HITLER AND THE ASSASSINS HITLER DOESN'T DO THIS ANY MORE!

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 121, 18 November 1939, Page 20

HITLER AND THE ASSASSINS

HITLER DOESN'T DO THIS ANY MORE!

•^-»• EARLY ■ all the dictators in PfcLT Europe achieved power by subJ^^j, terranean means;.- some of ,; . them began.; their extraordinary careers a$ spies, writes William J. Makin in the "Chicago Tribune." , Most, of them have served terms of imprisonment and rubbed shoulders Vita .assassins "and political informers. fasia. result of these years of mingling %ith: the underworld characters of Europe, there1 is.' not one dictator that dcfessnot fear the assassin. " ' .

Dictators^ therefore, . are the most Cicely'guarded men in the world. Be-

'cause they came into power on a wave of terrorism of their own, they have acquired a knowledge of the usefulness of secret police. They, too, have their brigades of spies and are willing to pay well for,, useful information. They make regular use of the agent provocateur. A systematic blood purge has to be instituted. The dictator has a constant fear, of the murder clubs of Europe.

Only a short while ago Europe boasteii seven, dictators. Now only three remain. Of the departed, two died in their beds, the hard-bitten old Pilsudski and Kamal. Ataturk. The other two, Dqllfuss and Alexander, were murdered. Of the chances of the other dictators of escaping assassination, ask the insurance experts at Lloyd's. They are not particularly optimistic. For a rate against Hitler's life being taken by violence you would have to pay more than £50 for every £ 1000 of insurance. And this would carry you for only a month. If your interests are in Italy, the charge against Mussolini's assassination would be £20 for each £500 insurance, the period being three months. Insuring the life of a dictator is one of Lloyd's biggest gambles. The success of the attempts against King Alexander and Chancellor pollfuss have alarmed those police agents responsible for the safety of their rulers. Incidentally, they have considerably alarmed the dictators themselves. Hitler, Mussolini, and Stalin have each redoubled their guards and faithful followers. Motives of speed and security render the activities of Hitler secretive and mysterious. Nobody knows where he will be next. Always he appears to be travelling at high speed between the Chancellery in Berlin, his /mountain chalet near Berchtesgaden, and his flat in Munich. He uses exclusively the aeroplane and the most powerful Mercedes ever built. As far as possible he avoids railway trains. They are too [dangerous. Hitler's mode of life is military, like i that of .'a general at the front during an offensive, rushing in person or imagination from danger point to danger point, without heed ,of comfort, meals, and time. Very often he may not turn up at a heralded official occasion "or as unexpectedly may descend *upon the stunned Nazis; Hitler flew, through the night from Godesberg to^have Roehm and company shot near Munich. Nobody had any idea that the leader had spent the preceding night seated at a Rhineside terrace with Goebbels, r going through the ;death list. Both men had flown there secretly. . "Because of this mode of travel by the leader, Germany has had the strictest air control in the world. Any foreign machine crossing the frontier would be observed instantly. It is regarded as a potential danger when Hitler takes to the clouds. Actually the Junkers plane in which the leader flies . does not possess a machine-gun or; any other form of armament. But when on the ground it is closely guarded* day and night to prevent SS'bots.E'G >■ ■ . ;i More than once Hitler has had narrow escapes in the air, but not from assassins. There was the occasion when he was flying to Danzig, where he was due to make a speech. The weather was bad, and the pilot flew

straight into a storm. Soon he lost himself in low cloud and fog, and, taking the wrong direction over Denmark, was flying out to the North Sea instead of along the Baltic. .

Hitler looked at his watch and found that he was already a quarter of an hour overdue for his meeting. Realising that his pilot had lost his way, he gave the order, "Turn in your tracks and fly southwards." Thanks to the Fuhrer's r sixth, and in German eyes divine, sense, of self-preservation, they regained- land and came down safely.

Hitler considers his safest retreat is the Hans Wachenfeld, looking down on Austrian Salzburg. As a Result he has spent most of his time in this mountain retreat preparing to launch those, weekend coups which upset the diplomatic weekends of other nations. The road leading to his mountain chalet is heavily policed and only those with special permits are allowed to enter it. Moreover, the whole estate is surrounded by barbed wire, with armed patrols at strategic points. Hitler knows all the wily;'' ways of the underworld. He is one of the dictators who began his?ft -political career as a spy. So the business of espionage comes naturally to;him. The story as told by Heiden relates how Hitler, serving as a non-commissioned officer, was in 1919 detailed to attend labour meetings, mingle with workers' groups, and report to his superiors the state.of popular opinion. It was while on one of these missions that he heard a man named Gottfried Fedef speak. He was impressed by Feder's violent economic theories. He came again to hear him and joined excitedly in the discussion. He even spoke against an opposition speaker. He attracted notice and was soon, one of the leaders of this new political party, which eventually became the Nazis. At the same time Hitler continued his espionage work, having then become the double spy: .

There have been doubts cast upon Hitler's personal courage. It is related by his enemies that when he and his men were fired on in the Munich putsch of 1923 Hitler flung himself to the ground with such violence that his- shoulder was. broken. Whether this be true or not, the fact remains that Hitler sees that every precaution is taken to save him from the lurking assassin. .

When Hitler drives in his highpowered seven-seater car three of the Black Guards sit. directly behind their leader, who sits beside the chauffeur. When he addresses meetings four of them always keep him in sight from a position near the platform. If the bodyguard are not actually in his car they follow.-lose behind, often standing on the running boards. Photographs show that'their right hands are usually resting on pistol holsters. When Herr Himmler was appointed Chief of the German Police orders were given to doiible': the leader's bodyguard. ' An extra car °f armed guards was assigned' to' accompany him wherever he went. At the same time the route along: which the leader's car will pass is lined with Black Guards alternately facing inwards and outwards. ■

Hitler has his own special guard at the Chancellery. It consists of about a hundred Black Shirts. They wear steel helmets: arid carry rifles. Two are stationed at the main, gates. A group •* is - in- the reception hall. Two more guard Jie archway to the inner court. And two more guard the courtyard doorway. Inside the building the corridors in the vicinity of Hitler's office seem to swarm with guards carrying automatics.

The .story is told of a British politician** who was; invited to lunch with 'Hitler;.at"'the~ehancellery. Talk and theUuneh proceeded. .: The British politician tnvihe course of making;a gesture-,,hei knocked a large vase offs a -j pedestaL Instantly from behind- each curtain:4n the room appeared .Black Guards with levelled weapons. ■■;■ . .

It was when Hitler adopted the use of a double that his enemies chuckled and the assassins were bewildered. This double was Julius Schreck, a Bavarian,, aged 38, who also acted as -.chauffeur! jn ' the giant l\/[ercedes. Schreck bore a certain resemblance to tHe Fuhrer—he had the same type of small black/moustache —though he was of sturdier and more powerful build. During, the .nine years he was Hitler's chauffeur he. drove him for many thousands, of miles to every corner of the' Reich. Joining the Nazi Party in 1921, he was one of its oldest members and had taken part in many of its street battles, including the Munich putsch.

• During election campaigns Julius Schreck sometimes slept in his clothes for weeks at _a time, taking a short nap at the .wheels while the Fuhrer was delivering, a speech—and then on again through the night. Schreck in German means "terror," and he was nicknamed '• "der Schreck der Landstrasse" (the terror bif".the highway). Hitler, for various reasons, preferred to travel- fast on the open highway, but his ehatiffeur was too good a driver to justify his nickname.

The fact that Schreck could pose as

double for Hitler- enhanced his reputation in the eyes of the leader. He was not only one of the highest-paid officials in the Reich, but he also formed one of the triple suicide pace. Three men were bound together to kill themselves if, despite their vigilance, something should happen to Hitler. The three men in this suicide pact were Bruckner, Schaub, and Schreck. .

Lieutenant Bruckner is the immensely tall Black; Guard who was at Hitler's side when he personally arrested Roehm in the blood purge of June 30, 1934. He sleeps in the next room to Hitler, always armed. Schaub, the second of the trio, has the job of planning the route for Hitler when he leaves Berlin. He has to confer with police chiefs and make certain that roads will be clear or else well guarded against assassins. Julius Schreck drove the car and at certain parts kept his foot down on the accelerator.

In June, 1936, came the news of the death of Schreck, the double, from meningitis. Hitler was reported to have visited his chauffeur in the hospital and wept when the news of his old friend's death was brought to him. When, instead of being buried in the normal manner of one of his rank. Schreck was interred with.the highest military honours, strange rumours began to circulate iii Germany. It was said that Schreck had been killed by the secret anti-Hitler ; organisation known by the initials R. R. Since that grim night in June, 1934, when Hitler had his right-hand man, Ernst Roehm, put up against a wall, and shot, Roehm's friends have sworn revenge. They formed an organisetion called Boehm's Revengers. This murder club was feared by Hitler more than any other danger;

Mysteriously, on walls and bridges, the sinister letters "R. R." appeared overnight. Government officials scanning documents found . "R. -R." scribbled in the corners. It was because of the growth of . this murder club that Hitler commanded that his guards be doubled and began to use Schreck as. a puppet for himself .in certain public appearances. On May 15, so the whispered tale tells, the two sat side by side in a car that was taking Hitler to Bernau. To all appearances Hitler sat in the passenger's seat while Schreck drove. But this time Hitler, his lank hair drawn back, a chauffeur's hat pulled forward, was driving the car. Schreck, his hair drawn forward in the Hitler manner, sat in the leader's place. They reached a railway crossing and slowed up. As they did so, shots fired with unerring accuracy burst from the roadside. The man in the passenger's seat slumped. The wrong man had been assassinated. What truth there is in the story is difficult in these .strange German times to discover. The fact remains that Schreck is dead, as a search began at once for another double of Hitler. There were no volunteers for. the post. . .

A bomb was thrown once .at the supposed leader's car at Nuremberg 4n 1932.. Oniy Julius Streicher was in the car. Then a year ago there were strong rumours that the Fuhrer had been wounded in the arm by a young woman. Certainly about that date he cancelled all engagements save one, the New Year's reception of .the/diplomatic corps. A film of that ceremony shows the central figure holding stiffly his left arm.

The only bravado- that Hitler permits himself is to take tea in the public lounge of the Berlin Kaiserhof nearly ■

.every, day; when ihe .is in the capital. France, the United - States, Italy, :■• i and It is seemingly; possible for anyone to Spain, were forwarded to the distributenter'that lounge and take a table for ing committee. . - v; ; *

tea in close proximity to the leader. But should anyone do so he would be the .cynosure of all' eyes. It is usual to leave all tables adjoining that used by..Hitler unoccupied: At the same time a dozen black-coated guards, each with an. automatic and each a crack shot, may be observed lounging about the room. Thus under such conditions Hitler^ is? able to enjoy a modest

cup of tea .with toast. But, there are murder clubs other than Roehm's Revengers ready to seize

' The new' movement consisted solely of Germans. It met periodically? and frequently changed its headquarters in Switzerland,. Belgium, ,and Holland ;, to prevent detection. 'Arrangements were imade to smuggle'the' funds'into many. The German authorities-knew that £15,000. was distributed ampng supporters in Berlin■■ alone.-last.Christ-mas, but. that was all they knew. They

did not know who 'distributed the money. Some of it had freeh ispent in relief and some in propaganda.; . ;

an opportunity of assassinating Hitler and overthrowing the dictatorship. J. C. Little,; president of the Amalgamated Engineering Union, recently excited a gathering of trades unionists at Morecambe by telling of a second group of Germans whose object' was '. to overthrow Hitler. Mr.. Little . elaborated this statement in an. interview. This secret organisation, he said, was formed aboutl a ■ year ago. ■ Former trades union leaders; began the. movement. Only trusted members ;of works /committees, corresponding to shops stewards in. England, were elected. Each was given a number, and elaborate precautions were taken to prevent incriminatiori. The international collecting committee had been formed, with headquarters in capitals abroad, v Funds collected from trade unionists:and, individual, subscribers in many countries,'. including • Britain,

Plans were being formulated to extend the operations of-the agents outside Berlin. An immense amount of organisation: was .Involved^ but"a wonderful system had been set "up. ' The chain of agents had been, extended by innocent-looking . v identification discs which 'conveyed nothing ;to "the uninitiated. There was alsoJ ay'system of punching the discs to indicate.'the; receipt of funds. "The definite object of this movement is the of Hitler," he said. "The German .authorities are making frantic efforts to stamp it out. Nearly three, weeks;;ago >600 persons were arrested,; in one!,-Berlin suburb. Fewer than ten /agents of the secret body have been rounded up, and they have resolutely" refused Vto give away any information. < I"am convinced that "in -the near ''future more than 2000 agents»will'bej working-in Germany for this movement." .