Frederick Augustus Voigt was the Manchester Guardian’s Berlin correspondent between 1920 and 1932.
In this episode, two fellow former Berlin correspondents, Helen Pidd and Philip Oltermann, discuss Voigt’s incredible reporting on the rise of Nazi Germany.
“I think he saw that it was important not to give the Nazis the ‘both sides’ treatment,” Philip says. “And was really razor sharp when it came to focusing on the political violence that the Nazis were inflicting on political opponents or on Jewish citizens.”
The pair discuss how Voigt became a target and moved to Paris in 1932, where he learned about a Gestapo plan to track him down and shoot him.
“He slept in this tiny apartment with several French secret service agents with machine guns sleeping on the floor to protect him,” Philip says.
Philip and Helen also reflect on how the media covers the far-right AFD party in Germany today.
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