Chapter 95 Chapter 16 Returning to Hometown (1)

1938.2-4 In Vienna, the reverberations of Hitler's bloodless purges were felt almost immediately.At the German Legation, von Papen—former chancellor, now a meager minister to a small country—was called to answer the phone.The call was made by Lamas, Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office. "The Führer informs you," he said, "that your mission in Vienna is over. I want to inform you when you read this section in the papers." Papen was almost speechless.It was Hitler who persuaded him to accept the post, in order to clean up the dangerous situation created by Dolphus's murder. "It seems that I have achieved their purpose, and now I can get out." He recalled painfully.He decided to go to Berchtesgaden immediately "to find out what was going on".There he found the Führer exhausted and troubled. "His eyes were blank and his mind was absent. He tried to use empty words as an excuse to explain why I was fired." At first, the stupefied Führer paid no attention to the conversation.Later, Papen said that the many issues that had divided the two countries could only be resolved by speaking face-to-face with Austrian Chancellor Kurt von Schuschniger.Only then did Hitler notice.

"It's a good idea," Hitler said.Then, he told Papen to return to Vienna immediately, and arranged for them to meet as soon as possible."I shall be pleased to invite Mr. Schuschnigg to come and clarify the matter," he said. Schuschnigg accepted Papen's invitation, but felt a little uneasy.He conceded to Foreign Minister Guido Schmidt that his aim in doing so was "to take preemptive action in order to prevent a coup; to gain time until the international situation turns in Austria's favor." It would have been nice if a psychiatrist sat opposite Hitler at the table.To be honest, Schuschnigg was not a suitable person to face such a brutal opponent.He is a devout Catholic, an intellectual, and a gentleman without vanity or ambition.Competing with Hitler, he was indeed at a disadvantage.

On the evening of February 11, accompanied by Guido Schmidt, he boarded the night train bound for Salzburg.As soon as the train arrived at Mozart's birthplace, the sleeping cars were separated.The next morning, the two drove through the ancient city, passed the airport, and crossed the Salzach River to the German border.Papen was already waiting there, welcoming him with a Hitler salute.The German customs officials saluted handsomely; the Austrian guests also saluted with this salute, although it was against the law.It was a startling omen; a moment later, another omen appeared.Papen said the three generals had come to the Berghof "very by chance" and believed the Austrian guests would not mind.If he had been Dolphus, Schuschnigg might have protested.However, this person did not like to embarrass the scene, and did not want to provoke Hitler. "No," he said, "I don't mind. But it's a strange thing."

When the car reached the outskirts of Berchtesgaden, they turned suddenly to the left, at the foot of Obersalzburg.The waiting halftrack pulled them along the steep and cold mountain road to the Berghof.Along the way they passed neatly lined farmhouses covered in snow and a dilapidated church.Then there are the SS camps - some are still being built.The caterpillar turned sharply and stopped under the Berghof's platform. Hitler held out a hand and walked towards them, as if he were an amiable host.After introducing the three generals behind him to the Austrian Chancellor, he led everyone up to the second floor and into his study.Here, the Führer's face suddenly changed, and his amiable demeanor disappeared immediately.He rudely accused Austria of doing whatever it wanted, that is, not implementing the good-neighbor policy.After Germany withdrew from the League of Nations, Austria still stayed in the League of Nations with relish. Can this be called friendly?In fact, Austria has never helped Germany, not even a cent.The whole history of Austria is a history of continual great rebellions. "I can tell you right now, Mr. Schuschnigg, I am determined to end this. The German Empire is one of the most powerful countries. If it wants to solve the border problem, no one dares to say anything."

Schuschnigg patiently retorted that the entire history of Austria had been an inseparable part, and a major part, of German history. "In this respect, Austria's contribution is considerable." "Absolutely zero! I'm telling you, absolutely zero!" Hitler shouted—it didn't sound like he was born and raised in Austria.Later, Schuschniger carried Beethoven out and reminded Hitler that Beethoven was from the Lower Rhineland. "I tell you again, it can't go on like this. I have a historical mission and I will fulfill it because God has destined me to do it. I fully believe in this mission. It is my life. … Take a good look at Germany today, Mr. Schuschniger, and you will find that Germany has only one will." The road he walked was the most difficult road that no one in Germany has ever walked, and what he achieved was the most difficult road in the history of Germany. Greatest ever, greater than any German has ever accomplished.And rely on force! "I move forward with the love of the German people. In Germany, at any time, I can move freely without guards. This is because the German people love me and trust me."

He accused Austria of fortifying across the German border and, absurdly, destroying bridges and roads leading to the Reich. "You don't really believe you can hold me back, or delay my advance for half an hour, do you? Perhaps, upon waking up one morning, you'll find us in Vienna—like a spring storm, Will give you some color! I would very much like to save Austria from this fate, because such an action means bloodshed." Schuschnigg replied that Austria was not isolated and that an invasion of Austria might mean war.Hitler laughed at him.No one would lift a finger for Austria—not Italy, not England, not France. "Think about it, Mr. Schuschniger," he said, his voice lowered. "Think about it, I can only wait until this afternoon. If I say this, you have to listen to it. I mean it. I don't believe in intimidation, and my history proves it."

His tactics terrified Schuschnigg.He wanted to smoke, but he had been warned not to light in the presence of the Führer.He asked Hitler what exactly he wanted. "Well," said Hitler, suddenly announcing the end of the meeting, "we can discuss this afternoon." He rang the doorbell.The door opened silently from the outside.They dined in a restaurant, waited on by SS men in crisp white uniforms.In front of others, Hitler treated his guests politely, and the conversation was relaxed, and he only talked about unimportant things. Coffee is drunk in the adjacent winter garden - surrounded by walls.Suddenly the master took his leave and went with Ribbentrop to his study.As soon as he was gone, Schuschnigg relaxed and smoked one cigarette after another.At the same time, he also got the opportunity to talk with the three generals.Strange to say, none of the three generals understood why they had been called to the Berghof.At nearly 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Schuschnigg was led into a small room to meet Ribbentrop.Ribbentrop handed him a typewritten two-page draft agreement—actually an ultimatum.

If all imprisoned National Socialists, including the killers of Tollfus, were released within three days, and all dismissed civil and military officials were reinstated within three days, Germany would renew its full support for Austrian sovereignty.In addition, the moderate Pan-German Arthur Seyss-Ingquad should be Minister of the Interior with full and unrestricted control over the Austrian police force; another "moderate" Austrian Nazi should be appointed Minister of Defence; The current propaganda chief should be fired as part of "the smooth implementation of the press ceasefire".

In Schuschnigg's view, these concessions amounted to the end of Austria's independence.He suppressed his anger, and like a fair and calm lawyer, he fought each point one by one.He managed to win a few small concessions from Ribbentrop, but word came in that the Führer was upstairs waiting to see him. Hitler paced back and forth excitedly in the study. "Herr Schuschniger", Hitler continued to use the honorific "Von", "I decided to make a last attempt".After finishing speaking, he pushed another draft agreement towards Schuschnigg, "There is nothing to discuss, and you can't change it at all. You just sign it like this, otherwise, our meeting will be in vain. If you don't Sign, then I will think about what to do next at night."

Schuschnigg refused to sign.He said that even if it is signed, it is a piece of waste paper.Because, according to the constitution, only President Miklas has the right to appoint cabinet members and announce amnesty.He also could not ensure that the time limits set out in the document were respected. "You have to promise to do it!" "I'm afraid I can't guarantee it, Monsieur Reich Chancellor." Schuschnigg's thoughtful court-style answer made Hitler furious.He rushed to the door and shouted: "General Keitel!" He turned to Schuschnigg and said, "I'll get you called later." Keitel, who was in the winter garden, heard Hitler's call. After yelling loudly, he hurried upstairs like a faithful dog, and walked into the study just as Schuschnigg was about to leave the room.Out of breath, Keitel asked the Führer what his orders were. "Nothing! Just sit down." Keitel was puzzled, and sat down obediently in the corner.Since then, his colleagues have given him a nickname: Follow Bantel.

Not knowing that Hitler was intimidating, Schuschnigg was already terrified when he came to the Winter Garden.He described the situation to Foreign Minister Schmidt.Schmidt said he wouldn't be surprised if they were arrested "within five minutes." Upstairs, another Austrian, a moderate Nazi and a literary critic, was telling Hitler that Schuschnigg was careful and kept his promises.These words impressed Hitler and made a lightning tactical change.This time, when Schuschniger walked into the study again, Hitler was already a magnanimous Hitler. "I have decided to change my mind," he said, "for the first time in my life. However, I must warn you that this is your last chance. I will give you three more days before the agreement becomes effective." .” After two confrontations and two shocks, Hitler's small concessions seemed to matter more than they actually did.Schuschnigg agreed to the contract.As soon as the revised text was sent to print, Hitler was again the gracious host—one who had just sold a piece of art for a high price and claimed it was a good bargain, "Believe me, Mr. Chancellor, it's the best Yes. We're living on this agreement for the next five years." By the time the two parties signed this (in two parts) agreement, it was already evening.Hitler invited Schuschniger and Schmidt to dinner, but they were anxious to get up and go back to Salzburg.Accompanied by Papen, the two braved the fog silently and rushed back to Salzburg overnight.Papen finally said: "Mr. Prime Minister, you now understand how difficult it is to deal with such volatile people." But he hastened to say that he believed that it would not be like this next time. "You know, the Führer can become very charming sometimes." Schuschniger thought to himself, I'm afraid there will be no next time. At the Berghof, Hitler was carrying out yet another intimidation.He issued instructions to the generals to conduct mock invasion exercises on the German-Austrian border in the next few days.The threat of an offensive will hopefully induce Austrian President Miklas to ratify the agreement.If Schuschnigg was reminiscing about all this, so was Hitler. "This Schuschniger's bones are harder than I expected," he wrote in his notebook. "The presence of Keitel seems to startle him, but I don't think his signature signifies submission, and special care must be taken." Be careful not to allow the mood to change. His Jesuit brethren are not to be trusted."