Der Fuehrer - Hitler's Rise to Power (1944) - Heiden

HINDENBURG'S STICK 469vious astronomic figure; and even this sum was not payable at once, butonly when circumstances should permit —and circumstances never didpermit. This was Papen's 'failure of Lausanne,' as Hitler called it,declaring the final payment of three billions to be 'intolerable.' In nearbyGeneva the Disarmament Conference was dragging along almostwithout hope; there was no prospect that France would consent to 'equalrights' for Germany.And this was no wonder, Hitler carped, for France knew that thisgovernment did not have the people behind it any more than hadprevious governments. To Hitler, Papen's contempt of the people wasalmost a personal insult; for the people, he felt, was himself. This wasnot even true. Certainly he was not the people of the big coal and irondistricts in the west of Germany. Here the National Socialistsencountered a passionate hostility and comforted themselves that thishostility was limited to the Communists. Actually it was shared byworkers of all tendencies, by Social Democrats, and even the Center.Goebbels describes a trip through these cities in July, 1932:July 12. We force our way through the howling mob in Dus-seldorfand Elberfeld. A wild trip. We had no idea that things would get soserious. In all our innocence we drive into Hagen in an open car andwearing our uniforms. The streets are black with people. All of themmob and Communist rabble. They close off the road, so that we can goneither forward nor back. . . . We cut our way through the middle of thepack. Each of us has his pistol in his hand and is determined, if theworst comes to the worst, to sell his life as dearly as possible. . . . Themeeting place is on a hill, framed by a forest of beeches in thebackground. The Communists have ingeniously set fire to this forest, sothat it is almost impossible to carry on the meeting. Nevertheless, wemake our speeches. . . . On our departure we are followed by abombardment of stones. We manage to leave the city by detours. . . .July 13. . . . The experience in Hagen has made us more circumspect.Now we travel in disguise. Constantly we pass lurking groups ofCommunists. We can hardly get into Dortmund. We have to take a sidestreetto keep from falling into the hands of the Communists who haveoccupied all the other entrances. . ..July 14. ... A trip to the Ruhr involves mortal peril. We take a