For fans of unheralded women’s stories, a captivating look at Sigrid Schultz—one of the earliest reporters to warn Americans of the rising threat of the Nazi regime—that draws striking parallels to the rise of fascism today
“No other American correspondent in Berlin knew so much of what was going on behind the scene as did Sigrid Schultz.”—William L. Shirer, author of The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
The Dragon from Chicago tells the gripping tale of American journalist Sigrid Schultz’s fights on 2 fronts: to establish herself as a serious foreign correspondent in an era when her male colleagues saw a powerful unmarried woman as a “freak,” and to keep the news flowing out of Nazi Germany despite the regime’s tightening controls on the media.
Schultz was the Chicago Tribune’s Berlin bureau chief and primary foreign correspondent for Central Europe from 1925 to January 1941 and one of the first reporters—male or female—to warn American readers of the growing dangers of Nazism.
Drawing on extensive archival research, Pamela D. Toler unearths the largely forgotten story of Schultz’s years spent courageously reporting the news from Berlin, from the revolts of 1919 through Nazi atrocities and air raids over Berlin in 1941. At a time when women reporters rarely wrote front-page stories, Schultz pulled back the curtain on how the Nazis misreported the news to their own people, and how they attempted to control the foreign press through bribery and threats.
Sharp and enlightening, Schultz’s story provides a vital lesson for how we can reclaim truth in an era marked by the spread of disinformation and claims of “fake news.”
“A fascinating portrait of a trailblazing reporter who was an eyewitness to history.”
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
“Toler’s propulsive narrative, which chronicles Schultz’s investigative escapades and scoops, is a journalistic adventure story of the highest caliber.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“An outstanding biographical subject, Schultz and her exploits will fascinate those eager to discover a fearless woman who did not hesitate to tell the truth.”
—Booklist
“Riveting . . . Toler’s narrative paints a fascinating picture of her subject: a woman driven to hunt down the next story and to bring the truth to her readers . . . Vivid, insightful, and meticulously researched, Toler’s biography turns a well-deserved spotlight on Schultz and her career.”
—Shelf Awareness
“As the Chicago Tribune’s bureau chief in Berlin, Sigrid Schultz interviewed Hitler, broke the story of the Nazi-Soviet pact, and reported firsthand from the death camps. She deserves to be far better known than she is, and in The Dragon from Chicago, Pamela Toler admirably rescues her legacy. Intelligent, perceptive, and thoughtfully written, this is the definitive work on a foreign correspondent who shattered gender stereotypes and fought for the truth against lies and propaganda—a valuable lesson for our time as well as her own.”
—Matthew Goodman, author of Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s History-Making Race Around the World
“With documents and historical context presented in crisp, inviting prose, Pamela Toler has re-notched the place of Sigrid Schultz in that intriguing band of American correspondents of the 1920s to the 1940s—both men and women—who worked at the forefront of international reporting and news analysis.”
—Brooke Kroeger, author of Undaunted: How Women Changed American Journalism
“A wildly inspirational tale. I’m so glad that Toler rescued Schultz’s legacy.”
—Julia Scheeres, coauthor of Listen, World! How the Intrepid Elsie Robinson Became America’s Most-Read Woman
PROLOGUE
“That Dragon from Chicago”
ONE
A Trilingual Child
TWO
Stranded
THREE
Enemy Alien
FOUR
“How to Meet a Revolution”
FIVE
Finding Her Own People
SIX
The Training of a Foreign Correspondent
SEVEN
Musical Chairs
EIGHT
Front-Page Girls, Stunt Reporters, Sob Sisters, and Mob Sisters
NINE
The “Right Man” for the Job
TEN
On the Job
ELEVEN
Love and Loneliness
TWELVE
“The Fascisti Are Very Restless”
THIRTEEN
When Putsch Comes to Shove
FOURTEEN
Let the Games Begin
FIFTEEN
AKA John Dickson
SIXTEEN
Never Entirely at Peace
SEVENTEEN
On the Air from Berlin
EIGHTEEN
War Seemed Inevitable
NINETEEN
The Berlin Blues
TWENTY
Going Home
TWENTY-ONE
Sick and Tired
TWENTY-TWO
“A Mild Little War Mongering Tour”
TWENTY-THREE
From Foreign Correspondent to War Correspondent
TWENTY-FOUR
Bearing Witness
TWENTY-FIVE
War Crimes
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
Suggestions for Further Reading
Index
- “Pamela Toler,” C-SPAN/Q&A, interview
- “The Dragon from Chicago: Sigrid Schultz,” The Remedial Herstory Podcast, podcast interview
- “THE DRAGON FROM CHICAGO Sigrid Schultz,” What’s Her Name, podcast interview
- “Chicago’s Tribune Sends a Pioneering Reporter To Confront the Nazis,” The New York Sun, review
- “Book episode with Pamela Toler about The Dragon from Chicago,” HERstory on the Rocks, podcast interview
- “Pamela D. Toler: The Dragon From Chicago – The Untold Story of an American Reporter in Nazi Germany,” History Camp Author’s Discussion, recorded author talk
- “The Dragon from Chicago,” Paige Bowers, Q&A
The Dragon from Chicago: The Untold Story of an American Reporter in Nazi Germany by Pamela D. Toler
Reader’s Guide Discussion Questions
Download the reader’s guide.
- “Schultz was an American—more specifically, an American from Chicago—by birth, self-definition, and loyalty, but she was raised in France and Germany and educated in European schools” (xi). How did Schultz’s multinational identity and upbringing serve her journalism?
- Schultz made a name for herself in journalism during a time when women were often denied a comprehensive education, much less the opportunity to pursue a career. How did societal attitudes towards women impact Schultz’s journalism? What actions did she take to overcome sexist prejudices and limitations?
- When Schultz spoke out against concentration camps, General Hermann Göring fired back “Schultz, I’ve always suspected it: you’ll never learn to show the proper respect for state authorities” (xiii). How did knowing when and how to disrespect authority prove a valuable action in both Schultz’s career and the wartime she covered? Have you ever intentionally challenged authority? If so, to what results?
- What economic and sociopolitical factors in Germany during the period described seemed to enable the rise of fascism and the Nazi party? Can you identify any parallels in other historical or contemporary situations?
- When Schultz was struggling to “get an interview or find an unusual angle on a story,” she often took “a backdoor approach,” (50) finding a creative way to tackle the issue. What are some examples from the book where Schultz employs her characteristic cleverness and persistence? Have you ever taken a similar “backdoor approach” to problem-solving?
- While reporting on the rise of Hitler’s regime, Schultz persisted with covering Nazism despite facing severe censorship, formal threats of expulsion from the German Foreign Office, and death threats from von Papen supporters and Hitler himself (104). How do these experiences display journalism’s political power? Is protecting a free press important?
- Consider Schultz’s reporting on the 1936 Berlin Olympics. How did her coverage of these games expose Nazi Germany’s propaganda tactics and the regime’s underlying militaristic ambitions?
- How did the development of radio networks in the 1920s and 1930s impact reporting? Discuss the transition from “readers” to listeners in news broadcasts. Can you think of any modern developments in reporting that have comparably altered the media landscape?
- Taking on roles as a war correspondent, lecturer, potential government employee, and, later, an argumentative author, Schultz wore many hats during WWII. How did each of her roles serve her career and showcase a commitment to her work?
- How did Schultz’s feelings toward the Nazis and the atrocities she witnessed influence her coverage of the Nuremberg trials and her reporting in general? Did her strong personal convictions hinder or help her journalism?
- Schultz’s reporting is referenced in historical accounts of the rise of the Nazis and early 20th-century American journalism. How does her work contribute to our understanding of this period? Why might her contributions be less well-known compared to those of her male counterparts?
- Today, war correspondent journalism remains one of the most dangerous journalistic occupations. A 2022 Veterans Affairs study found the lifetime prevalence rate of PTSD in war journalists was 28.6%, and the lifetime prevalence rate of depression was 21.4%. After finishing this book, has your perspective on or appreciation for the danger and importance of this work changed?