated.

A Special Branch report from February 1937, following a search of her possessions, revealed that her luggage contained Nazi propaganda and multiple portraits of Hitler. In April, another search, referred to as “the usual search,” indicated that she was now wearing a swastika lapel pin.

An account described her being pursued by angry protesters during a Socialist Party demonstration in Hyde Park. A transcript of a recorded phone call captured Lord Redesdale expressing his concerns to his wife about the expenses associated with hiring an ambulance train to transport Unity after her suicide attempt.

A seven-page report from the security control officer at Folkestone disputed claims made by the Daily Mail regarding the search and questioning of Unity upon her arrival in the UK on January 3, 1940.

A summary of correspondence debated whether Mitford should be interned. In a review of her case, Guy Liddell, head of MI5’s B Division, suggested that if she were allowed to remain free, the Home Office could face criticism implying that her immunity was due to her being the daughter of a peer.On June 8, 1941, the Chief Constable of Oxfordshire submitted a report outlining the reasons against the internment of Mitford.

Diana Mitford MI5 Files

The MI5 files related to Unity Mitford’s sister, Diana, span 268 pages. Lady Diana Mosley, originally known as Lady Diana Mitford (1910-2003), was one of Lord Redesdale’s daughters and was considered by the British media to be the most stunning and captivating of the Mitford sisters. At just 18, she married Brian Guinness, the heir to the Guinness fortune (later known as Lord Moyne), but eventually left him to marry Oswald Mosley, Britain’s most notorious fascist and founder of the British Union of Fascists. Her sister, Unity, introduced her to Hitler, and Diana maintained a lasting admiration for him and his ideologies.

An entry in her MI5 file indicates that Diana Mosley, wife of Sir Oswald Mosley, is deemed a public threat based on credible information from her family and close associates. It is noted that she is significantly more intelligent and potentially dangerous than her husband, driven by relentless ambition.

The MI5’s interest in Diana Guinness (as she was then called) began in 1934 when her relationship with Oswald Mosley first came to light.The document contains records of her regular travels to and from Germany by plane, details of her clandestine marriage to Mosley in the presence of Hitler and Ribbentrop in 1936, as well as various intercepted letters and phone calls. In August 1938, upon returning from a trip to Germany, her luggage was searched at Heston Airport, revealing suspicious items, including a newly signed photograph of Hitler, which were reported to the authorities. Diana Mosley was not detained when the war began and remained free for a period. A letter from the Home Office dated May 1940 explains the Home Secretary’s choice not to detain her at that time, along with correspondence from her former father-in-law, Lord Moyne, which appears to have led to her detention the following month. The file includes a copy of the request form for her detention. She was held at Holloway prison, where there are reports regarding her visitors and a transcript of her appeal against her detention.

The second part of the file documents Diana Mosley’s visitors at Holloway from 1941 until her release in 1943. Her Home Office warrant was eventually lifted in December 1946. The files also include comments and correspondence from members of Diana Mosley’s family. Following this, the Security Service concluded that there was no longer a need for a separate file on Diana Mosley, and subsequent documents related to her were added to her husband’s file.

Jessica Mitford FBI Files

Alongside the MI5 files mentioned earlier, this collection comprises 1,042 pages of FBI files pertaining to Jessica Mitford.

Jessica Lucy Freeman-Mitford (1917 – 1996) was an English writer, investigative journalist, civil rights advocate, and political activist, known as one of the Mitford sisters. She became a U.S. citizen in 1944. While her sisters Unity and Diana were prominent British supporters of Hitler and their father was characterized as a natural fascist, Jessica, also referred to as Decca, rejected her affluent upbringing early on and embraced communism. She was considered the black sheep of the family. After her father’s passing, it was disclosed that she had been excluded from his will.During the early 1950s, Mitford served as the executive secretary for a local chapter of the Civil Rights Congress. Through this role and her husband’s legal work, she participated in various civil rights initiatives, including the unsuccessful effort to prevent the execution of Willie McGee, an African American found guilty of raping a white woman. Both Mitford and her husband became active members of the Communist Party. In 1953, amid the peak of McCarthyism and the ‘Red Scare,’ they were called to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee, where they both refused to disclose their involvement with radical organizations. They eventually left the Communist Party in 1958.

In 1960, Mitford released her first book, Hons and Rebels, which was published in America as Daughters and Rebels, detailing her childhood in the Redesdale family.

In May 1961, while writing an article about Southern perspectives for Esquire, she traveled to Montgomery, Alabama. There, she and a friend went to greet the Freedom Riders and found themselves in the midst of a riot when a mob led by the Ku Klux Klan attacked the civil rights demonstrators. Following the riot, Mitford attended a rally hosted by Martin Luther King, Jr., which was also targeted by the Klan. She and the attendees had to spend the night barricaded inside the church until the National Guard intervened to restore order.