Page 56 - Was Hitler a Riddle?

The British Diplomats 43

“Germany has at last shaken off the remaining shackles fastened on her by
an unjust treaty.” and he was convinced that the “enthusiasm is genuine
and sincere.” 65
it was also at about this time that Phipps was invited by Goebbels to
attend a showing of the film Triumph of the Will, produced by the talented
and chauvinistic leni riefenstahl. aside from its glorification of Hitler, the
film was “alarming” to Phipps because it showed “to what extent the idea
of robot militarism has now possessed itself of the German nation, and
particularly the German youth.” Phipps urged that “no educated person
[in Great Britain] should fail to see the film” because it will bring home “to
the British public the true state of affairs in Germany.” early in Novem-
66
ber, Phipps told Foreign Minister Hoare that on a drive along any road in
Germany one could see indisputable evidence of the vast investment in the
military. “there are few towns of any importance where barracks or mili-
tary schools are not being built, some of them still far from completion.”
“enormous aerodromes” were also being constructed. it was hard to avoid
the conclusion that Germany was already “living in a state of war. . . . ev-
erything is subordinated to the needs of the defence forces.” it seemed clear
that Germany planned a major expansion either into africa or in eastern
europe. 67
this dispatch was circulated among the cabinet members, and several
ministers, whose signatures are illegible, made comments on the document.
One referred to the warning at the end of the dispatch and stated, “this is
very important. . . . this is undoubtedly what the French govt. have so
much in mind.” another noted that one could not get a clearer warning
about the looming danger. “there is nothing new in it. sir e. Phipps and
the F.O. [Foreign Office] have both been saying this for years, which have
unfortunately passed without any preparations for defence on our part. the
overlong period is now tardily over; but there is not a week to lose in our
measures.” 68
the British government and the British people were especially alarmed
by reports that Germany was building a vast air force. they feared, cor-
rectly it turned out, that German bombers would wreak havoc on their
major cities, especially london. some military experts predicted in 1937
that six hundred thousand people would be killed and 1.2 million injured
during the first sixty days of an air campaign. this gloomy prediction was
69
not a revelation. two years earlier, Group Captain F. P. dow, the air attaché
in Berlin, had succeeded in securing an interview with General Göring,
who was in charge of expanding the air force, and dow asked what kind