Frieda: Yes, she spoke to me earlier. I was here because of my husband, we were both at the Göring's home, and we had the children here as well. We lived there and he paid us good money, it was 425 marks a month and we had no expenses. The Reichsmarschall, or as we called him, boss, was a very kind man I will say. He hired us on to manage his home, which he only used maybe two weeks out of the year, so for us it was like having our own place, with a house guest once in a while. He would offer us bonuses and presents for Christmas and birthdays. The children loved him. My husband loved the cars he would bring to enjoy, he always had the best.

Did you ever meet Hitler?

Frieda: Oh yes, the Führer would come once in awhile, usually to see Edda [Göring's daughter] or Emmy [Göring's wife], whom he was fond of. I have only good memories of him being here, he was a person whom you could see was larger than life. He once commented to me that once the war was done he would like to have a family like mine. He said this during a tea lunch, my girls were on his lap while he drew a picture, you know he was an artist, he liked to draw often. He was drinking Kümmel tea along with his Fachingen water. The boss liked these too, so we kept them at the ready. While we were just the house staff, he treated us as we were family. None of the bosses treated their staff bad; even Bormann's staff reported very good treatment. He has a bad reputation now, but back then he seemed like a good boss.

I was able to meet most everyone in the Führer's circle, this area was a huge camp back in those times, you could see his guards at their posts and patrolling around. We were invited to the Berghof on a few occasions and we were introduced to the staff. I even met Eva Braun, whom was delightful and fun to be around. Once she invited my children to go with the Goebbel's children for some time on the water, she said it would give us some time to be alone.

Did you have aspirations to do anything else other than housekeeping while growing up?

Frieda: It is not a bad choice, in Germany you had choices to make when you are young regarding what you wanted to do with your life. It is the question of our new modern age for a youngster. You could follow the family business, go to college if you had the money and grades, go to a trade school if you can't do college, or just become a general worker. In my case I had to take the trade school path where one learned to care for the home. For a young girl this was quite to my liking I will tell you. And I met my future man and we wed. Children followed and we were secure in our jobs. Politics had nothing to do with coming here to work, I must say. I was not a political person at all. I had no feelings about it; however I can tell you I did admire what the Führer did for Germany. When I first met him in person I was intimidated but he quickly broke the ice by complimenting my outfit and the way the house was presented. He told my husband that I was quite a good find and he ordered him to be a good husband and father in a joking way.

You met many of the other staff and secretaries, and have kept in close touch with a few. Did they gossip about the bosses?

Frieda: Oh yes, that is for certain, it is a human trait to be absorbed in your work and to share the experiences with friends. I got to know many of the staff of the Berghof, and of other homes in the area. You must understand to be a house manager here meant you ran the home; it was a very prestigious position back then. Using discretion was a must, and what you saw you kept to yourself. When the war started this was made very important, where there were SS men always paying attention. There was also a certain power and influence that we had. We would go shopping into town for the house and when people knew who you worked for they snapped to when you needed something. Oh, I was able to pass on your questions to Gerda [Hitler's secretary], and she did reply saying she is sorry she has not found time to meet you [her interview at bottom].

What do you remember about Reichsmarschall Göring. Can you tell me some memories and observations?

Frieda: Yes, the boss was a very likable man, with a good family. I remember him being very proper and happy. He did not have an easy life; he lost his first wife during the Kampfzeit [time of struggle] and was wounded with Hitler. He was a warrior and would speak of the fights against the Red Front back in the twenties. Something that I am afraid is lost to history is just how much he cared for people, especially his men. I can share a story here that shows this. In 1943, I believe, we were out enjoying a picnic with many of the house staff and guests from around the area. One young girl was working at the hotel in town, and was married to a soldier of some type. The postman received a telegram for her and brought it up during this time. We all knew it was never good news.

It told of her man being listed as missing, and she was devastated. The boss had arrived the next day and we shared this story with him. He stopped what he was doing and started making calls to friends in other countries about the fate of this soldier. He had contacts in Sweden and Switzerland who could speak to his counterparts. I think it was a week later he heard back that her man was alive, and was captured by the Americans. He invited her up to tell her the news. He told her she should be getting a letter from him soon, and the Americans will treat him well. She cried in his arms tears of joy, thanking him for doing this. His detractors say bad things about him but we knew a different side.

He was a large man, as you know, but I can tell you he was very fit for his size. He would go out and climb the mountains here, ski, swim, hike, and hunt. It is not true what they sat about him today; he was not a lazy slob. He was always up doing something, he had lots of hobbies. He had records, books, cars, toy cars, toy trains, and collectibles. He loved weapons and war relics from history; he was a very big history buff. My husband was too, and they would drink beer and talk about history at times. He loved his beer; he had some of the best brewers in Germany who would send him new samples. I remember him being a good father to Edda, they had a good relationship and he took her with him to enjoy the outdoors often. I really have nothing bad I can say about him, is there anything specific you would like to know?

I have read he looted and stole art treasures from all over Europe. Do you believe this, or know anything different?

Frieda: I can tell you, as we managed the home, after 1941 he had many items sent here after the expansion. He had receipts showing what he paid for each piece. He would have staff or he himself would negotiate with dealers and studios from all over to buy pieces. I know he was against any looting. He once returned a piece to the French that a subordinate presented to him as a war trophy. He had the man reprimanded, for me that tells all I need to know about that. If any army looted or stole works of art, it was the American army. They came here and looted every home, building, and bombed structure. After the bombing of Obersalzberg, some of the civilians came up here to get food, medicine, and things they needed to survive. A few did take some personal items, but not many did this. The Americans came and were like locusts, they pounced on everything they could carry.

It was so bad that the commander, after complaints from the mayor, had to post guards, some were even German prisoners, to stop it. I remember this well, as they came to the house and took anything they could, they even went into the living quarters for us and wanted to take things but we convinced them it was our house and had nothing valuable. I just do not accept that the boss would do any of these things; I think his opulent collections and tastes made him a target for blame. He had all these nice things, so the looters spread the tales that it was all stolen, so it justified their thievery. I saw the receipts; I know he paid, with his own money, for all the art and collectibles he owned. They even took Emmy's and Edda's gifts away.

Something I will tell you that shows his true character, when the Americans started bombing the cities, he rushed to get all the cultural treasures to safety. This was in France, Holland, Italy, Poland, and of course Germany. He could not bear that bombs were destroying priceless works of art and culture. He would blast the war often, saying that it was robbing Europe of the past.