have been done. Are you delaying punishment for some reason?'
Hitler smiled wanly. 'Remember the old proverb, Rudi?
Better the devil you know than the one you don't?'
'But Himmler could betray you at any moment!'
Hitler sighed. 'Sooner or later, Rudi, he will probably try.
it is a delicate balancing act I perform. It has @en from the
beginning. It's the same for ill men of power. Churchill, Stalin,
Mussolini, Roosevelt-no one is immune. Himmler's SS is powerful, old
friend, too powerful to alienate or ignore. But it is also corrupt.
Himmler fears Heydrich-his subordinate-yet he thinks because Heydrich
has a little Jewish blood, he can be controlled by blackmail.'
Hitler's eyes flickered like black stars. 'Don't worry, Rudi, I have my
own controls over Reichsfiihrer Himmler. His personal adjutant happens
to be Heydrich's man, and Heydrich is my man. One word from me, night
or day, and Himmler dies.
But for the present-while he is useful-he lives.'
Hess looked unconvinced.
'I expected it to be Goring,' Hitler confided. 'I always thought him
weaker than Himmler.'
Hess nodded. 'I must confess that I thought-I hoped@ the same thing. I
never liked Goring. He's a braggart . and a libertine. But he is also
loyal. For the time being, at least.'
You're so straightforward, old friend, Hitler thought. Perhaps that is
why I trust you. Heydrich explained it all so well, made it seem so
easy and mechanical But in truth it isn't. The English fanatics who
will die afterfiring bullets into the brains of their leaders mean
nothing. They are ma chines, like tanks or rockets. But you, Hess, are
the closest thing to a friend I have left. How can I explain to you
that the same rules which apply to five communist fanatics also apply to
you? Yet somehow I must. For England must be neutralized.
Churchill must die.
And contrary to what Heydrich boasts, failure is always a possibility.
in the event-God forbid-that something does go wrong, my personal envoy
and confidant cannot be captured on British soil. For in your head you
carry the secrets of BarbarossaIf the 'impossible' happens-if the
fanatics miss their targets, if they lose their nerve, if they're
caught, if the mission is blown and the great gamble is all for
nothing-my messenger will I have to die. You, Hess, will have to die.
And, quite simply, there will be no one there to kill you. No Reinhard
Heydrich-no steely-eyed SS officer sworn to shoot without question at my
order You will have to do it yourself. Can you do that, I wonder?
You once proclaimed to @a multitude that I, Adolf Hitler, was
GermanyWill You die for Germany, old friend? Will you die for me?
With his right hand on Hess's powerful shoulder, Hitler looked deeply
into the bright, worshipful eyes. 'Rudi,' he said softly, 'there are
two possibilities One hour later Rudolf Hess rose and marched to the
door of the study. He turned and placed his right fist against his
heart. 'My Fuhrer,' he said, 'to die for Germany is no more than we ask
of any soldier. In the most extreme circumstance I shall sacrifice
myself with an unfaltering heart. My only regret is for my wife and
son.' Hess paused for a moment, too full of emotion to speak. 'Yes,'
he said at leng , 'even they would understandDeutschland fiber Alles:
these words are our creed.'
Hess took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. 'Do not let this
trouble you, my Fuhrer- We were never meant to fight the English, and
this is the solution Fate has provided us. You, Adolf Hitler, were sent
by God to free the world from the scourge of the Bolshevik and the Jew!
I believe that with all my heart. if my death were to bring our goal
one day closer, my life would not have been wasted. But I shall not
fail.' Hess nodded solemnly. 'I await your final orders.
Hell Hitler!' aliment. The Hitler felt a numbing jolt of profound lull
sight of Rudolf Hess, tall and resolute, his hard-muscled
right arm extended in the Nazi salute, moved him almost to tears.
This man, born to wear the German uniform, possessed a devotion far
deeper than loyalty, deeper than patriotism. As Hess turned and marched
through the study door, Adolf Hitler, his hands resting on the plans for
the world's youngest imperial city, realized that he had not asked the
ultimate sacrifice of his deputy or his friend-but his disciple.
B 0 0 K TWO TH AF d If ... the Jew conquers the nations of this world,
his crown will become the funeral wreath of humanity, and once again
this Janet, empty of mankind, will move p rough the ether as it did
thousands of years ago.
Eternal Nature inexorably revenges the transgressions of her laws,
Therefore, I believe today that I am acting in the sense of the Almighty
Creator-' BY warding off the Jews I am fighting for the Lord's work.
ADOLF HITLER, Mein KaMPf
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
2.04 A.m. Lufthansa Flight 417. South African Airspace
The German airliner shuddered against the increased drag of descent'
Hans Apfel took a deep breath and gripped the armrests tighter. The
announcement bell rang.
'Attention ladies and gentlemen,' said a male voice.
'This is your captain speaking. We are now beginning our descent into
Jan Smuts International Airport. We expect to arrive on schedule.
The temperature is seventy-eight degrees Fahrenheit in Johannesburg.
There's been no rain for two weeks, and none expected soon. We hope,
you enjoy your stay in South Africa, and we appreciate your flying
Lufthansa. Danke Schdn.'
'Nice change,' Hauer remarked.
'What?' said Hans.
'The weather.'
'What?'
'It's summer here, Hans. No snow. We've hardly had a break for three
weeks in Berlin.'
'Oh. Sorry. I was thinking about the exchange. Have you settled on
the plan yet?'
Hauer nodded. 'With our limited resources, there's really only one
option. We've got to find some place that's really open, but with
plenty of concealment for me. An empty football stadium would be ideal.
