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

HINDENBURG'S STICK 481Who was going to be Chancellor? Perhaps Hitler had misunderstood;Rohm was reminded that his Fuhrer had given his word of honor at leastto 'tolerate' the Papen government.Late at night Hitler arrived; he lodged at Goebbels's summer villa nearthe village of Caputh, and conferred with Goebbels, Rohm, and Goring.A strategic plan followed for two years was slipping through theirfingers. They were now the strongest party, but not strong enough fortheir own devious brand of democracy aiming at dictatorship. Now thequestion was: Could they resist the temptations of a brilliant defeat?Schleicher, eager to build up a synthetic popularity for Papen, whocared little for popularity, offered the National Socialists high offices,apparent key positions: the vice-chancellorship, the premiership ofPrussia, provincial presidencies and mayoralties; this would take care ofthousands of careerists with the swastika over or under their lapels. Didthe party have the moral strength to continue an uncertain struggle forfull victory? Was it not better to accept the bribe: a piece of power, ashare in the offices and state salaries, some access to the state treasury,some relief from the nightmare of an indebtedness running to twelvemillions?'All evening,' Goebbels relates, 'Der Fuhrer has been striding up anddown the room and the terrace outside. A visible conflict is going oninside him. The decision which must be made tomorrow has immenseimplications. It is being pondered carefully from all sides. . . .' Insituations of this sort, Hitler had demonstrated greatness of will — thisshould not be denied. He has often been mistaken in his appraisal ofcircumstances; he has ventured the falsest interpretations and the mostfrivolous prophecies; at times he has acted with astonishing lack ofjudgment; but in August, 1932, he knew exactly how much he couldrisk — and yet he risked more. The situation, he often repeated in thosedays, was not yet ripe; blows and failures had not yet sufficiently taughtthe opposing side — the state power, the Reichswehr, the President —that their edifice was bound to collapse without National Socialist aid.Nine years before, Hitler had proclaimed that the decisive strugglebetween Swastika and Soviet Star would bring him to power; this wouldbe his great hour. It almost literally cost him his head that he was