PAGE 4 HONGKONG TELEGRAPH
THE FIRST
INSTALMENT
arrived in Berlin on April 30, 1937. May 1 le cele- brated as the great labour
holiday in Germany and largely devoted to pooch mak- ing. It furnished me with my first opportunity to see. Hitler and hear him speak in person.
Since I had not yet presented my letters of credence, I went on that day quite unofficially, first to the German Opera House and afterwords to the Lustgar- ten. I was necompanied by the first secretary of His Majesty's Embassy, Mr. Kirkpatrick.
At the Opera House, where I avas given a place apart from the other Heads of Mimions, though Hitler was presont, it was Dr. Goebbels why spoke. The subject was art and litera- ture, and I must admit that I was charmed bath by the natural fluency of his manner of peak- ing and his extremely agreeable voice. As politics did not enter into his subject, it was free from the venom, casulstry, and lies which were the normal feature of his usund propagan- dis outpourings.
At the Lustgarten, after an introductory speech by Dr. Ley. It was Hitter himself who ad- dressed the packed crowd, drawn up in organised formation be- fore him.
A
His speech contained seathing reference or so to the ettete democracies, particu Iarly Britain, against whom there was, as usual, a Press campaign raging at the time, but in the main it was direct- cd against Jewish influences in Itussia.
In speaking about Germany he used one phrase which stuck in my mind. It was that "no people could escape its own dea- tiny," and referred to the neces sity for the German people to put up with hardship in order to make itself independent of other nations and to fight, if needs be, in eastern Europe in order to secure more "Lebensraumi" space for development,
or
Sir Nevile Henderson
TO-DAY, in this first instalment of Sir Nevile Henderson's graphic story of events in Germany. in 1937-39, you read about the late Ambassador's impressions of the man who plunged the world into war.
To-morrow Sir Nevile will tell you about the "sinister and menacing impression" he received at the Nuremberg Rally, of Hitler's coolness when he tried to revive the plan for a friendly visit to London by Baron von Neurath, and of Goering's hint that the Nazis might decide to revise the Anglo-German Naval Treaty despite Sir Nevile's warning: "That would lead inevitably to war.”
Musolini--I doubt if he was
Ing to his ow
either interested in or knew very much about the delalis of the machine which func- tioned in his name. But he set its course, pul it In mation
or stopped it accord-
own pinn. During my feat year in Germany. constantly asked those in closest touch with Hitler what his chief quality consisted. I was told almost unanimously, in his
the-fluger
(Up-of- that is to
his sense of opportunity, allled with clearness of mind and decision of purpose.
The typical example which was quoted of this who his decision to
reoccupy the
Rhineland in 1930, which was taken contrary to the warning of his General Staff
and of all his closest ud- visers.
Germany
*
was at that time militarily not strong enough to disregard French veto, and his ful- lowers shrank from an act which would, they believ ed, be forelbiy opposed by the Western Powers.
HITLER:
MAN OF
INSANE
IFURIES
Hitler's Instinct told him that the latter would accept an accomplished fact, and he disregarded all warnings to the contrary. The event prov- ed him right and greatly re- inforced his prestige, not only Among hi
Immediate supporters, but throughout Germany as a whole.
Own
Incidentally it was probably the last opportunity when it would still have been possible
Hitler and mob for Britain and France to psychology
Germany's sorrows, though sho greatly exaggerates them, are not altogather of her own making. Her geographical posi- tion has had a good deal to do with their creation, and one of the most obvious, but often least Appreciated, truths in the world is that foreign policy is to A
extent governed greater
by geography than by anything else. I was at the time, however, more interested in the individual
have said "no" to the Dictator without being obliged to go to war to enforce that "no",
chance to see him under normal conditions and to talk to him as man to man.
Except for a few brief words at chance meetings, i never met him except upon official, and invari ably, disagreeable business. He never attended Informal parties, at which diplomatists might be present, and when friends of mine did try to arrange it, he nl- ways gut, out of meeting me in auch a manner on the ground of precedent,
Up to a period in his career he was accessible tu foreigners, to whom he readily accorded inter- views, but he gradually became
People shackled less-no, and he had apparently it
by
machine
rooted aversion to private con- tacts with diplomutists, "whom, as a category, he distrusted. The greater me becomes the more one Be that as
it may, Hitler, is obliged to live on a pedestal, whatever the external impres- lest, if one descends from it, one sion which he may give and
loses, through -commerce. with whatever
at- may be
ordinary people, the godlike one's judg- ment of him, based, as mine tributes of greatness. No man is was, on à superficial persónul a hero to his valet, and Hitler acquaintance. is,
may have taken that saying to or at least
heart.
-and-in-the-paychology_of_the_began_by_being_a_visionary_of_
crowd than in the nelia! words spoken, I found, as I had done in listening to Hitler's speeches on the radio when I was British Minister at Belgrade, his voice harsh and unsympathetic.
But he had the gift of oratori- cal exhortation, and the people Soomed to appréciate what he said.
Yet it was a lovely day, and 1 could but feel that the crowd would have proferred to be amusing themselves elsewhere rather than standing, packed It disciplined sardines, listen- ing to the kind of speech that they must have heard often enough, and shouting their "Pfuis" whenover Hiller raised his voice rather higher than usual or paused to mark his point in his flow of oratory.
It was impossible, indeed, not, to wonder, on that ocension and to the last, wherein the up greatness of Hitler Kay, by what aneans he had succeeded in im- pooing himself as the undisputed Leador of a great people, and what was the to me--hidden Hource of his influence over his followers and of their complete subservience to him. To con- vince oneself of his greatness, one had to remember his actuni deeds and judgo by facts.
re-
National Socialism is a volution, and if, apart. from his demagogic faculties, Hitler had one quality which placed him In an unassailable poaltion above the rest of his fellow revolutionaries, it was his faith -faith in Germany, faith in his mission for Germany, and, alaal Increasingly arrogant faith in himself and his own greatness. Faith and will power.
I once watchod IIitler review his black-bad-brown shirted army. The march past Insted for four hours, and practically
gonius and
man who was
able to tell the German people what it was, that they wanted.
So long as he procured it for them without war, his word was absolute and their confid ence in him was unshaken.
The first shock to their bellef in his infallibility came in September, 1938, when he led them to the abyss of war over the Sudeten German question.
Many Germana
then muxt have asked themselves whether Hitler by that time was stili thinking of Germany or only of himself, his party, and his per- sonal ambitions. They may be thinking it still more to-day, But by this time the shackjes of the Nazi organisation and ro- gime are so riveted on the whole country that what the German people themselves may feel or want is a matter of indifference to a system which must go for- ward or end, to individuals who must remain in power or become nobodies again, and to a leader ayhose ambitions have now be come a form of hysterical meg. alominis. Sie volo sie juben is And now Hitler's only ereed. he has behind him the whole might of the German army, which has taken the oath of the loyalty to him, as well as solid organisation of the party which owes its very existence to him, and the fanatical on- thusiasm of the entire credulous youth of the country, which has been taught to worship force and Hitler.
The German people in the mans are but grist for the mill, und as one of them, whom I met by chance after war had been declared, said to me, "Wir aind zu klein, wir konnen nichts machon" ("Wo are too small, we, can do nothing.")
throughout he remained with Distrusted the
his right arm strolled out at
the Nazi saluto.
I asked him afterwards how he mannred to do it. His reply Was "Will power"--and I won- dered how much of it was arti- ficially cultivated.
diplomats
It will always be a mutter of regret to me that I was never able to study Hitler in private life, as such administrator ab is Signor this might have given me the
Ife
no
He was a true demagogue, and crowds stimulated him, but social life of any
sort bored
Itin
He liked company of his intimate
he friends, whom
could harangue to his heart's
delight, but he always looked
self-conscious when he had to
entertain the diplomatie corps, which happened normally three times a year: at his New Year's reception, at his annual dinner to the heads of missions, and at the ten-party which he gave for them in September during. the Party Rally at Nuremberg.
Never did ·
generous action
I was once naked by a German Acquaintance who must, in view of hits former official position, have had many talks with lum, whether 1 ever managed during my interviews with Hitler to get a word is edge-ways.
It was a curious observation, suggesting, as it did, that he him- self never had. That, however, was not my experience. He may not have heeded what I said, and he may, like Ribbentrop, only have been thinking what he him- self was going to any next, but he always seemed ready to listen, nor did he speechify to any un- endurable extent,
1
I once myself made him a little speech which lasted for five or ten minutes. His reply lasted three times as long, and there- after. for obvious reasonя, avoided making speeches myself. If I thought his own, wore getting too long and that he was becoming carried away by his own oratory, I interrupted him, nor did he ever seem to be offend- ed by my so doing.
My impression was that hia emotional outbursta wero not spontaneous, but that he de. liberatoly worked himself up into a state of excitement. But it may have become second nature with him, after all the Impassioned orations which he had had to make during the years of his struggle for power. Or he may
Sir Nevile Henderson in Berlin
have thought that, since de- magogical eloquence swayed the mtases, it must have 1 similar effect on the Individual.
he
Anyway, with his own people he seems to have claimed the monopoly of the talking, though he was probably attentive enough if he had anything which wished to learn from them.
But contradiction was insup- portable to him, and if anyone attempted it, as General von Fritsch did "In January 1938, be was dismissed.
I never heard of his ever do. ing a generous action. On the other hand, one of his most marked characteristics Was sheer vindictiveness, and his resentments were enduring and intensely disagreeable for any- one on whom it was in his power to exercise them.
I am not surprised that his followers were afraid of him. They had plenty of examples of his enquelty for revenge to inti- midate them.
His defect in this respect was his-tragedy,as-it-is-necessarily that of any dictator. No man of can long Independent mind tolerate the lack of all freedom of utterance.
Liked company
of pretty women
Unuble to express views' which of their may be contrary to
those master the best men leave him one by one. Hils entourage steadily and Inexorably deteriorates, until at the end he is surrounded by mere
flattery yes-men whose
and ne- quiescence are alone endurable, to him. That, too, was Hitler's fate the last year which I spent
"He was always urging his fellow-
in countrymen to forget their feriority complex, but he was sub- ject to it himself, Both on
this account and because of hly demago- gue's nature he must always have applause. If it was not the crowd's. It must be that of the coterie of his intimate friends, and particularly his old street-fighters of the Brown House at Munich,
At the
ame time his tastes were excessively simple. He was a bad
nt Berlity sleeper, especially which was one reason why he spent as little time 19 possibio in the capital. He got up lote und liked working till after luncheon, but he would also go to bed late, and would sit up talking till all
dis-
hours of theo relax after dinner
He liked to
and
in the company of pretty ornamental young women,
Beautiful scenery appealed to him in the same way, and his real home was the Berghof at Berchtesgaden, on the top of a mountain, with magnificent to Salzburg view looking over and
the lovely scenery native Ausiela,
T
of his
He kept no particular state there,. and on the two occasions on which I visited him at Berchtesgaden there was little evidence of any excessive cautions for his safety,
Yet he was very strictly guarded, and the necessity for his protection of the holds which Himmler, as head of his secret police, had over him.
WRS une
The path of him was, however, made easy for an ambassador, who might be assumed not to have a revolver or a bomb concealed up- on tils person.
1
any
For others, if there was doubt whatsoever, it would prob- ably have been made much more searching and difficult.
It was part of the show to give the Impression of a beloved ruler, unafraid and reliant on the do-
people.
votion of his
But in the forest which sur- rounded
the villa (Berghof) tood the barracks of his special ,bodyguard of blackshirts, and Its trees and bushes probably con- cealed numbers of highly alert and expert gunmen.
bolt-
He had, withal, another hole in the form of an cyrle on the sum
of a yet higher moun- summit tain peak. It could only be reach- ́ed by a road built for some miles out of the solid rock, through bronze doors let into the mot
mountain side, and by a lift tunnelied in the
mountain itself. It was said to be guarded on all sides by machine- guns, but I never saw it myself, and can only write from hearsay.
Would march Army
1
to the North Pole
1-was-particularly Impressed.by. Field-Marshal von Blomberg. A man of 58, tall and soldierly and good looking, he was typical of the old German army, and no better selection could have been made for the task of representing Germany at the Coronation.
He vas a fervent admirer of Hitler, whose praises he was never tired of singing.
Ho once said to me that if Hier were to order him and his ariny to march the next day to the North Pole, they would de It without a moment's hesitation. It was related that Hitler, had similar affection for the Field- Marshaf,, and had more than once stated that Blomberg deserted him he would throw himself from the window,
1
not
In the end Blomberg, if deserting him, did act contrary to his wishes. Whereupon it was not Hitler who threw himself from the window, but Blomberg who was thrown on to the rubbish-heap, But that was to
ten come some months later, und at the time.
Hitler's Blumberg was perhaps closest friend and adviser, Poor, Blomberg He
Was the
first Gennon when I entertained at His Majesty's Embassy, and he was one of the first to invite me to his house,
It was a man's party, and with' the exception of Neurath and my- self all the others were soldiers or be nirmen. The regime might Nazi, but the senior commanders of the navy, army and air force were officers of the last war, and I often wondered what they felt about their
leaders.
Crufen was also at that dinner,
and I recall tint when he, Blom- berg, and Neurath were talking to me after it, one of them asked me what I did when anyone gave the Nazi salute or said "Heil Hitler" to me.
For once I happened to be quick on the uptake. "I bring." I replied, "my right hand, with fingers closed and palm to the front, to a position one inch above the right eyebrow, click my heels and say Rule Britannia","
They all laughed, but, matter of fact, nobody except an occasional cloakroom attendant and Miss Unity Mitford ever did sreet me with "Hell Willer." And when Miss Milford did it. in the middle of a big crowd at Nuremberg, I was so surprised and dumbfounded that I forgot "Rule Britannia" and said nothing at all.
Monday, APRIL 22, 1940.
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Bizet's Symphony No. 1 Fald-up Capital
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Crossword Puzzle
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