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

302 DER FUEHRERHitler. The Uschla pursued a simple and brutal method. Offensesagainst party discipline, disobedience to a leader or lack of respecttoward the Fuhrer, were examined and punished, in grave cases withwhat these men feared as much as death: expulsion from the party.Transgressions of a different sort, slander, even criminal offenses, in sofar as they were not directed against the leadership, were on principleignored, unless they had become known or threatened to become knownoutside the party. It was a party precept that one comrade must simplynot believe accusations of this sort against another comrade. 'Alwaysbelieve the party comrade and never the enemy!' said Hitler in 1931 in aNew Year's proclamation, 'and raise this faith to a mighty conviction,not only of the right of the individual, but of the right of the party, andbeyond that of the right of our people in this world.'If a party member was proved guilty of private immorality, dishonestbusiness conduct, exploitation of employees, Buch had a standingformula: 'Well, what of it?' One S.A. leader was a bigamist, another agambler and drunkard, a third a homosexual, a fourth discharged fromhis position for robbing the cash register: Well, what of it? The partyhad no use for 'moral frills.'The Uschla expressed Hitler's unlimited power in the party — like aprovisional symbol which slowly was becoming a reality. In order tosecure his absolute domination over the party, Hitler had half-destroyedit, letting Rohm go, dismissing Drexler, throwing Heines out. But thathe had the clearer plans and the firmer will in the long run, now wasproved by success. The old deserters came back; not quite beaten, notwithout making conditions — but they came back.Rohm came again. The ghost of the secret army of murderers had torise from its grave to bring this about. In a common proclamation for themurderers' army they made their peace. The immediate cause of therapprochement was Edmund Heines, whom Hitler, as an open insult toRohm, had thrown out of the party. In 1928, Heines was brought to trialfor a murder he had committed eight years previous as a member of themurderers' army. 'Heines,' runs the court sentence, 'thrust his pistol intoSchmidt's [the victim's] face and fired twice.' The sentence was ascharacteristic as