The Arms of Krupp by William Manchester

Author:William Manchester
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Published: 2017-10-31T04:00:00+00:00

In retrospect the haggling with Bormann, the dickering with Lammers, and the ultimate rejoicing over the Führer’s decision may seem like an exercise in futility. The Third Reich, after all, had less then three years to run. But the most singular fact about Krupp today is meaningless unless seen in the context of those days. It centers around that single date, December 15, 1943. Krupp publications and West German school books note that Alfried became sole owner of the firm on that day. The significance of the date lies in the fact that on that bitterly cold Wednesday a quarter-century ago the Vorstand, in obedience to Hitler’s decree, dissolved itself and bowed to the new ruler. It was the day the Lex Krupp really took effect.36

The implications of this are unappreciated in Germany; even the Social Democratic opposition, which has been battling the dynasty for a hundred years and knows that many Nazi laws are still in effect, is unaware of this one. But in a meeting with this author twenty years after Alfried’s first order to the Konzern as sole proprietor, his lawyers confirmed that the “special 1943 agreement between the government and Krupp” was the legal basis for his postwar rule over the family’s seigniory, and they were convinced that the Lex Krupp, with its extraordinary tax advantages, would apply should his son claim the dynastic legacy.37 Stripped of technicalities and learned footnotes, this had just one meaning—Alfried Krupp, the wealthiest and most prestigious individual in Europe’s Common Market during the early 1960’s held his position until his death under a special authorization from Adolf Hitler, Führer of the Reich. The Wold had been slain, its Lair was destroyed; but one member of the old pack retained his claws.

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