hitler

242Herr Hitler keep an appointment made several weeks ago?”Around the angry provincial consternation was frozeninto silence. In tones of studied rigidity, a secretary informedhim the case would be reported to the leader. Thispricked the politician‟s inflated self-assurance. He wanted tobe a deputy and Hitler would never admit him to the Reichstagif he heard of the lese-majesty just committed. Apologiesfollowed and the case was settled.The house in which the threads of the National Socialistmovement are gathered together was acquired in 1930. Itwas the aristocratic Barlow Palais, opposite the residence ofthe Papal Nuncio, in the Briennerstrasse. A special impostand a party loan helped to raise the million marks the buildingcost. Hitler was to show in the arrangement of the buildingthat he was not only a great statesman but also a greatarchitect and interior decorator. For three months hewrestled with these problems – the master-mind of planning– and was so proud of his achievement that he told the worldabout it in nine columns of the Voel\ischer Beobachter.In the arrangement of the private offices party hierarchywas strictly observed. The “Osaf” sits in splendour, whileminor officials have no elbow-room. The building servesnot only convenience, it also demonstrates the power of themovement. “The Brown House,” as the building is called,is a symbol of Nazi power.The staircase itself is an impressive sight with its marblebalustradesand its stern simplicity. The soft carpets, whileclashing with the austerity of the place, reveal the dictatoras a friend of comfort and showy pomp. To many this seems