Hitler's Table Talk

122 NO CHURCH SERVICES FOR PARTY MEMBERS
gentleman", who had a weakness for them, as if for a child.
At the time, I didn't have an easy task with them. It wasn't
until from 1934 onwards that my hands were free and I could
use the weapons that the law gave me. I had to threaten them
with the enactment of a law compelling them to release their
hold. Gürtner was very correct in affairs of that sort. He told
me that, from the point of view of simple morality, he considered
the princes' claims impudent, but that he was bound by
the law of 1918.
Later on, I poked my nose into these families' origins, and
realised that they weren't even Germans. All one had to do
was to examine their genealogical trees !
If one day we had time to waste, it would be a curious study,
that of these princely families, to see how they maintained themselves
in power, despite their internal struggles. Their wars
always had the most exalted motives. In reality, it was always
a question of odd patches of land, whose possession was bitterly
disputed. How much Europe has had to suffer, for eight
hundred years, from these practices—and, especially and above
all, Germany!
66 nth November 1941, evening
Friendship of the Church costs too much—The Church is
the enemy of the State—The monuments of Christian
civilisation—Roosevelt's hypocrisy—The decadence of
religion.
I've always defended the point of view that the Party should
hold itself aloof from religion. We never organised religious
services for our supporters. I preferred to run the risk of being
put under the ban of the Church or excommunicated. The
Church's friendship costs too dear. In case of success, I can
hear myself being told that it's thanks to her. I'd rather she
had nothing to do with it, and that I shouldn't be presented
with the bill!
Russia used to be the most bigoted State of all. Nothing
happened there without the participation of the Orthodox
priests. That didn't prevent the Russians from getting beaten.
It seems that the prayers of a hundred and forty million
Russians were less convincing, before God, than those of a