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

298 DER FUEHRERdull, was not the right man. But then Hitler had an unexpected stroke ofluck: Goring came back. Hitler never had a better contact man than thisold friend of the former German crown prince. During Goring's exile hisold friend Prince Philipp of Hesse had married the Princess Mafalda,daughter of the king of Italy; thus Goring was introduced to the Italiancourt, and his own person became the strongest cornerstone in thebeginning of personal relations between Mussolini and Hitler. ThisItalian introduction may not have meant much so long as Goring wasliving in poverty in Sweden, broken down by morphine, at times in asanatorium, and declared by the courts unable to bring up his adoptedson. But Goring became a great help to Hitler when, in 1927, theGerman parties of the Right, supported by the Communists, put througha political amnesty and he returned home.Goring brought with him a Swedish invention, the Tornbladparachute; with his friend Wilhelm Korner, like him a former waraviator, he manufactured under the Swedish patent in Germany. Otherold friends, fliers and administrators in Germany's modest commercialaviation, had to buy the product. One of these friends was Erhard Milch,technical director of the Lufthansa, a monopolistic concern, halfcontrolled by the state. Milch was the son of a Jewish father and bore aJewish name, but that did not disturb Goring. Milch was an excellentflier and organizer, a staunch patriot — hence an armed intellectual ofthe best class; besides, he was a helpful friend to Goring. Like otherlarge enterprises, the Lufthansa had a slush fund, from which men withpolitical influence were bribed in a refined way. With a straight face thecompany representatives would approach them for technical advice andeven pay for so-called affidavits, while in reality expecting them to usetheir influence with the authorities.Goring, too, delivered his affidavits, and in his case the corruptionwas twofold; for everyone knew that he had far too little influence toearn his money honesdy — that is, through successful conniving. To besure, Hitler had sent him to the Reichstag with eleven other NationalSocialists in May, 1928, but the twelve lonely Brown Shirts werehelpless and almost ignored. Goring's old friend, the former Germancrown prince, had written him a letter