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

516 DER FUEHRERprotection for the dairy farmers and stronger measures againstforeclosures.He apparently thought that he had talked the farmers out of theirpolitical attack. But they had previously given their statement to thepress, and it was published. Now Schleicher answered sharply that thegovernment would do what was necessary for the protection ofagriculture, but it would have no further dealings with the leaders of theReichslandbund. Hindenburg also declared that if he had known inadvance of the Landbund's rude public attack, he would not havereceived its leaders. Schleicher informed the German public how thedecisions of Ottawa had shaken the German butter market, and addedthat the small peasants were much harder hit than the big landowners.He satisfied Hindenburg by submitting to him an order for thestrengthening of the anti-foreclosure laws; a few days later, Hindenburgwrote the Land-bund that he hoped 'my order extending and broadeningthe anti-foreclosure laws will serve to pacify agricultural interests.'While Schleicher with cautious steps had to find his way betweenthese sometimes petty snares of world economics and domestic politics,his most dangerous enemy seemed in swift decay. The NationalSocialist movement, seen from outside and probably even more frominside, was evidently in full physical and moral disintegration. In thecity of Kassel the S.A. had mutinied because it had Come to light thattheir leaders had embezzled and sold food donated by peasants forstarving storm troopers; the S.A. men did not mutiny against theembezzlement, however, but because the leadership had been forced todiscipline the culprit; for leaders and rank-and-file were both involvedin the embezzlement. The guilty leader issued an indignant statement tothe effect that S.A. men had informed 'party officials (meaning thegauleiter of the Kassel district) outside the S.A.' of the events; theyshould take note 'that the affairs of the S.A. are absolutely no concern ofoutsiders,' and anyone who shot off his mouth again would be thrownout. They really did have something to keep secret, for the S.A. leader,in order to cover up the embezzlement, had arranged for subordinates tobreak into his office and stage a faked burglary.In the Westphalian town of Volmarstein, the police discovered