Did Hitler say that ? (1941)

From the April 1941 issue of the Socialist Standard

In a recent speech Hitler was reported to have said: “Basically, National Socialism and Marxism are the same” (News Chronicle, February 25th, 1941). At first we thought it was just one more example of that limitless disregard for the truth and that contempt for the intelligence of his German listeners for which Hitler is renowned, and that like other poses he has adopted from time to time, it foreshadowed a new twist to his tortuous policy. We learn, however, from the New Statesman (March 1st, 1941) that Hitler was misreported, and that what he actually said was: “Nazism and Fascism are fundamentally the same,” meaning the German and the Italian brands of thuggery.

P. S.