RHLSTP with Richard Herring RHLSTP Book Club 162 - Jonathan Freedland
Nov 28, 2025
Journalist and author Jonathan Freedland joins Richard Herring to discuss his gripping non-fiction thriller, The Traitor's Circle. They delve into the chilling consequences of personal betrayal during Nazi Germany and the unexpected profiles of resisters, including aristocrats and diplomats. Freedland reveals the shocking origins of mass murder and the historical parallels to modern authoritarianism. The discussion highlights the courage of those who defied oppression and the emotional toll of uncovering these stories, making history both haunting and inspiring.
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Elite Tea Became A Deadly Whodunit
- Jonathan Freedland found a high-society secret tea in 1943 where members were resisting Hitler but one would betray them to the Gestapo.
- He framed the story as a real-world whodunit with catastrophic stakes and moral complexity.
Authoritarian Playbook Repeats Across Eras
- Freedland highlights a recurring playbook when democracies slide to autocracy: silence or dismantle independent institutions.
- The choice this creates for citizens is repeatedly the same: keep your head down, play along, or resist at great risk.
Diplomat's Social Life Masked Moral Dilemmas
- The diplomat this book follows was a glamorous consul in New York who later faced a moral test when ordered to snub Albert Einstein in 1933.
- His early choices set him on a trajectory that led to that fateful tea-party circle ten years later.
