said?-testing you.” He lifted his hand to his mouth. The memory of ffitlees
insult was difficult for him. He struggled to suppress it.
‘I was quite sincere, however, about the Swiss propertY. Your … work with
us has been most impressive and undoubtedly noticed by many. Should the
purchase be traced through you to the party, it might-how is it said-make
useless the whole arrangement.”
Ulster Scarlett answered with confident nonchalance.
284
He enjoyed putting the thinkers in their place. “No problems. . .. . The
transaction will be made in Madrid.”
“Madrid?” Joseph Goebbels did not fully understand what Scarlett said, but
the city of Madrid had a special connotation for him. ‘
The four Germans looked at each other. None was pleased.
“Why is … Madrid so safe?” Hess was concerned that his friend had done
something rash.
“Papal attach6. Very Catholic. Very much beyond reproach. Satisfied?”
Hess automatically spoke Scarlett’s words in German.
Hitter smiled while Ludendorff snapped his fingers, now in sincere
applause.
“How is this accomplished?”
“Very simple. Alfonso’s court will be told that the land is being bought
with White Russian money. Unless it’s done quickly, the capital could be
manipulated back into Moscow. The Vatican is sympathetic. So is Rivera.
This won1 be the first time such an arrangement’s been made.st
I Hen explained to Adolf Hitler as Joseph Goebbels lisfened intently.
“My congratulations, Herr Kroeger. Be . . . cautious.” Ludendorff was
impressed.
Suddenly Goebbels began chattering, waving his hands in exaggerated
gestures. The Germans all laughed and Scarlett wasn’t sure whether the
unattractive little fascist was making fun of him or not.
Hen translated. ,Herr Goebbels says that if you tell the Vatican you can
keep four hungry Communists from having a loaf of bread, the pope will let
You repaint the Sistine chapeir
Hitler broke in on the laughter. ‘Was h6rst du aus 7-Rrichr’
Ludendorff turned to Scarlett. “You were saying about our friends in
Switzerland?”
“on schedule. By the end of next month five weeks say, the buildings will
be completed… Here, I’ll show YOU. ”
KroWr approached the table, taking a folded map from his jacket pocket. He
spread it on the table. “This heavy blue line is the perimeter Of the
adjacent properties. This
285
section . . . in the south is ThOrnt0n!s. We extend west to here, north here
to Baden, east to the outskirts of PfffIkon. Approxiinately every mile and
a quarter is a structure which can house fift troops—eighteeri in all.
Nine hundred men. The water lines are down, the foundations are in. Each
structure looks like a barn or a granary. You couldn’t tell the difference
unless YOU were inside.”
-Excenentr Ludendorff inserted a monocle in his left eye and looked closely
at the map. Hess translated for a curious Hitler and a skeptical Goebbels.
Ilrbis … perimeter between the . . . Keserne barracks is it fenced?”
-rwelve feet high. Wired by generators in each building for alarms. Patrols
Will be maintained twenty-four -hours a day. Men and dogs. … Fve paid for
everything.”
“Excellent. Excellentl”
S=Iett looked over at Hitler. He knew that Ludendorff’s approval was never
granted easily and in spite of their unpleasant encounter a few moments
ago, Scarlett also realized that Hitler valued Ludendorffs opinion, perhaps
above all others. -It seemed to Scarleft that Hitler’s penetrating stare,
which was now directed at him., was a look of admiration. Kroeger,
controlled his own elation and quickly continued.
“The indoctrinations will be, ooncentrated—each lasting four weeks with
several days between sessions for transportation and housing. Each
contingent has nine hundred men… At the end of one year . . .”
Hess interrupted. “Prachtvolll At the end of a year ten thousand trained
menl”
‘Ready to spread throughout the country as military units. Trained for
insurgencyl” Scarlett was fairly bursting with energy.
“No longer rabble, but the basis of an elite corpsl Perhaps the elite corps
itselfl” Ludendorff himself was catching -the younger maes enthusiasm. “Our
own private arinyll.
“That’s itl A skilled machine capable of moving fast, hitting hard, and
regrouping swiftly and ser-retlY.”
As Kroeger spoke, it was Ludendorff who now turned his phrases into the
German language for the benefit of Hitler and Goebbels.
But Goebbels was bothered. He spoke quietly, as if
286
this Kroeger might somehow catch the shaded meaning of his observations.
Goebbels was still suspicious. This huge, strange American was too glib, too
casual in spite of his fervor. In spite of the power of his money. Adolf
Hitler nodded his head in agreement.
Hess spoke. “Quite rightly, Heinrich, Herr Goebbels is ooncerned. These men
in Zurich, their demands are so
. nebulous.”
“Not to them they’re not They’re very specific. These men are businessmen.
And besides, they’re sympathetic.”
Kroeger is correcL” Ludendorff looked at Ulster Scarlett, knowing that Hess
would use the German tongue for the others. He was thinking as he spoke,
not wishing Kroeger to have any time to formulate answers or comments. This
Kroeger, although be did not speak their language fluently, understood far
more than he let on, Ludendorff believed. “We have gone so far as to sign
agreements, have we not? … Pacts, if you like, that with the emergence
of our power on the political scene in Germany, our friends in Zurich will
be given – – – certain priorities. . . . Economic priorities. . . . We are
corn mitted, are we not.” There was no hint of a question in Ludendorff’s
last remark.
,1rhat’s right.”
“What happens, Herr Kroeger, if we do not honor those coniraitments?”
Ulster Scarlett paused, returning Ludendorffs now questioning gaze. “Tbey’d
yell like sons of bitches and try to ruin us.”
“HowT’
“Any means they could, Ludendorff. And their means are oonsiderable.
‘Does that bother you?”
“Only if they succeeded. Thornton7s not the only one. They’re all thieves.
The difference is that the rest of them am smart. They know were right.
We’ll winI Ev eryone likes to do business with the winnerl They know what
they’re doing. They want to work with usl”
“I believe you’re convinced.”
“You’re damn right I am. Between us well Tun things our way. The right wayl
The way we want to. We’ll get rid of the garbagel The Jews, the Reds, the
stinking little bourgeois bootlickersl”
287
Ludendorff watched the confident American closely. He was right, Kroeger
was stupid. His description of the lesser breeds was emotional, not based
upon the sound principles of racial integrity. Hitler and Goebbels had
similar blind.spots but theirs was a pyramid logic in spite of
themselves–they knew because they saw; they had studied as had Rosenberg
and himselL This Kroeger had a child!s mentality. He was actually a bigot
“Ibere is much in what you say. Everyone who thin will support his own
kind. . . . Do business with his own kind.” Ludendorff would watch Heinrich
Kroegees acbons carefully. Such a high-strung man could do great damage. He
was a feven4idden cknm
But then, their court had need of such a jester And his money.
As usuaL Hitler was right They dare not lose him now.
IIrM going to Madrid in the morning. rve already sent out the orders
concerning Thornton. The whole business shouldn’t take any longer than two
or dime weeks, and then IM be in Zurich.”
Hess told Hitler and Goebbeh what Kroeger had said. Der Ffihrer barked out
a sharp question.
‘T&m can you be reached in Zurichr, interpreted Ludendorff. “Yow schedule,
if it proceeds as it has, will require Commun with YOM ”
paused before giving his answer He knew ft questm would be asked
agam. It was always asked whenever he went to Zurkh. Yet he was
always evasim He reWhed that pan of his mystique, his charisma
whitin tha party, was due to his obscuring do specift individguas
or Arnig with which he M business. In the past he had left a sWe
phone numba or a pod office bm cc perhaps am the nam of one of
the fourteen mexi in Zurich widi instrucdow to ask him for a Code
name.
Now direct and open.
Tim did not understand Oat identities, addressesAm numbers w= unimportant
OWY the ability to delWer was essenfiaL
Zuxich understood.
Then Gonaft of ft woflft great fmftm underdood. The international
financines with their angled labyzhidn of nuinipulatiotis understood
perfeady.
ns
He had delivered.
Their agreements with Germany’s emerging new order insured markets and
controls beyond belief.
And none cared who he was or where he came from.
But now, at this moment, Ulster Stewart Scarlett realized that these
titans of the new order needed to be reminded of Heinrich Kroegees
importance.
He would tell them the truth.
He would say the name of the one man in Germany sought by all who drove
for power. The one man who refused to talk, refused to be involved,
refused to meet with any faction.
The only man in Germany who lived behind a wall of total secrecy.