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Eavesdropping on Hitler’s Reich
LEEB: I am of the opinion that there is no cause for any hesitancy on
my part. . . have had no reason so far to refuse any answers. Your case is
different, because you were Chef des Generalstabs des Heeres. You will
have to weigh your answers carefully when they pertain to objectives,
causes, and the progress of operations, in order to see where they may
affect the interests of our Fatherland. . . And there is a point where it
would be advisable to proceed with caution, so that we will not become
the laughing stock of the world. I do not know what your relations were
with Hitler, but I do know his military capacity . . . [although] I have
no idea how things developed later, especially regarding the Führer.
You ought to know about that.
GUDERIAN: There was certainly no improvement.
LEEB: But I can readily see that you will have to consider your
answers a bit carefully . . . so that you will say nothing which might
embarrass our Fatherland. GEYR VON SCHWEPPENBURG: I do not
know, Sir, whether we were asked the same questions as you . . . but
in answering them it would be unavoidable to become involved in a
political discussion or in the evaluation of personalities.
LEEB: The German officer has done nothing but his duty in this
war. . . The German officer did not care whether his commander was a
National Socialist or a Hindenburg.
GEYR: The questions start with general pre-war history, with which
I am thoroughly familiar thanks to my stay [as deutscher Militärattaché
in London. I believe that, if you would permit us to take a positive
stand in this matter, this pre-war history would give us a chance to
clear the German people of some of their guilt. Anyone who knows the
details must realise that our foreign policy was decided by one source
only and that all the others, like Ribbentrop for instance, were nothing
but puppets. . . The Anglo-Saxon mind cannot grasp the fact that a
single brain should be responsible for this catastrophe.. It will be in
Germany’s interest, if we enlighten the world on this matter.
LEEB: I am of the opinion that this can be done very elegantly. . .
GEYR VON SCHWEPPENBURG: Sir, at times it is difficult not to
fly off the handle.
LEEB: There is just one disadvantage to revealing everything right
now – we shall be unable to prevent them from beating us in writing
the history of this war.
In einem Punkt waren alle jedoch einig: