Page 45 - Was Hitler a Riddle?

32 The British Diplomats

reassured me more. Once or twice i felt inclined to smile at Herr Hitler’s
shouting crescendo, but the seriousness, not to say tragedy, of the situation
prevented that inclination from developing. it is disquieting to feel such
power in the hands of so unbalanced a being. i fancy it is to the emotion of
Germany’s dictator rather than to his reason that we must suddenly appeal
on any issue.” 39
this was not the only exchange during that first meeting with Hitler that
Phipps found bizarre. Phipps was also shocked by the Führer’s response to
his question about the substantial increase in the size of Germany’s military
forces in violation of the treaty of Versailles. the ambassador pointed in
particular to the sa and ss, well-armed Nazi military groups that had fre-
quently used their weapons to silence political opponents. this increase in
the military was taking place, Phipps stressed, at a time when Britain was
reducing its forces to what many believed to be “a dangerous minimum.”
Hitler dismissed Phipps’s query as groundless and then assured the am-
bassador that the “sa and ss might be compared to the salvation army.”
Phipps acknowledged that “here i regret to say that i laughed,” not a very
diplomatic gesture. Perhaps because he realized that he was not being taken
seriously, Hitler agreed to procedures designed to demilitarize the ss and
sa, but there is no evidence that they were implemented. 40
about a year later, in November 1934, Phipps again saw Hitler, this time
at the urging of the Foreign Office, which was deeply troubled by the rapid
rearmament of Germany, especially the creation of a military air force and
the “militaristic trend of German education and training.” Phipps had been
instructed to impress upon the Führer that the British government and
people viewed these developments with utmost seriousness. although the
Nazis claimed that the rearmament was for defensive purposes only, “the
fact remains,” Phipps noted, “that the psychological reaction on others is
to inspire suspicion of an offensive purpose.” On hearing this, Hitler flew
into a rage, warning his guest that “Germany cannot consent any longer
to allow other states to wipe their boots on her.” He also declared that he
knew “for certain” that russia and France had formed a military alliance,
and when Phipps denied this, Hitler simply ignored him. as for the war-
like German textbooks, the Nazi leader urged the ambassador to “read the
French, italian and Czech text-books.” it was the first time that Phipps had
had a personal interview with Hitler since the Night of the long Knives
in June 1934. the Führer was clearly in a foul mood, which “[did not]
increase his charm or attractiveness. Whilst i spoke he eyed me hungrily

On the Night of the long Knives, see below, pp. 35–36, 113–16.