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

THE RACE WITH CATASTROPHE 507the brown uniform were running by the dozen to government officesand 'Jewish newspapers' to sell so-called party secrets for a few marks.'The Leader,' writes Goebbels, 'is taking long strides up and down thehotel room. You can see by his face that a great struggle is going oninside him. He is embittered and deeply wounded by this disloyalty.Once he stops still and says only: If the party falls apart, I'll put an endto it all in three minutes with a pistol.'Finally Hitler reached a decision. By morning it was apparent that hewould fight, and 'throw the whole party into the struggle.' Before theopposing side could gather strength for an ultimatum, it would becrushed by a previous ultimatum. A declaration was drawn up, sharplycondemning Strasser, full of praise and declarations of loyalty to Hitler.On the following day the sub-leaders would have to sign this statement.The great surprise of the next day, December 9, was Strasser'sunexpected disappearance. Now it was the turn of Strasser's friends tobe dismayed; they were abandoned and had no idea what to do. Thestatement condemning Strasser was submitted to them, and nearly all ofthem signed it. Gottfried Feder, one of Hitler's few remaining intimatefriends, refused: 'Either you sign or you'll be kicked out of the party,'cried Hitler. Feder signed. In the afternoon Hitler assembled hisdeputies and gauleiters in Goring's palace; he spoke with tears in hisvoice, related how Strasser had always rebelled against him and foryears had contested his authority as Leader; but this last betrayal! 'Neverwould I have believed that of Strasser!' he cried, laid his head on thetable and sobbed. Many of those present began to weep with him. Thetears ran down Goring's cheeks, and Goebbels brandished a big whitehandkerchief; from a modest place in the background Julius Streicher,who for years had been humiliated by Strasser, cried: 'Maddening thatStrasser could do this to our Leader!' On the evening after this success,Hitler 'looked quite happy and exalted again.' The demonstration offaith, as Goebbels put it, had 'encouraged and strengthened theindomitable man.'It was decided that Hitler should travel around the country and haveconfidential talks with the functionaries and S.A. men. Go-