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

522 DER FUEHRERwas the friend and employer of Hitler's other economic adviser WaltherFunk, disciple of Schacht. The Borsenzeitung, founded to serve Germanstock-exchange interests, had become a mouthpiece of the Reichswehr;it had conducted the press campaign which had overthrown firstGroener and then Bruning. If Stuelpnagel became Reichswehr Minister,Hitler would not demand the chancellorship for the present; he wouldcreate no difficulties for a Papen government.Probably Hitler's most important move in Cologne was to come outfor a hands-off industry policy. For in those weeks the struggle betweenstate leadership and private initiative was one of the great subjects ofGerman politics. Hitler sat across the table from Papen and repeatedwhat he had said in hundreds of speeches: that of course the creativepersonality must have free play in the economic sphere as elsewhere;that of course it had to serve the common welfare. A pathetic utterance— its substance, stated in simple terms, was approximately: Let themmake plenty of money, then they'll do what we say.If Hitler got no definite promises at this meeting, he did obtain animportant piece of information. Papen told him that Schleicherpossessed no signed order for dissolution of the Reichstag, such as hehad possessed. For the Schleicher government had been appointed forthe express purpose of bringing about a reconciliation with theReichstag where Papen had failed. If it could save itself only bydissolving the parliament, it had failed in its aim. Hitler had not beenquite clear about the parliamentary nature of the Schleicher government;now he was informed.The Cologne conversation probably saved Hitler from bankruptcy. Aconsortium of heavy industrialists was formed for the purpose of puttingNational Socialist finances in order. The most important member of thisgroup was Otto Wolff, an industrial leader who up till then had beenclose to the moderate parties and whose shift made a strong impressionon the business world; Fritz Thyssen was also a member. The sumraised to cover the most pressing obligations cannot have been small;'finances have also improved very suddenly,' noted Goebbels withsatisfaction on January 17.