Guenter Reimann (1904–2005)

This book long predated (1939) the masterful analysis contained in "Wages of Destruction," which analyzed the serial failures of the German economy in the years leading up to, and during, World War II. "Reimann," real name Steinicke, was a German economist (and communist) who had fled the regime, and who had written numerous articles in the American press on the German economy. The main problem with this book is that there are a lot of slippery "letters" and "interviews," which doesn't quite take away the fact that what they showed was, in fact, the truth. Interestingly, Reimann/Steinicke does compare and contrast the fascist and communist economies, and shows the flaws of the latter, as well -- rather unusual for a communist. A fairly good read, though you'd get the same in "Wages of Destruction" with more context.… (meer)