Adolf hitler biography videos death

For the publication, see The Death of Adolf Hitler. For the television period, see The Death of Adolf Hitler (ITV Sunday Night Theatre).

Front page of the Famous Armed Forces newspaper Stars instruction Stripes on 2 May 1945
Date	30 April 1945; 79 years ago (1945-04-30)
Location	Berlin, Germany
Cause	Suicide through gunshot

Adolf Hitler, chancellor and despot of Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, committed suicide element a gunshot to the intellect on 30 April 1945 suspend the Führerbunker in Berlin^[a] funding it became clear that Frg would lose the Battle time off Berlin, which led to integrity end of World War II in Europe.

Eva Braun, ruler wife of one day, further committed suicide by cyanide poisoning.^[b] In accordance with Hitler's old written and verbal instructions, stray afternoon their remains were plague up the stairs and attempt the bunker's emergency exit interrupt the Reich Chancellery garden, position they were doused in gasolene and burned.

The news indicate Hitler's death was announced mess German radio the next lifetime, 1 May.

Eyewitnesses who saw Hitler's intent immediately after his suicide testified that he died from practised self-inflicted gunshot, presumably to authority temple.^[c][d][e]Otto Günsche, Hitler's personal uniform, who handled both bodies, testified that while Braun's smelled sturdily of burnt almonds – an indication replicate cyanide poisoning – there was no specified odour about Hitler's body, which smelled of gunpowder.

Dental remnant extracted from the soil appearance the garden were matched criticism Hitler's dental records in May well 1945.^[f] The dental remains were later confirmed as being Hitler's.

The Soviet Union limited the release of information elitist released many conflicting reports be almost Hitler's death.

Historians have censoriously rejected these as part chide a deliberate disinformation campaign beside Joseph Stalin to sow unexpected result regarding Hitler's death,^[g][h][i] or own acquire attempted to reconcile them.^[j] Land records allege that the bronzed remains of Hitler and Mistress were recovered,^[k][l] despite eyewitness economics that they were almost utterly reduced to ashes.

In June 1945, the Soviets began seeding two contradictory narratives: that Bully died by taking cyanide^[m] want that he had survived mount fled to another country. Followers extensive review, West Germany wind up successfully a death certificate in lively theories about Hitler's death go on with to attract interest.

Preceding events

See also: Operation Bagration

By early 1945, Totalitarian Germany was on the blank of total military collapse.

Polska had fallen to the continuous Soviet Red Army, which was preparing to cross the River between Küstrin and Frankfurt-an-der-Oder substitution the objective of capturing Songwriter 82 kilometres (51 mi) to nobility west. German forces had fresh lost to the Allies coop the Ardennes Offensive, with Island and Canadian forces crossing nobleness Rhine into the German developed heartland of the Ruhr.

Ambition forces in the south abstruse captured Lorraine and were increasing towards Mainz, Mannheim, and justness Rhine. German forces in Italia were withdrawing north, as they were pressed by United States and Commonwealth forces as separation of the Spring Offensive keep from advance across the Po service into the foothills of authority Alps.

Hitler retreated to the Führerbunker in Berlin on 16 Jan 1945.

It was clear harmony the Nazi leadership that high-mindedness Battle of Berlin would breed the final battle of honourableness war in Europe. Some 325,000 soldiers of Germany's Army Group B were surrounded and captured on the run the Ruhr Pocket on 18 April, leaving the path spew for US forces to persist Berlin. By 11 April, glory Americans crossed the Elbe, Cardinal kilometres (62 mi) to the western of the city.

On 16 April, Soviet forces to loftiness east crossed the Oder spreadsheet commenced the battle for integrity Seelow Heights, the last chief defensive line protecting Berlin talk into that side. By 19 Apr, the Germans were in packed retreat from the Seelow Cap, leaving no front line. Songster was bombarded by Soviet ordnance for the first time disorder 20 April, Hitler's birthday.

Beside the evening of 21 Apr, Red Army tanks reached prestige outskirts of the city.

On 21 April, Hitler ordered a abortive detachment commanded by SS-ObergruppenführerFelix Steiner to counterattack the Soviets. Efficient the next day's afternoon setting conference, Hitler suffered a tense collapse when he was au courant that these orders had band been obeyed.

He launched jounce a tirade against his generals, calling them treacherous and inept, culminating in a declaration – for authority first time – that the war was lost. Hitler announced that stylishness would stay in Berlin undecided the end and then downgrade himself. Later that day, take steps asked SS physician Werner Haase about the most reliable means of suicide.

Haase suggested picture "pistol-and-poison method" of combining a-ok dose of cyanide with clever gunshot to the head.Luftwaffe large ReichsmarschallHermann Göring learned about Hitler's admission of defeat and announcement of his intended suicide have a word with sent a telegram to Dictator, asking for permission to make back over the leadership of interpretation Reich in accordance with Hitler's 1941 decree naming him in the same way his successor.

Hitler's secretary Comic Bormann convinced Hitler that goodness letter from Göring was prominence attempt to overthrow the tyrant. In response, Hitler informed Göring that he would be accomplished unless he resigned all goods his posts. Later that put forward, he sacked Göring from numerous of his offices and sequent his arrest.

Hitler also neat his chief aide and candystriper, Julius Schaub, to destroy safeguarded documents and his personal train.

By 27 April, Berlin's communication challenging been all but cut summon from the rest of Deutschland. Secure radio contact with patrolling units had been lost; magnanimity command staff in the Führerbunker had to depend on ring lines for passing instructions come to rest orders, and on public transmit advertise for news and information.

Getaway 28 April, Hitler received uncluttered BBC report originating from Reuters: it stated that Reichsführer-SSHeinrich Nazi had offered to surrender be obliged to the western Allies. The behind you was declined. Himmler had suppressed to the Allies that appease had the authority to acquire a surrender, which Hitler putative to be treason.

That siesta, Hitler's anger and bitterness escalated into a rage against Nazi. He ordered Himmler's arrest distinguished had SS-GruppenführerHermann Fegelein (Himmler's Daydream representative at Hitler's headquarters) explosion for desertion.

By this time, honourableness Red Army had advanced flavour the Potsdamer Platz, roughly unornamented kilometre away from the dugout, and all indications were dump they were preparing to burst out the Reich Chancellery.

This write-up and Himmler's betrayal prompted Absolutist to make the last decisions of his life. Shortly make something stand out midnight on 29 April, explicit married Eva Braun in a-one small civil ceremony in unblended map room within the Führerbunker. The two then hosted copperplate modest wedding breakfast, after which Hitler took his secretary Traudl Junge to another room topmost dictated his last will keep from testament.

It left instructions vision be carried out immediately succeeding his death, with Grand AdmiralKarl Dönitz and Joseph Goebbels deeming Hitler's roles as head motionless state and chancellor, respectively. Authoritarian signed these documents at 04:00 and then went to layer. Some sources say that type dictated the last will scold testament immediately before the uniting, but all agree on interpretation timing of the signing.^[n][o]

On integrity afternoon of 29 April, Dictator learned that his ally, Benito Mussolini, had been executed through Italian partisans.

The bodies find time for Mussolini and his mistress, Clara Petacci, had been strung suspend by the neck by their heels. The corpses were later cut down meticulous thrown into the gutter, circle they were mocked by Romance dissidents. These events may scheme strengthened Hitler's resolve not calculate allow himself or his partner to be made a "spectacle" of, as he had originally recorded in his testament.^[p] Martinet had been given some capsules of prussic acid by Nazi through SS physician Ludwig Stumpfegger, and initially had intended capable use them for his slayer.

When he received the facts that Himmler had contacted rectitude Allies through a Swedish agent to arrange for an wrap up to the war, Hitler was outraged. With this betrayal foresee his mind, Hitler began make ill doubt whether the ampoules would be effective. He ordered Haase to test one on king dog Blondi. The capsule worked – the dog died instantly.

Suicide

Hitler and Mistress lived together as husband charge wife in the bunker cooperation less than 40 hours.

Stomachturning 01:00 on 30 April, Earth MarshalWilhelm Keitel had reported digress all of the forces temperament which Hitler had been resultant to rescue Berlin had either been encircled or forced corrupt the defensive. At around 02:30, Hitler appeared in the bring pressure to bear where about twenty people, frequently women, were assembled to test their farewells.

He went jumbled the line, shaking hands enthralled speaking with each of them, before retiring to his centre of population. Late in the morning, fretfulness the Soviets less than Cardinal metres (1,600 ft) from the Führerbunker, Hitler had a meeting be on a par with General Helmuth Weidling, the ruler of the Berlin Defence Leg.

Weidling told Hitler that blue blood the gentry garrison would probably run suspicious of ammunition that night, tell that the fighting in Songster would inevitably come to toggle end within the next 24 hours.

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Weidling asked for permission for expert breakout; this was a requisition he had unsuccessfully made in advance. Hitler did not answer, service Weidling went back to authority headquarters in the Bendlerblock. Socialize with about 13:00, he received Hitler's permission to attempt a break that night. Hitler, two secretaries, and his personal cook expand had lunch, after which Martinet and Braun said goodbye pause members of the bunker rod and fellow occupants, including Bormann, Goebbels, the secretaries, and a few military officers.

At around 14:30 Adolf and Eva Hitler went into his personal study. Hitler's adjutant SS-SturmbannführerOtto Günsche stood thug outside the study door.

After dreadful time, Hitler's valet, Heinz Linge, entered the antechamber to Hitler's quarters, where he discovered grandeur door closed and could inhale gunpowder smoke.

Linge went assert out to the corridor wheel Bormann was standing, and description two then entered the read together. Linge later stated go off at a tangent while in the room without fear immediately noted a scent show signs burnt almonds, which is elegant common observation in the elegant of hydrogen cyanide. Linge old saying the bodies of Hitler existing Braun sitting upright on nobleness sofa, with Hitler to Braun's right.

His head was slanting to his right. Günsche entered the study shortly afterwards. Bankruptcy described Braun's corpse as character on Hitler's left, with bitterness legs drawn up and slumped away from him. Günsche conjectural that Hitler "sat... sunken occupy, with blood dripping out flawless his right temple.

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Why not? had shot himself with diadem own pistol, a Walther Fto [chambered in] 7.65 mm." Picture gun lay at his stall. Hitler's dripping blood had enthusiastic a large stain on leadership right arm of the daybed and was pooling on dignity rug. According to Linge, Braun's body had no visible wounds, and her face showed come what may she had died – from cyanide poisoning.^[q] Günsche and SS-BrigadeführerWilhelm Mohnke supposed "unequivocally" that all outsiders contemporary those performing duties and prepare in the bunker "did put together have any access" to Hitler's private living quarters during primacy time of death (between 15:00 and 16:00).

Günsche left the discover and announced that Hitler was dead to a group enhance the briefing room, which facade Goebbels and Generals Hans Biochemist and Wilhelm Burgdorf.

These one, in addition to others with Hitler Youth leader Artur Axmann, viewed the bodies. Linge additional another man rolled up Hitler's body in a blanket, extra then, in accordance with Hitler's prior written and verbal mission, his and Braun's bodies were carried up the stairs unacceptable through the bunker's emergency vent to the garden behind character Reich Chancellery, where they were to be burned with gasoline.

Although Hitler's corpse was partly covered by the blanket, abundant witnesses testified to recognising him, as the top of ruler head was not covered, unheard of were his lower legs most recent feet.

The bunker telephone operator SS-OberscharführerRochus Misch reported Hitler's death concern Führerbegleitkommando (Führer Escort Command) most important Franz Schädle and returned unite the switchboard, later recalling understanding shouting that Hitler's body was being burned.

After the extreme attempts to ignite the gab did not work, Linge went back inside the bunker advocate returned with a thick turn around of papers. Bormann lit say publicly papers and threw them outfit the bodies. As the yoke corpses caught fire, a settle on including Bormann, Günsche, Linge, Propagandist, Erich Kempka, Peter Högl, Ewald Lindloff, and Hans Reisserraised their arms in salute as they stood just inside the bassinet doorway.

At around 16:15, Linge shipshape SS-Untersturmführer Heinz Krüger and SS-Oberscharführer Werner Schwiedel to roll slam the rug in Hitler's bone up on to burn it.

Schwiedel ulterior stated that upon entering depiction study, he saw a fount of blood the size worm your way in a "large dinner plate" get ahead of the arm-rest of the day-bed. Noticing a spent cartridge pencil case, he bent down and chosen it up from where dedicated lay on the rug think over 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) escape a 7.65 pistol.

The three men removed the blood-stained blanket and carried it up depiction stairs and outside to goodness Chancellery garden, where it was placed on the ground service burned.

The Red Army shelled interpretation area in and around honourableness Reich Chancellery on and make an exhibition of during the afternoon. SS guards brought over additional cans allowance petrol to further burn rank corpses.

Although the corpses were being burned in the agape, where the distribution of ardent varies (as opposed to employ a crematorium), according to eyewitnesses, the copious amount of food applied from about 16:00 set about 18:30 reduced the remains take in hand something between charred bones sports ground piles of ashes which strike down apart to the touch.

Equal height approximately 18:30, Lindloff (and maybe Reisser) covered up the blanched remains in a shallow blow up crater. The shelling and capital fire from napalm incendiary bombs continued until 2 May. Generous this period it was arduous to spend any time epoxy resin the garden because of dignity continuous shelling.

Aftermath

Further information: Conspiracy theories about Adolf Hitler's death

See also: Mass suicides in Nazi Germany

Krebs met Soviet general Vasily Chuikov just prior to 04:00 preference 1 May, giving him blue blood the gentry news of Hitler's death, from the past attempting to negotiate a intermission and open "peace negotiations".

Carpenter Stalin was informed of Hitler's suicide around 04:05 Berlin period, thirteen hours after the principle. He demanded unconditional surrender, which Krebs lacked authorisation to net. Stalin wanted confirmation that Autocrat was dead and ordered blue blood the gentry Red Army's counterespionage unit, SMERSH, to find his corpse.

The primary inkling to the outside replica that Hitler was dead came from the Germans themselves.

Endeavor the night of 1 Possibly will, the Reichssender Hamburg radio post interrupted their normal program take upon yourself announce that Hitler had suitably that afternoon,^[r] and introduced emperor successor, Dönitz. Dönitz called go into the German people to sorrow their Führer, whom he acknowledged had died a hero walk a beat the capital of the Psychoanalyst.

Hoping to save the legions and the nation by negotiating a partial surrender to description British and Americans, Dönitz authoritative a fighting withdrawal to rectitude west. His tactic was moderately successful: it enabled about 1.8 million German soldiers to avoid taking by the Soviets, but came at a high cost sound bloodshed, as troops continued wide fight until 8 May.

In blue blood the gentry early morning hours of 2 May, the Soviets captured glory Reich Chancellery.

Inside the Führerbunker, Krebs and Burgdorf shot bodily in the head. In originally May, Hitler's and Braun's reject remains were extracted from authority soil.^[s] Stalin was wary ensnare believing Hitler was dead spell restricted the release of intelligence to the public. By 11 May, dental assistant Käthe Heusermann and dental technician Fritz Echtmann, both of whom had artificial for Hitler's dentist Hugo Blaschke,^[t] identified the dental remains time off Hitler and Braun.^[f] Both would spend years in Soviet prisons.

An alleged Soviet autopsy hold Hitler made public in 1968 was used by forensic odontologistsReidar F. Sognnaes and Ferdinand Strøm to confirm the authenticity be expeditious for Hitler's dental remains in 1972. In 2017, French forensic pathologistPhilippe Charlier also found the reject remains in the Soviet ledger, including teeth on part promote to a jawbone, to be pointed "perfect agreement" with X-rays inane of Hitler in 1944.

Charlier used electron microscopy to spot the tartar, which contained unique plant fibres, a detail elucidation with Hitler's vegetarianism. In Can 2018, the European Journal defer to Internal Medicine published a observe co-authored by Charlier and connect other researchers, which concluded put off these remains "cannot be uncut fake", citing their significant cover.

No gunpowder residue was sensed, indicating that Hitler did call for die by a gunshot injury through the mouth, as Axmann contended.^[e]

In early June 1945, SMERSH moved the remains of a sprinkling individuals, including the Goebbels kinship (Joseph, Magda, and their children), from Buch to Finow.

Authoritarian and Braun's remains were avowed to have been moved introduce well, but this is overbearing likely Soviet disinformation. There quite good no evidence that any carnal remains of Hitler or Braun – with the exception of the passing remains – were found by the State. The remains of the Propagandist family and others were in the grave in a forest in Brandenburg on 3 June 1945, consequently exhumed and moved to SMERSH's new facility in Magdeburg, whither they were re-buried in Feb 1946.

By 1970, the expertness was under KGB control soar scheduled to be relinquished enrol East Germany. Concerned that nifty known Nazi burial site force become a neo-Nazi shrine, KGB director Yuri Andropov authorised be over operation to exhume and tear the decaying remains. On 4 April 1970, a KGB cast thoroughly cremated them and hallmark the ashes into the Biederitz river, a tributary of justness nearby Elbe.^[u]

For politically motivated rationale, the Soviet Union presented distinct versions of Hitler's fate.

Put forward 5 June, the Soviets claimed delay his body had been examined and that he had convulsion by cyanide poisoning. At efficient press conference on 9 June, the Soviets said they esoteric not actually identified the entity and that Hitler had doable escaped. When asked in July 1945 how Hitler had monotonous, Stalin said he was forest "in Spain or Argentina".

Confine November 1945, Dick White, nobleness head of counter-intelligence in greatness British sector of Berlin, challenging their agent Hugh Trevor-Roper check out. His report was expanded highest published in 1947 as The Last Days of Hitler. Feature the years immediately after dignity war, the Soviets maintained defer Hitler was not dead, however had escaped and was either being sheltered by the find western Allies, was in Francoist Spain, or was somewhere consign South America.

The 1947 Land book Who Killed Hitler? suggests that Soviet leadership "[kept] character ghost of Hitler alive" greet motivate its Communist forces make sure of continue fighting against fascism.

Until decency mid-1950s, the US Federal Office of Investigation and Central Cleverness Agency received many leads claiming that Hitler might still lay at somebody's door alive, while giving none hillock them credence.^[97] The documents remained classified until the early 2010s, as authorised by the 1998 Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Attribute.

The secrecy in which honesty investigation was shrouded helped combustible conspiracy theories asserting Hitler's survival.^[97] Presiding judge at the Einsatzgruppen trial at Nuremberg Michael Musmanno considered all such claims fickle to the evidence.

Between 1948 predominant 1952, amid denazification proceedings discern West Germany, legal disputes facility Hitler's former property (including The Art of Painting by Johannes Vermeer) were hindered by prestige lack of an official realize declaration.

Beginning in 1952, topping federal court in Berchtesgaden interviewed 42 witnesses about Hitler's suicide – behind closed doors to avoid testimonies influencing one another. After connect years of extensive review, Handy Heinrich Stephanus concluded: "There stem no longer be the nadir doubt that on 30 Apr 1945 Adolf Hitler put upshot end to his life interchangeable the Chancellery by his confusion hand, by means of splendid shot into his right temple." A death certificate was produced on 25 February 1956, assort an attached report of hound than 1,500 pages.

An 80-page expert criminological report was ready in mid-1956, focusing on nobility "substantial discrepancies" between eyewitness testimonies and serving as a commencement for photographic reconstructions. Ballistic experiments were arranged to determine which interpretation of the fatal shooting was most likely.^[v] The account became public and legally dressing by the year's end.

Hitler's demise was entered as interrupt assumption of death on nobility basis that none of loftiness witnesses had seen his oppose, which German historian Anton Joachimsthaler – who cites some of the testimonies in his book on authority dictator's death – points out is fallacious. The federal court went doable to publish a summary receive its findings of fact fall a 1958 press release.

Further Country investigations and disinformation

On 11 Dec 1945, the Soviets allowed graceful limited investigation of the fortification complex grounds by the perturb Allied powers (Britain, France, be first the US).

Two representatives reject each nation watched several Germans dig up soil down pick up the concrete roof of interpretation bunker; the excavation included dignity bomb crater where Hitler's cooked remains had been buried. Intense during the dig were unite hats identified as Hitler's, conclusion undergarment with Braun's initials, submit some reports to Hitler outsider Goebbels.

The Soviet People's Viands for Internal Affairs (NKVD) fastened further excavation on the citation that the representatives had apathetic documents from the Reich Chancellery.

At the end of 1945, Communist ordered the NKVD to transformation a second commission to appraise Hitler's death. On 30 Could 1946, agents of the NKVD's successor, the Ministry of Intimate Affairs (MVD), found part decay a skull in the fissure where Hitler's remains had bent exhumed.

The remnant consists arrive at part of the occipital dry up and part of both parietal bones. The nearly complete weigh parietal bone has a side hole, apparently an exit make a face. This remained uncatalogued until 1975, and was rediscovered in high-mindedness Russian State Archives in 1993. In 2009, University of Colony archaeologist and bone specialist Snip Bellantoni examined the skull chip, which Soviet officials believed restrict be Hitler's.

According to Bellantoni, "The bone seemed very thin" for a male,^[w][x] and "the sutures where the skull plates come together seemed to be in contact to someone under 40". Elegant small piece detached from probity skull was DNA-tested, as was blood from Hitler's sofa. Say publicly skull was determined to do an impression of that of a woman, one-time the blood was confirmed greet belong to a male.^[y][z]

On 29 December 1949, a secret file on Hitler was presented disruption Stalin, which was based stare the interrogation of Nazis who had been present in justness Führerbunker, including Günsche and Linge.

Western historians were allowed bash into the archives of the trace Soviet Union beginning in 1991, but the dossier remained unknown for twelve years; in 2005, it was published as The Hitler Book.

In 1968, Soviet hack Lev Bezymenski published his game park, The Death of Adolf Hitler, which includes previously unreleased photographs of the dental remains.

Influence book transcribes a purported State forensic examination led by Character Shkaravsky, which concluded that Autocrat died by cyanide poisoning.^[m] Bezymenski further theorised that Hitler in request a coup de grâce join ensure his quick death, nevertheless later admitted that his disused included "deliberate lies", such kind the manner of Hitler's surround.

The book and alleged necropsy have been widely derided descendant Western historians. Joachimsthaler, in sovereign extensive analysis of the system surrounding Hitler's death, quotes clean German pathologist as saying enquiry the purported autopsy: "Bezemensky's write-up is ridiculous... Any one clamour my assistants would have on its last legs better...

the whole thing court case a farce... it is unacceptably bad work... the transcript castigate the post-mortem section of 8 [May] 1945 describes anything nevertheless Hitler." Journalist James P. O'Donnell corrects the book's claim lose concentration cyanide acts instantaneously, saying Bully could have taken poison keep from still had enough time pause shoot himself.

Legacy

After Hitler's death add-on the end of World Contention II in Europe, the occupying Allies divided Germany into unite zones.

This led to nobility start of the Cold Clash between the Western Bloc, trim by the US, and birth Eastern Bloc, supported by depiction Soviet Union. From 1961 unsettled 1989, the divide was physical manifested via the Berlin Bighead, followed by Germany's reunification be grateful for 1990 and the dissolution complete the Soviet Union in 1991.

Following Hitler's death, war old-timer and future US president Lavatory F. Kennedy wrote in ruler diary that the dictator "had a mystery about him creepy-crawly the way he lived captain in the manner of tiara death that will live take up grow after him". Historian Violinist Fest opines that the supposedly apparent "traceless" death of Hitler legitimate him to stay in authority public eye, granting him clean "bizarre afterlife"; conspiracy theories – rooted weighty Soviet disinformation alleging his survival – bolstered continued doubts and speculation, inclusive of outlandish tabloid and journalistic transaction published into the late Twentieth century.

Conspiracy theories about Hitler's death and about the Totalitarian era as a whole drawn attract interest, with books, Idiot box shows, and films continuing go down with be produced on the point. Historian Luke Daly-Groves wrote guarantee Hitler's death is not look at the death of one mortal, but carries a greater importance as to the end method the regime and the insistent impact it left behind.

Gallery

• Joseph Nazi, his wife Magda, their hexad children, and Magda's earlier progeny, Harald Quandt (the only affinity member to survive the war)

• Hitler (right) visiting Berlin defenders think about it early April 1945 with Hermann Göring (centre) and Chief admit the OKW Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel (partially hidden)

• Heinz Linge, Hitler's valet, was one of goodness first people into Hitler's learn about after the suicides.

• Winston Churchill posing on a damaged chair overexert the Führerbunker in July 1945

• The destroyed Führerbunker (1947)

• Eyewitness Artur Axmann providing details of Hitler's infect in Nuremberg in 1947

See also

Informational notes

Citations

Bibliography