by Greg Iles
the front of the house, and opened the door without knocking.
An SS sergeant of the Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler had been posted in the
entry hall to meet him. After a curt salute, the sergeant whisked
Heydrich up the stairs to the bedrooms and indicated the door he wished
the SD chief to enter.
"You're to wait here, Herr Obergruppenftihrer. By order of the Fuhrer."
Heydrich looked mystified- "Am I not to attend the conference
downstairs?"
"Nein, Herr Obergruppenflihrer. Reichleiter Borrnann instructed me to
have you meet the Fuhrer in the teahouse, but I just received word that
he won't have time for the walk."
"We could drive," Heydrich suggested.
"The Fuhrer never drives to the teahouse."
The sergeant seemed to think this explanation sufficient.
Heydrich dismissed him and reached for the bedroom door handle, then
paused as another door opened farther down the hall. A blond woman
leaned furtively out; Heydrich registered an ample bosom beneath a
rather plain face before she ducked back inside. Only after entering
the small bedroom designated for his meeting with the Fuhrer did he
realize that the woman he had just seen must be Eva Braun. With an
extreme sense of discomfort Heydrich put the incident out of his mind.
The Fuhrer in a carnal entanglement with a
peasant -girl? Preposterous!
Out of habit Heydrich surveyed the Berghof grounds from the small
bedroom window. He saw SS guards and dogs silhouetted against the snow
at regular intervals all over the compound. Nodding with satisfaction,
he sat stiffly on the edge of a narrow bed. An hour,passed. When he
next heard footsteps in the hall, he knew they belonged to the Fuhrer.
Standing deliberately, he straightened his silver-bordered collar and
faced the door. As it opened, he cried, "Heil Hitler!" and gave a
whip-crack Nazi salute.
Adolf Hitler stood blinking in the doorway. He looked like a man
suddenly pulled into a quiet alcove from a beer hall where a violent
brawl was in progress. "Heydrich," he mumbled.
"My Fuhrer."
"We haven't much time. I have to get back to my generals.
They've taken a break for food." With sudden ffitler s@ into the room
and walked to the window. "Food!" he cried, pounding his right fist
into his palm. "They think I am a fool, Heydrich! Adolf Hitler!
My God, if I had listened to my generals we would never even have
crossed into the Rhineland. And now that we stand ready to begin the
greatest land invasion the world has ever seen, they counsel me to be
cautious!" Hitler whirled, evangelical fire burning in his eyes.
"Would caution have won us Poland, Heydrich?"
"No, my Fuhrer!"
"Would it have won us France?"
"No!"
"Then how can it win us Russia?" Spittle flew from Hitler's quivering
lips.
"It cannot, my Fuhrer!"
"Exactly! You should hear them ... Halder, Jodl, even Guderian's
reports sound like the whining of an old woman.
They speak as if we have allies. We have none! For hours the fools
have gone dyer and over the North African situation.
The situation is clear! On January third the British captured
thirty-eight thousand lwian soldiers at Sidi Barram. Did you know that?
That's more prisoners than the British had soldiers!"
"The Italians are swine," Heydrich declared, watching Mtler wind up,
again.
"What does Africa matter, I ask you? All my generals proudly display
Mein Kampf on their mantelpieces. I don't believe one of the idiots has
read it! Russia is the keY to el erything! When Russia falls, Japan
will be free to attack the United States. And with Roosevelt's
attention turned there, Churchill will be forced to sue for peace. it's
so simple a child could see it."
Hitler's left eye twitched angrily, "Perhaps _ I should place my armies
under the command of the Hitler Youth!"
Heydrich said nothing to this remarkable suggestion. Hitler smoothed
his unruly forelock, then clasped his hands behind him and said, "Do you
know what my Prussian peacocks are afraid of."
Heydrich swallowed. "England, my Fuhrer?"
c my own words back at me as if I "Pre isely! They throw did not write
them myself. 'Germany should never again become embroiled in a
two-front war. Never will I fight a twofront war.' Enough! England
lies prostrate beneath our bombs, yet my sniveling generals call her a
western front. A front! When we turn east, Heydrich, the cowards will
learn what a front truly is!"
Heydrich suppressed a sadistic grin.
Hitler squared his shoulders. "Directive Twenty-one commands that all
preparations for Plan Barbarossa be completed by May fifteenth of this
year. Do you know why?"
"So that we may defeat the communists before winter sets in?"
"Exactly. And why this year, Heydrich? Because Stalin is arming Russia
even faster than I am arming Germany! The purge of 'thirty-seven slowed
him down considerably, yes, but he has a new program in place-a total
reorganizationr will be too late! All that we have If we wait another
yea it accomplished will be dust! Do you understand?"
"Perfectly, my Fuhrer."
"I believe you do. And that is why you are here." Hitler carefully
read his watch, holding it close to his face because of his poor vision.
"I have no intention of fighting on two fronts, Heydrich.
But can I trust my spineless generals with my plans?" He waved his hand
impatiently. "My brilliant generals. imbeciles, every one.
England doesn't want warNo matter what your agents tell you, Heydrich, I
know.
Withstanding aerial bombardment is one thing-fighting a land war is
another. The English people will do almost anything to keep from
sending their sons to die at another Somme or Ypres. Believe me,
Heydrich, I was there- No, the only obstacle to an Aryan peace is
Winston Churchill.
Churchill and his warmongering cronies! Do you agree?"
"Absolutely, my Fuhrer."
"Tell me," Hitler said in a confiding tone, "what do you think.of our
chances of making peace with the British?"
Heydrich tried to guess which answer Hitler wanted today.
The Fuhrer did not tolerate equivocation; it had to be one absolute or
the other. "As things now stand," he ventured carefully, "we have no
chance whatsoever."
Hitler's eyes sparkled. "You seem certain. Yet I suspect that some of
your superiors might disagree with you."
Heydrich f@it his chest tighten.
Hitler's voice cut like a blade. "What do you know, Herr
Obergruppenfiihrer, of attempts by my officers to make clandestine
contact with the British?4' Heydrich felt the tingle of opportunity in
his palms. "May I speak frankly, my Fuhrer?"
"You had better!"
"My Fuhrer, so far, despite exhaustive efforts, I have not uncovered any
proof of treason around you. However, I am aware of efforts on the part
of certain individuals to make clandestine contact with British citizens
in various neutral countries. I've taken the
liberty of compiling
dossiers on the activities of each for your review."
Hitler frowned disdainfully. "The Haushofers, for instance? Karl and
Albrecht?"
"Yes," said Heydrich, surprised by Hitler's knowledge.
"You know of their communications with Hess.
Heydrich nodded warily.
"Goring?"
"Surely you don't suspect the Reichsmarschall!"
Hitler dismissed his shock with a wave of the hand. "Who knows?
The air war over the Channel came close to breaking him. Goring hasn't
the stamina for wars of attrition. He was trained for aerial
dog-fighting-nothing else. But what of my question? How do you rate the
chances of gaining peace by clandestine means?"
Heydrich licked his thin lips. "As long as Churchill rules in London,
my Fuhrer, England will fight us."
Hitler nodded. "And the result?"
"England will be crushed."
"No," Hitler said softly. "There will be no war with England."
Heydrich waited for some evidence to back up this mistic assertion.
"There will be no war with England, because soon Winston Churchill will
no longer sit at the head of the British government."
Heydrich's pulse quickened.
"Does that statement surprise you, Heydrich? t shouldn't.
Because you are the man who is going to ensure that my prediction
becomes fact."
it took all of Heydrich's self-control to hold his facial muscles in
check. Renwve Churchillfrom the government? It was too fantastic ...
"Let me ask you another question, Herr Obergruppenftihrer. You consider
yourself a good judge of men. What do you think of the Duke of
Windsor?' Heydrich chose his words carefully. "As you know, my Fuhrer,
I handled security on the occasion when the duke secretly met with
Reichminister Hess in Lisbon. During my limited time with the duke, I
developed an impression of a weak, self-centered man.
He-behaved like a spoiled child.
Having voluntarily relinquished the throne of England, he would like
nothing better than to sit upon it again, if only so that his American
wife can be called 'Her Royal Highness.' Windsor imagines that he would
do anything to anain this end, when in fact he would probably do
everything short of what is required."
Hitler smiled. "You are indeed a good judge of men. But none of that
matters in the slightest. It is the royal blood that matters, Heydrich-
The blood. The English pretend to abhor my racial policies, they revile
me at every turn. Yet in the final analysis they revere the blood just
as we do!" Hitler tugged anxiously at his forelock.
"How would you rate Windsor as a friend to Germany?"
"There can be no doubt of his sympathies, my Fuhrer.
From an intdllectual standpoint, he s the @ost right-thinking Englishman
in the Empire. His actions in France proved that.
Knowingly or not, he accelerated our invasion timetable by at least a
week. But may I ask, my Fuhrer, why this is relevant? The English
constitution forbids an abdicated king from ever resuming the throne,
even should he wish
to. "Don't worry about the English constitution!" Hitler
snapped contemptuously. "If the English people recalled Windsor, would
he accept?"
"Undoubtedly. He said as much to Hess in Lisbon."
"Well, the people are going to recall him, Heydrich. And soon."
Heydrich blinked.
"If King George were to die suddenly," Hitler postulated, "what would
happen? There are two possibilities. Either his eldest daughter,
Elizabeth, would assume the throne-a highly dubious prospect,
considering that England is engaged in a life-and-death struggle@r the
English people would remember the Duke of Windsor, their once-adored
Prince of Wales and uncrowned king, who now wastes his
not-inconsiderable gifts as crown governor of the Bahamas.
Which alternative do you think they would choose, Heydrich? Which would
you choose? An empty-headed child, or the strong hand of a man trained
to rule? How important will Windsor's romantic follies seem in the face
of England's greatest peril?"
Heydrich shifted uncomfortably. "I ... I'm not sure the English view
these things as we do, my Fuhrer."
"Rubbish! And what does it matter? Windsor would only be the window
dressing! The real power of England is in Downing Street! That is
where the change must be made!"
Heydrich sensed that Hitler had finally come to the point of this
meeting. "But how is this change to be made, my FuhrerT' he asked
softly.
Hitler's eyes flickered. "Ruthlessly, Heydrich' ' as all acts of war
must be. On the tenth of May, Winston Churchill is going to die.
And with him King George the Sixth. When that happens, Britain will
hold its breath, headless for a few moments of history. And through
that brief window, we shall snatch the prize we want-peace in the west.
Then Russia will be ours for the taking, and Guderian's panzers will
roll!"
Heydrich cracked his boot heels together and stood rigid before his
master.
"Have you been struck dumbt' Hitler asked, his very posture a challenge.
"No, my Fuhrer. It's simply that ... the scope and genius of your
concept have shocked me."
Hitler nodded. "I understand. Few men think as I do, with a mind
unfettered by the restraints of so-called 'civilized'
SPANDAU PHDENIX
war. Such a concept is ludicrous, a blatant contradictior terms.
But I'm sure you're wondering exactly how deaths of these two men will
gain us peace from the English."
Heydrich nodded, though he was actually wondering how the deaths of
those men could be accomplished.
. "It's quite simple," Hitler explained. "When the new prime minister
takes Churchill's place, his government will be mine. Or at least
sympathetic to my ideas. Don't look so surprised. Like Haushofer and
others, I too know of certain Englishmen who want peace.
However, the men I speak of are Then of deeds, not words. They
understand my true aims, that my primary goal is to expand eastward-not
into Britain. They know that Adolf Hitler is the hammer that will crush
world communism!"
Heydrich stepped back from the raw force of Hitler's zeal.
"The British Empire was not forged by men who whined at the sight of a
little blood, Heydrich. The English understand that to create, one must
first destroy. That out of death comes life!" Hitler wiped his brow-
"So YOu see -- -" Heydrich did see. He saw that Hitler-from
Machiavellian genius or sheer desperation-had decided to extend the
tactics of terror, which had served him so well during the Party's early
expansion, into the realm of international policy.
Heydrich also saw that this decision would immeasurably raise his value
to Hitler vis-A-vis purely military officers.
Where another man might recognize imminent disaster, Heydrich saw
opportunity. hands together, "be "So, " Hitler concluded, bringing his
ginning now, you will devote all your energies to devising a method by
which Winston Churchill and George the Sixth
can be liquidated. Three
limits must define your plan. First, your mission cannot be
accomplished in such a way as to incriminate Germany or the National
Socialist Party. Second, you will conduct all inquiries involved in
your t)lanning in in such a way that neither Reichsfiihrer Hi mler,
Admiral Canaris, nor any other member of the High Command becomes aware
of your mission. And finally, the mission must be carried out on the
tenth of May-the glorious anniversary of our historic westward
invasion!"
Heydrich blanched. The Fuhrer had just placed restrictions on the
operation that would make success all but impossible. Even if a bolt of
lightning were to strike down Churchill and the king in Trafalgar
Square, accusing fingers would still point to Germany. Yet despite this
grim truth, Heydrich elected to keep silent. He had seen what happened
to men who protested to Adolf Hitler that his orders were impossible.
"Am I to understand, my Fuhrer, that I am to assassinate these men?"
Hitler exploded. "Were you not listening? The thought of making
Winston Churchill a martyr turns my stomach, but alive he hounds me like
the devil incarnate. I want him dead! The king too!"
Heydrich's mind reeled at the implications of this order. If what the
Fuhrer said about Nazi sympathizers in England was true, the plan could
actually work. But what were the odds of that? The terror bombin of
London and other population centers had hardened Britain's will to
adamant; the reports of all his agents confirmed this. Could there
really still be Englishmen who feared Stalin more than they feared
Hitler? Men to whom profits meant more than national honor?
Men to whom a guarantee of safety from Adolf Mtler was worth more than a
pr-e-war Deutschemark?
"Do not think I labor under any illusions," Hitler said, almost
telepathically. "The English have no love for me, or for things German.
But they understand me, Heydrich. I represent absolute power
concentrated in the head of the state, and the English respect that.
Their industlialists and nobles fear Stalin and his hordes far more than
my policies.
Communism-power seized by millions of fanatical workers who cannot wait
to tear down the ivied walls of traditionthat is like the plague to the
English, the Black Death come again!"
A sharp knock on the bedroom door halted Hitler in midstream.
