Whispers of illicit love affairs, secret Nazi ties, and a hidden baby have long swirled around Unity Mitford, one of Britain’s most notorious socialites of the 1930s. Now, the veil of mystery is beginning to lift with the revelation of Mitford’s personal diaries from her time in Hitler’s inner circle. But as snippets of the controversial heiress’s journal hit the headlines, experts say it’s high time for Britain to confront an even darker secret – the ‘censorship culture’ that keeps the full truth about the nation’s fascist past firmly under lock and key.
Diary Exposes Depths of Mitford’s Fascination with Führer
In excerpts splashed across the pages of the Daily Mail, Mitford’s diary entries paint a disturbing portrait of a star-struck young woman utterly infatuated with Adolf Hitler. Over the course of 139 purported meetings, Mitford gushes about the Nazi leader’s charms as he kisses her hand and keeps her up chatting until 3 a.m.
Yet amid the breathless accounts of late-night tête-à-têtes lie chilling words that expose the depth of Mitford’s antisemitism and reveal a troubling zeal to join the Nazi cause:
“I am practicing to kill Jews.”
Historians have attested to the diary’s authenticity, with scholar Andrew Roberts declaring it “undoubtedly genuine.” For Mitford biographer David Pryce-Jones, the revelations are a vindication. His 1976 book on Unity provoked outrage from her protective sisters. Now, her own words lay bare the unvarnished truth of her character and convictions.
Calling for End to ‘Suppression’ of Historical Papers
But even as Mitford’s diary offers an unprecedented glimpse behind the carefully stage-managed facade of Britain’s fascist-leaning aristocrats, experts warn that countless documents detailing their misdeeds remain shielded from public view.
“The irony is that often the breakthroughs in historical knowledge come from private papers rather than public papers, and that’s because they’re being suppressed.”
– Andrew Lownie, Historian
Lownie, whose book The Traitor King delved into the pro-Nazi ties of Edward VIII, says scores of files on upper-crust British fascists are still mysteriously absent from official archives. “Everyone from that period is dead,” he argues. “This is history, and we need to know our history.”
Tim Tate, author of “Hitler’s British Traitors”, agrees. He cites multiple “missing” MI5 files on aristocrats involved in a fascist plot to topple Churchill – people with royal connections like famed musicologist Leigh Vaughan Henry.
MI5 Barred from Questioning Mitford After Botched Suicide Attempt
And then there’s the lingering enigma of Unity herself. In a 2002 report, the Observer revealed that an MI5 officer had tried to question Mitford after her return to England but was blocked by government ministers.
Mitford had shot herself in the head at the outbreak of war between Britain and Germany – a botched suicide attempt that left her mentally impaired. Rumors flew that she was carrying Hitler’s child. Yet British intelligence was barred from investigating one of the people closest to the Nazi High Command.
Time to Declassify Secrets of Britain’s Fascist Scandal
Richard Norton-Taylor, journalist and author of The State of Secrecy, finds this all too telling of the lengths to which Britain’s elite will go to bury its fascist skeletons.
“The government must now reveal what its officials, intelligence and security agencies really knew about the activities of Unity Mitford. Judging by the number of files they amassed on private individuals in the lead-up to the second world war it would be extremely surprising if official files on her and her relationships do not exist.”
– Richard Norton-Taylor
As calls grow for an end to this “bizarre anachronism” of secrecy around establishment figures, the unearthing of Unity Mitford’s diary has given a tantalizing taste of the historical bombshells that could be waiting in the archives. The “censorship culture”, experts argue, only serves to shield the unsavory truths of the past. It’s time to declassify the secrets and let the complete record speak for itself – sordid affairs, unhinged fanaticism, and all.
