Who set Hitler against Stalin?. Nikolay Starikov

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ they would have totally refused on all accounts and have decided not to pay the borrowed money back, that might have caused new murderous assaults, and even their own comrades might have liquidated them. So, it was necessary to return THAT money anyway!

      Though, how could money have been returned to Western bankers? Could it have been transferred to the West with a payment slip saying “Bank of New York; to American bankers”? And the description of payment purpose should be “Repayment for the Russian revolution and Bolsheviks’ victory in the Civil war”, then. Naturally, that was impossible. Proletary leaders can’t provide “people’s” money to Western bourgeois. Especially when such troubled times came. Let me remind you that in March 1921, when Russia received its first 50 locos, the revolt in Kronshtadt burst out.

      How can one quarter of the country’s golden reserve can be transported away without a weak spot anywhere? An EXCUSE is required, and the true receivers of the payment could help with that. You simply need to buy something from the West, and there will be no problem with departure of the money train. For instance, you can buy locomotives, which Russia needs really bad. Trotsky organized this purchase, but Lenin’s rather rough reaction to the article published in the Economist magazine can be explained by the fact that these activities had been planned and approved by Ilyitch himself. So, you still fail to understand why Bolsheviks won the Civil War, and the White Armed Forced aided by “the Western democracies” lost it?[69]

      By the way, money for revolution were transferred to Russia through the Swedish bank system. Then they were repaid through it. With interests and words of gratitude. However, that was where “friendship” and “cooperation” ended. And Lenin and Co had control over the USSR in their hands. That was more important than money and more valuable than gold.

      To comprehend background of relationship between Bolsheviks and the West one must remember that Leninists had scammed the Anglo-Saxon, in fact. The latter were substantially tricked, as neither the country or its treasures were surrendered to them. However, while the Civil War was going on in Russia, and while it was hoped that Bolsheviks would have “cleaned up their acts” and would have done everything as it should have been done, Communism and Bolshevism fighters weren’t too popular. Though, they were still needed to a certain extent, as someone should have been “the bloody dog” and the bugaboo to ensure better pliability of fervent revolutionaries.

      After that active stranglehold of the Russian White armed forces started. If you haven’t read memoirs of generals and officers, who left with Wrangel, you should do it. Their point is that firstly the British and the French refused to supply to the Wrangel’s army after leaving, though later they agreed to provide their support, having taken Russian battle ships as payment, though. At the same time they started active propaganda among soldiers, calling them to leave the army and to become refugees. Only adamant wills of Wrangel and Kutepov allowed to keep the troops under control. However, sooner or later members of the White army would have to spread all over Europe, living at misery and taking the hardest jobs.

      And there was no real need for the German national socialists in 1920–1921, either. That is why they didn’t get any support, and they should have thanked Hitler’s talents and enthusiasm of his first comrades and supporters for their first minor success. This was the time of those soft-hearted elder ladies, who would spare some money to the hungry Nazi. The point was that “the true Arians” were “as all right as soot is white”, “Till the middle of 1921 the Party couldn’t afford a cashier, and bill-carriers had no money to buy any glue!”[70]

      Hitler’s portraits of that period show him in simple and sometimes shabby clothes. He was living in a beggarly furnished small room in Tirstrasse, its floor covered with rubbed-off linoleum. There was only a bed, and a bookshelf, and one armchair, and a self-made table there[71]. Friedelind, granddaughter of Richard Wagner, the favorite composer of Hitler’s, remembered him like: “In Bavarian leather breeches, short thick woolen socks, a red-blue-checked shirt and a short blue jacket that bagged about his unpadded skeleton”[72].

      And here is one more description of Hitler, “In his heavy boots, dark costume and leather vest, half-upstanding collar, with that weird moustache, he didn’t make any striking impression. He looked much like a waiter in a landside café”[73].

      The Führer also had some attitude to business, “He made everybody desperate, because you could never be sure, if he would attend the meeting appointed, and it wasn’t possible to wrest any decision out of him”[74].

      When Pfeffer von Salomon, future Head of storm troops (Sturmabteilung), saw his Führer for the first time, he simply refused to get acquainted with him. That was because the Leader was dressed as a homeless vagrant, an old morning coat, yellow leather boots and a rucksack on his back. Another description of Hitler’s appearance of that time said he was wearing a blue costume, a violate shirt, a brown vest and a bright red neck-tie[75]. The future Führer made a poor show, didn’t he? In modern language, stylists and imagemakers had a lot of work to do. And they did! Can anyone imagine Hitler of 1941 in shorts?

      Hitler’s personal expenses were also very minor. As late as on Easter in 1923 he borrowed several Deutschemarks from Göring to take a festive trip to the mountains. Talking of these years later he stated, “For years I lived on Tyrolean apples. It’s crazy what economies we had to make. Every mark saved was for the Party”[76].

      As they say, beggars are not choosers. That is why all first supporters of Hitler were ideological. It was because their leader didn’t work for money, he worked for the sake of the idea, and this caused certain respect and attracted people to Hitler as much as his gift of oratory did. When did the Nazi’s financial position start to improve? As soon as they were needed for the first time. As we see they weren’t required in 1921, and in the beginning of 1922 there was still no need in them. Historians don’t report any financial miracles in regard to the Nazi of that period.

      Since April 10 till May 19, 1922 the Soviet Russia under the name of RSFSR participated in the International conference in the Italian town of Genoa[77]. In fact, it was the first “beauty parade” of Bolsheviks’ leaders in front of the entire “civilization”. And as usual, money was discussed. The Western governments pushed immense financial claims out, which included both pre-war and war debts plus interests. Besides, Bolsheviks were required to repay all property provided to the White governments, which they hadn’t paid (!) with interests, as well as to reimburse cost of all enterprises, which had been owned by foreign citizens. In opinion of Western experts, all of it was worth 18 billion golden rubles.

      Naturally, Bolsheviks couldn’t pay that much. Annual payment would have equaled 80 % of Russia’s state balance of that time. Naturally, it was expected that Bolsheviks incapable of paying back would have surrendered Russia and have finalized its enslavement, passing it to their ex-partners from the Entente, who had crushed the Russian Empire by means of revolution, aided by Kerensky and Lenin.

      And that was then that Vladimir Ilyitch gave the finger to the negotiating partners. Instead of implicit acknowledgement of debts and driving Russia into financial servitude the Soviet delegation didn’t hesitate to push a counterclaim out, which included foreign intervention and the Blockade. The total amount was 30 billion golden rubles. Several days later dumbstruck Western diplomatic officials were offered a softer version of the claim. Bolsheviks agreed to acknowledge pre-war debts of Russia and were ready to provide former owners with the right to lease their ex-property or to take it on concession terms. In exchange England, France and Italy were to acknowledge the Soviet government de jure, provide СКАЧАТЬ