Chapter 64 Chapter Ten "It's Like a Dream" (7)

Hitler met Papen at the home of Baron von Schroeder in Cologne on January 4, as expected.The meeting was originally planned to be held in secret, but despite careful planning by all parties in advance, the news leaked out.That day, a reporter from a Berlin newspaper (who had bribed one of Hitler's bodyguards) took pictures of Hitler and Papen as they entered the Schroeder's residence.The talks lasted two hours.At the beginning, Papen suggested the establishment of a Hitler-Papen government to replace the Schleicher regime, and Papen and Hitler were completely equal.To this startling construction, Hitler gave a lengthy reply: If he becomes chancellor, he must actually become head of government; he will admit some of Papen's men as ministers on condition that they agree to the A policy of removal of Democrats, Communists and Jews from leadership positions.According to Schroeder, the two "reached an agreement in principle"; they shook hands politely as they left the site.

After Schleicher saw the photo of the two shaking hands.Angrily, he broke into the presidential palace and sued Papen for betrayal.He asked the President not to receive Papen unless he was present.However, the old man loved this brave former cavalryman very much and did not believe that he would cheat.Instead, he authorized Papen to continue his informal contacts with Hitler and ordered his secretary to keep the negotiations secret from von Schleicher. A few days later, Hindenburg further lowered Schleicher's profile.Schleicher planned to confiscate the estates of the bankrupt Junkers in East Germany; Hindenburg opposed the plan and supported Junkers.True, he was treated as a subordinate by Hindenburg, but he made a lamentable political error—overreacting.Not only did he refuse to deal with the rebellious Junkers, he declared war on them openly.Thus, the Hindenburg drawing room was filled with representatives of the Juncker family, angrily demanding the dissolution of the Schleicher government.Not only that, Schleicher also directed the military's wrath on himself.General Schleicher should remember that the common cause has bound Junkers and the officer corps together for two hundred years!

The beneficiary of Schleicher's folly was Adolf Hitler.Hitler skillfully exploited the growing discontent to campaign for elections in Lieper.He regarded this small campaign as a national election, and threw all the strength of the party in it, with the aim of achieving a greater victory in order to negotiate with Hindenburg and Papen on strength.In order to recover from his failure in November and regain his prestige among the masses, he made a desperate speech in almost every city and country in Lippe.Wherever he went, he was warmly welcomed. On January 15, he received 39.6 percent of the popular vote, an increase of 17 percent.This proves that his personal appeal is considerable.On the day of the general election, Hitler came to Weimar, "in high spirits, as happy as a child." He called this success "a victory whose importance cannot be estimated."He was so confident that the next day he made public his conflict with Strassel (who had returned from vacation in Italy).In a three-hour speech to magistrates, he attacked Strassel for treachery and made it known that he had not only broken with Strassel but was about to "twist all defeatism in the party." victim's neck".The audience's reaction was "ecstatic."Although a group of separatists in the party were ready to follow Strassel to a showdown with the Führer, the Führer himself had no intention of fighting.Due to a breakdown in relations, Strassel gave up his seat in Congress and drove back to Munich.

After Strassel finally withdrew from the political arena, Hitler felt safe.He is ready to compromise. On the evening of January 18, he met with Papen again.This time, they met at the home of Joachim von Ribbentrop in trendy Dalheim, a suburb of Berlin.For the sake of absolute secrecy, Papen was pulled by Ribbentrop's driver, while Hitler's car drove directly into the garage.He, Roehm, and Himmler tiptoed in from the garden. "Hitler insisted on being chancellor," Madame von Ribbentrop wrote in the minutes of the meeting, "and again Papen thought that this was impossible. His influence over Hindenburg was not limited to that .Hitler made no arrangements for further talks. Initial construction of Joachim, Hitler meeting with Hindenburg's son." Discussion ended without result.Hitler's intransigence made it difficult for Papen.Not so with the hostess, who, like her husband, was deeply impressed by Hitler.She felt that Hitler "this man is really amazing, he is a gentleman".