Out of the Smoke Read online

  “Monday, 7 November 1932.” Hans stared at the date for a moment and then added: “Day after election day—the fourth national election this year. Disaster Day!”

  Disaster Day? That was a little melodramatic. But he shook that thought off. Melodramatic, perhaps. But an exaggeration? Not in any way. Come on, Hans. You’re writing for your family, not some publishing house. He decided to include the tallies so that anyone could see at a glance what had happened. He didn’t need to get out his notes. It was as if the numbers had been branded into his brain.

  “ELECTION RESULTS, 6 NOVEMBER 1932.

  Total registered voters: 44,374,085

  Total votes: 35,758,259, or 80.6% (a low in recent elections)

  Total seats in the Reichstag: 584 (down 22 from previous total)

  PARTY VOTES, PERCENT OF SEATS

  National Socialists (Nazi):11,737,021, 33%, down 34 seats

  SPD, Social Democratic Party: 7,247,901, 20%, down 12 seats

  KPD, Communist Party: 5,980,239, 17%, up 11 seats

  Catholic Centre Party: 4,230,545, 12%, down 5 seats

  DNVP, Nationalist Party: 1,000,000,. 2%, up 11 seats”

  Hans sat back and studied his work for a time, grimacing with painful remembrance. But to his surprise, there was a certain deep satisfaction in seeing it all laid out in black and white. He had tried to warn his cohorts. He had told them what would happen if the people were forced into yet another election. And here was stark proof of his prescience. He nodded and continued.

  “Summary and Observations:

  “Voting overall was down from July election by 1.4 million voters. Electorate jaded and thoroughly disgusted with politics in general and politicians in particular. Nazi Party lost about 2 million votes and 34 seats, a 15% reduction. Still largest party in Reichstag but weakened considerably over their previous status. Social Democrats lost 3/4 million votes and 12 seats. They no longer dominate the Reichstag as they have done since the Republic was formed. Communists picked up 3/4 million votes and 11 seats. It was shocking that so many of our citizens believe that Communism is the answer to our current problems. Deeply disturbing and could spell serious problems (such as open revolution again) down the road. Catholic Party lost a few seats, but that could be attributed to fewer voters. Nationalist Party (the only one to vote for the Papen government) fared better than expected, increasing by 11.

  “Best news: Hermann Goering remains president of the Reichstag. Worst news: the Führer is in a much weaker bargaining position than he was in July. Forming a coalition government will be more difficult, but he will find a way!”

  Hans stopped again but then added: “I’m not saying it will be easy. But after working with Adolf Hitler for over ten years now, what fools we are if we think he is predictable in any way. Here is quick summary of what has followed since.

  “13 Nov. One week after election, Chancellor von Papen realizes that in spite of what he privately calls his ‘deep distaste for Hitler and his hoodlum mentality,’ Hitler still leads the party that has the largest number of delegates. Therefore, Papen must somehow work with Hitler to form a stable coalition government. Papen invites Adolf to come to Berlin to discuss the situation. After missing his chance to rule by presidential decree in September, Papen is under tremendous pressure to stabilize the government. But against counsel from several of us, Adolf writes back to him with so many demands that Papen rejects him out of hand. I actually think that Papen is greatly relieved by this response. This gives him a mandate, in his eyes, to move ahead independently of the Nazi Party. So far, as near as I can tell, no one has had the courage to tell the Führer that he must make some compromises or lose everything, as we nearly did before. I say that boldly, knowing that I would not dare to do so myself.

  “17 Nov. Rumors are that self-styled king-maker General Kurt von Schleicher has decided that Papen is now a liability. (Gee, I wonder if Papen’s forgetting to bring the letter to the opening session might have led him to that conclusion.) He proposes to Papen that he and the cabinet resign, giving Hindenburg a completely free hand to form a new government and resolve the political crisis without Parliament. Schleicher assures Papen that Hindenburg will reappoint him as chancellor and allow him to pick a new cabinet. But secretly, according to our sources, Schleicher tells Hindenburg that Papen is too unpopular and too weak to rule anything. Papen, ever the gullible and naive fool, buys it, and he and his cabinet resign. To our surprise and joy, Hindenburg immediately invites Hitler to meet with him. To offer him the chancellorship? That is our hope.

  “19 Nov. Hitler meets with the president. This is a much warmer meeting than the one in August when Hitler wasn’t even offered a chair. This time there were chairs, and they met for over an hour. Hindenburg offers Adolf two options: (1) If he can cobble together a majority in Parliament and form a coalition government that can actually get something done, then Hindenburg will make Hitler chancellor; or (2) If he cannot do that, then Papen stays as chancellor with Hitler as his vice-chancellor. Together they would rule under the presidential edict previously proposed. Adolf is ecstatic and goes to work to meet condition one. The Center Party agrees to support him on the condition that he won’t ask for dictatorial powers, but the Nationalist Party, who gained 11 seats in the election, absolutely refuse to have anything to do with us. Same with the Social Dems. They are solidly behind Papen because he is an alternative to Hitler. With 172 seats between them, that scratches option 1.

  “21 Nov. Second meeting with Hindenburg. Hitler admits he’s failed on option 1 and suggests a third alternative. Give Papen the boot and make Hitler chancellor under a presidential decree. Hindenburg balks. If the cabinet is going to operate under the enabling decree, then he’s more comfortable with Papen who is not so unpredictable. Hitler comes home in a rage. So close, and yet so far. The government crisis deepens.

  “1 Dec. The president calls Papen to come to his office. Papen goes, fully expecting to be reinstated as chancellor. But General Schleicher has been up to his usual nefarious maneuvering. He tells the old senile president that the Nazis will never come into a Papen government and ever-so-humbly puts himself forward as the viable alternative. He lays out an audacious plan. As chancellor, he will form a coalition government, including at least 60 Nazi deputies, the Nationalists, and most of the centrist parties. And as minister of war, he promises that the army is firmly behind him. That is a thinly veiled threat, and Hindenburg knows it. When Hindenburg questions his ability to deliver 60 Nazi votes, Schleicher reveals that he has been secretly negotiating with Gregor Strasser, second only to Hitler himself in power and influence in the Nazi Party. In return, Strasser will be made Schleicher’s vice-chancellor and the Nazis will receive several key cabinet positions.

  “We learned later that after the meeting on the 19 Nov. Schleicher approached Strasser secretly with this proposal. Hitler, of course, knew nothing about this treachery.

  “2 Dec. We have a new chancellor! General Kurt von Schleicher is now Reichschancellor of the German Republic. And with that, the country slowly grinds ever closer to utter disaster. Papen was rightly scorned as a fool, but he was an innocent one. Schleicher is a sewer rat. He is very unpopular with the people, and the national reaction is one of widespread anger. All predictions are that his term as chancellor may be the shortest in the history of the Republic.

  “5 Dec. Determined to split the Nazi party in two and get at least half of our seats, now Chancellor von Schleicher offers Gregor Strasser the vice-chancellorship and to be premier of the state of Prussia. That would be a coup because Prussia, of which Berlin is the capital, is politically the most important and powerful state in the country. With that position comes control of the Prussian State Police, a powerful force. If Strasser can deliver sufficient Nazi delegates, the deal is done. But Hitler is livid when he learns of Strasser’s defection. Strasser tries hard to convince Hitler to accept political reality an
d agree to a coalition with Schleicher. Big mistake. Hitler loathes Schleicher with a passion I’ve not seen in him before.

  “Treachery. Betrayal. Treason. Duplicity. Double-dealing. Those are the words that Hitler uses to describe this most trusted associate. He is also furious with Ernst Roehm, commander of the S.A. The fact that his storm troopers keep raising hell around the country, waging open street battles against the Communists, etc., is clearly a major reason why we lost 34 seats in Parliament. Veiled threats keep surfacing from some of Roehm’s commanders that if the Führer cannot form a government, then maybe the Sturmabteilung should step down. Which is exactly the main reason Hindenburg is reluctant to offer the chancellorship to Adolf. So that’s yet another pressure Adolf is facing.

  “The atmosphere at headquarters is toxic in a way I have not seen before. Goebbels put it bluntly: Strasser is a dead man. I fear he is right and hope that he means that only in a political sense.

  “7 Dec. The Big Five gather in the Kaiserhof Hotel in Berlin. Strasser vehemently argues that the Nazis must at least tolerate a Schleicher chancellorship, otherwise they will end up with nothing. Many of our delegates are already hurting because with no Parliament in session they have no salaries, and they are demanding action. Goering and Goebbels stand firm with Hitler, who says he is willing to negotiate with Schleicher for a better deal—but with Strasser? Under no circumstances will he be part of the negotiations. Hitler accuses Strasser of stabbing him in the back. In a rage of his own, Strasser swears that he has been totally loyal to Hitler but now finds him leading the party to destruction. He storms out in a towering huff. Back in his room, Strasser writes a letter to Hitler resigning from the party and threatening to smash everything he has done. Goebbels calls me later that night, asking me to start preparing possible press releases because Strasser is going public with his resignation. This is the blackest day for our party since the Beer Hall Putsch. I spent the night frantically preparing responses to whatever news might come with the dawn.

  “10 Dec. The intrigues continue and the surprises never stop. Adolf has been in a frenzy since Strasser’s betrayal. He’s been traveling up and down the country, speaking at multiple meetings and rallies each day. He is exhorting party leaders to stay loyal to him. It has helped, but morale in the party is in tatters. We’re financially bankrupt. The people are turning from us in droves. Our donors are now contributing to whichever party they believe will come out on top. But Hitler is unflaggingly tenacious, still refusing to compromise.

  “But a small miracle happened. Papen sought out the Führer to see if they couldn’t work out something and cut the scheming General Schleicher off. Neither Papen nor Adolf is in a strong position to institute solutions, and they absolutely despise one another, but bitter circumstances make for desperate bedfellows. A new year is almost upon us. Will the Nazi Party still be standing when it ushers in, or will we be on some political trash heap? Only time will tell. Hitler and Papen will meet in Cologne on 4 January.”

  Hans set down his pen, closed the journal, and laid the pen beside it. Then he sat back, closing his eyes. He was weary to the bone, more so than he could remember being for a long time. Tomorrow was Monday, but Adolf had declared that party headquarters would be closed for the holidays. And thank whatever gods there be for that, he thought. He decided to call Alemann in the morning, see what the Zeidners were up to. He knew that the university was closed for the holidays too. Maybe they could take the children sledding over in the English Garden or go to the cinema.

  He was anxious to share all of this with his friend. Putting it into this concise, chronological order had helped crystalize some things in Hans’s mind. He valued Alemann’s gift of analysis and the historical perspective he brought with it.

  As he pondered that, another thought came to him. He opened the journal again and found his place. Picking up his pen, he began to write again.

  “There is one event I left out but that could eventually have a significant effect on the Fatherland. Perhaps nothing will come of it, but since it parallels our own situation in some ways, I find the similarities noteworthy.

  “8 Nov. 1932. Election Day in America. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the liberal candidate, will be the next president of the United States. With promises of swift and massive govern­ment action to stem the terrible conditions created by the depression, Roosevelt won 59% of the popular vote to handily defeat the incumbent president, Herbert Hoover. In the electoral votes, the defeat was even more dramatic, with Hoover getting only 11%, carrying only 6 of the 48 states.

  “The circumstances in America are vastly different from ours, and yet I am struck by numerous similarities, the most obvious one being how hungry the people are for a government that will bring about dramatic changes in their lives. Thus, even the promise of change is highly appealing to weary, discouraged people.”

  Chapter Notes

  This chapter describes only a small portion of the political maneuvering and backroom deals that went on after the November elections, but what is written here depicts accurately what was happening (see Rise and Fall, 172–85). The stats from the November 1932 election come from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_federal_election,_November_1932.

  January 25, 1933, 3:47 p.m.—Zeidner Home, Konradstrasse 73, Schwabing District

  As Alisa and Jolanda Eckhardt followed Erika and Leyna Zeidner into the main entrance of the Zeidner residence, Lisa stopped. She always did. As she removed her galoshes, mittens, coat, and scarf, her eyes were fixed on the grand staircase directly in front of them. Of everything in this incredibly lovely and elegant home, she loved the staircase the very most. Her eyes followed the graceful curves of the banister and the walnut woodwork that seemed to glow with its own natural light. It was something one expected to see only in castles or grand palaces. And she wondered again how this could be, with Alemann being only a college professor. The answer had to be that Richelle’s wealthy parents had left their fortune to her.

  As they put their winter things in the closet just off the main entrance, they heard the click of footsteps on marble. A moment later, Richelle Zeidner appeared, her face wreathed with smiles. “Guten Tag, girls.”

  Her daughters walked swiftly to her and gave her a hug. Lisa and Jo, almost in perfect unison, said, “Guten Tag, Frau Zeidner.”

  Richelle came over and gave them both a quick hug as well. “Ooh, your cheeks are all rosy. It must be cold outside.”

  “Freezing,” Leyna said with an exaggerated shiver.

  “Well,” she went on, looking at Lisa and Jo, “I just hung up the phone. I was speaking with your mother.”

  “Oh?” Lisa asked.

  “Ja. I asked her if the two of you could have dinner with us this evening. And she said yes.”

  The four girls looked at each other in delight.

  Richelle’s smile brightened even more. “And there’s something else we talked about. Lisa, you and Jo tell Erika and Leyna what your family is doing this weekend.”

  “We already did,” Jo blurted. “Going down to our family’s dairy farm in Graswang to go sledding and ice skating. Lisa and I got new ice skates for Christmas.”

  “Yes,” Leyna said glumly. “And Erika and I are sooo jealous. Tell Mutti about the sledding hill, Jo.”

  “Well,” Jo said, “it’s in one of the farm pastures. But one end of it is right up against the forest land. The whole pasture slopes all the way down to the river. That’s where the sledding hill is.”

  Lisa jumped in. “It’s over two hundred yards long, and our Uncle Karl and Uncle Klaus build jumps into the run so you actually go sailing in the air for a little bit. It is so fun. They also have their own pond where we ice skate. And we tromp out a huge Fox and Geese circle in one of the other meadows. That’s the little kids’ favorite thing.”

  “That’s what your mother said,” Richelle said.

  “Oh, Mama,” Leyna said
. “How come we never get to do things like that?”

  “Yeah,” Erika chimed in. “All we ever do is go sledding on that stupid little hill over in the English Garden. And there’s always ten thousand people there and—”

  “Erika,” her mother chided. “What have we said about saying stupid? And about exaggerating?”

  Erika’s chin dropped. “Sorry, Mama, but—”

  Again her mother cut in. “So,” she said slowly, a teasing smile on her lips now, “what would you say if I told you that Emilee just invited our family to go with them this weekend?”

  “Really?” Jo and Lisa exclaimed at the same time.

  “Yes, really,” Richelle said. “We’ll leave Friday afternoon as soon as school’s out. Herr Zeidner has a banquet at the university on Friday night that he must attend, but he wants us to go ahead, then he’ll come down Saturday morning.”

  There were more shrieks and a lot of dancing around as all the girls celebrated this news.

  “Now,” Richelle said when it finally subsided a little, “you go up to your rooms. Make sure all your homework is done. Dinner is at six. Come down at quarter to the hour to help set the table.”

  Jo and Leyna were off like a shot, ascending the staircase two or three steps at a time. Erika went to her mother and threw her arms around her. “Thank you, Mutti. I’m so excited.”

  Richelle smiled. “I think your father is too.” She moved over to Lisa and took her into her arms. “Thank you, dear Lisa,” she whispered. “Thank you for saving my girls that day in the park and bringing our families together.” She kissed her on the top of the head and then gave them both a little shove. “Off with you now.”