1940-04-22 — Page 24

(PAGE 4-HONGKONG TELEGRAPH

THE FIRST

INSTALMENT

arrived in Berlin on April 30, 1037. May 1 is celo- brated an the great labour

holiday in Germany and largely devoted to speech 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 wonb on that day quite unofficially, first to the German Opera House and afterwards to the Lustgar- ton, I was accompanied by the frat secretary of His Majesty's Embassy, Mr. Kirkpatrick.

At the Opera House, where I Was given a place apart from the other Honda of Missions. though Hitler was present, it was Dr. Goobbals who spoke. The subject was art and litera- turo, and I must admit that I was churned both 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, canuiatry, and lies which were the normaal feature of his usual propagan. dist outpourings.

At the Lustgarten, ofter an Introductory speech by Dr. Ley, it was Hitler himself who ad- dressed the packed crowd, drawn up in organised formation bo- Tore him.

2

His speech contained senthing reference or so to the erete democracies, particu. Jarly Britain, against whom there was, as usuni, n Press campaign raging at the time, but in the main it was direct- ed against Jewish influences in Russia.

In speaking about Germany. he used one phrase which stuck in my mind. It was that "no poople could escape ita own des- tiny," and referred to the neces- sily for the German people to put up with hardship in order to make itself independent of other nations and to fight, if needs bo, in eastern Europe In order to secure more "LebensraUM” 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."

Mussolini-1 doubt if he was either interested in or knew very much about the details of the machine which func- tioned in his

name.

But ho

set its course, put it in motion or stepped it necord- ing to his own plan...

During my first year in Germany, I constantly asked those in closest touch with Hitler in what his chict constated. I was told

unanimously. In

HITLER:

IMAN OF

(Up-of- "Angerspitzgefull" the-finger feeling). that is to any, his sense of opportunity, allied with clearness of mind and decision of purposo.

The typical example which was quotext of this was his decision

the reoccupy

to

Rhineland in 1930, which

was taken contrary to the

warning of bla General Staff and of all his closest nd- visers.

0

Germany was at that Umo militarily not strong enough to disregard French veto, and his ful- lowers shrank from an aet which would, they bellev- ed, be forelbly opposed by ile Western Powers.

INSANE

FURIES

Hitler's instinct told him that the latter would accept an accomplished fact, and ho disregarded all warnings to the contrary. The event prov- ed him right and greatly re- inforced his prestige, not only Among his own Immediate supporters, but throughout Germany as a whole.

Incidentally it was probably the Inst opportunity when it would still have been possible

Hitler and mob for Britain and France to psychology

Germany's sorrows, though ahe greally exaggerates them, are not altogether of her own

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, disagreeablo busineR8. Ha never attended informal parties, at which diplomatists might be present, and when friends of mine did try to arrange it, he al- ́ ways got out of meeting mo in such a manner on the ground of precedent,

Up to a period in his career ho was accessible to foreigners, to whom he readily accorded inter- vlows, but he gradually became

People shackled less so, and he had apparently

making. Her geographien by machine

tion had a good deal to do with their creation, and one of the most obvious, but often least Keppreciated, truths in the world is that foreign policy is to n greater extent governed by geography than by anything else.

I was at the time, however, more interested-in-the Individual. and In the psychology of the crowd thon In the actual words apokon. I found, as I had done in listening to Hitler's speeches on the radio when I was British Minister at Belgrade, his voice barsh and unsympathetic.

But he had the gift of oralori- cal exhortation, and the people soomed to appreciate what he Bald.

Yet it was a lovely day, and 1 could but feel that the crowd would have preferred to bo amusing themselves elsewhere rather than standing, packed like disciplined sardines, listen- ing to the kind of speech that they must have heard ofton enough,

their and shouting "Pfuis" whenever Hitler raised hla volco rather higher than usual or paused to mark his point in his flow of oratory.

It was impossible, indeed, not to wonder, on that occasion and up to the last, wherein the greatness of Hitler luy, by what means he had succeeded In Im- posing himself as the undisputed. Leader of a great people, and wwhat was the-lo mo-hidden source of his influence over his followers and of their comploto subservience to him. To con- vince oneself of his greptareas, one had to remember his actual deeds and judgo by facts.

National-Socialiam is volution, and if, apart from his domingogic faculties, Hitler had ono quality which placed him In

unassailable Toaltion above the rest of his fellow revolutionaries. It was his faith faith in Germany, faith in hia mission for Germany, und, alzal arrogant faith in Increasingly himself and his own grontnews. Falth and will power.

an

re

I once watched Hitler review his black-und-brown shirted army, The 'marek past lasted for four hours, and practically throughout he remained with

Be that as it may, Hitler, whatever the external impres- sion which he may give and whatever may be one's judg. ment of him, based, as mine was, on a superficial personal acquaintience,__is_____or_at_least, began by being, a visionary of man who was genius and a able to tell the German peoplo 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 belief in his infallibility camo in September, 1938, when he led thom to the abyss of war over the Sudeton Gengan question.

Many Germans must then itave asked themselves whether Hitler by that time was still thinking of Germany or only of himself, his party, and his per- sonal ambitious. They may be

con-

rooted aversion to private tacts with diplomatists, whom, as a category, he distrusted. The greater one becomes the more onc is obliged to live on a pedestal, lest, if one descends from it, one lases, through commerce with ordinary people, the godlike at- Iributes of greatness. No man is a hero to his valet, and Hitler may have taken that saying to heart.

He was a true demagogue, and crowds stimulated him, but socin! life of any sort bored him.

He liked company of his intimate friends, whom

he

could harangue to his heart's

delight. but he always looked

self-conscious when he had to

entertain the diplomatic 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 tea-party which he gave for them in September during the Party Rally nt Nuremberg,

thinking it still more to-day. Never

But by this time the shackties of The Nazi organisation and re- 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

hose ambitions have now be come a form of hysterical meg- alomania. Sic volo ale jubeo la now Hitler's only creed. And he has behind him the whole might of the German army. which has taken the oath of loyalty to him, as well as tho solid organisation of the party which owes its very existence to him, and the fanatical en- 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, and as one of them, whom I met by chance after war had been declared, said to me, "Wir sind zu klo. wir kennen nichts machen" ("We are too amall, we can do nothing.")

did

Sir Novile Henderson in Berlin

have thought that, since de- magogical eloquence swayed the masses, it must have a similar offect on the individual.

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 he wished to learn from them.

But contradiction was Insup- portable to him, and if anyone attempted it, nu General von Fritach did in January 1938, he was dismissed.

was

I never heard of his ever do. ing a generous action. On the other hand, one of his most marked characteristics 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.

any

For others, if there was doubt whatsoever, it would prob- ably have been made much more searching and dificult,

It was part of the show to give the impression of a beloved ruler, unafraid and reliant on the de- votion of his people.

But in the forest which sur- rounded the villa (Berghof) stood the barracks of his special bodyguard of blackshirts, and ita trees and bushes probably con cealed numbers of highly alert and expert gunmen.

He had, withal, another bolt- hole in the form of an cycle on the summit of yet higher moun- 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 mountain side, and by a life tunnelled 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,

They had plenty of examples of Would march Army

his capacity for revenge to inti- midate them.

His defect in this. respect was his tragedy, as it is necessarily No man of that of any dictator. independent mind can long tolerate the lack of all freedomn of utterance.

Liked company

to the North Pole

I was particularly impressed by Fiekl-Marshal von Blomberg. A man of 58, tail and soklierly, and good looking, he was typical of the old German army, and no betier selection could have been made for the task of representing Germany at the Coronation.

He was a fervent admirer of Hitler, whose praises he was never

of pretty women tired of singing.

Unable to express views which may be contrary to those of their master the best men leave him one

by one. His entourage steadily and inexorably deteriorates, uniji at the end he is surrounded by mere yes-men whose. flattery and ac- qulescence are alone endurable to him. That, too, was litler's fate during the last year which i spent in Berlin.

He was always urging his fellow-

generous action countrymen, to forget their in-

I was once asked by a German acquaintance who must, in view of ble former oficial position, have had many talks with him, whether I ever managed during my interviews with Hitler to get a werd in edge-ways.

It was

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 ho muy, like Ribbentrop, only have been thinking what he him- self was going to say next, but he always acemed ready to listen, nor did he speechify to any un- endurablo extent,

I once myself made him 龜 little speech which lasted for fivo or ten minutes. His reply lusted three times as long, and there- after, for obvious reasons, avoided-making specches myself.

If I thought his own getting too long and that he was his becoming carried away by own oratory, I interrupted him, nor did ho over seem to be offend- ed by my so doing.

My impression

his right arm stretched out Distrusted the emotional outbu was that

the Nazi saluto.

I asked him afterwards how he managed to do it. Ila reply was "Will power"-and I won- dered how much of it was art!- ficially cultivated. He was no such administrator as in Signor

diplomats

It will always be a matter of regret to me that I was never able to study Hitler in private life, na this might have given me the

verc

his

not

spontaneous, but that he dc- liberatoly worked himself up Into a state of excitement. But it may have become second naturo with him, after all the impassioned orations which he had had to make during the years of his struggle for power. Or he may

+

feriority complex, but he was sub- jcct

to it hinseit. Both on this account and because of his 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-Bghters of the Brown House at Munich.

saine

115

at

At the

ine time his lastes were excessively simple. He was a bad sleeper, especially

Berlin- which was one reason why he spent time as possible in the dis- capital. He got up late and liked working till after luncheon, but he would also go to bed late, and would sit up tolking u ali hours of the night.

and

Ile ilked to relax after dinner In the company of pretty ornamental young women,

Beautiful scenery appealed to Jis his in the same way, and

al real home was the Berghof Berchtesgaden, on the top of a mountain, with a magnificent to Salzburg view looking over

scenery and the lovely

of his

native Austria,

He kept no particular state there, and on the two occasions on which I visited him at Berchtesgaden there was little evidence of any excrasive cautions for us safety.

Yet he was very strictly guarded, and the necessity for his protection Was 0110 of the holds which Himmler, as head of his secret polico, had over him.

The path of him was, however, mnde ensy for an ambassador, who might be assumed not to have a revolver or a bomb concealed up- on his person.

Ile once sald to me that if Ifitier were to order him and his army to march the next day to the North Pole, they would do It without a moment's hesitation. It was related that Hitler had a similar affection for the Field- Marshal, and had more than once stated that if Blomberg deserted him he would throw himself from the window.

In the end Blomberg, if not deserting him, did set contrary to his wishes. Whereupon it was not Hitler who threw himself from the window, but Blomberg who was thrown on to the rubbish-heup. ne some ten But that was to come months later, and at the time Blomberg was perhaps Hitler's closest friend and adviser.

the

Poor Blomberg! He was first German whom I entertained ot 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 airmen. The

The regime

might be

Nazi, but the senior commanders of the navy, army and air force were officers of the Inst war, and I often wondered what they fell about their political leaders.

Goering was also at that dinner, and I recall that when ho, 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 sald "Hell 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 'Rulo Britannin."

Monday, APRIL 22, 1940.

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They all laughed, but, matier of fact, nobody except an occasional cloakroom attendant and Miles Unity Mitford ever did greet me with "Hell Hiller." And when Miss Mitford did it, In the middle of a big crowd af Nuremberg, 1 was so surprised and dumbfounded that I forgot "Rule Britannia" and said nothing at all.

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