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Previously Storm Troop headquarters have been in Munich, home of Adolf Hitler and hatching ground of the Roehm Mutiny fortnight ago. Last week Munich's famed Brown House stood as empty as though a cyclone had swept through it. Chief of Staff Lutze reigned in Berlin and Adolf Hitler was rumored planning to make a clean sweep of non-Nazis when he took off at 4 p. m. in his giant tri-motor for Neudeck 250 miles away in East Prussia.
Such was Berlin's state of nerves that whispers had the President already dead. Adolf Hitler took along his personal cameraman to snap pictures which would convince the Fatherland's last doubting Otto.*
Water, Wine & Order! Candles were winking in the old Neudeck manor house. When bristling Chancellor Hitler arrived in civilian clothes and sat down to dinner with President von Hindenburg, also in mufti and limping about on his cane. In a sense Neudeck is Nazidom's gift to the House of Hindenburg. Wealthy Junker admirers of Old Paul bought the estate and gave it in 1927 to Col. Oscar von Hindenburg, so that when the President died there would be no annoying inheritance tax. Later gifts of adjoining estates brought Old Paul's acres up to 4,000 and an early act of Chancellor Hitler was to decree that this domain shall belong tax free to the House of Hindenburg so long as there shall be a Hindenburg direct male heir. To enemies of Hindenburg and Hitler this decree is a noxious bribe to win the President's support of Nazidom. It is, at least, a personal tie.
Over the President's wine and Teetotaler Hitler's water they discoursed upon high politics. Once again the shrunken-jowled President boomed out the useful aphorism which serves him on all occasions: '"Ordnung muss sein! We must have order!" There are times when such platitudes are the highest statesmanship, especially when dealing with an hysteric type like Adolf Hitler. His air was almost reverent as he posed two hours later with the Reichspräsident for a farewell flash portrait. As Der Führer ducked out to fly by night back to Berlin, massive Old Paul, slightly pale with fatigue, bade him pious Godspeed: "God guide you, Herr Reichskanzler!" Even before the thundering tri-motor reached Tempelhof Field its radio had spoken and in high Nazi circles the President's steadying hand was felt. Old Paul had persuaded Chancellor Hitler that the way to ORDER lay in retaining Vice Chancellor von Papen and taking certain other vital steps with which the German Press soon hummed.
Hoch Siam! Hoch Siam! To take German minds off what the Chancellor was hatching every newsorgan in the Fatherland was ordered to play up as biggest news of the week a royal visit to President von Hindenburg by weak-eyed little King Prajadhipok of Siam and his equally short but amply curvesome Queen Rambui Barni. Oscar and the other venerable storks of East Prussia had not seen such pomp since Kaiser Wilhelm's day. Two private cars of the German State Railways sped Their Majesties out from Berlin, across the hated Polish Corridor (an emotional barrier not in the least inconveniencing the King and Queen) and on to the snug East Prussian station of Freystadt where they were met by Col. Oscar von Hindenburg.