Der Fuehrer - Hitler's Rise to Power (1944) - Heiden

110 DER FUEHRERand the captain soon developed a liking for one another. A year later(1922) Goring was leader of the new party army. Hitler might have hadbetter trained and more experienced officers than this aviator. But with asure instinct, he preferred this wild, unrestrained fellow, because he wasmore compatible with Hitler and the whole movement. Moreover, hewas a bridge to good society, and politically that was of the greatestimportance. Perhaps it was not entirely without bearing that Goringoccasionally, in private and sub rosa, lent his leader money; thispecuniary aid began with millions, then rose to billions and finallytrillions, for the inflation was raging through Germany.With it raged murder, the most hideous and, for a time, the mosteffective weapon of the counter-revolution. The very moment 'heCitizens' Defense and its offspring had to go underground, they becamethe army of the murderers again, more so than ever. Matthias Erzberger,former Reich Minister of Finance, fell while taking a walk in theSchwarzwald on August 26, 1921, and the killers escaped through thedark woods. On November 11, 1918, Erzberger had signed the armisticein Marshal Foch's railway coach, because the military leaders lacked thecourage to seal their defeat with their own signatures. As a man and as apolitical figure, he was not beyond reproach; but he had at least onedeed of historic importance to his credit: he had given Germany aunified financial administration after the war, had made the 'federalstates' financially dependent on the Reich and so helped to break downtheir semi-sovereignty. By this financial and political unification of theGerman Empire, point 24 of Hitler's program (strong central power) hadto a large extent been taken care of thirteen years before Hitler came topower. It was for this — and because he was too able, too successful,briefly, too dangerous — that Erzberger was killed by Hitler's own men.The first leader of Hitler's private army, Johann Ulrich Klintsch, mostprobably an accomplice, was in prison for a while; but in the end thekilling of Erzberger was another of those deeds of the secret murderers'army that was never avenged.'The man who leads the German people leads it with his head, and hishead is a pledge,' said Hitler at a public meeting in October. Prompdymore revolvers went off, this time against a leader of the