Secret Meeting of 20 February 1933
Encyclopedia
The Secret Meeting of 20 February 1933 (known in German as the Geheimtreffen vom 20. Februar 1933) was a secret meeting between Adolf Hitler
and 20 to 25 industrialists at the official residence of Hermann Göring
in the Reichstag Presidential Palace aimed at financing the election campaign of the Nazi Party.
The German elections were to be held on 5 March 1933. The Nazi Party wanted to achieve two thirds majority to pass the Enabling Act and desired to raise three million Reichsmark to fund the campaigns. According to records, two million Reichsmarks were contributed at the meeting.
According to historian Gerald Feldmann:
Georg von Schnitlzler said in his statement on November 10, 1945 that:
gave a short speech in which he emphasized the importance of the current election campaign. Then Hitler appeared and gave a ninety minute speech. He praised the concept of private property and argued that the Nazi Party would be the nation's only salvation against the communist threat. The basis of the Nazi Party is the national idea and the concern over the nation's defense capabilities. Life is a continuous struggle and only the fittest could survive. Concurrently, only a militarily fit nation could thrive economically.
In his speech, Hitler declared democracy culpable for the rise of communism. The following is a translated excerpt of what remains of his speech:
Then Hitler declared that he needed complete control of the state to bring communism to bear:
After Hitler's speech, Krupp expressed thanks to the participants and put special emphasis on the commitment to private property and to the nation's defense capabilities. Hitler then left the meeting. Göring gave a short speech in which he pointed out the emptiness of the Nazi Party's campaign war chest and asked the gentlemen present to help remedy this shortage. Then Göring left and Hjalmar Schacht took the floor. Schacht requested three million Reichsmark.
The money was made out to Nationale Treuhand, Dr. Hjalmar Schacht and deposited in the Bank of Delbrück Schickler & Co. A statement from the IG Farben Trial
indicated a total of 2,071,000 Reichsmark had been paid. The money then went to Rudolf Hess
who transferred it to Franz Eher Nachfolger
.
According to Marxist researchers, including Kurt Pätzold, this meeting provides further evidence of the financing of the Nazi Party by big business. On other hand, Historian Henry Ashby Turner pointed out that the contributions were not entirely voluntary, designating that meeting as a "milestone: the first important material contribution of organizations of the big business to the Nazistic cause. Even the British historian Ian Kershaw
, in his biography of Hitler, sees the contributions as "political blackmail."
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and 20 to 25 industrialists at the official residence of Hermann Göring
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
in the Reichstag Presidential Palace aimed at financing the election campaign of the Nazi Party.
The German elections were to be held on 5 March 1933. The Nazi Party wanted to achieve two thirds majority to pass the Enabling Act and desired to raise three million Reichsmark to fund the campaigns. According to records, two million Reichsmarks were contributed at the meeting.
Participants
The meeting was attended by the following business representatives:- Hjalmar SchachtHjalmar SchachtDr. Hjalmar Horace Greeley Schacht was a German economist, banker, liberal politician, and co-founder of the German Democratic Party. He served as the Currency Commissioner and President of the Reichsbank under the Weimar Republic...
- Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und HalbachGustav Krupp von Bohlen und HalbachGustav Georg Friedrich Maria Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach, "Taffi", ran the German Friedrich Krupp AG heavy industry conglomerate from 1909 until 1941...
- Albert VöglerAlbert VöglerAlbert Vögler , was a German liberal politician, industrialist and entrepreneur. He was a co-founder of the German People's Party, and an important executive in the munitions industry during the Second World War....
, CEO of Vereinigte Stahlwerke AGVereinigte Stahlwerke AGThe Vereinigte Stahlwerke AG was a German industrial conglomerate producing coal, iron, and steel in the interbellum and during World War II.... - Fritz Springorum, Hoesch AGHoesch AGThe Hoesch AG was an important steel and mining company with locations in the Ruhr area and Siegen.Hoesch was taken over by Krupp in 1991.-Nazi involvement:...
- Ernst TengelmannErnst TengelmannErnst Tengelmann was a German entrepreneur. From 1912 he was Director-General of the Essener Steinkohlenbergwerke AG and CEO of Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-AG...
, CEO of Gelsenkirchener Bergwerks-AG - August Rosterg, Director General of Wintershall AGWintershallWintershall AG is the largest crude oil and natural gas producer in Germany. The company is based in Kassel, Germany. Wintershall is a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF, based in Ludwigshafen. The name Wintershall is derived from the surname of the enterprise co-founder Carl Julius Winter and the...
- Ernst Brandi, chairman of Bergbauvereins
- Karl Büren, Director General of Braunkohlen- und Brikettindustrie AG, board member of Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände
- Guenther Heubel, Director General of C. TH. Heye Braunkohlenwerke AG, board member of Deutschen Arbeitgeberverbände
- Georg von SchnitzlerGeorg von SchnitzlerGeorg August Eduard Schnitzler, since 1913, von Schnitzler was a member of the board at IG Farben and a convicted war criminal.-Early years:...
, board member of IG FarbenIG FarbenI.G. Farbenindustrie AG was a German chemical industry conglomerate. Its name is taken from Interessen-Gemeinschaft Farbenindustrie AG . The company was formed in 1925 from a number of major companies that had been working together closely since World War I... - Hugo Stinnes Jr., board member of Reichsverband der Deutschen Industrie, member of the Supervisory Board of Rheinisch-Westfälischen Kohlen-Syndikats
- Eduard SchulteEduard SchulteEduard Schulte was a prominent German industrialist. He was one of the first to warn the Allies and tell the world of the Holocaust and systematic exterminations of Jews in Nazi Germany occupied Europe....
, Director General of Giersch's Erben, Zink und Bergbaubetrieb - Fritz von OpelFritz von OpelFritz Adam Hermann Opel, since 1918 von Opel , was the only child of Wilhelm von Opel, and a grandson of Adam Opel, founder of the Opel Company...
, board member of Adam Opel AG - Ludwig von Winterfeld, board member of Siemens & Halske AG and Siemens-Schuckertwerke AG
- Wolf-Dietrich von Witzleben, head of the office of Carl Friedrich von SiemensCarl Friedrich von SiemensCarl Friedrich von Siemens was a German Entrepreneur and politician...
- Wolfgang Reuter, Director General of DemagDemagDemag or Demag Cranes AG is a German heavy equipment manufacturer now controlled by US based Terex. The roots of Demag date back prior to its formation, but became Märkische Maschinenbau-Anstalt, Ludwig A.-G in 1906 as the biggest crane building company in Germany employing 250-300 people...
, chairman of Vereins Deutscher Maschinenbau-Anstalten, presidential member of Reichsverbands der Deutschen Industrie - Günther QuandtGünther QuandtGünther Quandt was a German industrialist and Nazi who founded an industrial empire that today includes BMW and Altana .Eight of the hundred currently richest Germans are among his descendants.- Early life :...
, major industrialist, later appointed Wehrwirtschaftsführer (Leader of the Armament Economy) - Diehn August, board member of Wintershall AGWintershallWintershall AG is the largest crude oil and natural gas producer in Germany. The company is based in Kassel, Germany. Wintershall is a wholly owned subsidiary of BASF, based in Ludwigshafen. The name Wintershall is derived from the surname of the enterprise co-founder Carl Julius Winter and the...
- Hans von und zu Loewenstein, executive member of Bergbauvereins
- Ludwig Grauert
- Alembic Subhas Brittweiner
According to historian Gerald Feldmann:
- Kurt SchmittKurt SchmittKurt Paul Schmitt was a German economic leader and the Reich Economy Minister....
, board member of Allianz AG - August von FinckAugust von Finck, Sr.August von Finck, Sr. was a German banker.He was born in Kochel, German the son of banker Wilhelm von Finck , founder of insurance giant Allianz and private bank Merck Finck & Co...
, served on numerous boards and committees
Georg von Schnitlzler said in his statement on November 10, 1945 that:
- Dr. SteinDr. Stein"Dr. Stein" is a song by the German power metal band Helloween.The song is from the album Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 2. It remains one of the band's most popular songs, and is played live at virtually every Helloween concert....
, chairman of Gewerkschaft Auguste Victoria, a coal mine in Marl Hürls (subsidiary der IG FarbenIG FarbenI.G. Farbenindustrie AG was a German chemical industry conglomerate. Its name is taken from Interessen-Gemeinschaft Farbenindustrie AG . The company was formed in 1925 from a number of major companies that had been working together closely since World War I...
). Stein was an active member of the German People's Party.
Sequence of events
First Hermann GöringHermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
gave a short speech in which he emphasized the importance of the current election campaign. Then Hitler appeared and gave a ninety minute speech. He praised the concept of private property and argued that the Nazi Party would be the nation's only salvation against the communist threat. The basis of the Nazi Party is the national idea and the concern over the nation's defense capabilities. Life is a continuous struggle and only the fittest could survive. Concurrently, only a militarily fit nation could thrive economically.
In his speech, Hitler declared democracy culpable for the rise of communism. The following is a translated excerpt of what remains of his speech:
We are today facing the following situation. The Weimar GovernmentWeimar RepublicThe Weimar Republic is the name given by historians to the parliamentary republic established in 1919 in Germany to replace the imperial form of government...
imposed upon us a certain constitutional order by which they put us on a democratic basis. By that we were, however, not provided with an able governmental authority. On the contrary, for the same reasons for which I criticized democracy before, it was inevitable that communism, in ever greater measure, penetrated the minds of the German people.
Then Hitler declared that he needed complete control of the state to bring communism to bear:
We must first gain complete power if we want to crush the other side completely.[...]In PrussiaPrussiaPrussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, we must still gain another 10 seats, and in the Reich proper, another 33. That is not impossible if we exert all our strength. Then, only, begins the second action against communism.
After Hitler's speech, Krupp expressed thanks to the participants and put special emphasis on the commitment to private property and to the nation's defense capabilities. Hitler then left the meeting. Göring gave a short speech in which he pointed out the emptiness of the Nazi Party's campaign war chest and asked the gentlemen present to help remedy this shortage. Then Göring left and Hjalmar Schacht took the floor. Schacht requested three million Reichsmark.
The money was made out to Nationale Treuhand, Dr. Hjalmar Schacht and deposited in the Bank of Delbrück Schickler & Co. A statement from the IG Farben Trial
IG Farben Trial
The United States of America vs. Carl Krauch, et al., also known as the IG Farben Trial, was the sixth of the twelve trials for war crimes the U.S. authorities held in their occupation zone in Germany after the end of World War II....
indicated a total of 2,071,000 Reichsmark had been paid. The money then went to Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Hess
Rudolf Walter Richard Hess was a prominent Nazi politician who was Adolf Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party during the 1930s and early 1940s...
who transferred it to Franz Eher Nachfolger
Franz Eher Nachfolger
Franz Eher Nachfolger GmbH was the central publishing house of the Nazi Party and one of the largest book and periodical firms during the Third Reich...
.
Contributions
The total contributions made to the Nazi Party totalled 2,071,000 Reichsmark. Below the sum is broken down by transaction.| Date | Depositor | Sum |
|---|---|---|
| February 23 | Bergbauverein | 200,000 Reichsmark |
| February 24 | Karl Hermann | 150,000 Reichsmark |
| Automobil-Ausstellung, Berlin | 100,000 Reichsmark | |
| February 25 | Dir. A. Steinke | 200,000 Reichsmark |
| Demag Demag Demag or Demag Cranes AG is a German heavy equipment manufacturer now controlled by US based Terex. The roots of Demag date back prior to its formation, but became Märkische Maschinenbau-Anstalt, Ludwig A.-G in 1906 as the biggest crane building company in Germany employing 250-300 people... |
50,000 Reichsmark | |
| February 27 | Telefunken Telefunken Telefunken is a German radio and television apparatus company, founded in Berlin in 1903, as a joint venture of Siemens & Halske and the Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft... |
35,000 Reichsmark |
| Osram Osram Osram, founded 1919, is part of the industry sector of Siemens AG and one of the two leading lighting manufacturers in the world. The name is derived from osmium and Wolfram , as both these elements were commonly used for lighting filaments at the time the company was founded... |
40,000 Reichsmark | |
| February 28 | IG Farben IG Farben I.G. Farbenindustrie AG was a German chemical industry conglomerate. Its name is taken from Interessen-Gemeinschaft Farbenindustrie AG . The company was formed in 1925 from a number of major companies that had been working together closely since World War I... |
400,000 Reichsmark |
| March 1 | Hjalmar Schacht Hjalmar Schacht Dr. Hjalmar Horace Greeley Schacht was a German economist, banker, liberal politician, and co-founder of the German Democratic Party. He served as the Currency Commissioner and President of the Reichsbank under the Weimar Republic... |
125,000 Reichsmark |
| March 3 | Dir. Karl Lange, Engineering industry |
50,000 Reichsmark |
| Bergbauverein | 100,000 Reichsmark | |
| Karl Hermann, Berlin Dessauer Str. |
150,000 Reichsmark | |
| AEG AEG Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft was a German producer of electrical equipment founded in 1883 by Emil Rathenau.... |
60,000 Reichsmark | |
| March 7 | Fritz Springorum | 36,000 Reichsmark |
| Accumulatorenfabrik AG, Berlin (Owner: Günther Quandt Günther Quandt Günther Quandt was a German industrialist and Nazi who founded an industrial empire that today includes BMW and Altana .Eight of the hundred currently richest Germans are among his descendants.- Early life :... ) |
25,000 Reichsmark | |
| March 13 | Bergbauverein | 300,000 Reichsmark |
| Final Balance | 2,071,000 Reichsmark | |
According to Marxist researchers, including Kurt Pätzold, this meeting provides further evidence of the financing of the Nazi Party by big business. On other hand, Historian Henry Ashby Turner pointed out that the contributions were not entirely voluntary, designating that meeting as a "milestone: the first important material contribution of organizations of the big business to the Nazistic cause. Even the British historian Ian Kershaw
Ian Kershaw
Sir Ian Kershaw is a British historian of 20th-century Germany whose work has chiefly focused on the period of the Third Reich...
, in his biography of Hitler, sees the contributions as "political blackmail."