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

NOW I HAVE THEM IN MY POCKET! 421a ten years' peace and French semi-hegemony over Europe with coldcash, was Pierre Laval. He was the first French premier to pay a visit toBerlin, a bold, unusual step; he came at the end of September with hisforeign minister, the aged and declining Aris-tide Briand. Deep inthought, Briand stood at Stresemann's grave, his lion's head bowed andsad. But Bruning declined the French offer, stuck to his British policy;and under British leadership Germany's foreign short-loan creditorsconcluded in September a so-called standstill agreement — a veiledhalf-bankruptcy which for the time being kept the fleeing foreign capitalin Germany.Between England and France — between parliament and dictatorship—between the Left and the Right — between the workers' partiesand the National Socialists, Bruning had a difficult path which his ownfollowers made even more difficult. In the Prussian diet sat Franz vonPapen, a representative almost unknown to the great public. He was thescion of an impoverished family of Catholic nobles from westernGermany; despite the 'von' he was hardly a junker, for the Papens werein business. Papen was something different from a junker. He was aprofessional officer, and before entering political life, served for twentytwoyears in the Prussian army with moderate success. Born in 1879, heentered the Fifth Regiment of Uhlans in 1896 as an ensign; in 1913, hebecame a captain in the general staff. Lieutenant Kurt von Schleicher,three years younger than himself, was sent to the general staff at thesame time. Here the two men met, but soon their ways parted. In 1905,Papen had met Martha von Boch, daughter of a family of industrialistsin the Saar. The von Bochs had intermarried with aristocratic families inLuxemburg, Belgium, and France — and in this connection aristocracyfrequently meant heavy industry. Papen was advancing too slowly in thearmy; his fortune and connections directed him to the diplomatic field.At the outbreak of the World War, he was military attache in theGerman Embassy in Washington. In the midst of peace he organizedacts of sabotage in the American armaments industry and was recalledat the insistence of Secretary of State Lansing. Exposed and henceuseless as a diplomat, he returned to the army, and fought in subalternposts in France and Palestine. When the English stormed