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

THE UNHAPPIEST OF ALL MEN 371his own misgivings. He was obliged to look on while Rohm with coldcalculation built up in the eyes of the S.A. an idol of the Fuhrer in whichhe himself obviously did not believe.Many of the lower S.A. leaders, however, openly and disrespectfullyopposed him. Rohm provided pretexts for opposition by filling the S.A.leadership with his homosexual creatures, Captains von Petersdorff andRohrbein, Count Ernst Helldorf, an adventurer and military profiteer ofthe worst sort. The beloved Heines was given command of the S.A. inSilesia. Pfeffer's staff of leaders felt their position endangered and triedto make Hitler remove Rohm. Actually this was an insurrection againstHitler himself; the rebels admitted as much by attacking the 'legal'course of the party, demanding riots and civil war. It was all very wellfor his horse-dealers and butchers in Munich to gape at 'Ade,' to stretchout their arms and shout 'Heil, mein Fuhrer!'; even to greet one anotherwith the strange cry of 'Heil Hitler!' The Prussian officers in the North,though admitting that all this was adroit magic for the people, becamecontemptuous and rebellious when they themselves were expected tojoin in the magic with a straight face. At all times this has been theattitude of men who knew the magic at close quarters, of before it hadbecome magic. Even historical figures, today universally regarded as'great,' had the same difficulty in their day:' ... Ye gods! It doth amaze meA man of such a feeble temper shouldSo get the start of the majestic worldAnd bear the palm alone ...Poor man! I know he would not be a wolfBut that he sees the Romans are but sheep:He were no lion, were not Romans hind.'Thus speaks Cassius in Shakespeare, and he is speaking of the'greatest' of them all: of Caesar. For a time in 1931 Goebbels spoke thusof Hitler. Along with the Berlin S.A. leaders he grew embittered atRohm's really repulsive 'men's harem,' and in secret conversations Hitlerwas not spared. In speaking publicly of Hitler, Goebbels laid on theflattery so thick that the suspicion arose that he was making fun of hisFuhrer; in private conversations, he simply made fun, without flattery.In his diary he called him the 'great man