Editing Ulrich von Gienanth

{{Infobox person|name=Ulrich Ernst Kurt, Baron of Gienanth|native_name=Ulrich Ernst Kurt, Freiherr von Gienanth|image=Ulrich-von-Gienanth 1954.jpg|caption=Gienanth in [[Eisenberg, Rhineland-Palatinate|Eisenberg]], [[State of Rhineland-Palatinate|Rhineland-Palatinate]], [[Federal Republic of Germany|West Germany]], 1954. Photo by [[Robert Mottar]] (1919–1967).|birth_date=6 June 1907|birth_place=[[Berlin]], [[Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918)|Kingdom of Prussia]], [[German Empire (1871–1918)|Germany]]|death_date=10 December 1996 (aged 89)|death_place=Eisenberg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany|nationality=German}}''Not to be confused with his uncle, [[Curt Ludwig von Gienanth|Curt Ludwig Freiherr von Gienanth]].''

'''Ulrich Ernst Kurt, Freiherr von Gienanth''' (6 June 1907 – 10 December 1996) was a [[German Reich (1933–1945)|Nazi]] diplomat, factory director, and ''[[SS-Hauptsturmführer]]'' who served as the second secretary of the [[German Embassy Washington|German embassy]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] during the [[Second World War]]. He was often described as the "head of the [[Gestapo]] in the [[United States of America|United States]]" and the "personal American representative of [[Heinrich Himmler]]."<ref name=":042">Charnay, David; Wallace, William (1942-05-05).: "Gestapo's Head in America. Most Feared Greenbrier Guest. Baron Von Gienanth Rules Others In Nazi Ranks Through Terror." [[Washington Times-Herald|''Washington Times-Herald'']]. Page 2. Retrieved on 2023-11-04.</ref>

== Life ==
Ulrich Ernst Kurt Freiherr von Gienanth was born in [[State of Berlin|Berlin]] on 6 June 1907. Some sources claim he was the son<ref>No author (1935-05-18).: "Baron von Gienanth Mt. Holyoke Visitor". [[Holyoke Daily Transcript and Telegram|''Holyoke Daily Transcript and Telegram'']]. Retrieved 2024-04-28.</ref> or nephew<ref>No author (1932-08-18).: "Brandon Folks Ride, Too". [[The Brandon Union|''The Brandon Union'']]. Retrieved 2024-04-28.</ref> of ambassador [[Friedrich Wilhelm von Prittwitz und Gaffron]]; however, this is false. Ulrich was actually the son of [[Karl Friedrich Freiherr von Gienanth|Karl Friedrich Eugen Freiherr von Gienanth]] (1873–1949) and [[Freda Freifrau von Gienanth]] (née Freiin Varnbüler von und zu Hemmingen; 1877–1959). His father was a factory director, former ''[[Leutnant]]'' in the [[Kingdom of Prussia (1701–1918)|Prussian]] ''[[Landwehr]]'', and a Knight of Honour of the [[Bailiwick of Brandenburg of the Chivalric Order of Saint John of the Hospital at Jerusalem|Order of Saint John]]; both his father and [[Eugen Wilhelm Freiherr von Gienanth|his grandfather]] were [[Royal Bavarian Councilor of Commerce|Royal Bavarian Commerce Councilors]]. He had an older brother named [[Conrad Eugen Freiherr von Gienanth|Conrad-Eugen Friedrich Axel Freiherr von Gienanth]] (1903–1942).<ref>''Gothaisches genealogisches Taschenbuch der Freiherrlichen Häuser. 1919''. [[Gotha]]. [[Justus Perthes Verlag]]. p. 300.</ref>

Gienanth joined the [[National Socialist German Workers' Party|Nazi Party]] in 1930.<ref>No author (1939-11-04).: "Captain in Hitler's Guard Will Speak". [[The Richmond News Reader|''The Richmond News Reader'']]. Retrieved 2024-04-28.</ref> He arrived at [[Johns Hopkins University]] as an exchange student from the [[Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich|University of Munich]] in 1931.<ref name=":0">No author (1941-12-20).: "German Embassy Secretary Honeymoons At Greenbrier. Marriage at Alexandria Made Possible by "Very Nice" FBI Agents". [[The Roanoke Times|''The Roanoke Times'']]. Retrieved 2024-04-28.</ref> In 1936, the [[German Library of Information]] (a Nazi propaganda agency) was established, and Gienanth began working there as its director.<ref name=":032">Charnay, David; Wallace, William (1942-05-05).: "Gestapo's Head in America. Most Feared Greenbrier Guest. Baron Von Gienanth Rules Others In Nazi Ranks Through Terror." [[Washington Times-Herald|''Washington Times-Herald'']]. Page 2. Retrieved on 2023-11-04.</ref> That same year he served at the [[German Consulate General New York|German Consulate General in New York]].<ref>No author (1941-12-21).: "German and Hungarian Legation Staffs At White Sulphur Awaits Developments; Bridal Couple Attracts Interest". ''The Roanoke Times''. Retrieved 2024-04-29.</ref> Later in 1937, Gienanth started working at the German embassy in Washington, quickly rising through the ranks and succeeding [[Richard Sallet]] as second secretary.

On 19 April 1937, Gienanth's car struck and killed one William Osterman near the [[Barclay–Vesey Building]] in New York City. Witnesses testified that his car was moving at a moderate speed and that Osterman had stepped in front of the vehicle. Gienanth was charged with homicide, but later acquitted on 30 April.<ref>No author (1937-05-01).: "German Baron Is Cleared Of Homicide". [[Press of Atlantic City|''Press of Atlantic City'']]. Retrieved 2024-05-29.</ref>

Gienanth attended the [[Nuremberg rallies|tenth Nuremberg rally]] in September 1937.<ref>[[Thomas M. Johnson (writer)|Johnson, Thomas M.]] (1942-03-11).: "Native American Pro-Fascists Escape Net That Traps Aliens". [[Newspaper Enterprise Association|''Newspaper Enterprise Association'']]. Retrieved 2024-04-06.</ref>

As the second secretary of the German embassy, Gienanth worked to keep the U.S. out of the Second World War. It was widely-reported in the Statesian media that one [[Laura Ingalls (aviator)|Laura Ingalls]] was being paid hundreds of dollars a month by the German embassy to spread pro-German, anti-interventionist propaganda. It was also reported that Gienanth threatened legal action against Statesian filmmaker [[Louis de Rochement]] for including parts of the Nazi propaganda film "[[Baptism of Fire|''Feuertaufe'']]" (1940) in [[The Ramparts We Watch|''The Ramparts We Watch'']] (1940), likely since it made the Nazis look bad.<ref>No author (1940-08-29).: "FILM CHIEF BARES NAZI SUIT THREAT." [[Indianapolis Times|''Indianapolis Times'']]. Page 14. Retrieved on 2023-11-04.</ref>

Following the [[German declaration of war against the United States|German]], [[Italian declaration of war on the United States|Italian]], and [[Imperial edict of declaration of war by the Empire of Japan on the United States and the British Empire|Japanese declarations of war on the United States]] in December 1941, [[Axis Powers|Axis]] diplomats in the United States were arrested and interned at [[The Greenbrier]], a luxury hotel in [[State of West Virginia|West Virginia]]. While interned there, Gienanth married [[Karin von Vietinghoff-Riesch]], age 34, in [[Alexandria, Virginia|Alexandria]], [[Commonwealth of Virginia|Virginia]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>No author (1941-12-20).: "German Baron Takes Bride With Aid Of The FBI". [[Daytona Beach Morning Journal|''Daytona Beach Morning Journal'']]. Page 5. Retrieved 2023-11-04.</ref>

Gienanth returned to Germany in May 1942.<ref>https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP82-00038R001000150033-0.pdf</ref>

In December 1942, [[Reich Minister for Public Enlightenment and Propaganda|Nazi Propaganda Minister]] [[Joseph Goebbels]] wrote in [[Goebbels Diaries|his diary]] that he had received a report from a Gienanth (most certainly Ulrich Freiherr von Gienanth) testifying to a lack of experience and morale among the Statesian and British [[Prisoner of war|POWs]] whom he had interrogated at the [[Transit Camp of the Luftwaffe]] in [[Oberursel (Taunus)|Oberursel]].<ref>Goebbels, Joseph; [[Louis P. Lochner|Lochner, Ludwig Paul]] (1948).:  ''The Goebbels Diaries, 1942–1943''.  [[Doubleday (publisher)|Doubleday and Company]]. December 1942. December 16, 1942. Page 245.</ref>

At the end of World War II, his family iron and steel foundry, [[Gienanth Group GmbH|Gienanth Eisenberg]], was seized by [[French occupation zone in Germany|French occupation forces]]. In 1949, Ulrich's father died, and in 1950, Ulrich was given back the factory, serving as its managing director until 1972.

In 1987, he was made an honourary citisen of the city of [[Eisenberg, Rhineland-Palatinate|Eisenberg]].

Gienanth died on 10 December 1996.

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Ulrich von Gienanth and Lawrence Dennis.PNG|Gienanth (left) and [[Lawrence Dennis]] (right) at the 9th Reich Party Congress in Nuremberg in September 1937
File:Image thomsen.png|German women and children outside a schoolhouse at The Greenbrier. Gienanth is left of [[Hans Thomsen]] (standing, top row, light suit).
</gallery>

== References ==
<references />