In September 1931, Adolf Hitler was on the rise politically. The Nazi party was gaining seats in the Reichstag and in local elections, and Hitler had become a national figure. Party membership was swelling, and Hitler was considering running for President in 1932, although he wasn’t even a citizen of Germany yet as he was Austrian-born.
Then something shocking happened that could have, and maybe should have, derailed his political career. His niece was found dead in his Munich apartment, and evidence pointed to foul play.
Geli Raubal was the 23 year old daughter of his half-sister Angela, and had been a constant fixture at her Uncle Alf’s side for several years. Although her uncle was nineteen years older, she attended meetings and social events around Munich with him, functioning effectively as his girlfriend. Multiple people claimed knowledge of a kinky sexual relationship, which Geli was unenthusiastic about.
The flirtatious young girl was seen around town with other men when Hitler was away, and even began a romantic relationship with his chauffeur. Hitler disapproved, threatening to kill his driver, and Geli stopped being seen around town unless her uncle was with her. She became somewhat of a prisoner in his Munich apartment, where she had lived for many years. Doting uncle or creepy uncle?
Rebellious and tired of being confined to his apartment, Geli allegedly struck up a new relationship with a Jewish singing teacher, and planned to move to Vienna to be with him. Hitler was reportedly furious, and numerous people heard them arguing on the evening of September 18th, 1931.
The next morning, staff forced open Geli’s locked door when she failed to come out. She and Hitler held the only keys to the locked door, but he had left the night before on a campaign trip to Hamburg. The young woman’s dead body was found on the floor of her room.
If the plot isn’t thick enough, hang on. It gets thicker.
Before the police were called, a group of high level Nazis met at the apartment to discuss damage control. They called the press department at The Brown House, the party headquarters in Munich, and first instructed them to tell the press Hitler’s niece committed suicide and he was devastated. Shortly after, they called back and changed the story to say it was an “accident.”
When the police were finally called, Hitler’s SS controlled the crime scene and the press were not allowed to enter, a sharp departure from normal protocol for high profile cases. Reporters went to work, and news articles mentioned several damning facts:
Neighbors had heard Hitler and his niece arguing the evening before. Violent quarrels had been heard from the apartment more than once.
Owners of the building heard a strange cry late afternoon or evening before, but hadn’t connected it to Geli. The timing of the cry cast doubt on Hitler’s alibi that he had already left for Hamburg when she was shot.
An unfinished letter in Geli’s handwriting was found in the room with her body, and far from being a suicide note, it was upbeat and mentioned upcoming plans in Vienna. The letter stopped abruptly mid-sentence.
Many around town had heard the scandalous rumor that Geli was pregnant, either with Hitler’s baby or her Jewish boyfriend’s.
The young woman’s nose was broken, and there were other injuries on the body. The strange angle of the shot downward through her chest would have been difficult to self-inflict, and an uncommon suicide choice.
Hitler immediately responded to the rampant press reports of foul play, issuing a strange statement of his own:
"(1) It is untrue that I had either 'recurrent disagreements' or 'a violent quarrel' with my niece Angela Raubal on Friday 18 September or previously. (2) It is untrue that I was 'strongly opposed' to my niece's travelling to Vienna. The truth is that I was never against the trip my niece had planned to Vienna. (3) It is untrue that my niece wanted to become engaged in Vienna or that I had some objection to my niece's engagement. The truth is that my niece, tortured by anxiety about whether she really had the talent necessary for a public appearance, wanted to go to Vienna in order to have a new assessment of her voice by a qualified voice specialist. (4) It is untrue that I left my flat on 18 September 1931 'after a violent scene'. The truth is that there was no kind of scene and no agitation of any kind when I left my flat on that day."
Sounds pretty defensive, wouldn’t you say? Two of the points specifically address a “violent quarrel” or “violent scene,” which he denied. Twice. There is no mention of sadness at her death, although he was reportedly unconsolable. Many questioned his claim that his niece was “tortured by anxiety,” as she was well-known around Munich for being very confident and upbeat.
A police doctor did a cursory examination and quickly dismissed any physical injuries before the gunshot, saying her nose was broken when she fell face down on the floor and any discoloration on her face was explained by the fact that she suffocated to death. The bullet apparently punctured her lung from an angle above her heart, leading to a slow and painful death. The pistol, a Walther 6.35, was found near her body on the couch with her arm stretched toward it.
Although the press called for further examination of the body, it had already been whisked away to Austria for burial. This was most likely orchestrated by the Bavarian Minister of Justice, Franz Gürtner, a well-known crony of Hitler who often protected the Nazis in Munich.
The last mysterious twist involved a Catholic priest who had known Hitler for over twenty years. He conducted a full Catholic funeral for Geli Raubal, although people who committed suicide were not allowed to have a Catholic burial. The devout priest was clearly convinced her death was not by her own hand, and some have speculated that Hitler gave a private confession that the priest was obligated to never divulge. Years later, the priest fled Nazi Germany and went to Paris, where he was quoted as saying: “They pretended that she committed suicide; I should never have allowed a suicide to be buried in consecrated ground. From the fact that I gave her Christian burial you can draw conclusions which I cannot communicate to you.”
By this time, it was too late. The case was closed and Hitler’s political career continued to soar. He was appointed Chancellor in January 1933, which led to his full seizure of power. It was another “what if” in Hitler’s unlikely rise to power. What if he murdered his niece in anger and was convicted of the crime? What if further examination had been done on the body, revealing a murder in his apartment? We will never know. He escaped the scandal unscathed, ironically going on to murder millions.
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