My Years with Ludwig von Mises.pdf - The Ludwig von Mises Institute

the Nazis. The Nazis, fearing the decision of the Austrian population,
prevented the plebiscite scheduled for March 13, assembled
German troops at the frontier, and Schuschnigg, unable to resist,
had to resign. Seyss-Inquart, a former Viennese lawyer, took over
the government. He was ordered by the Nazis to send a telegram to
Berlin demanding German troops "to prevent further riots."
On March 14 Hitler marched into Vienna, the city where he had
lived as a pauper in a flophouse, painting and selling postcards.
That night he made his first speech over the radio. His voice still
rings in my ears. I shall never forget it. It was rough, throaty, and
vulgar, but it had an almost unbearable strength combined with a
hypnotic power of persuasion. As much as his voice frightened me,
I listened to the very end.
That same night Chancellor Schuschnigg spoke for the last time
to the Austrian people with a simple and touching broadcast, his
voice trembling with unwept tears. "Tonight," he said, "I take
leave of the Austrian people with only a few words of farewell
coming from the depth of my heart. May God help and protect
Austria.='='
The last visit I made in Vienna was to a friend of Lu='s and mine.)
Dr. Weiss von Wellenstein, secretary general· of the Central Association
of Austrian Industry. I had known him and his beautiful,
elegant wife-who had died a few years before-since my first
days in Vienna. In spite of his great loss, Dr. von Wellenstein kept
the household running as smoothly as before, for their three maids
had been with them for years. Though Lu and I had never met at
their house-they had a very large social circle-Dr. von Wellenstein
knew about Lu and me, and I felt it my duty to bid farewell to
him before departing. He was very lonely at that time. People
abstained from visiting each other, for they had to avoid going into
the streets. He was happy to see me and happy to hear about our
forthcoming marriage. "You are going to marry the greatest mind
Austria has produced in this last century,='=' he told me, "but I don='t
believe you are fully aware of the difficulties that lie ahead of you.
Ludwig von Mises is not easy to handle. He is obstinate, will never
change his mind once he is convinced he is right, and he will
rather have an enemy than make concessions or deviate from his
convictions. Your life won='t be easy; I do wish you luck.='=' How
little did he know how well I knew what he had told me-and
much more!
A few days after Schuschnigg='s farewell, Himmler='s S.S. troops
and the Gestapo arrived, and a real holocaust started. Communists,
Social Democrats, and Liberals were arrested by police and Gestapo
agents, taken into prisons and police stations, tortured, and
36