Hitler's Table Talk

154 ACHIEVEMENTS OF JULIUS STREICHER
More than once Dietrich Eckart told me that Streicher was a
school-teacher, and a lunatic, to boot, from many points of
view. He always added that one could not hope for the
triumph of National Socialism without giving one's support to
men like Streicher. Despite everything, Eckart was very fond
of him.
Streicher is reproached for his Stürmer. The truth is the
opposite of what people say: he idealised the Jew. The Jew is
baser, fiercer, more diabolical than Streicher depicted him.
It's not a crime to speak publicly of affairs of State, for the
State needs the people's approval. Of course, there are cases
in which it's inopportune to speak of certain matters. Whoever
is guilty of doing so is committing, as a rule, nothing worse than
an offence against discipline.
Frick told me once that Streicher's stock had completely
slumped at Nuremberg. I went to Nuremberg to try to form an
opinion. Streicher came into the room, and there was a hurricane
of enthusiasm !
I went once to a women's gathering. It took place at Nuremberg,
and I'd been warned that Elsbeth Zander was a very
serious competitor to Streicher. The meeting was held in the
Hercules hall for bicycle-races. Streicher was welcomed with an
indescribable enthusiasm. The oldest adherents of the Party all
spoke in favour of Streicher and against Elsbeth Zander. There
was nothing for me to do but take my departure.
It goes without saying that the organisation of the Gau was
very imperfect. If I take a functionary of the Civil Service as
my criterion, the comparison is obviously not to Streicher's
advantage. But I must recall that it wasn't a functionary who
took Nuremberg for me in 1919.
When all's said, it was the Gauleiters themselves who asked
me to be indulgent with Streicher. In all the circumstances,
there was no comparison between the faults he committed and
his recognised merits, which were brilliant.
As usual, one must look for the feminine angle !
Who escapes from criticism? I myself, if I disappear to-day,
realise that a time will come, in a hundred years, perhaps, when
I shall be violently attacked. History will make no exception in
my favour. But what importance has that? It takes only