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defensive. We are completely absorbed in the problems of our own economy. We mean to
make good the Socialism in our name, and show the outside world as well as our own people
that the problems of unemployment can be solved. In five years—no, I dare say in three—there
will not be a single man desiring work in Germany and not finding it."
"That indeed will be something to watch, Herr Reiehsminister." The great man started to
explain how it could be done; and from that abnormally wide mouth there poured a torrent of
words. Lanny had observed the same thing with Hitler and Mussolini and many lesser
propagandists—they forgot the difference between an audience of four and an audience of four
million, and were willing to expend as much energy on the former as on the latter. Crooked
Juppchen went on and on, and perhaps would have talked all night; but his tactful wife chose
an opportunity when he was taking in breath, and said: "The Herr Reichsminister Doktor has
a hard day's work behind him and has another before him. He ought to have some sleep."
The others started to their feet at once; and so they missed hearing about the Autobahnen
which the new government was going to build all over Germany. They thanked both host and
hostess, and took their departure quickly. After they had delivered Heinrich to his home and
were safely alone in their car, Irma said: "Well, do you think you got away with it?"
"We can't tell a thing, in this world of intrigue. Goebbels will think the matter over and
decide where his interests lie."
Irma had understood a little of the conversation here and there.
She remarked: "At least you got the dirt on Dr. Ley!"
"Yes," replied her husband; "and if we have the fortune to meet Dr. Ley, we'll get the dirt on
Dr. Goebbels!"
18
I Am a Jew
I
Lanny wasn't taking his father's suggestion of reporting to the American Embassy. The
attache who was Robbie's old friend was no longer there. The Ambassador was a Hoover
appointee, a former Republican senator from Kentucky and Robbie Budd's type of man; but he
was ill, and had gone to Vichy, France, from which place he had given an interview defending
the Nazi regime. As for Lanny himself, he didn't expect any serious trouble, but if it came, he
would put it up to the Embassy to get him out. He had agreed with Irma that when he went
out alone he would set a time for his return; if anything delayed him he would telephone, and
if he failed to do this, she would report him as missing.
In the morning they took things easy; had breakfast in bed and read the papers, including
interviews with themselves, also full accounts of the Reichstag session and other Nazi doings.
Their comments were guarded, for they had to expect some form of spying. Except when they
were alone in their car, everything in Germany was to be wonderful, and only code names were
to be used. Heinrich was "Aryan," Goebbels was "Mr. Mouth," and the Frau Minister "Mrs.
Mouth." Disrespectful, but they were young and their manners were "smart."
There came a telephone call from Freddi; he gave no name, but Lanny, knowing his voice,
said promptly: "We saw some fine Bouguereau paintings last night, and are waiting for a call
telling us the price. Call later." Then he settled down and wrote a note to Mrs. Dingle, in Paris,
enclosing various newspaper clippings, and saying: "The picture market appears promising and
we hope to make purchases soon. The clarinet and other instruments are in good condition."
While he was writing, one of Irma's friends, the Fürstin Donnerstein, called up to invite the
young couple to lunch. Lanny told Irma to accept for herself. It was a waste of time for her to
sit through long interviews with officials in the German language; let her go out and spread
the news about Johannes, and find out the reaction of "society" to the disappearance of a
Jewish financier. Lanny himself would wait in their suite for messages.
They were dressing, when the telephone rang. The "personal secretary" to Herr
Reichsminister Doktor Goebbels announced: "The Herr Reichsminister wishes you to know
that he has taken entire charge of the matter which you brought to his attention, and he will
report to you as soon as he has completed investigations."
Lanny returned his thanks, and remarked to his wife: "We are getting somewhere!"
Irma replied: "He was really a quite agreeable person, Lanny." He looked at her, expecting a
small fraction of a wink; but apparently she meant it. He would have liked to say: "Too bad his
public speeches aren't as pleasant as his private conversation." But that could be said only in
the car.
He added a postscript to the note to his mother: "I have just been given reason to hope that
our deal may go through quickly." He was about to offer to accompany Irma to the luncheon,
when there came a tap upon the door, and a bellboy presented a card, reading: "Herr
Guenther Ludwig Furtwaengler. Amtsleiter Vierte Kammer: Untersuchungs- und
Schlichtungsausschuss N.S.D.A.P." Lanny didn't stop to puzzle out this jet of letters, but said:
"Bring the Herr up." Studying the card, he could tell something about the visitor, for the
Germans do not customarily put the title "Herr" on their cards, and this was a crudity.
The officer entered the reception room, clicked his heels, bowed from the waist, and remarked:
"Heil Hitler. Guten Morgen, Herr Budd." He was a clean-cut youngish man in the black and
silver uniform of the S.S. with the white skull and crossbones. He said: "Herr Budd, I have the
honor to inform you that I was yesterday appointed to the personal staff of the Reichsminister
and Minister-Prasident of Prussia, Hauptmann Goring. I have the rank of Oberleutnant, but have
not had time to have new cards engraved. Seine Exzellenz wishes to invite you and Frau Budd to
his inauguration ceremonies, which take place the day after tomorrow."
"We are greatly honored, Herr Oberleutnant," said Lanny, concealing his surprise.
"I present you with this card of admission. You understand it will be necessary to have it with
you."
"Assuredly," said Lanny, and put the treasure safely into the inside breast pocket of his coat.
The other went on: "Seine Exzellenz the Minister-Prasident wishes you to know that he is
giving immediate personal attention to the matter of Johannes Robin."
"Well, thank you, Herr Oberleutnant," said the American. This time his surprise couldn't be
concealed. He explained: "Only a few minutes ago I had a call from the office of another
Reichsminister, and was told that he had the matter in charge."
Said the officer: "I am instructed to inform you that if you will accompany me to the
residence of Seine Exzellenz the Minister-Prasident, he personally will give you information
about the matter."
"I am honored," replied Lanny, "and of course pleased to come. Excuse me while I inform my
wife."
Irma paled when told this news, for she had heard about Goring, who had so far no rival for
the title of the most brutal man in the Nazi government. "Can this be an arrest, Lanny?"
"It would be extremely bad form to suggest such an idea," he smiled. "I will phone you
without fail at the Furstin Donnerstein's by two o'clock. Wait there for me. If I do not call, it
will be serious. But meantime, don't spoil your lunch by worrying." He gave her a quick kiss
and went down to the big official car—a Mercedes, as big as a tank, having six wheels. It had a
chauffeur and guard, both in Nazi uniforms. Lanny thought: "By heck! Johannes must be
richer than I realized!"
II
A short drive up Unter den Linden and through the Brandenburger Tor to the Minister-
Prasident's official residence, just across the way from the Reichstag building with its burned-
out dome. Lanny had heard no end of discussion of the three-hundred-foot tunnel which ran
under the street, through which the S.A. men were said to have come on the night when they
filled the building with incendiary materials and touched them off with torches. All the non-
Nazi world believed that Hermann Wilhelm Goring had ordered and directed that job.
Certainly no one could question that it was he who had ordered and directed the hunting down
and killing, the jailing and torturing, of tens of thousands of Communists and Socialists,
democrats and pacifists, during the past three and a half months. In his capacity of Minister
without Portfolio of the German Reich he had issued an official decree instructing the police to
co-operate with the Nazi forces, and in a speech at Dortmund he had defended his decree:
"In future there will be only one man who will wield power and bear responsibility in Prussia
—that is myself. A bullet fired from the barrel of a police pistol is my bullet. If you say that is
murder, then I am a murderer. I know only two sorts of law because I know only two sorts of
men: those who are with us and those who are against us."
With such a host anything was possible, and it was futile for Lanny to try to guess what was
coming. How much would the Commandant of the Prussian Police and founder of the
"Gestapo," the Secret State Police, have been able to find out about a Franco-American Pink in
the course of a few hours? Lanny had been so indiscreet as to mention to Goebbels that he
had met Mussolini.
Would they have phoned to Rome and learned how the son of Budd's had been expelled from
that city for trying to spread news of the killing of Giacomo Matteotti? Would they have
phoned to Cannes and found out about the labor school? To Paris and learned about the Red
uncle, and the campaign contributions of Irma Barnes which had made him a Deputy of France?
Lanny could pose as a Nazi sympathizer before Heinrich Jung—but hardly before the Führer's
head triggerman!
It was all mystifying in the extreme. Lanny thought: "Has Goebbels turned the matter over
to Goring, or has Goring grabbed it away from Goebbels?" Everybody knew that the pair were
the bitterest of rivals; but since they had become Cabinet Ministers their two offices must be
compelled to collaborate on all sorts of matters. Did they have jurisdictional disputes? Would
they come to a fight over the possession of a wealthy Jew and the ransom which might be
extorted from him? Goring gave orders to the Berlin police, while Goebbels, as Gauleiter of
Berlin, commanded the party machinery, and presumably the Brownshirts. Would the cowering
Johannes Robin become a cause of civil war?
And then, still more curious speculations: How had Goring managed to get wind of the
Johannes Robin affair? Did he have a spy in the Goebbels household? Or in the Goebbels
office? Or had Goebbels made the mistake of calling upon one of Goring's many departments for
information? Lanny imagined a spiderweb of intrigue being spun about the Robin case. It
doesn't take long, when the spinning is done with telephone wires.
III
Flunkies bowed the pair in, and a secretary led Lanny up a wide staircase and into a sumptuous
room with a high ceiling. There was the great man, lolling in an overstuffed armchair, with а
рilе of papers on a small table beside him, and another table with drinks on the other side.
Lanny had seen so many pictures of him that he knew what to expect: a mountain of a man,
having a broad sullen face with heavy jowls, pinched-in lips, and bags of fat under the eyes. He
was just forty, but had acquired a great expanse of chest and belly, now covered by a
resplendent blue uniform with white lapels. Suspended around his neck with two white
ribbons was a golden star having four double points.
The ex-aviator's love of power was such that he was assuming offices one after another:
Minister without Portfolio of the Reich, Minister-Prasident of Prussia, Air Minister,
Commander-in-Chief of the German Air Force, Chief Forester of the Reich, Reich
Commissioner. For each he would have a new uniform, sky blue, cream, rose-pink. It wouldn't be
long before some Berlin wit would invent the tale of Hitler attending a performance of
Lohengrin, and falling asleep; between the acts comes the tenor in his gorgeous swanboat
costume, wishing to pay his respects to the Führer; Hitler, awakened from his nap, rubs his
eyes and exclaims: "Ach, nein, Hermann! That is too much!"
Next to his chief, Goring was the least unpopular of the Nazis. He had been an ace aviator,
with a record of devil-may-care courage. He had the peculiar German ability to combine
ferocity with Gemütlichkeit. To his cronies he was genial, full of jokes, a roaring tankardman,
able to hold unlimited quantities of beer. In short, he was one of the old-time heroes of
Teutonic legend, those warriors who could slaughter their foes all day and at night drink
wassail with their unwashed bloody hands; if they were slain, the Valkyries would come on their
galloping steeds and carry them off to Valhalla to drink wassail forever after.
IV
Lanny's first thought: "The most repulsive of men!" His second thought, close on its heels: "I
admire all Nazis!" He bowed correctly and said: "Guten Morgen, Exzellenz."
"Guten Morgen, Mr. Buddy" said the Hauptmann, in a rumbling bull voice. "Setzen Sie sich."
He indicated a chair at his side and Lanny obeyed. Having met many of the great ones of the
earth in his thirty-three years, Lanny had learned to treat them respectfully, but without
obsequiousness.
It was the American manner, and so far had been acceptable. He knew that it was up to the
host to state why he had summoned him, and meantime he submitted to an inspection in
silence.
"Mr. Budd," said the great man, at last, "have you seen this morning's Paris and London
newspapers?"
"I do not have the advantage of possessing an air fleet, Exzellenz." Lanny had heard that
Goring possessed a sense of humor.
"Sometimes I learn about them by telephone the night before," explained the other, with a
