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

762 DER FUEHRERwith his black hair and lurking black underworld look. According toGoebbels's account, Hitler was silent; but, according to the sameaccount, if during the trip from Bonn to Munich the feeling of a realdanger had allegedly weighed upon the little group of airplane travelers,now, after Hitler had stared into the faces of the first arrested victims,this feeling apparently yielded to one of omnipotence. 'In those hours,the supreme tribunal of the German nation — myself ...' — thus Hitlerlater described his role and feelings. If this coup succeeded — actuallyit had already succeeded — the silent man even now wielded morepower than the old man of Neudeck, whose imminent demise had beenthe cause of this whole undertaking. The man who now made this deathdealingpilgrimage had traveled a long and sinister road since the day,only eighteen months before, when he was forced to look on impotentlywhile Gregor Strasser almost destroyed the party. He had grown so bignow that he had an antidote for every difficulty, even if the name of thisantidote was murder. An armored Reichswehr car was in the column;nor had Hitler forgotten to bring his press agent, Dietrich, who was todescribe the planned blood-bath.Against a background of dark green mountains shone the placidsurface of the Tegernsee, illumined by a gold-blue morning sky. In thewing of the Hanslbauer, Rohm lay wrapped in deep sleep. Hitler andsuite entered, deliberately silent, almost on tiptoes.Count Spreti was the first prisoner to be brought in. He made agesture which Hitler interpreted as an attempt to reach for his gun. TheFuhrer hit him on the head with the iron end of his heavy whip, and kepthitting the young man's face and skull until he collapsed. Then hehammered at Rohm's door with his fists, shouting to him to open up.Rohm's sleepy voice was heard: 'What, you here already?' According toDietrich's account, Hitler entered the room alone; Rohm submitted tohis arrest and listened to Hitler's furious abuse without uttering a singleword. Other accounts tell of a great scene between the two and ofRohm's rage; according to them, Hitler personally pressed a gun intoRohm's hand and invited him to commit suicide — at the obvious riskthat Rohm would shoot him. This is scarcely credible.'Heines's room, directly adjoining Rohm's,' says Dietrich's ac-