“In a conversation with Dr. Schacht, I assured myself that he absolutely represents our point of view. He is one of the few who accepts the Fuehrer’s position entirely.” (2409-PS).
Schacht has himself confirmed the correctness of Goebbels’ statement (3729-PS).
But Schacht’s contribution to Hitler before his accession to power did not consist merely of comforting him, giving advice, and expressing agreement with the Nazi program. He was an active participant in Hitler’s vigorous campaign to take over the German state. Thus, he openly lent the prestige of his name, which was widely known in banking, financial, and business circles, to Hitler’s cause (3729-PS). He actively undertook to induce business leaders to support Hitler. In his letter to Hitler of 12 November 1932, he wrote that:
“It seems as if our attempt to collect a number of signatures from business circles for this purpose (your becoming Chancellor) was not altogether in vain * * *.” (EC-456)
He organized the financial means for the decisive March 1933 election, at a meeting of Hitler with a group of German industrialists in Berlin. At this meeting, Hitler bluntly announced his plans to destroy the parliamentary system in Germany, to crush all internal opposition by force, to restore the power of the Wehrmacht, and to gain his objectives outside of Germany by the use of force. On this occasion, Schacht collected a campaign fund of several million Marks for Hitler’s use (D-203; EC-439).
In an eulogy of Schacht on the occasion of his sixtieth birthday, the Voelkischer Beobachter, Hitler’s official organ, aptly described Schacht’s activity in the period before the 1933 election as follows:
“In this critical period, Schacht never failed to point at Adolf Hitler as the only possible leader of the Reich.”
* * * * * *
“The name of Dr. Schacht will remain linked with the transition of the German economy to the new National Socialist methods” (EC-499).