Chapter 93 Chapter Fifteen "Such a Tiny Human Insect" (5)

In Britain, the new prime minister has taken a more conciliatory stance towards Germany. "Our aim," wrote Prime Minister Chamberlain on the eve of taking office, "is to obtain the political assurance we need for a general settlement; Reasonable demands made in the field." Chamberlain was energetic, strong-willed, and confident.Once in office, he immediately began to soften the foreign policy of his predecessor Baldwin. "I think the dual politics of arming and improving relations with Germany and Italy will guide us through this safely."In a private letter, he wrote, "As long as the Foreign Office is willing to make a big splash." Since he runs the cabinet as a general manager, it is not a problem to subdue Foreign Secretary Eden - Eden is not concerned about whether it is acceptable in the United States. The terms, on the basis of an agreement with Hitler, were skeptical.

After Chamberlain publicly announced his willingness to cooperate with Germany, Germany made a sounding of his sincerity that autumn.Lord Halifax, the Speaker of the British House of Representatives, has received a bronzing invitation to a hunting exhibition in Berlin hosted by Hermann Göring, chairman of the Imperial Hunting Association.Halifax, the president of the Middleton Hound Association, was interested in being invited; Chamberlain was all for it, because Germany had promised Halifax to meet Hitler. He left England for Germany, intending to test whether it was possible to reach an understanding with the Führer.But unfortunately, as an emissary, he was not the right man.Halifax, though righteous, pious, and prim, knew little or read a single book of German history and character.He finds Goering "candid and attractive, like an older schoolboy, full of life and pride in what he does... He is a modern-day Robin Hood who strikes us as a composite: a cinematic star." , robber chieftains, large landowners interested in property, chancellors, party chiefs, and gamekeepers of the Chezweiss hunting grounds.” He expected to be terribly disgusted with Goebbels—and it didn’t. "I thought, it must be some kind of moral lapse on my part, but facts are always facts."

These impressions, together with the friendly reception given to him by the Berliners (the Berliners gave him the nickname Lord Halalifax. Halalifax is German for "four carts"!) for him on the morning of November 9th. The meeting with the Führer at the Berghof made good mental preparations.Halifax glanced out the car window, caught sight of two legs in black trousers, and mistook it for a waiter coming to help him up the snow-covered steps, until someone whispered "Führer, Führer" in his ear Only then did I understand. The tall, thin and haggard Briton hurried out of the car to meet Hitler with a friendly smile on his face.Hitler insisted on showing Sir Al von Kirkpatrick of the Halifax and Berlin embassies a tour of the premises before taking a seat at an inconveniently low table in the study. "I don't have any new suggestions from London," Halifax said. Possibility of solving the problem."

Upon hearing these words, the Führer frowned angrily.The Führer would be silent and sullen, the interpreter Schmidt thought to himself.In fact, the head of state then put forward a series of "absolutely unconditional demands".He lashed out at the British press for trying to sabotage the Halifax visit by publishing what they called the German demands.Halifax bluntly defended a free press in Britain.Hitler was publicly annoyed by this. Halifax was unflappable, trying with unusual politeness to reconcile the surly Hitler.He praised his master for driving communism out of Germany and hoped that the two countries would join France and Italy in laying a solid foundation for peace.Then he made a diplomatic error.Eden had told him not to bring up the situation in Central and Eastern Europe.But, in a gesture of conciliation, he brought the subject up.He childishly betrayed Britain's intentions.So Hitler began to secretly calculate what he needed: a close alliance with Austria, an end to the Czech repression of the Germans in the Sudetenland, and the free development of economic relations into southeastern and eastern Europe-because Germany is a product of these regions major importers.His arguments were coherent but unconvincing, so he swore: "The West has repeatedly created obstacles for me in Southeastern Europe," he shouted, "and imposed on me political ambitions that I never had!"

Halifax tactfully reiterated that Britain had always been receptive to any non-violent solution.Then he added, very bluntly: "This also applies to Austria." His words seemed to set off alarm bells.Hitler vehemently retorted that, with regard to Austria, Germany had never considered military action; the union with Germany was the demand of the Austrian people themselves. When the meeting was adjourned for lunch, Schmidt felt that the fight for peace had been lost. "Hitler was still furious," Kirkpatrick recalled. "Nauwright was restless, and Lord Halifax could only talk through an interpreter. I tried to get the conversation going, but it didn't work. Hitler insisted If they don't speak, they will collapse pitifully." When he did speak, Hitler's words were vitriolic, almost to the point of brutality.When the subject that brought Halifax to Germany—hunting—opened up, he said: "I don't see anything wrong with hunting. You bring perfect modern weapons and you shoot unarmed animals. You yourself There is no danger." He suggested sarcastically that everyone might as well save the trouble of hunting and go to the slaughterhouse to slaughter the cattle.

"Overall," recalls Kirkpatrick, "he acted like a spoiled, unhappy kid from start to finish." A group of people went downstairs.Hitler drank a large chocolate drink with a large dollop of cheese piled on top; the others drank coffee.The atmosphere was lighter, especially when a few SS men asked the crowd to demonstrate how the large, patterned windows would be silently lowered into the floor, turning the room into a covered terrace. On the night train to Berlin, Niu Wright drank tea with two British guests.It was a pity, he said, that the Führer was tired and in poor health; however, it was good that he could meet foreigners.When it was just the two of them in the room, Halifax confided to Kirkpatrick that Hitler had confused him, "Whether two people from different countries who don't understand each other's language can get the same results when they talk." It is doubtful that a greater effect was achieved." For a credulous emissary, the views expressed in Halifax's diary that day were surprising. "He gave me the impression that he came to power after a hard struggle against the realities of today. The British government is still in a world of its own making, in the strange but revered wonderland of illusion It lives comfortably. It still clings to its idiosyncratic language—something 'collective security', some 'general settlement', some 'disarmament', some 'non-aggression pact', etc. does not offer a realistic prospect for solving Europe's difficult problems."

Back in London (he had met Göring before that, who had assured him that "under no circumstances would we use force"), Halifax believed he had indeed learned about Germany— — He joined the appeasement camp.He told colleagues that the head of state was "very sincere"."The Germans have no immediate policy of risk-taking. They are busy building their own country. Germany is still in a state of revolution," he told parliament. His private secretary was puzzled. "I am amazed," he writes, "that Halifax, whose principles are so high in the High Church, is not even more shocked by Hitler's tricks, but is always trying to understand the Germans. In the face of unpleasant facts, He is so easy to ignore, and if there is an urgency in his heart, he is always able to overcome it intelligently, even hypocritically."

Hitler's explanation for persuading Halifax was quite different and entirely his own: "I have often said that the Englishman would wear my trousers with me. In their politics they enforced The guiding principles are exactly the same as mine. That is, Bolshevism must be eliminated." As with the previous Christmas, this year was not a sombre one for Hitler.On Christmas Eve, according to his servant Clause, he was in a good mood and exuberant.In their Munich apartment, Crouse accidentally tied a knot on his master's thumb as the two knelt on the floor to tie up Christmas presents.Hitler smiled, patted the servant on the scruff of the neck, and told him to get his dinner coat.The Fuehrer wanted to celebrate Christmas Eve with a servant.Like conspirators, the two evaded the SS guards and sneaked down the stairs to a taxi waiting outside. "No one saw us. Hitler was relieved. I wanted to sit next to the driver, but Hitler grabbed my arm. I had to sit in the back and go out with him." The taxi drove around the city for two hours , constantly changing direction.In the end, Hitler gave an address: the Lutpold restaurant.

Since he didn't know who the passenger was, the driver seemed relieved to get rid of the passenger, collected the fare, and drove away quickly. "He probably thought us two weirdos," Clauser recalled, "and not without reason. I found it quite strange myself." Instead of entering the restaurant, Hitler walked toward Koenigplatz.Seeing Clausey look nervously around, he said, "Don't be afraid. No one would believe that Adolf Hitler was walking alone in the streets of Munich." He said so, but he still bowed his head when someone approached .It started to hail.As the leather shoes slipped, Hitler took the servant's arm.They went on and on, all the way back to the apartment.The Führer was as happy as a child to be able to evade the guards and walk the streets without being noticed.By the next day, however, Himmler had reprimanded Clauser for taking part in the prank.After that, he ordered that if the head of state had such a plan in the future, even if the head of state objected, he would have to report it.