Table Of ContentI
A
KONRAD
Heiden
"Incomparably the most brilliant and /
prehensive treatise yet written about the
master of the Third Reich."
j j
NewYorkTimes Book Review(front page) , !
11roflulition bv w ./ f
The
Ftihrer
The
Fiihrer
KONRAD HEIDEN
TRANSLAT DM1
I K \ I I' H \l A N II E I \l
ALLSTON BRANCH UBRARY
&
Carroll GrafPublishers, Inc.
NEWYORK
AL BR
DD247
H5
H344
1999x
Carroll ex (irafPublishers, Inc.
19West 21st Street
NewYork
NY 100104805
FineUSedition 1944
&
FirstCarroll Grafedition 1
Copyright© Konrad leiden 1944
I
All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication
maybe reproduced in anyform orby any means
withoutthe priorpermission ofthe publisher
ISBN0-7867-0683-X
Printed and bound in the I (
PREFACE
Itistwenty-three years nowsince I first attended aNational Socialist
meeting,saw(withoutparticularenjoyment)HerrHitleratcloserange,
andlistenedtothefloodofnonsense-orsoitthenseemedtome-that
hewasspouting. Itwasonlygraduallythattheeffectsofthesespeeches
made me realize that behind all the nonsense there was unrivaled
political cunning.
In 1923, as the leader of a small democratic organization in the
University of Munich, I tried, with all the earnestness of youth, and
withcompletelackofsuccess, toannihilate Hitlerby meansofprotest
parades, mass meetings, and giant posters. And so I am entitled tocall
myselftheoldest-oroneoftheoldest-anti-Nazis now intheUnited
States,fortherecannotbemanyinthiscountrywhocameintoconflict
with AdolfHitlerand his handful offollowers at so early adate.
Thosewhoexperience history and haveashare in its makingrarely
see the enduring threads but only the whirl of exciting and quickly
forgotten details. In 1920, and the years following, my friends and I
certainlydidnotviewourmodestfist-fightsandotherencounterswith
theNationalSocialistsasanattempttoputaprematureendtothecareer
ofthe modern Genghis Khan, and I would have jeered atanyone who
had prophesied that this was the beginning of a new epoch in world
history.
The narrative that follows is based partly on my own observations
and experiences then and in later years. However, even the most inti-
mate episodes and reports of private conversations are grounded on
documentary evidenceoron statements ofindividuals who seemed to
me thoroughly reliable.
Thisbookowesmuchtothatuniquecollection,theHooverLibrary
at Stanford University, California. I want to thank Professor Ralph
H. Lutz for his permission to use this treasure of documents about
recent European history, and Miss Nina Almond, Librarian, and Mr.
PhilipT McLean, Reference Librarian,forthefriendlyhelptheygave
meineveryway. I amindebted,too,tothelibraryoftheUniversityof
CaliforniaatBerkeley,andtothevaluableprivatelibraryofmyfriends
Muriel andJosephButtinger, New York.
The share thepublishing firm of Houghton Mifflin Company [the
originalpublishers] hadinthe makingofthis bookseems to melarger
than usual. I cannot leave unmentioned the amount of help, advice,
hardwork,time,andpatienceRobertN. Linscott,asaneditor,gaveto
the job; it was a most decisive contribution. Miss Constance Purtell
wasveryhelpfulwithrevisingandlast-hourtranslating.
RalphManheimenteredthearmybeforehecouldfinishhistransla-
tion.Thelastchapterandpartofthechapterbeforethe last havebeen
translatedbyNorbertGuterman.
K.H.
CONTENTS
Introduction by Richard Overy
5
I. The Protocols oftheWiseMen ofZion 9
II. The Armed Intellectuals 23
III. 'He Is BothTerrible and Banal' 36
IV. Hitler Finds His Home 68
V. The Burning Heavens are Reflected in
a Mud Puddle 76
VI. 'Aryans ofAll Nations, Unite' 87
VII. The Death ofMoney 106
VIII. War in the Ruhr 126
IX. The Beer Hall Putsch 150
X. Interlude 170
XI. The AgeofGold 200
XII. 'Few Flames Burn in Germany' 222
XIII. 'The Uprooted and Disinherited' 247
XIV. FirstTriumph 262
XV. 'The UnhappiestofAll Men' 283
XVI. 'Adolphe Legalite' 309
XVII. 'Now I HaveTheminMyPocket!' 327
XVIII. Defeat 343
XIX. Hindenburg's Stick 358
XX. TheRacewithCatastrophe 382
4°2
XXI. Chancellorat Last
XXII. TheReichstagFire *l6
XXIII. Coup d'Etatby Installments 454
XXIV. Conquestby Peace 47*
XXV. HitlerversusNational Socialism 49*
XXVI. OtherPeople's Money J '
XXVII. Trance Is to Blame' 527
XXVIII. TheBlood Purge ^6l
Index 6°4
