Page 97 - Was Hitler a Riddle?

84 The British Diplomats

mystical streak. in 1932, at the age of fifty-eight, he became a devotee of
spiritualism. that year, he faced a general election and was deeply worried
about his chances, as is indicated by the following entry in his diary about
several members of his family and a successful politician, none of whom
was still alive: “i believe dear mother and father and Max and Bell are near
and about me and sir Wilfrid as well. their spirits will guide and protect
me.” during the campaign, he also consulted a fortune-teller. 168
King decided on a trip to Germany in the late spring of 1937 because he
believed he could contribute to preventing an outbreak of hostilities. Hit-
ler agreed to meet him on June 19, 1937, and the Canadian was so pleased
with the encounter that he made sure to inform Prime Minister Chamber-
lain about it. in a note written shortly afterward, King “confess[ed] that
the impression gained by this interview was a very favourable one.” He
was much relieved by the “very positive manner in which [Hitler] spoke
of the determination of himself and his colleagues not to permit any resort
to war.” King indicated that he understood that Hitler had to cope with
“big problems” in his country and he was convinced that the Führer was
“a man of deep sincerity and a genuine patriot.” Hitler’s demeanor dur-
ing the meeting also impressed the prime minister. He was never excited,
he spoke “with great calmness, moderation, and logically in a convincing
manner.” the three other leading officials he met—Göring, rudolf Hess,
and Neurath—made an equally favorable impression on him. 169 We know
that Hitler and several of his subordinates were adept at putting on a good
show when the need arose, but we also know that King wanted to be im-
pressed, and given his amazingly limited understanding of foreign affairs
he could easily be won over. Within two years, King’s ignorance—and na-
ïveté—would become embarrassingly evident.
in a longer report to Chamberlain on the German visit, dated June 29,
King again stressed Hitler’s warmth; the chancellor was so eager to talk
to him that he had postponed several other appointments and extended
their meeting from the scheduled half hour to one and a half hours, which
clearly flattered the Canadian. Hitler not only was emphatic about main-
taining peace in europe; he also stressed his desire to “improve the condi-
tions of the working classes and those in humble circumstances.” all these
endeavors, King told Hitler, “appealed very strongly to me.” King was also
persuaded by Hitler’s explanation of Germany’s foreign policy, whose al-
leged purpose was merely to enable the country to avoid “indefinite subjec-

the reference is to sir Wilfrid lourier, the first Francophone prime minister of Canada;
he is widely regarded as one of Canada’s leading statesmen. He died in 1919.