Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris

pass the blame to parties. He returned to the theme of heroism, personality, and leadership in a speech on 12 September, though he spoke of leaders collectively (J
K,
1012–13).
    77 .
JK,
984 (21 August 1923).
    78 . A remark allegedly made to Hanfstaengl, if accurately recalled, in which Hitler commented ‘I don’t have the intention of playing the role of the drummer,’ was made in the context of hints that he might become the tool of powerful conservative interests (Hanfstaengl, 47–8).
    79 .
JK,
1027, cit.
Daily Mail,
3 October 1923, under the heading ‘A Visit to Hittler’ (!)
    80 . Hitler appears to have compared himself with Mussolini in Lossow’s presence (Georg Franz-Willing,
Putsch und Verbotszeit der Hitlerbewegung, November 1923 – Februar 1925,
Preußisch Oldendorf, 1977, 56.
    81 .
JK,
1034 (14 October 1923).
    82 .
JK,
1043 (23 October 1923).
    83 .
JK,
1034 (14 October 1923). At his trial, Hitler repeated that Kahr was ‘no hero, no heroic figure’ (
‘kein Held, keine heldische Erscheinung’) (JΚ,
1212).
    84 .
JK,
1032; Deuerlein,
Putsch,
220.
    85 . As pointed out by Tyrell,
Trommler,
162.
    86 . Tyrell,
Trommler,
163.
    87 .
JK,
1268.
    88 . See Tyrell,
Trommler,
158–65.
    89 .
JK, 939 (Regensburger Neueste Nachrichten,
26 June 1923).
    90 . Lüdecke, 17, 20. Hitler’s speech (in
JK,
679–81) was on 16 August, not 11 August, as Lüdecke (20) states. The general reliability of Lüdecke’s memoirs – though there are numerous lapses as well as exaggerated claims – is upheld by Roland V. Layton, ‘Kurt Ludecke [= Lüdecke] and I Knew Hitler: an Evaluation’,
Central European History,
12 (1979), 372–86.
    91 .Lüdecke, 22–3.
    92 . Lüdecke, 69–70, 83–4. His claim to have engineered the support of Ludendorff and Pöhner for Hitler was exaggerated in the attempt to bolster his own importance. Heß had established the first contact between Hitler and Ludendorff around May 1921 (Auerbach, ‘Hitlers politische Lehrjahre’, 30). Pöhner, through his close connection with Frick, needed no introduction to Hitler from Lüdecke and had been sympathetic to the NSDAP during his time as Police President of Munich before 1921.
    93 . Lüdecke, 71–4, 126–7.
    94 . Lüdecke, 108, and see also 103; Maser,
Frühgeschichte,
402–3. Hitler was certainly underplaying Lüdecke’s financial contribution when he claimed, in 1925, that the latter had given the Movement 7–8,000 Marks
(RSA,
I, 12).
    95 . Lüdecke, 101–6, 111–22; Franz-Willing,
Ursprung,
286–7and n.73·
    96 . Lüdecke, 156.
    97 . From Hanfstaengl’s account, the meeting was on the day that Hitler had met in the morning the US Assistant Military Attaché Truman Smith, and took place in the Kindlkeller (Hanfstaengl, 15
Jahre,
32–3, 35, 39). Hitler’s discussion with Truman Smith was, however, on 20 November, in the afternoon, and Hitler next spoke publicly on 22 November in the Salvatorkeller (
JK,
733–40). Hanfstaengl (35, 39) also mistakenly states that it was Hitler’s first speech since serving a term of imprisonment for disturbance of the peace in the Ballerstedt incident. He held this speech on 28 July, after serving his sentence from 24 June to 27 July (
JK, 656–
71; Deuerlein,
Aufstieg,
154).
    98 . Hanfstaengl, 15
Jahre,
41 and see also 84–7.
    99 . The description of Hitler from Hanfstaengl, 15
Jahre,
35, 44.
    100 . Hanfstaengl, 15
Jahre,
71–4; visit to Berlin’s museums.
    101 . Ernst ‘Putzi’ Hanfstaengl, ‘I was Hitler’s Closest Friend’,
Cosmopolitan,
March 1943, 45·
    102 . Hanfstaengl, 15
Jahre,
41.
    103 . Hanfstaengl,
Cosmopolitan,
45.
    104 . Hanfstaengl, 15
Jahre,
43–4.
    105 . Hanfstaengl, 15
Jahre,
61.
    106 . Hanfstaengl, 15
Jahre,
37, 61.
    107 . Hanfstaengl, 15
Jahre,
55.
    108 . Lüdecke, 97.
    109 . See Hanfstaengl, 15
Jahre, 47ff
    110 . Lüdecke, 97; Auerbach, ‘Hitlers politische Lehrjahre’, 33–4.
    111 . Baldur von Schirach,
Ich glaubte an Hitler,
Hamburg, 1967, 66–7.
    112 . Hanfstaengl, 15
Jahre,
48.
    113 . See the description in Karl-Alexander von Müller,
Im Wandel einer Welt, Erinnerungen 1919–1932,
Munich, 1966, 129.
    114 . Gerhard Roßbach,
Mein Weg durch die Zeit. Erinnerungen und Bekenntnisse,
Weilburg/Lahn, 1950, 215. In an interview in 1951, Roßbach described Hitler as ‘apitiful civilian with his tie out of place, who had nothing in his head but art, and was always late’, but was a ‘brilliant speaker with suggestive effect’.
(‘Erbärmlicher Zivilist mit