 |
| Hitler. Without this hurry, the calm certainty of Germany's
independence of foreign imports of motor fuels for the Luftwaffe and the most
important parts of the rest of the Wehrmacht would have been
doubtful. |
| |
| * * * * * * * * * * |
| |
The journey to the Fuehrer. Economic considerations were,
however, not the only decisive factors at that time. There was a very great
political tension in the summer of 1932. Everyone felt that soon a great
decision would have to be made. The masses of the unemployed, as well as
industry, which was forced to throttle production, hoped that a change would
come soon. Many already anticipated what shape this would take, but no one knew
with what fighting and under what conditions it would take place. Therefore the
future of the German motor fuel still seemed most uncertain. This was because
the consumers were mobilized against the motor fuel duties from time to time.
Again and again voices were raised in the press asking for a reduction of these
custom duties, allegedly in order to revitalize the automobile industry. There
were even opinions which held the hydrogenation in Leuna responsible for the
exaggerated gasoline prices and for the failure to reduce gasoline prices.
The Berlin daily, which has already been mentioned,
wrote: |
| |
"In summary, it can be said that
the State's measures which have been carried through in favor of the domestic
production of gasoline and benzene and to the disadvantage of the consumer are
not at all in the nature of justified measures to aid a branch of industry
which is fighting for its markets. The consumer now has to bear the
consequences of enormous wrong investments, and an attempt is made to make the
burden of increased price levels easier for him to bear by pointing out the
necessity for maintaining German home production in the general interest * * *"
|
| This point of view was typical for that period. At that time the few
pennies by which the price of a car ride was increased were considered more
important than the prospect of making Germany independent of foreign motor fuel
supplies. This political shortsightedness intentionally overlooked the decisive
importance of motor fuels in the fight for the liberation of Germany from the
chains of Versailles. The usufructuaries of Versailles considered themselves so
strong because they thought their superiority was assured in the simplest way.
They had an air force and motorized armies. Germany did not. Should Germany,
however, succeed in creating something similar, then, if the worst came to the
worst, they still had the comfortable expedient of |
537 |
. 
