Karl Bömer
Karl Bömer | |
---|---|
Born | Münster, Germany | September 7, 1900
Died | August 22, 1942 Krakow, Poland | (aged 41)
Nationality | Germany |
Education | PhD, University of Münster[1] |
Occupation(s) | Nazi propaganda and public relations officer |
Karl Bömer (September 7, 1900 – August 22, 1942) was was a German ministerial director and the head of the Foreign Department for Journalism in the Ministry of Propaganda. His accidental hint at German plans to invade the USSR led to his arrest by the Gestapo in May 1941. Subsequently, he fought on the Eastern Front in 1942 and sustained injuries near Kharkov; Bömer died in a military hospital in Krakow.[2]
Education and early career
Bömer embarked on academic pursuits in journalism in the late 1920s, including visits to various American universities and lecturing at the School of Journalism of the University of Missouri. It was during this time that Bömer crossed paths with Pierre J. Huss, who would later head the INS Berlin bureau.[3] Prior to his appointment in the Nazi Propaganda Ministry, Bömer cultivated experience in journalism and public relations and participated in initiatives aimed at fostering improved relations between Germany and Mexico as well as the US.[4]
Career in the Nazi era (1932-1941)
Bömer joined the NSDAP in 1932. Bömer was appointed by Alfred Rosenberg to lead the Press Department of the NSDAP's Foreign Policy Office in May 1933. During the 1930s, Nazi authorities hired Bömer to engage with the foreign press corps in Berlin within the German Propaganda Ministry.[5] His familiarity with publicity methods gleaned from his time in the US positioned him as a valuable resource in shaping and managing the foreign press corps's perception of the Nazi regime in Germany.
References
- ^ Deutsche Biographische Enzyklopädie (German Biographical Encyclopedia), Vol. 1, p. 629.
- ^ The New York Times, August 24, 1942, 'Disgraced Boemer Is Killed In Russia’, p. 2.
- ^ Huss, Pierre J. (1942), The Foe We Face, New York, p. 130.
- ^ Huss, Pierre J. (1942), The Foe We Face, New York, p. 129-130.
- ^ Huss, Pierre J. (1942), The Foe We Face, New York, p. 129-133.