Gerbert Dirksen German diplomat. Date of Birth: 02.04.1882 Country: Germany

1. Biography of Herbert Dirksen
2. Diplomatic Career and World Travels
3. German Ambassadorships
4. Critical Views on the Nazi Regime

Biography of Herbert Dirksen

Herbert von Dirksen (1882-1955) was a German diplomat known for his extensive diplomatic career and critical views of the Nazi regime. He was born on April 2, 1882, in Berlin. Dirksen completed his education at the Emperor Wilhelm Gymnasium in Berlin and later studied law.

Diplomatic Career and World Travels

In 1907, Dirksen embarked on a world tour, visiting Eastern Africa, India, China, Japan, North America, Brazil, and Argentina. This journey would later serve as a foundation for his diplomatic career. He initially worked as a lawyer and in 1910, he visited the German colonies in Eastern and Southern Africa.

During World War I, Dirksen served as a lieutenant and was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class for his participation in the conflict. After the war, he entered the diplomatic service and became the German Consul in Danzig from 1923 to 1925. In 1928, Dirksen assumed the position of the head of the Eastern Department at the German Foreign Ministry.

German Ambassadorships

In the same year, Dirksen was appointed as the German Ambassador to Moscow, a position he held until 1933. In September 1933, he became the German Ambassador to Tokyo, and in 1938, he was appointed as the Ambassador to London.

However, with the outbreak of World War II, Dirksen returned to Germany and retired from his diplomatic career. In 1950, he published his book "Moscow-Tokyo-London: Memories and Reflections. 20 Years of German Foreign Policy, 1919-1939," where he provided a critical assessment of many high-ranking Nazi diplomats, including Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, whom he disdainfully referred to as a "parvenu and useless comic figure." Dirksen described his diplomatic career under the Third Reich as "full of humiliations and disappointments."

Critical Views on the Nazi Regime

Dirksen's first meeting with Hitler lasted only three minutes, during which Hitler appeared restless and frequently excused himself. Dirksen was both amazed and angered by the encounter, stating, "I was shocked and resentful when I left him." As a diplomat from the old school, Dirksen could never reconcile himself with the "hypocrisy, superficiality, and inefficiency" of the Nazi Foreign Ministry.

After the signing of the Munich Agreement in 1938, Dirksen completely abandoned any attempts to restore German diplomacy to a "prudent policy." He admitted, "Despite not being involved in the lies of this period, it would have been far more honorable not to serve the Hitler regime at all."