Iron Cross

"Actually, I have no deep hatred for individual Jews, let alone personal hatred. All my past policies were entirely based on considering the Jewish issue from the perspective of uniting the entire German people and seeking the basis for the long-term stability of the empire." Hoffman stared. Ribbentrop, "I have discussed with Speer that the Jewish race has committed unforgivable crimes against the empire in history, so everyone must atone for their sins by serving the country. It is initially agreed that each person will serve three years without pay." Labor reform. As necessary political propaganda, Jews under the age of 13 do not need to serve, as long as their parents complete their service, they can leave at the same time, and the labor time of minors over 13 years old and under 18 years old is reduced by half if someone is willing to take their place. Bearing the fruits of labor, we can directly grant amnesty to individuals.”

Ribbentrop felt that he could not keep up with the Führer's thinking. He asked cautiously: "You mean that as long as someone is willing to pay, they can take away the Jews they want?"

"Your explanation is too low-level. It sounds as if we are a kidnapping group. It should be said like this..." Hoffman frowned, "If anyone is willing to bear this labor process for the Jews or bear it with appropriate economic results, he will be The designated Jew could be pardoned immediately and leave the country wherever he wished.”

"What do you mean by this kind of appropriate economic result?" The foreign minister, who was a champagne dealer, finally fully understood Hoffman's intention and immediately asked about the "bottom price" of the transaction.

"We don't want currency, only physical objects. These physical objects can be 1 kilogram of gold, 20 kilograms of silver, 1 ton of rubber, 5 tons of gasoline, 10 tons of steel or 20 tons of grain..." Hoffman told Ribbentrop, "You should Secretly contact several neutral countries such as Switzerland, Sweden, and Spain, and communicate with the British and American Jewish communities through them. Anyway, you have channels, right? At the beginning, you should try to avoid direct contact with the British and American governments regarding the exchange of materials and personnel. The location can be in Spain or Turkey, and each party will send representatives for settlement.”

"Can they agree to this?" Ribbentrop felt that the head of state's method was a bit whimsical. Among the materials just listed, gold and silver can help improve the government's economic situation. Rubber, gasoline, steel and grain can all directly Britain and the United States have been strictly implementing the blockade strategy against Germany for materials used for war purposes. How can they watch the Jewish community send these materials to Germany?

"This is a plan that kills two birds with one stone. As long as the Jewish community agrees, the British and American governments will be in a dilemma: If we agree to pay, we will get a lot of supplies. If we don't agree to pay, we will obviously offend the Jews. Democratic politicians care about votes. "Hofman reminded Ribbentrop, "The Jewish community has repeatedly claimed to be united. If they cannot save their own people, this national spirit and political propaganda will inevitably fail. So even if the British and American governments disagree. They will also make an agreement with us secretly. There will be no harm to us in doing this kind of thing. No matter who it is, as long as he is willing to pay the price, he can take away the Jews. "

"The Führer is wise." Ribbentrop gave a thumbs up. "He immediately took the initiative to deal with the Jewish issue in his own hands. Compared with Comrade Himmler's method, your method is not only superior but also more effective. Demonstrative meaning.”

"No need to flatter you, I know what you are thinking. Don't worry that Himmler will cause trouble for you. I will reach an agreement with him." Hoffman saw through Ribbentrop's little trick at a glance, "But you Be careful, this matter must not leak out and cause a big fuss, otherwise no old comrades in the party will be able to spare you."

Ribbentrop smiled coquettishly and said: "Please rest assured, head of state, I will keep the secret strictly, just like the non-aggression pact signed with Stalin back then."

Not long after Ribbentrop left, the figure of Propaganda Minister Goebbels flashed out of the lounge at the back.

"Did you hear the conversation just now?"

"I heard it." Goebbels nodded, "I heard it quite clearly."

“What do you think of that, or what do you think of Ribbentrop.”

"Ribbentrop is still loyal to the Führer..." Goebbels considered his words. "He is not as ambitious and arrogant as Goering, nor does he interfere in matters that are not his responsibility. During this period, he was jumping up and down. This performance was entirely because the head of state praised him twice in public - which made him a little complacent and confused about his identity. "The poor foreign minister still doesn't understand the reason why he received this reprimand today. It's completely wrong. Because he has been so complacent recently that he has attracted people's jealousy. In fact, as long as he used his brain to think about it carefully, he should have thought that such important diplomatic positions as ambassador to Italy and secretary of state can never be determined by the rights of the foreign minister. At best, he has the leadership responsibility of ineffectively enforcing confidentiality regulations. The reason why Hoffman wanted to beat Ribbentrop was, on the one hand, to conform to "public opinion", and on the other hand, it was nothing more than to urge him to complete the three tasks well.

"Does the doctor mean that the responsibility lies with me?"

"Of course not! You praise him and appreciate him as a leader's affirmation of your subordinates. You criticize him and scold him because he has problems in his work and flaws in his character." Goebbels replied calmly, "No matter what Whether it is praise or criticism, it reflects the president's care and love for his subordinates, but they sometimes can't understand it."

Hoffman laughed. A person who can be the Minister of Propaganda is really unusual. On the surface, Goebbels' words are unprincipled to cater to the leader, but in fact they point out a problem: the people below cannot understand the change of the Führer's opinions on dealing with the Jews. what to do?

"Tell me what you know."

"This incident is a good thing for Comrade Ribbentrop personally. With the encouragement and encouragement of the head of state, he can change his mental state of being too showy, too frivolous, and too domineering. This will be good for his future development, but it will be good for the party. And the country..." Goebbels paused, "I'm afraid it will cause a big controversy. After all, the previous propaganda arguments and your consistent views are not the same. It will take time to go back from the original position."

“Did I originally say that we would completely eliminate Jewish individuals or groups?”

"No! But..." Goebbels lowered his voice, gathered together and said, "The Wannsee Conference led by Heydrich in January had a relatively consistent conclusion on the final solution to the Jewish problem, and the minutes were very Everyone has seen it. Although it has been covered up and modified as necessary, those who know the inside story know what it actually means. And we not only say this, but also do it - otherwise you would think Comrade Himmler. What are the concentration camps doing recently?”

"Damn it, Heydrich took advantage of the trust I gave him and sent such a wrong signal to the party." Hoffmann has always been unfavorable to Reinhard Heydrich's genocidal policy, but now he Since he is the head of state, it is difficult to suddenly change his attitude towards the Jews, not to mention that Heydrich has died at the hands of the Czech resistance organization, and now the specific executioner is Himmler.

"My personal opinion is: Comrade Himmler is very concerned about the Jewish issue. Although there are factors of national sentiment, it is not this that ultimately drives this ambition. He is just used to loyally and thoroughly executing the Führer. Otherwise, he would not have been absent from the Wanhu Conference.”

"Are you saying I can and should change his mind?"

"Of course, you are the head of state." Goebbels smiled. "What's more, what we have changed is not the racial characterization of the Jews. What we have changed is our opinion on how to deal with them. This opinion has been changed many times - The methods we implemented when we first came to power were obviously different from what we do now, and even our thoughts before the Polish campaign were different from now. In short, our party's attitude towards the Jews has been consistent from 1933 to the present, but the specific measures and strategies are different. It can change as the objective environment and situation change, and it won’t be difficult to change it again.”

"Very good, this can solve a lot of problems." Hoffman took out a map, which marked many mining areas that he had recently meditated and were waiting to be developed in the areas controlled by the Third Reich. "These minerals are urgently needed for the war, but But there is an extreme lack of manpower.”

"Then there is even more appropriate reason to change the strategy. I suggest that the Führer have a serious talk with Comrade Himmler, and he will change his attitude. As long as we reach an agreement within the party, this attitude can easily be expressed through propaganda agencies and the public voice of the government. Accepted below.”

"Doctor, you have helped me a lot." Hoffman said with emotion, patting the other person on the shoulder.

Finally having the opportunity to change the notorious genocidal policy, Hoffman felt much relieved, and the mental pressure and moral burden he had felt since traveling through time had also been relieved a lot.