Chapter 80 Chapter Thirteen The Triumph of the Will (2)

Street rumors arose that Reni Raifensdahl was Hitler's mistress.This attack, like others, such as the claim that he slept with famous actresses such as Olga Techesova, Lil Dargoville and Pola Nagri, is unfounded.It was not sexuality that Hitler was looking for in these glamorous women, but the thrill of his repressed bohemian nature. Lord Riddlesdale's daughter, Unity Meaford, has just arrived from England.She was studying art in Munich, just in time for the excitement of the new Germany.From the moment Hitler kissed her hand, she became a wholehearted advocate of National Socialism.She was a gay, bohemian, fair-haired girl who sometimes said the rudest and most surprising things.Her original outlook on life and her lively sense of humor (as did her five sisters) were new and refreshing experiences for Hitler.She was often around Hitler.Rumors arose shortly thereafter—as baseless as the others—that she was his mistress.

As Hitler rose to power, he found more and more women eager to keep him company.Perhaps because of his widening interests, Mrs. Bechstein, his old relationship, knocked over her vinegar bottle.She publicly criticizes him and reprimands him for some of his reforms.Generally speaking, according to Friedlin Wagner, she would first ask the Führer if he was insane, and then hurl insults at him, overwhelming him. "Amidst the vicious curses, Hitler stood in shame like a schoolboy who misbehaved." Eva Braun was especially saddened by the constant expansion of Hitler's horizons.A few days after he took the stage, he gave her a wedding ring, earrings and a gemstone bracelet for her 21st birthday.But this does not indicate his intention to marry his mistress.She saw him less often than before.He also called her occasionally from Berlin—usually from a public phone booth.In order not to let her parents know how close she was with the Führer, she persuaded them to install a personal telephone in her bedroom.Whenever he was in Munich, he would call her to his apartment.But in Berchtesgaden, she generally stayed in hotels, in order to show her face.

By the autumn of 1934, she was often depressed, and for a long time.Hitler's hopes of marrying her were dashed.He told her that, as head of the Third Reich, he must dedicate himself to the country and not be burdened by his family.In fact, he resembles the Pope.His excuses to Captain Weidmann were even more blunt.One evening, he said, yes, he wanted family life too, but if he got married, he would lose the votes of many women. "So," he said, "I found three girls in Munich to be at my disposal." Hitler confided more fully to his secretary, Krista Schroeder. "Eva is very nice," he said, "but in my life, only Gilly can really turn me on. I never want to marry Eva. The only thing that makes me connect my life to her The woman is Gilly."

Hitler's relationship with his British sister-in-law also became increasingly difficult.Brigid Hitler, the ex-wife of his half-brother Alois, wanted to turn to his famous relative again because of extreme financial difficulties.She returned to Germany with her son, William Patrick, and found Hitler, hoping that he would "give her a little money to keep her quiet".Hitler invited the mother and son to Berchtesgaden. But, once there, Patrick was taken aback (he told OSS years later) as they were "reviled" by the Führer's sister Angela, who again said Hitler was "not even his uncle" (*William Patrick He and his mother eventually emigrated to the United States, where he served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. He now lives in suburban New York, has changed his name, and has a son named Adolph).

Meanwhile, Hitler spent much of his time on foreign policy.Since success in the field of diplomacy depended primarily on strength, Hitler sought to rearm the Reich overnight.Behind the smokescreen of the disarmament talks in Geneva, he quickly built up the German armed forces at all levels.He was encouraged by the crowd's response at the military exercises in Nuremberg.So he secretly ordered three weeks later to double the size of the army of only 100,000 men.On the day the secret order was issued, 70,000 people enlisted in the army.The defense budget increased to 654 million marks. Even with strict secrecy measures, the sudden addition of 9 corps headquarters, 14 infantry divisions, and 7 mechanized battalions could not but arouse rumors that it violated the Treaty of Versailles.These rumors, combined with the deterioration of Anglo-German relations, really worried Hitler.In addition, due to the military expansion of Germany, it is obvious that the military unity of Britain and France has become closer.On the other hand, there is evidence that Britain is not prepared to take big risks. "No country, least of all England," the British Foreign Secretary's private secretary confided to Prince Otto von Bismarck that autumn, "would go abroad to fight for the benefit of other countries." Since his entire foreign policy was again based on British tolerance (not friendship), he simply regained their sympathy.

The official gala on December 19 was a step in the favour.Among the 25 guests, 4 were British—a famous member of the Anglo-German fraternity, Lord Rodmere and his son, Walter Walter, editor of the most influential newspaper "Daily Mail" run by Rodmere. Price.For this evening, Hitler wore an evening dress instead of a party uniform.When the guests were seated and began to eat a simple meal (roast chicken), he said: "It has been 10 years since Landsberg was released from prison." He told people that almost all employees in the prison, including the warden, Inside, all became National Socialists. "The Bavarian government was furious and sent most of its employees to the police academy as punishment. But within six months, the place became a center for recruiting National Socialists. They had no choice but to close it down."

After dinner, Hitler invited the non-smoking guests to another room.Lord Rodmeer, together with Ribbentrop and several female guests, went out with Hitler.Before that, the half-Jewish Duchess Stephanie von Hohenloch had introduced him to the newspaper king.Rodmeer was attracted to Hitler because they also hated Bolshevism.A few weeks later, when ninety percent of the voters in the Saarland constituency (at the urging of the Catholics) voted for union with Germany, the Daily Mail cheered loudly. In late January 1935, Hitler received two more friendly British people: Lord Allen of Hurtwood, who brought a letter of greeting from British Prime Minister Ramsey MacDonald; So impressed was Hitler's peaceful wishes that he could not help persuading the foreign secretary, Sir John Simon, that the Führer was sincere.

Saar returned to Germany peacefully, and even France was relieved, and formally submitted a joint proposal to Germany to resolve issues including equal armaments and Eastern Rocarno. (*The main body of the agreement signed in Locarno 10 years ago is a convention. The treaty stipulates that the signatory countries mutually pledge to respect the borders of Germany, France and Belgium-including the Rhineland in the demilitarized zone).Hitler cautiously replied on February 14 that he would welcome arms negotiations, but would it not be better to wait for preliminary discussions between Germany and Britain before proceeding to general negotiations with France?

Sir John Simon agreed to come to Berlin in early March.The prospect of his visit had created an atmosphere of optimism among the foreigners in Berlin, but in Sheila's diary on March 5 she wrote: "Simon was due to come here the day after tomorrow to negotiate with the Germans, but this morning Niu Wright told The British said that Hitler had caught a cold and asked Simon to postpone *? Germany's trip. A brief investigation in Wilhelm Street this afternoon found that this was a 'diplomatic cold'." It turned out that Britain had published a white paper publicly condemning Germany for accelerating its armaments.

This angered the Führer.What particularly alarmed the British was the enthusiasm shown by the local residents when Hitler came to Saarland to help celebrate the formal occupation of the contested land. On March 10, Hitler made another move on his diplomatic chessboard.He revealed to Price of the Daily Mail alone.Recently the Luftwaffe has officially become a branch of the German Armed Forces.As Hitler had hoped, there was no official condemnation from either Britain or France.On the contrary, Sir John Simon, who may have heard about it, informed the House of Commons that he still planned to visit Berlin once the Führer recovered from his cold.The French response was also only a proposal by the Ministry of Defense to extend the service period of the troops.

This weak reaction Hitler defeated without consulting his generals. On the morning of March 15, he asked his chief aide to meet him at the "Four Seasons Hotel" in Munich.He directed his adjutants to issue news of the reconscription and expansion of the armed forces.That night, the National Defense Committee met to discuss Hitler's conscription plan, which had alarmed them.General von Blomberg expressed concern about the possible reaction of the major powers.Ribbentrop saw this as nothing to worry about and dismissed Blomberg's concerns. "You're talking nonsense!" retorted Blomberg angrily.He attacked the plan all night, and his objections were silenced the next morning when he and Fritsch reported to Hitler. That afternoon, a Saturday, about 100 foreign journalists crowded into the conference room of the Propaganda Department.No one could understand why they were brought here suddenly, so the air in the room was a little tense.Goebbels entered, "looking pompous and serious."He read aloud a new decree announcing full military service, increasing the peacetime strength to 300,000.This was something everyone had guessed, but it was still shocking.Rochner and a few reporters rushed into the lobby to make phone calls—though Goebbels was still answering questions. At that moment, the French ambassador was getting first-hand information in the study of the head of the Chancellery.François Bence protested that the notification was a flagrant violation of the Treaty of Versailles, and regretted that Germany had allowed France to accept a fait accompli without prior contact or discussion with France. Hitler retorted solemnly and firmly that his intentions were purely defensive.France has nothing to fear.His main enemy was communism, and he cursed the Russians.Thus, the ambassador left almost convinced that Hitler had no intention of waging war against France or Britain—only the destruction of the Soviet regime. France's answer to Germany's renewed show of force was a pointless appeal to the League of Nations. On the morning of March 25, the official British delegation met Hitler in a friendly atmosphere.Paul Schmidt, first acting as the Führer's interpreter, noted that the Führer's smile was "particularly friendly" when he greeted Sir John Simon, Eden and the ambassador, Sir Eric Phipps.They sat at a low table in the Chancellery.There were Niu Wright and Ribbentrop. Simon declared that the first thing the British government and people need is peace, and sincerely hopes that Germany will cooperate with other European countries to move towards this goal.The decisive factor in Britain, the British public, he said, was "very disturbed" by events like Germany's "withdrawal from the League of Nations, Austria and certain unilateral statements".Britain "is not against Germany, but strongly opposes anything that might endanger the peace." Aiden, who knew that Schmidt was a capable translator and was proficient in German, recalled, "Hitler's answer was particularly ingenious. On the one hand, he made a special request, and on the other hand, he was threatening between the lines." Personality gives Aiden "a very bad impression". "In my opinion," he seemed "passive, certainly not admirable," and, "quite resourceful." At the same time, Eden admired Hitler's way of running meetings, "without hesitation and without complacency." Record, fully fit with a man who knows his purpose." His explanations of his actions were plausible but not convincing.For example, he vehemently denied violating the Treaty of Versailles on the grounds that he never signed it.His blue eyes fixed on Sir John and added that he would rather die than do this.Germany never violated the treaty either—except at Waterloo, when Prussian troops came to the aid of the British.And on that occasion, General Wellington did not protest. "This must have been the most pleasing Hitler I've had since coming into contact with him," Eden commented. "I thought it was a pointed one, and he didn't have a smile on his face when he brought it up." During the morning talks, Hitler's calm and courteous rebuttal surprised not only the British, but even his interpreter.However, after lunch he lost * when the Eastern Convention involving Lithuania was brought up?quiet. "We have nothing to do with Lithuania!" shouted Hitler.Currently, there is a conspiracy trial against the German minority.Anger shot out of his eyes, his voice was hoarse, and even the trill of r came out. "They trampled the German minority in Memmel. Under no circumstances would we make a treaty with such a country!" he raged.Moments later, the storm calmed and he was a polite negotiator again.This time, he argued on ideological grounds. "Between National Socialism and Bolshevism," he said calmly and emphatically, "any connection is absolutely impossible!" At the banquet that night, Hitler was in a good mood and talked enthusiastically with Aiden about their respective experiences during the war.They fought face to face on both sides of the Osé.So, the two drew a map of the battlefield behind the menu.François Bence overheard some of their conversation, so after dinner he asked Eden if he had really fought Hitler.Eden replied that it seemed so, and the French ambassador said sarcastically: "Do you miss him? You should have shot him." That night, Aiden wrote in his diary, "The result is bad, the whole tone and balance is the same as a year ago." Not the same, it is clear that the Prussian spirit is armed or is being armed again. Russia is now the devil." At 10 a.m. on Vertical Sun, Sir Simon proposed to discuss the issue of equipment.He said that the United Kingdom is currently conducting separate consultations with major powers to prepare for a large naval conference, because the conference will revise the current naval treaty.He invited Germany to London for similar informal consultations.Hitler accepted it on the spot.He once again proposed to the Philippines *?The problem raised by Ambassador Sri Lanka: to limit the tonnage of Germany to 35% of the tonnage of the British fleet.At the same time, he saw no "time or place" that would "recognize the superiority of the fleets of France or Italy." At this point, Hitler dramatically took out a telegram and angrily read *?Come.It is astonishing how suddenly moderate politicians turn into violent ones.The telegram announced the guilty verdicts of those Lithuanian Germans accused of treason.Hitler asked angrily, what would happen to Britain if the Treaty of Versailles forcibly ceded part of Britain to a country like Lithuania?What would happen to the British if they were tortured and imprisoned just for acting like the British? His scowl quickly faded, and he returned to a moderate normalcy, demanding only a military balance with Britain and France.At noon, they had snacks at the British embassy.This is also the second time that the head of state has stepped into a foreign embassy.After lunch, the participants returned to the Prime Minister's Office.Hitler complained about Russia's attempts to advance westward, and here he bitterly referred to Czechoslovakia as "the outstretched arm of the Russians." He reiterated that Germany demanded equal rights when it came to armaments.Both Simon and Aiden were listening patiently and calmly.This made a deep impression on Schmidt. "If it had been two years ago that the German representative had raised the issue as if it were a matter of course, as Hitler is now, the sky would have fallen. I also cannot help wondering whether Hitler The brilliance of creating a fait accompli has gone even further." That night, Hitler hosted a banquet in the Chancellery.He used to wear a brown coat with a red swastika, but now he wears a tuxedo.According to his interpreter, he was a "charming host who shuttled among his guests as if he had been brought up in a rich family".After the banquet, Hitler spoke cheerfully to a group of friends, including Winifred Wagner, about his diplomatic achievements.He clapped his hands and knees like a schoolboy. "Great men, those Englishmen," he said, "and when they lie, they tell it beautifully, not at all like a French miser." A day after the talks, Hitler informed the Admiral of the Navy about the 35 percent ratio to the British Navy, and instructed him to build up the navy as planned—but "without hype so as not to complicate Britain's difficult position vis-a-vis the other great powers."Hitler was determined to work in harmony with Britain and continued to court influential citizens who sympathized with the situation in Germany. In April he hosted a luncheon for Sir Oswald Mosley at his Munich apartment.Mosley quit the Labor Party and became the chairman of the "British Fascist Union".He commented that Hitler's "charming attitude was completely gone. Maybe it was an inappropriate subject. Anyway, he wasn't trying to exert that effect. He was very real, and throughout the lunch he was gentle, almost feminine." charms await me." In London, an all-important follower of the German cause was reaffirming earlier sympathies.He is the Prince of Wales.In a long conversation with Ambassador Horch, the heir to the throne "again fully understood Germany's position and expectations".