Evening star., 1938-12-25
French Foreign Office
Funds Aided Hitler,
Writer Hints
Fuehrer's Early Income
Never Explained,
Critic Asserts
By WILLIAM BIRD.

PARIS, Dec. 24.-Did Adolf Hitler
receive financial aid from the secret
funds of the French foreign office at
the outset OF his career as an agi-
tator in Munich? This question is
asked by M. Paul Allard in a new
book entitled lie Quai D'Orsay,"
and. while M. Allard is unable to
give positive answer, owing to the
refusal of officials to give categorical
replies to his questions, he plainly
leaves the reader with the feeling
that his own conclusion is in the
Affirmative.
M. Allard is well-known critic
and political writer and has pub
lished many books dealing with the
censorship and other secret phases
Of the last war. He begins by point.
ing out, for those who might think
the story too fantastic, that. during
the war itself, Gen. Boncabeille,
French military attache at The
Hague, succeeded in subsidizing
German newspaper, the Volkszei-
tung. At the same time, the Quai
D'Orsay succeeded in getting con-
troll Of one of the leading German
provincial organs, the Koelnische
Zeitung.
Immediately after the war French
secret services undertook to assist
the various separatist movements in
Germany. Among these was the
famous Rhineland Republic, pro-
noted by DR.. Dorten.
No Known Income.
In May, 1920, Corpl. Adolf Hitler
resigned from the German ReichS-
Wehr, in which, though an Austrian,
he had enlisted during the war, and
Immediately began a campaign of
agitation in Bavaria. A year later,
certain malcontents in his party, in
Guiding his old friend Anton Drex-
ler, published broadside calling
upon him to state where he got his
money. He had no known income,
and yet was spending lavishly.
Hitler sued the authors of the
broadside for libel, but, on the wit
ness stand, he was unable to produce
any evidence of normal source of
income.
Soon afterWard. the Bayrische
kurjer suggested that Hitler was in
relations with French army ma jor.
Another libel suit resulted, in which
Hitler again kept prudent silence
about his sources of revenue.
Subsequently, the same newspaper
accused Hitler of being in relations
with Heinz, leader of the Palatinate
Separatist movement, which was
known to be subsidized by the
French. Heinz was later assassi-
mated by patriots while dining
with two French officers.
Aim Then Federation.
Hitler denied knowing Heinz. but
witnesses declared they had been
present when Hitler received Heinz
at his Offices in Munich. and Heinzs
sister produced diary in which she
had noted several interviews be-
tween Hitler and her brother.
At that time Hitler had not writ
ten "Mein Kampf" and had not
yet begun his venomous attacks on
France His aim was a German
federation, with each region keep
ing a large measure of autonomy.
The Jews were Enemy No. l." and
after them came men like StreSe-
mann. 1t was while he was in pris-
on, after the failure of his Munich
"putsch," that he wrote 'Mein
Kampf" and began to preach the
union of all Germans against
France
A French diplomatic agent, whose
name is withheld for obvious rea-
sons, told NJ Allard:
Il knew Hitler when he was only
an orator of the street peddler' type
and also knew Heinz, the Palatinate
president.
In 1882. when it became appar-
ent that Hitler was going to get con-
troll of the government, efforts were
made to get permission to publish
receipt signed by Hitler which would
have proved irrefutably that he
received aid from the French secret
funds.
"At that time the German press
was still free, and the publication of
that receipt would have given the
German people chance to judge by
what means Hitler had risen.
Mussolini Also Aided.
But the authorities refused per-
mission, alleging that the publica-
ton of such document would only
result in France being further criti-
cized by the British and Americans,
who had already objected seriously
to our efforts to establish Rhine
land republic. 1t was thought bet
ter to let our former allies believe
that the various separatist move
ments, including Hitler's, had been
entirely spontaneous.
1t is interesting to recall that
Mussolini, in 1914 and 1915, received
French secret funds for the purpose
of founding newspaper, the Popolo
dItalia, to persuade the Italian
government to enter the war on the
allied side. The messenger sent by
the French to Italy to carry the
funds to the future dictator was
Marcel Cachin, now head of the
Communist party in France. Mus
solini himself had been a Socialist,
and the two men were well ac-
quainted.
Thus, if M. Allard's surmises are
correct, both the Fuehrer and the
Duce, the two foreign leaders who
are giving French diplomacy so
much trouble these days, got their
start toward fame from the French
themselves.
Copyright. 1888, by Consolidated Press.)
Mans Shouts |
Interrupt Rites