"SUPERVISOR OF MURDERS"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23489, 28 October 1939, Page 2 (Supplement)

"SUPERVISOR OF MURDERS"

Himmler, Nazi Police Chief, Rose to Power from Gutter SEVERAL times each day traffic at Berlin's main street corners comes to a screeching halt, writes Alan A. Michie in the News Chronicle, London. Policemen frantically try to "heil" with one hand and halt approaching motor-cars with the other as a big black open Mercedes touring car, swastikas flying from its sides, roars haughtily through the red lights.

INSIDE rides the most ruthlessly ambitious and most powerful of Hitler's lieutenants, cold, remorseless Heinrich Himmler. As Reichsfuehrer of the Schutzstaffel or SS (Protective Corps), Inspector of the Geheime Staatspolizei (Gestapo), and Commissioner of all German Police, undersized Herr Himmler is the man behind and above the law in Germany, and riding through traffic lights is only one of the ways, by which ho reminds Germans of his far-flung powers, v . A few days before tho outbreak of war Hitler announced that, if ho died, Goering, then Rudolph Hess, his personal Party deputy, would follow him as Fuehrors. Unfortunately for Hitler's plans, this divine right of Nazi succession does not havo tho approval of tho one man in Germany powerful enough to prevent it—Himmler. Largest Private Army In Herr Himmler's modest opinion, he is the man who should take over his Fuehrer's job and, as commander of the world's biggest private army (tho armed, black-shirted SS or Elite Guards) and the world's largest police force (the Gestapo, plus tho regular police), Himmler is in the best position to make his opinion count. In spite of Nazi efforts to make believe that all is harmonious among the Nazi high command, there is no doubt that Hitler's death would start a scramble for his mantle. Himmler, although youngest of the Nazi bigwigs, has in some ways the best chance to come out on top. His cunning ruthlessness, which knows no bounds, gives him a tremend-

ous advantage over tho blustering, slow-moving Goering, the unpopular Goebbels, and tho comparatively-un-known Hess; as tho man who supervised the murders of Roehm, Gregor Strasser, tho former Chancellor Kurt voir Schleicher, and hundreds 'of others put. out of the way by tho SS and tho Gestapo during five years of Nazism, Himmler is experienced in disposing of opponents; most important of all, he commands some 200,000 men, armed members of the SS, the Gestapo, and tho regular police who will bo his shock troops in his bid for power. Goering, Goebbels and Hess can count on no armed support. Moreover, they can cojint on no quarter from Himmler once the strugglo for Hitler's powor begins. Himmler has fought Goering over since the early Munich days of tho Party; ho despises Goebbels, as do most of tho Nazi underlings; ho has tolerated Hess simply because, as the man who had access to Hitler at all times,. Hess was in a position to do Himmler important favours. Ambition is Himmler's middle name and his schoolings and intrigues in fields beyond his own have often caused embarrassment in high Nazi quarters. He is intensely jealous of the power of tho Reichswehr and has long schemed to got the posts of Minister of the Interior and of War. Foreign Intrigue In February, 1938, when Hitler successfully removed tho Army officers who opposed his territorial expansion, Himmler saw his chance to win the War Minister's post. Ho mobilised his black-shirted forces and informed Hitler that the Reichswehr was planning a putsch against the Government, hoping to be rewarded with tho War Ministry for his "vigilance." Jn spite of tho fact that he is completely ignorant of international affairs, Himmler has often dabbled in foreign intrigue. During the Moscow trial of General Tuchatchevsky and ' fifteen

others in August, 1936, it was revealed by tho prisoners but suppressed by tho Court that Himmler had paid out thousands of Reichsmarks for what he thought was "secret military information." Much to the delight of the Russians and the dismay of tho Nazis, investiga'tion revealed that Himmler had wasted valuable foreign exchange buying ordinary newspaper reports, which wore passed off to him as "secret military information." The only Nazi leader who has done nothing but Party work all his life, Himmler's Nazi career began in the gutters of Munich when he wa,s a J9-vear-old Storm Trooper. Tho story of his rise to power —a rise made over tho dead bodies of comrades and superiors —is a perfect example of tho lack of personal loyalty in tho inner Nazi circle. Himmler knows loyalty to one man only—Adolf Hitler, whom ho considers a, "superman"'—and as long as Hitler is alivo Policeman Himmler will servo him faithfully. But once Hitlor is removed —by death or otherwise—Himmler will be loyal only to Himmler. Smart money inside Germany is being bet on him to take caro of tho other contenders for tho Fuehrer'is job.