Hitler 1889-1936: Hubris

authoritative study,
The Foreign Policy of Hitler’s Germany. Diplomatic Revolution in Europe 1933
–
36,
Chicago/London, 1970.
    281 . Günter Wollstein, ‘Eine Denkschrift des Staatssekretärs Bernhard von Bülow vom März 1933’,
Militärgeschichtliche Mitteilungen,
I (1973), 77–94;
AdR, Reg. Hitler,
i.313–18; Bernd-Jürgen Wendt,
Großdeutschland. Außenpolitik und Kriegsvorbereitung des Hitler-Regimes,
Munich, 1987, 72–9; Höhne,
Zeit der Illusionen,
I49. Bülow’s memorandum provides the clearest indication of the thinking of the Foreign Ministry at the beginning of the Third Reich. The tone is one of the need for early caution and avoidance of external conflict, during which phase internal rebuilding as well as careful formation of bilateral alliances could pave the way for later revisionism and expansion. Drawing heavily upon the conception of an expansionist foreign policy developed in the Wilhelmine era, it demonstrates how extensive the platform was for close collaboration with Hitler even where, as in the case of Russia and Poland, the views were rapidly shown to differ sharply from his own notions. The structure of the Foreign Office, and how it altered under Hitler, was thoroughly explored in the extensive work of Hans-Adolf Jacobsen,
Nationalsozialistische Außenpolitik 1933–1938,
Frankfurt am Main, 1968.
    282 . Weinberg, i.161. Hitler had commented to Nadolny, soon after becoming Chancellor, that he knew nothing of foreign policy, that it would take him four years to make Germany National Socialist, and only after that would he be able to concern himself with foreign affairs. The Foreign Office, he remarked, was run according to traditional rules, and had to consider the wishes of the Reich President (Rudolf Nadolny,
Mein Beitrag. Erinnerungen eines Botschafters des Deutschen Reiches,
Cologne, 1985, 239).
    283 . Höhne,
Zeit der Illusionen,
I50, 152, 158.
    284 . Höhne,
Zeit der Illusionen,
I54–5, 161.
    285 . Weinberg, i.164. See also Gerhard Meinck,
Hitler und die deutsche Aufrüstung,
Wiesbaden, 1959, 22–6, 35–51.
    286 . Höhne,
Zeit der Illusionen,
I58,
166–8.
    287 . Höhne,
Zeit der Illusionen,
I58–9.
    288 .
AdR, Reg. Hitler,
447–8.
    289 . Brüning, ii.706–7.
    290 . Morsey, ‘Die Deutsche Zentrumspartei’, 388.
    291 . Brüning, ii.707.
    292 .Wilhelm Hoegner,
Flucht vor Hitler,
Munich, 1977, 203.
    293 . Domarus, 273.
    294 . Domarus, 278; for the text of the speech, 270–79.
    295 . Höhne,
Zeit der Illusionen,
I61, 168, 169–70. Goebbels, visiting Geneva at the end of September, though full of contempt for what he saw, sounded like a peace-loving, amenable diplomat (Paul Schmidt,
Statist auf diplomatischer Bühne 1923–45, Erlebnisse des Chefdolmetschers im Auswärtigen Amt mit den Staatsmännern Europas,
Bonn, 1953, 283–6;
TBJG,
I.2, 465–6 (25 September 1933, 27 September 1933)). However, he appears to have favoured taking advantage of the impasse in negotiations to leave the talks (Weinberg, i.165 and refs. in n.28).
    296 . Weinberg, i.165 and n·29·
    297 . NCA, Supplement B, 1504; Bracher
et al., Machtergreifung,
i. 338.
    298 . Höhne,
Zeit der Illusionen,
I71; Weinberg, i.165 (with different emphasis); Papen, 297–8.
    299 . Höhne,
Zeit der Illusionen,
I72. Neurath, though strongly supportive of the move, was in fact only informed once the decision had been taken. He was told by Bülow on the evening of 4 October that Hitler and Blomberg now intended to leave the League (Günter Wollstein,
Von Weimarer Revisionismus zu Hitler,
Bonn/Bad Godesberg, 1973, 201 and n.39–40).
    300 .
AdR, Reg. Hitler,
ii.903–7, here 904–5.
    301 . Weinberg, i.166. Formal notice of withdrawal from the League was only presented on 19 October
(DGFP,
C, II, 2 n.2).
    302 . Höhne,
Zeit der Illusionen,
I73, 178–9; Jost Dülffer, ‘Zum “decision-making process” in der deutschen Außenpolitik 1933–1939’, in Manfred Funke (ed.),
Hitler, Deutschland und die Mächte. Materialien zur Außenpolitik des Dritten Reichs,
I86–204, here 188–90.
    303 . Domarus, 308–14.
    304 . Domarus, 323–30.
    305 . Hans Baur,
Ich flog Mächtige der Erde,
Kempten (Allgäu), 1956, 108–10; Domarus, 325 and n.293.
    306 . Kershaw,
The ‘Hitler Myth’,
62.
    307 . Domarus, 331.
    308 . BAK, R18/5350, Fols. 95–104, 107–22, contains inquiries into complaints about irregularities in the election. See also
AdR, Reg. Hitler,
ii.939 n.1; and Bracher
et al., Machtergreifung,
i.480–85.
    309 . If the