This is a personal Christmas gift from Generalfeldmarschall Hermann Göring to his Swedish acquaintance Birger Dahlerus as thanks for his efforts to avert the impending war between Germany and England.
Heavy solid silver cigarette case, gold-plated, a work by the famous Prof. Herbert Zeitner, the favorite jeweler of Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe Hermann Göring. The lid is engraved with a large Luftwaffe national eagle, with a radiant sun in the background. Interior also gold-plated, with fine engraved facsimile dedication on the inside of the lid in Hermann Göring's handwriting: “Birger Dahlerus in dankbarer Würdigung der Anstrengungen fr den Frieden ! Hermann Göring Kriegsweihnacht 1939”. On the underside with jeweler's marks of master goldsmith Prof. Herbert Zeitner “Zeitner Berlin”. Dimensions 7.5 x 12.5 x 1.5 cm, weight 240 grams. Complete in red presentation case, interior with cream-colored silk bed for the case, inside of lid with white silk and imprint “Werkstatt H. Zeitner Berlin - Handarbeit.”, dimensions 12.5 x 15 cm. The case still contains the handwritten note by Hermann Göring with the dedication as template, which was transferred by Zeitner as engraving. (Extremely rare, normally the template was discarded afterwards). Only very slight traces of age, with beautiful patina, untouched since 1939 in very good original condition.

Included is a copy of the book by Birger Dahlerus “Der letzte Versuch London - Berlin Sommer 1939” 1973, with several photographs, including Göring together with Dahlerus.

Birger Dahlerus (* February 6, 1891 in Stockholm; † March 8, 1957 ibid.) was a Swedish industrialist. He became known as Hermann Göring's mediator in the final days before the outbreak of World War II. Dahlerus had personal contacts with Hermann Göring from his time in Sweden as well as with leading circles in England. With Hitler's approval, Göring enlisted Dahlerus in August 1939 to achieve an agreement with London. He met with Adolf Hitler, Arthur Chamberlain and Lord Halifax, the British Foreign Minister. In the critical phase on the eve of the outbreak of war, he negotiated and attempted to avert the war. On August 31, he visited the Polish Ambassador Józef Lipski in the morning, accompanied by British Counsellor George Ogilvie-Forbes, to explain Hitler's last offer regarding the Danzig question. In the first days after the outbreak of war, Dahlerus continued his efforts, but met with rejection in London from British leadership with the offer that Göring would come to England for negotiations. The mediator failed due to Poland's refusal to negotiate and England's determination to now stop Hitler. In 1946, Dahlerus testified as a witness for Göring at the Nuremberg Trial. In July 1945, he published his memoirs from 1939 under the title “Sista försöket” (“Last Attempt”). They appeared in Germany in 1948 in translation by Hellmuth Dix, a brother of Rudolf Dix, who was defense counsel in the Nuremberg Major War Criminals Trial.

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Luftwaffe Heavy Silver Presentation Case from Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe Hermann Göring to Swedish Industrialist Birger Dahlerus, Christmas 1939

This extraordinary cigarette case of solid, gilt silver represents a remarkable chapter of diplomacy immediately before the outbreak of World War II. As a personal Christmas gift from Generalfeldmarschall Hermann Göring to the Swedish industrialist Birger Dahlerus in December 1939, it documents the desperate, ultimately failed efforts to prevent war between Germany and Great Britain.

Herbert Zeitner, the creator of this case, was one of the most renowned goldsmiths and jewelers in Nazi Germany. As a professor and master of his craft, he enjoyed the special confidence of Göring, who was known for his preference for luxury and magnificent gifts. Zeitner's workshop in Berlin produced numerous representative pieces for the Nazi elite, with handcraftsmanship and artistic quality always at the forefront. The engraving of the Luftwaffe eagle before a radiant sun on the lid of this case is characteristic of the iconographic self-representation of the Luftwaffe under Göring's command.

The inscription “Birger Dahlerus in grateful appreciation of his efforts for peace! Hermann Göring War Christmas 1939” refers to the extraordinary role that Dahlerus played in the dramatic August days of 1939. The Swedish businessman had built connections to Göring since the 1920s and simultaneously possessed excellent contacts with British business and political circles. This unique position made him the ideal unofficial intermediary when Hitler and Göring still attempted in August 1939 to dissuade Great Britain from entering the war on behalf of Poland.

Dahlerus' peace mission began in late August 1939 with feverish travels between Berlin and London. He met with Adolf Hitler, British Prime Minister Arthur Neville Chamberlain, and Foreign Secretary Lord Halifax. On August 31, 1939, only hours before the German invasion of Poland, Dahlerus, together with British diplomat George Ogilvie-Forbes, sought out Polish Ambassador Józef Lipski to explain Hitler's final proposals regarding the Danzig question. However, the Polish government refused negotiations under German pressure, and the British government, after months of German treaty violations, was no longer willing to trust Hitler.

Even after the outbreak of war on September 1, 1939, Dahlerus continued his efforts. He conveyed an offer from Göring to personally travel to London for peace negotiations. The British leadership categorically rejected this – trust in German assurances was finally exhausted. The “War Christmas 1939” referenced in the inscription thus took place in a completely changed situation: the war in the East was decided, Poland defeated and divided, while in the West the so-called “Phoney War” prevailed.

The gift can be understood as an expression of Göring's gratitude, but also as testimony to his own self-representation. Göring, who liked to portray himself as moderate compared to other Nazi leaders, may have actually believed in his peace efforts – although these ultimately only aimed to give Germany a free hand in the East. The preservation of the handwritten original note with the dedication, which was normally destroyed after transfer to the engraving, underscores the personal significance that Göring attached to this gift.

After the war, Dahlerus played an important role as a witness at the Nuremberg Main War Crimes Trial in 1946. He testified on behalf of Göring and attempted to document his alleged peace efforts. His memoirs “Sista försöket” (The Last Attempt), published in Sweden in 1945, appeared in German translation in 1948 and provide an important, albeit subjective, source for the events immediately before the outbreak of war.

From a historical perspective, this cigarette case documents the complexity of diplomatic maneuvers in the summer of 1939. It shows that channels were kept open until the last moment – albeit with completely different objectives by the parties involved. For historical scholarship, such personal artifacts are of particular value as they make visible the human dimension behind major political events and document the networks of informal diplomacy that often do not appear in official records.