Tapping Hitler's Generals

AAO: I believe that that was why they put von RUNDSTEDT on that tribunal. Just because he was so friendly with him.

SPANG: No, because he was the most senior of all the Generals. He is sixty-eight years old, is impeccable and is also a very distinguished and honourable man. He was also recognised by the French people as a very decent fellow and always spared the French people wherever he could.[413] I can’t imagine that General von RUNDSTEDT either wanted it or was in agreement with the appointment.

AAO: (Translates newspaper report of trial against rebel officers.)

SPANG: HOEPNER and I were young General Staff Officers together.[414] HOEPNER is a very capable man but he is one of those with a very strong will of his own, with very clear-cut ideas. He was previously degraded to Private. He was degraded from ‘Generalobers’ to Private.[415] Paul von HASE was my very best friend, he was Commandant of BERLIN. We attended the Army College at METZ together, in 1905. ‘Paulchen’ von HASE, who never harmed a soul, a Guards Officer–3rd ‘Garderegiment’, the former ‘Alexander’ (Grenadier), a very handsome man, tall and slender. We were great friends and later on became General Staff Officers. He was under me in the last war. He has a Baltic-German wife and nine children, I think.[416] You know, it’s very hard for me because I know all these colleagues well, and their attitude too.

AAO: Do you think that those officers actually took part in that attempt?

SPANG: In the attempted assassination, in the preparations and execution of–? I can hardly think that the FÜHRER and the present government could condemn them unless they..

AAO: Without grounds–I can’t think that either.

SPANG: But if they did do anything like that then, in my opinion, they did it from the purest motives. They did it in the interests of our great German Fatherland. Not from self-interest or lust for power.

AAO: Their aim must certainly have been to end the war as quickly as possible and thus still save something for the German people.

SPANG: Naturally, I’m not too clear on these things, but at any rate, if they took part in it then they acted for the Fatherland from the deepest inner convictions.