Cafe Gentz and the Silver Pheasants

Adam Bayne

Communists. Hitler took out his A-List, which he had prepared with
Keppler and Maurice before he left Berlin. He called it the A for
Austria List.
Hitler held a few personal grudges going back nearly twenty years to
when he was a penniless, struggling artist in Vienna. He gleefully
described the top two names on the A-List.
Number one was Reinhold Hanisch, a small-time crook with whom
young Hitler had shared accommodation. Once Hitler became better
known as a politician, Hanisch got student artists to make copies of
Hitler’s early watercolours and then forged Hitler’s signature on
them. When the army arrived, Himmler found him hiding in a
neighbour’s outhouse. He was not even arrested but executed on the
spot. Himmler said Hitler was well pleased.
Number two was Karl Honisch. He was the chief Communist
agitator in Austria. He had a well-organised network who
forewarned him, and he went into hiding when Himmler arrived in
Austria. Much to Hitler’s disappointment, he managed to avoid
capture until the war's end.
The Fuhrer not only had a long memory for grudges but also
remembered those who had helped him. He remembered Rudolf
Haeusler, who had been a friend when he lived in Vienna.
Himmler’s men found Haeusler working as a clerk in the labour
office. He was taken to Hitler at the SS HQ. The poor man must
have been terrified but imagine his relief and surprise when Hitler
promoted him to Head of the Department of Labour in the new
Austrian government.
Party treasurer Keppler was rewarded with the appointment of Reich
Commissioner of Austria, effectively the head of the Austrian
government.
Leni Riefenstahl arrived in Vienna on Monday. Goebbels had
briefed her to make a film of Hitler’s announcement on Tuesday.

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The film must emphasise the enthusiastic reception by the Austrian
people. Hoffmann and Leni were to ensure the international press
understood that the Austrian government requested the Anschluss,
which was completed peacefully by Hitler.
As scheduled, Hitler addressed a crowd of two hundred thousand on
Tuesday from the balcony overlooking the Heldenplatz. Magda was
not feeling well, but the other Silver Pheasants walked over and
joined the crowd. Hitler formally announced the Anschluss and was
greeted with tumultuous applause. I remarked to Gerda that I was
surprised many Austrians wore swastika armbands. ‘Another of
Martin’s ideas,’ she said, ‘We had thousands made in Munich, and
the SS have been distributing them.’
But it was not the swastikas nor Hitler’s speech that caught Eva
Braun's eye. She pulled Helene over and said, ‘Helene, can you
believe it? Look who is up there on the balcony behind my Adolf.’
Helene told me she could hardly believe her eyes, and neither could
I. There was the Mitford witch, admittedly in the background but
visible. Eva flew into a rage, ‘I want to leave now,’ she said and
pulled Helene and me back to the hotel.
As soon as we were at the hotel, they went to see Magda, who was
quite glad to leave Vienna. She was eight months pregnant and
worried the baby would come any moment. Eva called Kempka, and
they were on their way back to Munich within thirty minutes. Eva
left her luggage, and Magda left the kids with the maid, all to be
delivered to Munich later.
On Thursday, Hitler suggested he come to Hotel Zum Weissen Wolf
for dinner to celebrate a successful Anschluss. Nobody dared to tell
him that Eva and Magda had flown the coop. We were worried that
he would turn up with the Mitford witch, but he did not. Only his
close entourage accompanied him.
He immediately asked where Eva and Magda were. Ilse answered,

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‘Magda was frightened she would go into labour, so she thought it
was safer to go home. She knew that Joseph was busy, so Kempka
drove her back. Eva went with her. She did not want to go alone.’
Hitler said no more about it.
We spent the evening drinking a toast to everyone and everything.
Hitler used sparkling water, but at least we filled our glasses with
alcoholic beverages. He praised Keppler and commended Himmler,
Goering, and Bormann.
He found me halfway through the evening and said, ‘Adam, I
blatantly ignored that vicious Versailles treaty, yet everyone is
scared to do anything about it. Von Ribbentrop said the London
Times reported that I was only doing what England had done to
Scotland three hundred years ago.’
The next day we checked out of the hotel, and the Silver Pheasant
motorcade drove back to Munich. Baldur and the SS guards did not
return to Munich. They had work to do in Vienna. Kempka had
taken Eva and Magda in the party Mercedes, so at least there was
still the Duesenberg to get all Magda’s kids back home.
Helene said to me as we drove along, ‘I do not know what leverage
the witch has over Hitler, but there is going to be some mudslinging
when we get back.’
She was right, but we did not expect that we would again play
marriage counsellors to the Nazi government.
My XC report clearly stated that I considered the Anschluss the first
step in Hitler’s plan to take over Europe. Yet again, my opinion was
ignored. Back in Westminster, Churchill remained the single voice
crying out in the wilderness.

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Chapter 35 Hitler promises Chamberlain peace. Leni and Unity
lovers.

When Eva returned to Munich, she refused to go to her apartment.
She went to stay with Magda. As soon as Hitler returned from
Vienna, Goebbels met with him and explained that Eva had seen
Unity Mitford on the balcony in Vienna. That evening Magda and
Eva phoned Helene to say they wanted to talk. They arrived early at
Café Gentz.
Magda said that Hitler had asked Goebbels to tell Eva it was a big
misunderstanding. Unity Mitford was now working with Leni
Riefenstahl. Unity was there in Vienna assisting Leni in making a
film, and he did not even know Mitford was coming to Vienna.
Helene diplomatically said that Hoffmann had confirmed that
Mitford was working as Leni’s assistant. Eva said, ‘I have been
silly, haven’t I? Jumping to conclusions.’
Magda and Helene hugged until Eva stopped crying. ‘Now you must
apologise to the Fuhrer and hope he will forgive you,’ said Magda,
‘I will take you home now.’
As Eva left, she said she hoped everything would be all right and
apologised for causing any problems.
‘She certainly looks better now,’ I said to Helene, ‘Shall we go out
for dinner?’ ‘The usual sausage supper?’ Helene asked. ‘As long as
that Mitford witch is not there,’ I replied, ‘but just in case, bring the
garlic and a crucifix.’
We heard nothing of what happened when Eva went home that
evening, so Helene called a Silver Pheasant soiree to catch up on the
gossip and decide what we would do for Hitler’s birthday this year.
We all wondered whether Eva would turn up, but she did.
Once the Champagne flowed and we were all settled, Magda spoke
first. ‘This year has been traumatic for some of us. You all know
about the slight hiccup my relationship with Joseph. I hope nothing

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like that will happen again.’
Eva took the bait, ‘It is his birthday in a few days, but I must tell you
we are going away for a few days together. The refurbishment of his
mountain retreat in the Bavarian Alps is complete. It is now fully
staffed, including a chef. Adolf suggested we should have some
private time together in what he calls the Berghof. A birthday party
with only us two. He said he had built the Berghof just for me.’
In a gesture I recalled millionaires performing when they pulled out
a copy of Time magazine with their face on it. Eva pulled out the
most unexpected magazine I could ever imagine.
‘Look at this,’ she said, as she passed around a copy of the British
magazine Homes and Gardens, ‘it features my Berghof.’
Almost in disbelief, I read about Hitler’s Mountain Home, with full-
colour photos. I grabbed the magazine and opened it. It was in full
colour, under Hitler’s Mountain Home. I had to see it with my own
eyes.
‘The site commands the fairest view in all of Europe. This is to say
much, I know. But in these Bavarian Alps, there is a peculiar
softness of greenery, with snow-white cascades and forest-clad
pinnacles. Bavarian resident chef, Herr Dannenberg, produces an
imposing array of vegetarian dishes, all conforming to the dietic
standards of Herr Hitler. At the Berghof, he dines with bons viveurs
like Field-Marshal Goering and Joachim von Ribbentrop.’
I poured myself a large gin and tonic and sat beside Hoffmann. ‘Did
you see all that majolica in Hitler’s Mountain Home,’ I asked him, ‘I
thought you sold all of old Alfred Pringsheim’s collection at
Sotheby’s.’’
‘Well, I gave Hitler first option on a couple of pieces,’ he said, ‘they
do look nice, you have to admit.’
Eva came over to get the magazine back and said proudly, ‘Hitler
had it refurbished specially for me. That is why we are going there

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to christen it, so to speak.’ Gerda overheard Eva and shouted, ‘That
Bavarian mountain air is supposed to have aphrodisiac properties,
Eva.’
At that, the party disintegrated into bawdiness. Hoffmann and I
retired to the kitchen, taking a bottle of Champagne with us. ‘Looks
like Eva and Hitler have made up,’ I said.
‘How about this for gossip then,’ Hoffmann said, ‘the rumours are
that Leni and Unity are in a lesbian relationship.’ Erna overheard
and asked, ‘What’s a lesbian?’ I said, ‘Do you know what a tomboy
is?’ ‘Yes,’ replied Erna, ‘Well, that is what it is,’ and I excused
myself to go to the bathroom.
I stayed there for five minutes, hoping Erna would have changed the
subject by the time I got back. When I returned to Hoffmann, Erna
had indeed moved on and was chatting with Magda about babies. I
said, ‘I would not be surprised about anything that witch did,’ I said,
‘but I suppose it might stop her from bothering Hitler anymore.’
‘I doubt that. But you still have not come to see that film I have of
Riefenstahl in the nude,’ goaded Hoffmann. ‘I’m going to make you
a large gin and tonic,’ I said to Hoffmann, ‘do not move from that
chair.’
A couple of hours later, I staggered to bed before the party ended
and left Hoffmann to find his way home.
Hitler and Eva did go away to the Berghof, as she said, so we did
not have any specific event arranged for his birthday that year.
However, Magda gave us the perfect excuse for a lovely evening at
Café Gentz to celebrate the birth of Magda’s sixth, Hedwig Johanna.
I told Helene privately, ‘I did not believe Magda when she said she
would give all her children names starting with H in honour of
Hitler. But she has done it. I told you before she has definite
psychopathic tendencies.’
The Silver Pheasants evening at Café Gentz was a bit like a happy

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families meeting. The Goebbels were back together, showing off the

gurgling H6 Hedwig. Eva and Hitler had gone off for a romantic
week in the Bavarian Alps.

Handsome SS Officers and exotic foreign actresses had been - in
Goebbels’ expression - dealt with. ‘English witches next,’ I thought
to myself.
‘What do we have to gossip about?’ asked Ilse. Luckily, Maurice
saved the day and said, ‘I’ve got some news, ladies,’ and they

gathered around.
‘Hitler has awarded the Grand Cross of the German Eagle to Henry

Ford. The American Ambassador will come to Munich next week to

receive it on behalf of Mr Ford. He said our Deputy Fuhrer, Rudolf
Hess, would present it.
‘Call that gossip?’ said Ilse, ‘I want to know what Adolf and Eva are
doing in the rarefied air of the Alps,’ she said, which got giggles of
approval.
‘Well, I do happen to know the American Ambassador, Mr Hugh
Wilson,’ chirped in Erna.
‘How well do you know him? Is he a good lover?’ shouted Henny
amid ribald laughter. Poor Erna’s face turned red, and she sat down.
Maurice brought a semblance of order and said, ‘Munich is going to

be busy; Neville Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister, will also
be visiting Hitler.’
‘Now here is some more gossip,’ he said, ‘Hitler has arranged the

state visits to be in Munich so that he can spend more time with
Eva.’
‘I told you this would be a happy family meeting,’ Helene said,

holding baby H5.
‘Maurice,’ I said, ‘please tell me where the Mitford witch is.’
‘More rumours but backed up with physical sightings. The witch is
sharing her Munich apartment with Leni Riefenstahl,’ he said, ‘I

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have the apartment under twenty-four-hour surveillance.’
Changing the subject, Henny asked me why Hitler had given Henry
Ford such an honour. ‘I guess because he likes American cars?’
Helene and Henny laughed.
‘It is simple,’ I explained, ‘Ford has supplied millions of dollars in
donations to the Nazi party and even more investment into his
Cologne factory. It is the same everywhere; money can buy
anything, even honours.’
‘Oh, by the way, Helene,’ I continued, ‘Do you remember Montagu
Norman and his charming wife, Priscilla? ‘Of course,’ said Helene,
‘we went shopping in London together.’ ‘Well, last time I spoke to
him on the phone, he said the King was going to make him a Baron.’
‘Oooooo, now we know British aristocracy,’ said Henny in a terrible
attempt at an English accent, ‘call me Lady Henny from now on,’
and they all laughed again.
The Ford presentation ceremony was scheduled for Thursday, 25th
of August, at the Four Seasons hotel in Munich. Rudolf Hess,
Deputy Fuhrer, would present the medal to American Ambassador
Hugh Wilson. Hoffmann had arranged a seat for Erna as his
assistant and one for Henny because Baldur was in charge of
security. Hess asked me to attend in case his English failed him.
The hotel lobby was full of camera operators, and Goebbels had
always done an excellent publicity job.
Hess was at the podium when Wilson came in, greeted by popping
flashbulbs. He was directed to stand next to Hess, who made a short
speech in German followed by an even shorter speech in his broken
English. The Ambassador thanked Hess and passed on Henry Ford’s
regards to Hitler.
After the photo session, everyone went in for lunch. Ambassador
Wilson was good at his job. As he entered the banqueting hall, he
saw Erna seated at the table. He went up to her and said, ‘Frau

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Hoffmann, I have not seen you since we met in Berlin. I hope you
are doing well.’
Poor Erna nearly died when the New York Times cameraman
shouted, ‘Mr Ambassador, sir, a photo with the Fraulein, please.’
Wilson held out his hand and gestured for Erna to stand up. He then
posed for a photo of the two of them shaking hands.
‘OK, sir, let’s move on,’ shouted the brash Bronx cameraman.
I thought, ‘We will never hear the end of this little episode.’ And we
did not. All the Silver Pheasants got to know the story backwards.
As soon as I arrived back in the office, Christa brought me a long
message from Hitler at the Berghof. It said that British Prime
Minister Neville Chamberlain had been to meet him there. Hitler
had told him outright that the German Army would march into the
Sudetenland and annex the whole area. Hitler said Chamberlain had
returned to London with his tail between his legs. He said he had to
discuss Hitler’s plans with the French, the Italians and his masters in
London. Hitler had agreed not to make any moves until Chamberlain
returned on the 24th of September, but this time it was to be at
Reinhotel Dreesen at Bad Godesburg. Hitler wanted me to be there
and said he had only agreed on the location on condition that the
subsequent meeting would be in Munich.
Christa had arranged for one of the Fuhrer’s Ju 52s to take myself
and Hoffmann to Bad Godesberg on Tuesday, 30th August. Hitler
would fly directly from the Berghof and rendezvous with us there on
Wednesday, ready for the meeting the next day. Then the three of us
would fly back to Munich to prepare for the Nuremberg rally.
Meanwhile, Eva would be driven to Munich from the Berghof and
be waiting for Hitler when he arrived back from meeting
Chamberlain at Bad Godesburg.
The meeting in Hotel Dreesen was over in literally minutes.
Chamberlain reported that he had convinced his masters in London

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and the French and the Italians that Hitler had guaranteed peace in
Europe and that the Sudetenland occupation would be the last
territorial expansion by Hitler into neighbouring countries. Hitler
signed a brief minute of the meeting, and Chamberlain went home a
happy man.
The British PM was greeted as a hero when he returned to London,
his infamous lines serving as a warning to future generations.
‘I have in my hand a piece of paper,’ he announced, ‘it is an
agreement from Mr Hitler. It means peace in our times.’ The crowd
roared, and the flashes popped.
On the plane from Bad Godesburg to Munich, Hitler told me
Chamberlain was a disgrace and a coward who was scared to stand
up for his people. The Fuhrer arranged an international conference
on the 29th of September in Munich to formalise the annexation of
Sudetenland.
‘I will liberate three million Germans from Czech oppression, and a
quarter of Czechoslovakia will be part of Germany again,’ he
announced proudly, ‘nothing can stop my plans for the Third Reich
now. I will instruct the Sudeten German Free Corps to start
harassing anybody showing opposition to the annexation, but not too
violently at this time,’ he added with a smile.
Hitler added, ‘Let us all have a few days off before we dive into
Goebbels’ world of cameramen and protocol at the Nuremberg rally,
shall we? You two have deserved it.’ He was as good at his job as
Mr US Ambassador was.
The rally went well, as usual, but I was getting slightly bored at the
predictable schedule of parades, bands, tub-thumping speeches, the
drone of aircraft and serried rows of tanks.
One evening after a parade, Maurice, Helene, Hedwig, Erna,
Hoffmann, and I were having a quiet supper in the hotel garden. The
weather was so beautiful. That evening in September 1938, there

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were no dark clouds in the sky, neither symbolic nor real.
Helene said, ‘I don’t want to put a jinx on anything, but has anyone
seen the Mitford witch?’
‘Sshh,’ I said. ‘I was enjoying myself until you mentioned her
name.’
Hoffmann said, ‘You might not have seen her, but I have. She has

usurped my position as the number one lap dog to Leni Riefenstahl.
She is like Leni’s shadow.’
‘Don’t be so upset, Hoffmann,’ said Maurice, ‘You are well rid of
her. Did you know the two are at the same hotel with adjoining
rooms? I suppose the cameramen at least are safe.’ ‘Ha ha, no
chance for you then,’ Erna said with a hint of jealousy in her voice,
‘You can stop going on about her all the time now.’ ‘You can talk,’
responded Hoffmann, ‘the way you tell it, anyone would think Mr
US Ambassador Hugh Wilson was your long-lost brother.’ ‘Now,
now children,’ Helene interjected, ‘We do not need any more
marriage break-ups this year.’
We all realised the Hoffmann’s marriage was in no real danger when
Hoffmann said, ‘I’ll drink to that,’ and raised his glass. ‘Drink to
what?’ said Erna, ‘you would drink to the sun going down, you oaf.’

We all went to bed tired but happy.

After the rally, the office in Munich was occupied with organising
the Munich International Conference. The leaders of the four most

significant countries in Europe would be there. Neville

Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister; Edouard Daladier, his
French counterpart; Mussolini, dictator of Italy; and Hitler, the

German Chancellor.

All the Berlin staff had come down, and the office was packed.
Everyone welcomed everyone else and mingled at the scheduled
time of 2 p.m. on Thursday, the 29th of September, at the Four
Seasons hotel. By 3 o’clock, they had settled around the conference

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table.
Hitler asked me to bring Helene because he knew she was fluent in
French. When I asked about Italian, he said Mussolini speaks good
enough German; he is too lazy to use it, like all the other Italians.
It was our first time at a conference of top political leaders, which
was disappointing. They droned on about irrelevant items. It was as
if they were purposely making the negotiations last as long as
possible.
‘Perhaps they are,’ said Helene, just as Hitler stood up and
announced, ‘Time for a recess, gentlemen. Dinner will be at seven
sharp, and we will resume here at half past eight.’
As we all went out, Helene said, ‘Hitler is in charge of this
conference, no doubt.’
At dinner, Hitler did not make the French and Italian delegations
suffer and eat vegetarian food. He stuck to sparkling water.
However, for the guests, he only served a young Riesling wine of
low alcohol content. ‘Tastes like grape juice,’ said Hoffman. ‘Yes,
and very nice it is, too,’ added Erna.
Everyone left the dinner table on schedule and returned to the
conference room. At two in the morning, after five hours of talking,
they finally had a document everyone could sign. Hitler came out
triumphantly, announcing that the conference was an enormous
success.
Goebbels addressed the waiting newspaper reporters, telling them to
come into the office later and that he would have a Press Release for
them.
Hitler came up to me when we were out of earshot of the press,
shook my hand, and said, ‘Did you hear about that fool Chamberlain
saying I have a piece of paper in my hand?’ Hitler smiled. ‘It was in
all the newspapers. Well, Adam, I have in my hand a piece of paper,’
and he waved the signed Munich Agreement, ‘and it is completely

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worthless. I can now do whatever I want in Europe, and no one will
stop me.’
And that is what he did.
On the 1st of October 1938, when the seats were still warm at the
Four Seasons conference room in Munich, Hitler’s SS regiments
marched into Czechoslovakia. They occupied the Sudetenland,
greeted as liberators by cheering crowds.
In my next XC report, I said the conference had been a foregone
conclusion. Three million Czechs - one in four of the population,
and about one-third of the land, had been handed to Hitler on a plate.
I wrote that appeasement like this would not deter Hitler. It will
encourage him to take whatever he wants from neighbouring
countries. As always, my warnings were ignored.

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Chapter 36 Assassination in Paris. Kristallnacht in Germany.
The sofa photos.

After the Public Relations triumph of the Munich Conference, Hitler
was free to complete his plan to dominate Europe.
Helene and I could see that war was inevitable but could do nothing
about it. We discussed whether we should stay in Germany but
surrendered to the pleas of the Silver Pheasants and made no plans
to leave.
The harassment of the Jews and the incarceration of dissident voices
were not visible to us. The Pheasants led a sheltered life of privilege.
We heard rumours of the concentration camps but chose not to
investigate.
At the end of the month, we had the usual soiree at Café Gentz.
Eva made us all collapse with mirth. She produced the official
photographs of Chamberlain on his visit to Hitler at the Berghof. In
them, Chamberlain sat on the sofa in a relaxed pose, chatting with
Hitler. Eva could not stop laughing and eventually burst out, ‘if only
he knew what goings-on that sofa has seen.’
Eva and Magda were glowing that evening, both secure in the belief
that the Third Reich would last one thousand years and that each
was the uncontested first lady in their way.
All the Silver Pheasants were comfortably established within the
affluent upper echelons of the Nazi party in a peaceful and quiet
Germany.
As soon as I arrived at my office in the Brown House on Tuesday 8th
of November 1938, Christa said Hitler had requested me to attend a
meeting in his office at ten o’clock. At the conference table were
Goebbels, Himmler, Goering, and Heydrich. When I entered just
before ten, I sensed the tension in the air. Something serious had
happened.
Hitler stood at the head of the table and addressed us. ‘Yesterday,’

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he said, ‘our good friend and colleague Ernst vom Rath, Consul at
the German Embassy in Paris, was walking peacefully to work when
a Polish Jew shot him five times. Ernst is in hospital, seriously
wounded. Dr Morrel left Augsberg this morning. He is being flown
to Paris as fast as possible by Hanna Reitsch and should be arriving
as we speak.’
Hitler was fuming, but he did not rant and rave as he had been
portrayed doing so many times since. He was under complete
control. He said solemnly to his deputies, ‘We must crush this
murderous pestilence with an iron fist.’ Hitler did not mean
Grynszpan, the Polish Jew who had shot vom Rath; he meant all
Jews.
‘We must start the process today. We have implemented schemes to
allow the Jewish parasites to leave, but they have not taken
advantage of our generous offers.’
Hitler continued, ‘I ask you to consider the situation and come back
at three this afternoon with a plan of action for my consideration and
approval. Thank you,’ he gestured for us to go, so we all left.
Goering said, ‘Shall we go to my office.’ I was surprised that they
had already outlined a plan and had been perfecting it over many
weeks.
Heydrich said, ‘This is the trigger we have been waiting for.
Goebbels, please do your tricks and make vom Rath a national
martyr murdered in cold blood by a Jewish assassin as part of the
Jewish plot to overthrow the German government.’
Himmler spoke, ‘Tonight we launch Kristallnacht (Crystal Night).
This assassination attempt is the opportunity we have been waiting
for. As you know, it has already been meticulously planned, and on
my command, sealed orders await opening by all SS leaders.
At that moment, Hitler came in, and Himmler outlined
Kristallnacht. He listened attentively and said, ‘Morell telephoned;

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he could not save vom Rath. He died just before two this afternoon.
Goebbels, please arrange a state funeral and send out suitable press
releases to all national and international news agencies. Adam,
please come to my office.’
Before he left, he turned to Heydrich, ‘Issue instructions to all area
leaders to open their sealed orders and execute Kristallnacht
immediately.’
Hitler asked me what I thought the reaction would be, especially
with our financial sponsors.
I replied, ‘There will be an outcry in the international media, but it
will be just words, as usual. My opinion is that there is no love of
the Jews in the international banking system.’
‘Thank you, Adam. I have made the right decision,’ he said.
That evening the horror began. Thousands of Jewish homes, shops,
schools, and synagogues throughout Germany were ransacked and
burnt down. Jews were beaten in the streets, and hundreds were
killed. Thirty thousand Jews were arrested by the SS and sent to
concentration camps.
On Monday, 14th November, Magda called and asked Helene to host
a soiree for the Silver Pheasants that evening at Café Gentz.
Magda told the gathered Pheasants that the state funeral for vom
Rath was scheduled for Thursday, 17th November, in Dusseldorf.
Magda was excited and announced that Goebbels had requested that
we all attend the funeral and that Bormann would plan all the
logistics. ‘I have never been to Dusseldorf, but I am told it is an
interesting city. Another holiday on company expenses, as they say,’
and she sat down as the excited group all asked her questions.
‘I hear the Altstadt area has over a hundred bars,’ said Emma. ‘Yes,
and lots of shops,’ piped up Eva.
The Kristallnacht commotion did not affect the Silver Pheasants,
and vom Rath’s funeral was seen as an opportunity to go away on

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another shopping trip. I was going to say something, but Helene
came up to me and quietly said, ‘Now is not the time, Adam; just let
things roll along for the moment.’ She was right, as usual.
Dusseldorf is over six hundred kilometres from Munich, but this
time Bormann had arranged something different; a train. A six-hour
journey – first-class, of course. Hitler and his team were flying to
the funeral, and von Ribbentrop was coming over from the London
Embassy.
As she delivered the tickets, Christa said she wished she were
coming. ‘It will be a wonderful journey across Germany, so
picturesque by train. There is a bar, you know.’. ‘Someone has to
look after the office, Christa,’ laughed Gerda Bormann as she took
her tickets.
Ribbentrop told the British press in London before he left, ‘the Jews
have fired the first shot in a war on Germany. We understand the
challenge, and we accept it.’ He also invited the British ambassador
to the funeral, but once again, he was otherwise engaged and had no
deputy available to send.
A boisterous group boarded the fleet of cars waiting at Dusseldorf
station to take the Silver Pheasants to their hotel. There were no
unhappy times during the five-day excursion apart from a few hours
at the funeral itself. Magda had left the children behind and proudly
announced she was not pregnant. This brought the frivolous remark
of ‘It makes a change’ from the usually quiet Ilse, who had been
drinking Champagne at the train’s bar since we left Munich.
Maurice said his French contacts told him that vom Rath was wild
and would approve of our evening parties.
Back in the Brown House after the funeral, Hitler beckoned us in
and ranted more against the Jews and the Communists. The rants
were getting increasingly common. Even when the door was closed,
I often heard him shouting through the walls of his office.

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I mentioned it to Christa, and she said, ‘Yes, Adam, I am worried

the pressure is making the Fuhrer ill, but Dr Morell has prescribed a
regime of injections and medications.’
The object of Hitler’s rage that day was the filthy Jewish communist
who shot vom Rath. ‘Why is he still alive? I want him dead,’
shouted Hitler. Himmler bravely answered, ‘he is in detention in
Paris, my Fuhrer, but the French legal system is causing delays.’
‘What do I care for the French legal system or any legal system for
that matter?’ screamed Hitler, ‘Himmler can I count on you to
exterminate this murderer?’ ‘Yes my Fuhrer,’ answered Himmler.
‘Then do it. Stop wasting my time,’ and Hitler waved us all out of

his office.
Out in the corridor, Goebbels signalled for Himmler and me to come
to his office, which we did. ‘We have a potential problem with this
Polish Jew,’ and he explained the situation at length.
Vom Rath was well known in Paris as a homosexual; everyone

called him Madame Ambassador. They had met at le Boeuf, the

infamous homosexual club in Paris. The Polish Jew who killed him
was his lover.
I said, ‘so it was not a political assassination after all?’
Goebbels continued, ‘Under French law, murder is a capital offence,

but only for political or criminal motives. Crimes of passion are
punishable by time in prison, and Grynszpan’s defence lawyers are
well aware of this, and their defence is saying this was a lover’s tiff.’
Goebbels went on, ‘vom Rath has been given a state funeral as a
hero. We cannot have the truth about his sordid homosexual life in

the international newspapers. If he goes on trial in Paris, everything
will come out.’
‘I have a simple solution,’ said Himmler, ‘we will bring him to

Germany under the pretext of a German trial. Then when everyone
has forgotten the incident, we can quietly dispose of him.’

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And so it was. Himmler sent Heydrich to Paris with a small
detachment of SS officers. Grynszpan was abducted discretely and
taken to Sachsenhausen concentration camp for detention before
trial. There was no trial, and he was never seen again.
We went to see Hitler before Christmas to tell him the good news
about vom Rath’s murderer. ‘Excellent,’ he said, ‘An early
Christmas present. I have another small job for you, Himmler. Do
you remember that traitor Otto von Lossow, who double-crossed me
at the Munich Beerhall Putsch? I was shocked to see him here in
Munich at the Christmas market yesterday. He is retired and looks
happy, which irritates me immensely. I do not want to see his face
again. Can you give me another Christmas present?’
Once again, Himmler stood to attention, clicked his heels and
answered, ‘Yes, my Fuhrer.’ Otto von Lossow’s obituary appeared
in the New York Times shortly after that. He died suddenly from
natural causes after being taken to the hospital with breathing
difficulties; he was seventy years old.
I went home that evening and seriously chatted with Helene about
the situation. I told her about vom Rath’s killer and Otto von
Lossow. She agreed that this was a hazardous and shocking
development. After the total lack of any international condemnation
of events in Germany, Austria or Czechoslovakia, Hitler considered
himself invincible.
In London, Winston Churchill was the only voice of warning in
Parliament. The Jewish communities were publishing predictions of
millions of deaths in Germany, but they were also ignored.
‘We must again remind ourselves to be vigilant. We are in a
dangerous situation here,’ said Helene.
My XC report that month mentioned the vom Rath and the von
Lossow incidents. I also gave a list of the existing concentration
camps and the planned new ones. I reported the arrest of Jews,

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Jehovah's Witnesses and Gypsies for no other reason than their
religion or ethnicity. The reply came, repeating Chamberlain’s
dream. Keep calm; there would be no war in Europe.
Helene said Magda had told her that Pope Pius XI had died and was
succeeded by Eugenio Pacelli as Pius XII. The previous papal
condemnation of Hitler and the Nazis stopped immediately.
Although the new Pope could not openly support the Nazis, the
Vatican and Hitler honoured the Papal Konkordat made in 1933
with Pacelli when he was the Papal-Nuncio. The agreement
guaranteed there would be no persecution of Catholic clergy by the
Nazis in return for no political comment from the Vatican.
And so it was that by the end of 1938, no international voices of
condemnation for Hitler and the Nazis could be heard. But the new
concentration camps in Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia were
filling up. Thousands per month were being arrested and discretely
locked away out of sight of the German public, but more
importantly, out of view of the international media.

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Chapter 37 Ladies of the Reich. Bank of England steals fifty
tonnes of gold for Hitler.

That New Year’s Eve Silver Pheasants’ party at Café Gentz was big.
Everyone was buzzing with gossip. Lina Heydrich had her driver
bring up two cases of Moet Chandon Champagne and six bottles of
vintage Armagnac.

‘Where did you get that from?’ asked Magda and Hoffmann, Magda
referring to the Champagne and Hoffmann to the Armagnac.
‘Reinhard had to go to Paris last month on some urgent mission for
Himmler, and he was given them as a gift by Dietrich von Choltitz,
the Governor of Paris,’ Lina replied.
‘Obviously, the mission was a success,’ said Hoffmann.
‘Something to do with a French homosexual scandal the government
wanted hushed up. But that was all he would say,’ said Lina. Erna
contributed, ‘I was told it is because they eat frogs.’ ‘I will drink to
that, my dear,’ Hoffmann said, giving her a big hug.
For the political news, Eva revealed the Polish Foreign Minister was
coming to see Hitler at the Berghof at the end of the week, and
Hitler was taking her to meet him.
‘Eva, make sure you get a photo of him on the sofa,’ requested
Gerda, ‘You can add it to your little collection,’ which brought a
laugh out of everyone.
‘But we will not be long at the Berghof,’ Eva said, ‘we have to be
back in Berlin for the official opening of the new Reich Chancellery
building the next week. I am sure you will all be invited.’
Magda then said she had some secret information we must keep to
ourselves until it is released to the press later this month.
Magda said, ‘Last week, Hitler and Eva visited the children to give
them Christmas presents. Our nanny addressed Hitler as My Fuhrer
and Reich Chancellor.’

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Little Hildegard said, ‘Uncle Adolf, that is such a long and difficult
name. Can I just call you Fuhrer?’
‘Yes, I remember that,’ said Eva, ‘well, it made Adolf laugh, and he
said perhaps he should change his official title as Hildegard
suggested.’
‘That is the secret,’ said Magda, ‘later this month, it will become
official. Joseph told me it would become law on the 14th, so don’t
tell anyone until then.’ From then on, Hitler is to be addressed
simply as ‘Fuhrer’.
‘It is amazing how important such simple things are for powerful
people. I recalled how proudly the various luminaries had shown me
their pictures on Time magazine's front cover of Time magazine,’ I
said to Helene.
Before the clock struck twelve and the New Year 1939 was upon us,
the Silver Pheasants had opened the second case of Champagne.
Hoffmann and I were well into our second bottle of the Armagnac.
Hoffmann insisted on mixing his Armagnac with a fizzy drink he
called ‘Fanta’, which Max Keith, head of Coca-Cola Germany, had
given him to try out.
‘Tell Max it is disgusting,’ I said, ‘it will never catch on. Nobody
will ever buy that.’
But Hoffmann just said, ‘You are too old fashioned, Adam, you
need to be modernised: the year is now 1939.’
It was hard to realise that Helene and I had been in Germany for
twenty years. ‘I wonder how many more years we will be here?’
said Helene when everyone had gone.
Later that week, Hoffmann returned to Munich from the photo
sessions at the Berghof with Polish Foreign Minister Józef Beck. He
and Erna visited us for a quiet supper to show us the developed
photos. ‘There he is on the sofa,’ laughed Erna, ‘as Eva said: if only
they knew.’

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Hoffmann asked if we had any of the Armagnac left, and I told him,
‘only if you don’t mix with that horrible Fanta.’ He said he had no
Fanta left, so I poured him a large Armagnac.
‘I want to tell you, Adam, Hitler has Europe under his thumb. He
told the Polish minister outright that Danzig must be returned to
Germany, or he would take it by force. You should have seen the
Pole dithering. Hitler demanded a decision either way from Poland
by the end of the month. Hand it over, or we will take it.’
Hoffmann continued, ‘Before I left the Berghof, Hitler said, well
Hoffmann, that’s the Poles put in their place. I will do the same to
the Czechs. Well, on the 21st, I have a front-row seat. I will be at a
photo session in Berlin when the Czechoslovak Foreign Minister
Chvalkovský meets Hitler.’
Later in January, we had a surprise visit when Hjalmar and Luise
Schacht politely invited themselves to dinner. We also asked Emma
and Magda who they had met in London.
‘I have some important news for you,’ Hjalmar said, ‘I have
resigned as President of the Reichsbank. Hitler has agreed, and I will
remain as a Reich minister without portfolio.’
‘What brought this about?’ I asked, and Hjalmar explained:
‘Montagu Norman recommended it. There are some financial
transactions which will happen in the next few months. Montagu
suggested they should not have any possible connection with the
German government. I cannot say more, but it will soon become
obvious,’ he said.
We had a pleasant dinner and finished off the Champagne from
Paris. After Hjalmar and Luise had gone, Magda said that Luise did
not look well, and she was correct. Poor Luise would die of cancer
before the year was out.
At the Brown House, von Ribbentrop called my office to say hello
before returning to London. ‘I’ve just been to Warsaw to see Beck.

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Put a fire under their Polish backsides; that is what Hitler said to me.
I reminded Beck that Hitler had given him a deadline of the 5th of
January. It was straightforward; hand over Danzig, or we will take
it. Beck said the Polish government was considering Hitler’s offer. I
explained it was not an offer but a statement. If you do not give it to
us, Hitler will take it.’
‘The Poles are useless, Adam. I told Hitler this was a rejection, and
now we can take Danzig.’ Von Ribbentrop continued, ‘Please
forgive me, Adam, but your people and their friends are not much
better. Now they are bickering amongst themselves. Italy demands
that Corsica and Nice are Italian, and the French should return them.
Chamberlain and his cronies went to see the French, Mussolini, and
the Pope. Nothing came of any of those meetings.’
‘I can tell you, Adam, we are lucky Churchill is not in any position
of power. Things would be a lot more difficult for us if he were. I
know Churchill from old,’ said Ribbentrop.
At the end of January, we had a Silver Pheasants meeting, and the
first hour was spent figuring out whose husband could procure more
French Champagne.
When the serious business was over, Hoffmann showed us his recent
Czech state visit photos and told us what had occurred. He said
Hilter suggested, no I should say he instructed, the Foreign Minister
of Czechoslovakia to (1) quit the League of Nations, (2) reduce the
size of the army, and (3) pass strict anti-Jewish legislation.’ ‘You
should have heard Hitler,’ he said, ‘it made me proud to be German.
Hitler was polite but very firm, said Hoffmann. He counted the
German demands on his fingers, ‘One, two, three,’ just like that.
Hitler said, ‘The memory of 1918 must be obliterated.’
He received nothing but cheers and encouragement from everyone.
This was Hitler’s strongest appeal to the German people; he made
them feel proud again after the humiliation of the Versailles Treaty.

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‘And did you see this,’ said Magda as she showed us the front page
of a newspaper, ‘last Monday was the sixth anniversary of the Nazis
coming to power, and this is what Hitler said to Parliament.’
Magda read from the newspaper, ‘The Jewish financiers are trying

to start a war. If they do so, the result will be the annihilation of the
Jewish race in Europe.’
Ilse said, ‘Our good friend von Ribbentrop came to see us before he

returned to London, and he told us big things are planned for this

year. He could not give us any details, but he said the whole of
Europe will soon look up to the German people and the Third
Reich.’
‘A toast to the Third Reich,’ proposed Emma and Gerda, and we
raised our glasses.

Margarete called the next Pheasants meeting at the end of February.
She said she had a proposal to put to us. ‘Heinrich has told me that
Hitler is planning to annex Czechoslovakia, in the same way as he
did Austria,’ she said, ‘but please keep this a total secret or I will be
in big trouble.’ ‘So, what is your proposal?’ asked Henny.
Margarete continued, ‘Why don’t we all go to Prague in a
motorcade for a holiday to greet Hitler when he marches in?’
Maurice stood up and unusually took the floor, ‘Good suggestion

Margarete, but excuse me if I say the Anschluss in Vienna was
slightly different from the invasion of Prague. It will be a major

military action. Himmler told me that we must be ready for armed
resistance. There may be fighting and shooting.’
‘Oh my god,’ said Margarete, ‘I did not realise that.’
‘I had no idea it might be dangerous,’ said Eva, ‘but when we know

the date that the army will march into Prague, we will have our own
excursion. I invite you all to come and see my Berghof. We will

have a few days alone in the Bavarian alpine air while our men go
off playing soldiers.’

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This received cheers of approval. Eva asked Margarete to get
Himmler to tell her a few days before he and the German Army
marched on Prague.
On Friday, the 10th of March, Baldur came to see me. He said he had
been sent to me by Hjalmar, and I must be fully briefed on his
mission. Baldur explained that Himmler gave him a particular task
when they marched into Prague. Baldur had to command a six-
vehicle platoon of thirty SS troops and go directly to the Czech
National Bank. He was to secure the building and lock it down
under armed guard. When inside the building, Baldur was to instruct
the bank managers and directors under gunpoint to complete two
international transactions.
‘I have the details here,’ he said in perfect English, ‘and he showed
me a sealed envelope.’ His mother was English, so we often used
English when we spoke privately.
‘My orders are to ensure these transactions are completed without
delay. When the transactions are confirmed, I will send a message to
you at the Brown House. It will say TRANSFERS COMPLETE.
The staff can then be released, but the bank will remain closed under
guard.’ If the bank officials refuse, I am authorised to execute some
junior staff as an example,’ he said matter-of-factly.
‘I understand Henny will be going with you next week to the
Berghof; thanks for looking after her while I will be away,’ he said.
On Monday 13th of March, the front of Café Gentz looked like a bus
station for the second time. The only difference was that Baldur was
not there with his SS guards. We planned to be at the Berghof within
three hours as there was no plan to stop for lunch on the one-
hundred-and-sixty-kilometre journey.
Magda had left the kids with the nanny. Hoffmann, Maurice and
Baldur were on standby to join Himmler on the march into Prague.
So we only needed three cars, and as Magda had learned to drive

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before Christmas, we did not require any drivers.
Eva had cleared the visit with Hitler, so the Berghof staff were
primed and ready for us. Eva said she had instructed the chef to buy
sausages and veal and ensure a good supply of Champagne.
Wednesday, the 15th of March 1939, was our third beautiful day at
the Berghof. As we sat on the large balcony admiring the stunning
views and lunching on Champagne, veal schnitzels and salad,
Himmler and the Nazi regiments marched into Prague.
Czechoslovakia was invaded and annexed in contravention of the
Munich Agreement, on which the ink had barely dried.
Baldur later told me that the bank directors had followed
instructions without resistance.
Twenty-three tonnes of gold held in the Czech government account
with the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in London was
transferred to the German Reichsbank account at the BIS in
Threadneedle Street, London.
The second instruction transferred the twenty-seven tonnes of gold
held by the Bank of England on behalf of the Czech National Bank
to the German Reichsbank BIS account also at the Bank of England.
There was an outcry when the transactions were made public, and
questions were even asked in British Parliament. The Czech bank
directors said the transactions must be revoked because they were
made under duress. However, Montagu Norman at the Bank of
England overruled all objections and approved the transactions.
Montagu answered Parliament by saying, ‘The Bank of England
holds gold from time to time for the BIS. However, we do not know
whether it belongs to BIS or a customer. Hence, the Bank cannot say
whether the gold was the property of Czechoslovakia or not.’
The twenty-three tonnes of gold transferred directly to the German
government was used to finance German war efforts and was never
returned to its rightful owners. What was left of the other twenty-

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seven was eventually returned to the Czech people.
The Czechoslovakian incident was soon forgotten in Munich, just as
it was by the international press.
For Hitler’s fiftieth birthday in April, we planned to organise a party
at Osteria Bavaria; however, when we mentioned it to Magda, she
said we had better discuss the matter with her husband.
He told us there would be a colossal state celebration in Berlin, and
the 20th was to be declared a national holiday. The parade would
have fifty thousand troops marching. Goering had arranged for more
than one hundred and fifty aeroplanes in the sky over Berlin.
Goebbels was proud of his arrangement and told us, ‘there will be
official guests from twenty-three countries. Hitler will personally
meet the heads of the armed forces, and the Mayors of all German
cities will offer their congratulations.
And so it was that Goebbels and his team turned Hitler’s fiftieth
birthday into a massive propaganda event to show the world that
Germany was ready for war.
We all attended and had VIP seats in the grandstand. The press
release stated several hundred thousand spectators viewed the four-
hour parade.
The British and French Ambassadors did not attend, and nobody
represented Poland.
When we went to Berlin, as usual, we stayed with Helene B. We did
not realise how long it had been since we last met and spent a
pleasant evening.
‘Poor Adolf must be so exhausted, and he still has to shake more
hands tonight,’ said Helene B.
‘Yes,’ I said, ‘it must be awful being a dictator,’
The Silver Pheasants had agreed with Eva that we would have our
own party for Hitler’s birthday party the following weekend, so on
Saturday, 29th April, we all arrived at Osteria Bavaria.

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The theme was gold. The restaurant was decorated with gold, and
Eva had eclairs made for dessert with gold icing and red swastikas.
Hoffmann arranged a case of Danziger Goldwasser liqueur for the
toasts. Everyone thought the gold was for the fiftieth birthday, but a
few of us knew the real reason.
Hitler said, ‘Adam, Germany is now ready to take over Europe. The
German people will claim their rightful destiny as the Aryan leaders
of the inferior races. Your efforts have played a significant part in
our success so far. Thank you.’
I went back and sat next to Helene. I told her what he had said to
me. ‘No sign of the witch?’ she asked me. ‘No,’ I replied, but my
mind spun after digesting Hitler’s words of thanks to me. ‘What
have I done?’ I said to Helene. ‘It is too late now for questions like
that. Have you tried this Danziger Goldwasser? It is quite delicious.’

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Chapter 38 Britain declares war on Germany. Unity gets shot.
Hitler releases blitzkrieg.

Although I had not seen any sign of the Mitford witch for months,
she soon appeared on the scene again. Presumably, she had become
bored with Leni.
One day in the office, I sought out my intelligence source Maurice
to ask him where the witch was.
Maurice came into my room, made his report, and said, ‘she is back
at her apartment here in Munich. The relationship with Leni is over.
It started when Leni refused to take Unity with her when she went to
Hollywood last November. Maybe out of spite, but when Leni was
in Hollywood, Unity had an affair with Edwin Knopf, who was one
of Leni’s film producers. Leni found out when she got back and
threw her out for the second time.’
Maurice pulled me over, ‘but here is the personal stuff; Hitler visited
her apartment earlier this month. He had taken Eva to the Berghof
and left her there. Eva told me he said had a meeting in Berlin, but
he returned to her apartment and stayed with Unity for two nights.
Please keep this strictly to yourself,’ he instructed.
Goebbels came in, so our conversation stopped. He said, ‘Have you
heard that Chamberlain has adjourned the London Parliament until
the 3rd of October?’
‘No, I have not,’ I said honestly, ‘Must be summertime in England.
Nothing important is happening elsewhere,’ I added sarcastically.
Then von Ribbentrop came in, and he said things were getting
serious. He had met with the Italian Foreign Minister Ciano in
Salzburg and then driven him over to the Berghof to meet Hitler.
Italy agreed to keep out of the Polish issue, whatever Hitler decided
to do.
Unexpectedly, Von Ribbentrop invited me, Helene, and Goebbels to
dine with him and Hitler at the Berghof on Monday 21st, suggesting

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we drive over on Sunday. He said he would be there Monday.
The rest of August went by in a blur. In Europe, everyone
threatened, blamed, or made alliances with everyone else. We drove
to the Berghof on Sunday and had a pleasant evening and breakfast
with Hitler and Eva the next day. Hitler was very relaxed, and I am
sure he wanted us there as friends rather than the stream of generals
and diplomats he had received so far. Ribbentrop joined us on
Monday evening, and the chef prepared a fabulous salad and potato
dumplings. During the dinner, von Ribbentrop reported that the
Russians were ready to sign a non-aggression pact with Germany,
and he was waiting for the invitation from Stalin to go to Moscow
and sign the agreement.
‘Have they agreed to the protocol as well,’ asked Hitler.
‘Yes, most enthusiastically,’ replied von Ribbentrop.
We were tucking into a chocolate cake when an SS officer came in
with an urgent message for von Ribbentrop. He read it and said,
‘Stalin has invited me to Moscow the day after tomorrow for
signing.’ Everyone stopped eating.
Hitler jumped up in glee, ‘Now I have them, now I have them,’ he
said and repeated, ‘now I have them.’
Von Ribbentrop said he would leave for Moscow at first light, and
we finished our chocolate cake with Hitler in a very buoyant and
merry mood.
We were up early, giving Ribbentrop a lift to the airfield where his
plane was waiting. He told us on the way that the invasion of Poland
was inevitable, but whether it meant war in Europe would be up to
the British. ‘I hope they think carefully before they go down the
road of destruction because of some promise to an insignificant
county like Poland, which Stalin has already agreed to share with
Hitler,’ said Ribbentrop.
I was puzzled by his remark about sharing Poland with Stalin. I

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asked von Ribbentrop what it meant.
‘Hitler said I could trust you and Helene unreservedly. The
agreement with Stalin contains a secret protocol which partitions
Poland between Germany in the west and Russia in the east,’
explained von Ribbentrop, ‘When Hitler said, ‘now I’ve got them,’
he did not mean the Russians; he meant the Poles.’
That is why Hitler was so happy when he knew Stalin would sign
the German-Russian non-aggression pact. Ribbentrop brought the
signed agreement back to Munich on the 23rd of September.
Back in Munich, the office was buzzing with excitement. The
newspapers were full of threats and warnings. There was nothing we
could do about the international conflicts, so we did what we were
good at. We called a Silver Pheasants party for Friday, 1st of
September. Eva telephoned and said she had been taken ill with the
flu and was feeling poorly. She asked to be excused, and Helene
wished her a quick recovery.
On Thursday, the last day of August 1939, as we were innocently
preparing for our guests to arrive at Café Gentz, Hitler issued his
Directive Number 1, the order to attack Poland. The world was
going to discover that war would never be the same again. Hitler had
unleased blitzkrieg.
Helene sent me out for fresh bread. On the streets of Munich, people
were going about their everyday business.
The invasion of Poland began as per the plan at one o’clock in the
morning of that fateful day, Friday 1st September with the cutting of
lines of communication. The men had been on standby for ten days,
with one postponement already, so they were raring to go.
As I was buying bread at the bakery in Munich, German tanks
crossed the Polish border, and the Luftwaffe Stukas were dive-
bombing Warsaw. On the Baltic Sea, the German battleship
Schleswig-Holstein was bombarding Polish positions with its four

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twenty-eight cm guns, each with a range of twenty-eight kilometres.
As the Silver Pheasants arrived at Café Gentz, we had no idea what
had been happening during the day. The Polish army was attacked
on land, on the sea and by air with the full might of the German
military machine. The first rumours came through about nine-thirty
as we laughed, joked, and drank Champagne. A message from
Joseph to Magda came via military communications brought by a
messenger from the SS HQ. ‘Crossed the Polish border, advancing
with few causalities. Harald is fine.’ the message said in typical curt
military fashion.
Margarete said, ‘Oh my God, Hitler has done it. Now the world will
sit up and listen whenever our Fuhrer speaks. Magda, what is your
son Harald doing there?’ ‘He is a lieutenant in the Luftwaffe,’
Magda replied with evident pride.
None of us could have imagined the horrors released when Hitler
opened Pandora’s box that day. The abyss gaped open, and
humanity would plunge in headlong.
Our reaction that evening was to drink more Champagne and raise
toasts to ‘Victory’ and the ‘Third Reich’. This was the general
atmosphere across Germany in the early days of the Second World
War.
Maurice was the only one there who showed any anxiety, but it was
not because of the war, as I was to find out. He did not want to
speak openly at the party but asked me to meet him in the office the
next day, Saturday morning.
The following day in the office, Maurice said I had better sit down
and prepare myself. ‘Dr Morell confirmed that the Mitford witch is
four months pregnant. He has told Eva. Eva is not showing any
emotions, but she is furious.’
Maurice continued, ‘she came to me and asked for help; of course, I
offered unconditionally,’ he said. ‘Do you think the baby is

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Hitler’s?’ Eva asked me, and I thought it was much better to be
diplomatic. I told Eva I did not think so because my men had her
apartment under surveillance, and there were no reports of Hitler
visiting.’
‘Anyway, this is her plan,’ Maurice said to me, ‘Eva has obliged
Adolf Wagner at the visa office to send the witch a message that she
must attend on Sunday to get the permit to allow her to remain as a
foreign alien in Germany. Wagner said he would open the office,
especially for her. But Wagner has been primed and will not allow
her a residence permit and she will be deported.’
‘I am taking Eva with me to Wagner’s office. I suggest you meet me
there at ten Sunday. I have asked Dr Morell to be there too,’ said
Maurice.
On Sunday, I met Eva on the pavement as she got out of Maurice’s
car. She was pleased to see me.
‘Thanks for coming, Adam; Maurice said you would be here. That
witch has to go,’ Eva said, but I thought she meant back to England.
‘By the way, have you heard that Britain has formally declared war
on Germany? France will follow soon.’ Eva said casually as we
went up the stairs to Wagner’s office.
Wagner had an interrogation room with a viewing area behind a
one-way mirror. Eva and I, Maurice and his two SS officers sat
behind the mirror, waiting for Unity to arrive. Dr Morell was outside
with Wagner.
Unity arrived in a terrible state. She had heard that war had been
declared and was sobbing because Hitler would not answer her calls.
Dr Morell told her to sit down, and Wagner went to get her a coffee.
Dr Morell left the room for a moment and came in to see us, ‘she is
suicidal,’ he said, ‘Hitler refuses to see or talk to her. She believes
she will be deported now that war has been declared.’
The coffee seemed to relax her a little. ‘Will I be deported?’ she

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asked Wagner, who told her not to worry about that. Dr Morell

asked did she want a sedative, but as she reached for a handkerchief
in her bag, he saw she had a gun. ‘Unity, please give me the gun,’
said Dr Morell. At that, Unity jumped up and screamed, ‘he will
never leave me,’ and ran out of the office. Maurice told his two SS
officers to follow her discreetly

We rushed downstairs and saw Unity running toward the Englischer
Garten. We ran as fast as we could after her. ‘She went behind those
bushes,’ the officer informed us, panting as we caught up with
Maurice’s men inside the Gardens.

Suddenly Unity came out holding her gun, pointing at Eva. Maurice

signalled his men to stand down, and I stood next to them.
Unity tauntingly said to Eva, ‘I am carrying the Fuhrer’s child, and
he will dump you when his son and heir is born.’
Eva moved towards Unity menacingly. Unity screamed at Eva, ‘I
will kill you if I have to. I will say it was self-defence, and my
Fuhrer will believe me,’ she shrieked again as Maurice suddenly

grabbed Unity from behind in a bear hug.
Eva rushed forward and wrenched the gun from Unity’s hand. ‘He is
not your Fuhrer and never will be. He is mine forever,’ Eva
screamed. She calmly put the gun against Unity’s temple.

Maurice said it all happened too fast for him to react. Unity did not
struggle but serenely looked into Eva’s eyes and said, ‘Now he will
be mine forever.’

I stood transfixed, but I felt terrible compassion for Unity. I was
sorry that I had called her a witch. What right did I have to judge

another person?
‘Eva, no,’ I shouted, but it was too late.
Eva stared back into Unity’s eyes and pulled the trigger. There was a

loud bang, blood spurted everywhere, and Unity fell to the ground.
Maurice took the gun from Eva’s hand and remarked, ‘Oh my god,

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this is the gold PPK.32 that Fritz Walther had made especially for
Hitler. I was there when he presented it to him.’
‘Never mind that,’ said Eva coldly, ‘Put the gun in her hand.’
She called the two shocked SS officers over and told them to report
that they had tailed Unity as instructed by Wagner and then heard a
gunshot. She was lying dead on the ground holding the pistol, when
they got here.
Eva addressed the two SS officers, ‘You know who I am. Please
follow my instructions.’ They looked at their boss Maurice. He
nodded, and they understood.
‘Now get me out of here, Maurice,’ Eva said. ‘I have to clean up this
blood. It is all over me,’.
One SS Officer rushed back to Wagner’s office to get Dr Morell
while the other stayed with the body.
Eva had not been gone long when the doctor arrived, only to find an
agitated SS Officer shouting across the grass to him to come
quickly.
‘She is not dead,’ he said, ‘I can feel a faint heartbeat and very
shallow breathing.’
Dr Morell rushed Unity to the hospital, where she lay unconscious
for days. The bullet had lodged in her brain by a fluke, but she was
alive.
The terrible thing I had witnessed left me in shock, and I did not
want to drive. I went back to Wagner’s office and phoned Helene to
collect me. Back in Café Gentz, it took three Armagnacs and a cup
of sweet tea before I could tell Helene the awful story.
‘But she is not dead, Helene,’ I said, ‘what if she tells the police
what happened.’
‘We will cross that bridge if and when we have to,’ said Helene, ‘for
now, you need to relax.’
The events of Sunday the third of September are burned into my

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brain. I witnessed a bloody murder, Britain declared war on
Germany, and Winston Church became First Lord of the Admiralty.
All three would have profound effects on our future. In fact, on the
future of the world.
Eva visited Unity at the hospital as soon as visitors were allowed.
The room was full of flowers from Ribbentrop, Goebbels, and
Goering, to name a few, and of course, Hitler.
When she came out of the coma, Unity could not walk; she was
incontinent and had difficulty speaking and communicating. She
could remember nothing of that day after visiting Wagner’s office.
When Helene and I visited Unity, I was struck by conflicting
emotions tearing me apart. She was very poorly; she did not even
recognise us. As I felt pity for her condition, I also felt relieved that
she would not be able to tell the truth.
Whenever we discussed the tragedy with Eva, she always said Unity
had committed suicide because she could not have Hitler. Eva would
always add, ‘now Hitler is mine forever.’
Because Britain and Germany were at war, Unity’s mother
requested Hitler through the Swiss Embassy that she travel to a
clinic in neutral Switzerland. Magda suggested her friend Dr Jenny
Thomann-Kroller, the famous gynaecologist who had a private
clinic at Lintheschergrasse 10 in Zurich. Hitler agreed and paid the
hospital bills and the cost of the ambulance transportation to the
clinic.
As soon as Dr Jenny said Unity could travel a longer distance, her
mother would arrange for her to leave Switzerland. She flew home
to Oxford in January 1940. My masters in London had been
watching all the Mitford sisters for years. Unity was on the list of
Nazi sympathisers.
I was told that she had the baby on 29th January 1940, and it was
taken for adoption. Somewhere in the Home Counties, an

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unsuspecting couple gave a loving home to Hitler’s baby.
Unity never recovered. And in May 1948, the bullet, which could
not be surgically removed, dislodged itself and moved deeper into
her brain. She died of meningitis within two days.
Meanwhile, the Brown House office was in chaos. As the tanks
rolled into Warsaw, Hitler’s blitzkrieg war machine revved up.
When the French declared war on Germany, Hitler laughed and said,
‘welcome to the party,’ and we all laughed with him.
Rudolf Hess and Ilse came to see us one evening at Café Gentz.
He did not want a drink and said, ‘Adam, we must stop this war.
Germany and England must make peace. Can you please help me? I
am the deputy Fuhrer, and I am telling you confidentially that Hitler
does not want to fight the British. Please, can we work together to
stop this insanity?’
Hess was, without a doubt, right, and I agreed to work with him. He
said we should have a meeting at the weekend, but we must be
careful. ‘Peace moves can easily be confused with treason,’ he said
as he left, ‘Our meetings must always be social meetings in clear
view of everyone.’
Helene agreed, and Hess said that Ilse understood as well.
‘See you next Saturday,’ Hess said as he drove away.
‘How did we get embroiled in all this?’ I asked Helene, who replied

pragmatically, ‘because we are here, and it’s our job.’

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Chapter 39 Russian-German non-aggression with a secret
protocol. Hitler invades Poland.

The news at the office was that Hitler had cancelled the Nuremberg
Rally due to the crisis in Poland. Everyone had assumed that was
coming.
Unexpected news came through from London on 10th September.
Putzi had been arrested as an alien and security risk. Helene said she
had forgotten he had a German passport and an American one. The
idiot had used the German one when he travelled to London. I
immediately phoned Hjalmar in Berlin, who said he would contact
Montagu Norman and sort out the problem.
I asked Helene about her son Egon, and she said he had only an
American passport.
I knew he had been accepted at Harvard, and I suggested he leave
London for America as soon as possible.
I was worried that we would be arrested ourselves, so on Tuesday,
Helene and I went to visit Adolf Wagner at his immigration and visa
offices in downtown Munich.
On the previous Monday, before we went to see Wagner, Ilse had
arranged a letter from Hess (Deputy Fuhrer), and Magda had gotten
a letter from Goering (Head of Luftwaffe) requesting that I receive a
special permit to stay in Germany under diplomatic rules.
Wagner was duly intimidated by the two letters and said he would
prepare a diplomatic pass insert for my passport. He said it would be
ready the next day.
Helene did not need anything, ‘Germany is not at war with America,
at least not yet,’ joked Wagner.
‘I hear that the suicide girl is not dead, but she cannot speak,’ said
Wagner, ‘Terrible affair, quite upset my day. I hope she recovers
soon,’ and he gave me a horrible wink.
As we walked down the stairs, I said I was not comfortable coming

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here because of the terrible memories that Wagner’s office held for
me. It was from here that Unity ran just before the bullet struck.
‘It is all over now,’ said Helene, ‘Try to forget it.’ She dropped me
at the office on her way home. ‘Good luck,’ she shouted as I waved
goodbye. I thought we both would need it as I entered the Brown
House.
I received a message from London through the Consul disguised as a
letter to all British passport holders in Germany. It said for me to
‘take a low profile’ for the time being and, if possible, not put
myself in any personal danger.
‘Excellent idea,’ I said sarcastically to Helene, ‘sitting safely behind
their desks in London, not a care in the world. I will tell them not to
worry when blitzkrieg comes to London, just do not put yourself in
any personal danger.’
Hitler had believed Eva about Unity’s suicide attempt. ‘It was
horrible,’ Eva told the girls at the office, ‘I tried to stop her, but she
said she did not want them to deport her to England. She pulled the
trigger before we could do anything, her blood spattered all over
me,’ Eva stopped to recover her composure, ‘you can ask Maurice
or the two SS officers.’
She said that Hitler had told her it was over when he found out
Unity was pregnant, which is why she was suicidal.
‘That would account for Eva being so remorseful,’ I said. ‘Sarcasm
does not suit you, Adam,’ chastised Helene.
The September Silver Pheasants soiree was a surprise for everyone.
Eva contacted Helene and said that Hitler wanted to address the
ladies and tell them what had been happening in Poland. ‘Will we be
able to have meat and Champagne?’ Helene said she had asked Eva
bluntly.
Eva replied that the Fuhrer would be there for only fifteen minutes
to give us a little speech, and then he would leave, but Eva would

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stay with us.
‘Hitler is a stickler for timing, and if he says it will be a fifteen-
minute speech, it will be fifteen minutes. Then we can open the
Champagne,’ said Eva, ‘and the sausages.’
So, on Friday the 15th of September 1939, the Silver Pheasants met
at Café Gentz. Maurice and Hoffmann dropped off their charges and
said they would go to the beerhall and wait for a callback. As Eva
told Helene I was an ‘honorary member’, I was allowed to stay.

Hitler arrived at the scheduled time, and the Silver Pheasants settled
down after the general ‘hellos’. I was personally amazed at the
group of ladies in my living room. They were always a stunning set,
but tonight they looked astounding. Hitler’s visit energised them to
go the extra mile on dresses and makeup.
Hitler stood up and said, ‘Ladies of the Reich, your husbands have
been away fighting, for which I and Germany will forever be in your
debt. Our army is on the outskirts of Warsaw as I speak to you.

Poland will soon surrender. But I want to show you my trust and tell
you something almost no one else knows.’
Hitler paused for a drink of sparkling water, ‘The Russian-German
non-aggression pact had a secret protocol that only Ribbentrop,
Stalin, and I signed.’
‘We agreed that we would partition Poland. Germany would have
the German-speaking west, and Stalin could have the eastern half.’
Hitler nodded his head in recognition of his genius, ‘Next Sunday
morning, Stalin’s troops will attack Poland from the east. That was
our secret agreement. What is left of the Polish army will be
crushed, and before the end of this month, we will march
triumphantly into Warsaw.’
‘A toast to our soldiers, seamen and airmen, and the glorious Third
Reich.’ We all stood and raised our glasses.
Hitler came across to Magda and said,’ I have confirmed news that

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Harald has completed a bombing raid on Warsaw and is safely back
at his base.’
He went over to Henny, ‘Baldur was at the front of his Panzer
division and is resting before the final push into Warsaw at the
weekend.’
Hitler announced proudly to the Silver Pheasants, ‘Both these sons
of Germany are safe and send their love to their families. I will
personally award them both the Iron Cross when they return.’
Amid the general chatter, Hitler quietly turned to leave, but his eye
caught sight of the tray of swastika-emblazoned eclairs.
‘May I have one, please, Helene?’ he asked, and Helene took his
glass of sparkling water and held out the tray of eclairs. He took
two, and she opened the door for him. Holding two eclairs and with
the look of a naughty boy on his face, he turned, saying, ‘Keep an
eye on the news on Sunday. We will crush those lousy Poles like the
cockroaches they are. Oh, by the way, can you drop Eva off on your
way home tonight?’ He bit off a swastika and went out into the
garden.
I closed the door and announced, ‘OK, get out the sausages and the
Champagne, and tell Maurice and Hoffmann to get their sorry
bodies back here.’
Having been enthused by the magical charisma of Adolf Hitler, we
spent the rest of the evening aglow. It isn't easy to describe until you
have experienced it, but it is profound.
I sent an urgent XC report to London advising them that Russia
would invade Poland on Sunday. They replied thank you, but our
mole in Moscow had already let us know.
‘They damn well know already,’ I said to Helene, ‘and were
planning to do nothing about it. They have sacrificed Poland.’
In the next two weeks, the Russians invaded Poland from the east;
the Polish government, to a man, fled to Paris. Baldur led his

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triumphant Panzers into Warsaw, and Poland was partitioned per the
secret protocol between Hitler and Stalin.
The Polish-German war was over before the end of the month, just
as Hitler told the Silver Pheasants it would be.
Hess and Ilse came over for one of their so-called social visits. Hess
had brought three bottles of wine and said they were because we
needed a cover for our private meetings. Welcome to what I have
codenamed the Grouse Wine Society, Munich Branch, and we all
laughed.
‘Where I come from, we call the grouse the cock-of-the-woods. Can
we change the name?’ I asked.
‘No way,’ said Ilse and Helene, ‘We are not attending cock-of-the-
woods meetings.’ And that was when the motion failed.
‘We laugh, but we must take fool-proof precautions,’ said Ilse
seriously as she placed the three chilled bottles on the table. Twelve
glasses please, Helene, if we are going to have a cover, it will be
authentic,’ she turned to Hess, ‘Your turn now, Rudolf, but make it
quick.’
‘Here we go’; Rudolf took a deep breath: Three Riesling wines
tonight, Grouse club members. Two from Schloss Johannesburg; a
Kabinett and an Auslese. The third from Schloss Vollrad; a
Kabinett. Fine, let us solemnly taste them all. Any questions?
When we all had a filled glass, Hess said, ‘Now down to business.
First of all, a couple of rules, nothing is ever put down in writing.
Secondly, do not speak aloud, anything which could be construed as
traitorous comments. The Nazi machine is running itself. Spies are
everywhere, and even my position is not guaranteed to be able to
save you. And I do mean save you. Magda’s improved guillotine is
not rotting in some barn; it is used every single day.’
‘Enough of the schoolteacher stuff,’ said Ilse, ‘why are we here?’
‘Josef Muller is a local lawyer. He has been trying to contact the

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British to discuss peace, but he has been doing it through the Pope.
We will remove him if he is dangerous or use him as a channel. Can
you see what it is about, please, Adam? Let me know.’ ‘Rumours
are that Holland will be next. We need to move fast if we are going
to stop a global war.’
It was my turn to comment, ‘Churchill has been the only voice in
London willing to discuss peace. I have communicated with him
before, and he knows my views. Now, as First Lord of the
Admiralty, people will listen to him. I will make contact again.’
‘Excellent,’ said Hess, ‘Now let’s taste the wines.’
We followed the Hesses to their car when the three bottles were
finished. As Hess pulled himself into the driver’s seat, he said
quietly, ‘I quite liked cock-of-the-woods, Adam,’ and put his finger
to his lips.
Baldur sent us photos of his Panzer tanks in Warsaw preparing for
Hitler’s victory parade on the 5th of October. Germany and Russia
had crushed the Polish army in the pincer movement, and it had
stood no chance against blitzkrieg with two thousand tanks.
Germany sent nine hundred bombers and four hundred fighter
planes to Poland as air support.
Poland was totally destroyed. At least seven thousand Polish
soldiers died during the invasion. Three hundred thousand were
taken as prisoners, many of whom died in Russian POW camps.
The European governments had stood by and watched as Hitler
ignored the Versailles Treaty’s limitations to German militarisation.
They watched as Hitler occupied the Rhineland and annexed
Austria. They signed the Munich agreement and did nothing when
Hitler invaded Czechoslovakia with blatant disregard. Now the
British government was forced into a war that they were not
prepared for, having believed in Chamberlain’s dream of peace in
our time.

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Later that month was the sixteenth anniversary of the Putsch, and
everyone in the office had been invited. It was to be held on
Wednesday, the 8th of November 1939, where it started; in the
Munich Burgerbraukeller. Hitler would give an address to an
audience of three thousand.
On that Wednesday morning, Hitler flew into Munich from Berlin.
As soon as he was in the office, he told me he wanted to see Helene.
‘Could I please ask her to come to the Brown House before lunch,’
he said.
Helene came up to the office, and Christa took her straight in to see
Hitler. After five minutes, they came out, and Helene said they were
going to the hospital to visit Unity and would be back for lunch.
Helene told me later that he had said to her, ‘Helene, I have a couple
of small tasks which I would like you to complete for me, in
confidence. Hitler said he would explain in the car on the way back.’
Helene continued telling me what had happened, ‘We arrived at the
hospital and were taken to see Unity in a private room. She was very
sick. She could not speak and did not even recognise me. It was a
sorrowful visit, Adam.’
Helene and Hitler then had a discussion with the medical team. He
said that Unity’s mother had already requested that she be returned
to England via Switzerland, but the doctors refused, saying she
needed more time before moving.
‘I could see that Hitler wanted Unity out of the way, so I suggested
we send her on the shorter journey to a clinic in Switzerland. Then
her mother can visit her there, and when Unity is well enough to
travel, she can return to England.’
Helene said she told the doctors that Hitler’s physician Dr Morell
would certify that Unity was well enough to take the short journey
to Switzerland, and he would accept full medical responsibility.
Both Hitler and the doctors agreed to this proposal, and Hitler asked

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me to make immediate arrangements. He said that Keppler would
cover all the costs involved.’
‘That was the last time I saw Unity,’ said Helene, ‘it was very sad.’
On the way back from the hospital, Hitler explained the second
‘small task’ he wanted Helene to do for him.
He explained, ‘You remember Torkild Rieber, the President of
Texaco Oil?’ he said rhetorically, and continued, ‘In the middle of
December, he is coming to have a tour of German industry and the
Hamburg shipyards. I would like you to be his guide and translator
and return to America with him. I have an important message for the
ears of only President Roosevelt. Rieber will arrange the meeting for
you.’
Helene said she felt uneasy and honoured that Hitler trusted her with
such a personal mission. Back at the Brown House, Hitler went into
his office to rehearse his anniversary speech for that evening. He
said the meeting at the hospital had taken longer than expected and
that they would discuss his message for the American President at
another time.
At three o’clock, Christa went in and gave Hitler a message from his
pilot that the weather forecast was thick fog at Augsberg. Flying
tonight after the Beerhall celebration would be impossible. She
knew he had to be back in Berlin the next day, so she said, ‘My
Fuhrer, I have booked you on the nine-thirty train this evening from
Munich station. I hope this is satisfactory.’
He thanked Christa for her efficiency and said, ‘Please reschedule
my speech at the Keller to start half an hour earlier. I will rewrite it
now to last only one hour. That way, we can leave at nine o’clock
and go directly to the station.’
‘It will be a spectacular evening,’ Christa said, not knowing how
spectacular it would be.

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Chapter 40 Hitler escapes death by 13 minutes twice, at the
Burgerbraukeller and Warsaw.

For two weeks before the 8th of November 1939, Georg Elser went
to the Burgerbraukeller every evening. Once there, he hid in the
toilets until the place was closed. Each day he expanded a space in
the wall behind the podium. Each day he walked calmly out of the
toilet at noon and went home.
Georg Elser, a carpenter from Koenigsbronn, had joined the Red
Front Fighters in 1934. They were a far-left paramilitary
organization affiliated with the Communist Party. No one knows
why he decided to assassinate Hitler. Whether the Communist party
sponsored him or whether he acted alone will always remain a
mystery.
However, at ten-thirty on that anniversary Wednesday morning
Georg Elser set the timer fuse on the bomb for nine-twenty pm. He
carefully inserted it into the cavity hidden behind the podium. Then
Elser left Munich by train to Ulm and boarded the six-thirty ferry
steamer to Konstanz. However, seemingly by chance, he was
arrested at the Swiss border for behaving suspiciously.
That evening Hitler gave his speech and left early as per his revised
timetable. The three thousand members of the audience went home
immediately after Hitler had left, leaving only the staff at the
beerhall.
Shortly after the Fuhrer left, a tremendous explosion rocked the hall.
Even with most people already gone, eight died, and over sixty were
injured.
Hitler had ended his address to the party faithful at six minutes past
nine, exactly thirteen minutes before Elser’s bomb exploded as per
its timer-fuse at nine-twenty.
If he had kept to his original schedule, the death toll would have
been hundreds, including Hitler. His early departure to take the train

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saved Hitler’s life and meant that the huge crowd quickly followed
him out of the Keller, leaving only the staff to bear the blast. Thus
were saved the lives of hundreds, including Helene and mine.
Later in Munich, Hitler told Goering, ‘Now I am completely at
peace! Leaving the Burgerbraukeller earlier than originally planned
proves that Providence wants me to reach my goal.’
Himmler offered a reward of five thousand Marks for any
information and arrested every family member and possible
acquaintance of Elser for interrogation. Under Gestapo torture, Elser
made a full written confession.
On 4th October, Hoffmann came into the office all excited, ‘I am
going to Warsaw with Hitler, and he has asked me to take you with
me,’ he said, and then quietly, ‘Do you think it is safe, Adam?’
‘If Hitler is going, I am sure they will have cleared the area,’ I said
hopefully.
Hoffmann rushed off to collect his photographic equipment. My
own beloved Leica was always with me. I went home early to pack a
small overnight bag. Christa told me that Hitler could only be in
Warsaw for one day as he had an important speech in Berlin on
Friday.
Early the following day, Helene drove us to Augsberg airport. We
soon arrived at Okecie airport near Warsaw, and Hitler was already
there. Two of his armour-plated six-wheeled Mercedes were waiting
for us. There was a fully armed SS division with Demag half-tracks,
VW Kubelwagens and BMW motorcycle-sidecar units ready to
accompany us as we drove through Warsaw. Hitler told Hoffmann
he had cancelled the open-air lunch because there were reports of
small pockets of Polish soldiers still fighting. ‘If you listen carefully,
you can hear gunfire,’ said casually.
I became Hoffmann’s assistant carrying and reloading his cameras
as he clicked away. ‘Make sure you get all the Generals,’ said Hitler,

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‘These photos are for the media.’
The convoy started at the Belvedere Palace, and the route was a
fourteen-kilometre circular tour through central Warsaw. It was slow
progress. Hitler kept stopping and talking to Generals and their
troops. As we approached Jerusalem Junction, an SS half-track and
three BMW motorcycles roared in from Jerusalem Avenue and
blocked the way. An SS Officer stepped out of the half-track,
waving a red flag. Karl Kraus, Hitler’s bodyguard and valet, jumped
down from the Mercedes and approached the flag-waving SS
officer. There was a considerable commotion as hundreds of soldiers
all pointed their guns at the SS Officer.
Waving the red flag was Henny’s husband, General Baldur von
Schirach, Hoffmann’s son-in-law. Kraus signalled for him to come
forward. Baldur approached Hitler and gave the Nazi salute.
‘Sincere apologies, my Fuhrer, but we have discovered a roadside
bomb close by, and my men are defusing it now. Please wait a few
minutes before proceeding.’ Hitler did not bat an eyelid but stood up
in the Mercedes and waved at the cheering troops lining the street.
Hoffmann jumped down and took photos as Hitler thanked Baldur
for his vigilance. Within minutes a soldier on a BMW came racing
around the corner and stopped next to Baldur. ‘All clear, sir,’ he
reported, and Baldur stood rigidly to attention as the motorcade
continued.
The tour resumed without further drama, and we all returned to
Okecie airport. Hitler boarded his plane to Berlin, and we boarded
ours to Munich.
Hoffmann asked me, ‘What happened there? I saw you talking to
Baldur before we left.’ ‘It is an amazing story, but I will save it until
I can tell it to Erna and Henny in a more convivial atmosphere,’ I
said, knowing this would wind up Hoffmann.
That week the newspapers were full of Hoffmann’s photos of

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Hitler’s triumphal motorcade through the centre of Warsaw, but
there was no mention of the assassination attempt. As soon as Hitler
returned from Warsaw, he made that important speech to the
German Parliament at the Reichstag. After some gloating over the
Army’s superior performance, he condemned war as an endeavour
in which there are no winners, only losers. ‘War will only result in
millions of deaths and billions of lost wealth for all sides.’ he said.
In the interest of Anglo-German friendship, Hitler suggested that
there should be a conference of the leading nations of Europe to
draft, accept and guarantee a comprehensive basis which would
ensure a lasting peace for them all. The conference would also
attempt to reach a solution to the Jewish problem.
Hitler then finished his speech with a veiled threat; he said,
‘however if the aggressive opinions of Mr Churchill and the
warmongering British government should win out, Germany is
ready for the terrible consequences.’
Helene had two requests for dinner that week, one from Hoffmann,
who could not wait to get the story of the bomb, and one from Hess.
Ilse and Hess came first for the Grouse Wine Society meeting. This
time as a cover, Helene had chilled three Champagnes, Pol Roger,
Moet Chandon and a Krug. ‘I prefer the Krug,’ I said. ‘It is just a
cover, don’t take it so seriously,’ laughed Ilse.
Hess was straight down to business in his usual manner. ‘I assume
you have all read Hitler’s speech suggesting a peace conference,’ he
said, ‘this is the green light for us to proceed as quickly as possible.
After his speech, I spoke to the Fuhrer, and he told me to put
together a peace plan for his consideration. He would prefer to
achieve German dominance peacefully, but if not, he believes he can
win a European war.’
‘The Muller route for negotiations through the Vatican is a dead
end,’ I reported, ‘London will not accept the Pope as a neutral

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