Page 33 - Was Hitler a Riddle?

20 The British Diplomats

of the Nazi Party, although he also showed a lack of understanding of the
inner workings of the movement. He noted that Hitler had succeeded in
gaining the support of a “heterogeneous swarm of malcontents” who were
disgruntled and had been demoralized by the misfortunes that had befallen
Germany. the people were “rudderless,” and “in a bewildered fashion” they
seek “to find scapegoats” for their “troubles and leadership” to guide them
out of their predicament. Many people had concluded that “adolf Hitler
will satisfy and fulfil both these cravings.” Christie warned that the German
people were deluding themselves, for Hitler was neither a statesman nor an
idealist. “i can only see a rather vain and vacillating demagogue, one whose
original healthy ideals have become befogged in the intoxication of super-
ability to sway the masses: where many detect a prima donna i can easily
discover a soubrette.” the Nazi leader was a “vastly ambitious opportun-
ist” who knew how to organize a mass movement. He was also skilled at
finding helpless scapegoats, the Jews and the Marxists, and at rousing the
passions of the masses against them, as well as against the injustices of the
peace treaty. if Hitler succeeded in attaining power, Christie predicted, he
would never become a “great statesman”; in fact, Christie did not think
that he would remain in power for very long because—and here he grossly
misjudged Hitler’s views and role in the movement—the Nazi leader was
“for all intents and purposes a Constitutional Monarch within the Party,”
which was controlled by a “small camarilla.” Christie also thought that Hit-
ler would adopt a “wait and see” strategy rather than initiate a putsch to
secure power. But he warned that the “growing impoverishment of the
masses” and their “gullibility” could sway many to vote for Hitler and thus
bring him to power. still, he was confident that since Hitler would not
evolve into a “strong statesman” he would soon be “swept aside.” Christie
was uncertain about who would succeed him. He did not think that the
Communists would take over. More likely, the masses would “rally round a
‘volkstümlich’” (“national” or “popular”) person such as dr. Otto strasser,
also a Nazi, who was more radical on economic and social issues but more
restrained on racial matters. 14
Of course, in 1932 no one could predict Germany’s political future. even
a man as perspicacious and rational as Horace rumbold was so baffled that
he considered it important to report on certain occult prognostications. On
February 17, 1932, he sent a “confidential” message to secretary simon that
contained the following information: “incidentally, i know for a fact that
Hitler recently consulted a fortune-teller and was informed that he had no
future.” 15