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

DEFEAT 435proposals: first elect a new Reichstag — for he calculated correctly thatin the meantime the number of his followers had considerablyincreased; but then, why not simply re-elect Hindenburg by virtuallyunanimous popular vote, without an opponent except the inevitableCommunist? 'Democracy,' as he later put it in an open letter to Bruning,'espouses the view that all state power issues from the people and henceall the representatives of the state power are only mandatories of thepopular will. No domestic and foreign arguments against new electionscan ever be a license to infringe upon the constitution. . . .' Incited byGoebbels and Rohm he wrote, over Bruning's head, a letter toHindenburg, telling him that Bruning was planning to make thePresident infringe on the constitution; against this Hitler felt obliged towarn him; but he was willing to work with Hindenburg in the comingelections if Hindenburg previously stated that he disapproved Bruning'sunconstitutional proposal. 'Then Bruning is done for,' said Hitler toGoebbels; and to Hindenburg's secretary of state, Doctor Otto Meissner,he said: yes, he, Hitler, would agree to nothing, unless Bruning weredismissed first.From this moment on, Hindenburg entered Hitler's life, and Hitlerentered the life of the old man. It was an encounter between two menmade great by history and created for one another, and the encounterwas not only political but personal as well. When the two were face toface, the corners of their mouths seemed to show something like thegrin of Titans who see through one another and contemptuously concealthe fact. Up to his last breath, Hindenburg treated the Bohemiancorporal, the former Reichswehr spy, with ungrateful contempt; he gavehim no credit for his really great achievements and regarded him neitheras a personal nor political equal, but brushed him off like dust from hisfingers. Hitler in turn saw through the foxlike, self-seeking old manbehind the colossal legend, and in his intimate circle complained bitterlythat Fate should have given him no more worthy adversary. The squarehead, the bushy mustache, the close-cropped hair, the lurking eyes —Hitler must have been terrified at the close resemblance between the oldmarshal and Alois Hitler, the customs official. From some of theBohemian corporal's words and gestures, we almost