The road twisted through the pine forests as they climbed 6000 feet towards the Kehlsteinhaus, or Eagle’s Nest. In an engineering feat that exemplified those of the Third Reich, the mountaintop resort had been a birthday present to Hitler, and Martin Bormann had personally supervised its construction. Himmler’s driver changed gear again for the last five kilometres of Germany’s highest road, carved from the side of the cliff, but the big Mercedes’ engine handled the climb with ease. Fifteen minutes later, Himmler alighted outside the entrance to a long tunnel. It was lined with Untersberg marble and lit by big square gothic lamps suspended at intervals from the rock. Two SS guards snapped to attention and their commander, a young tall blond Untersturmfuhrer, saluted.
‘Heil Hitler, Herr Reichsfuhrer!’
‘Heil Hitler,’ Himmler responded with a perfunctory salute. The Untersturmfuhrer accompanied him into the tunnel that led to the heart of the mountain, their boots echoing on the polished stone. Two more guards snapped to attention at the end of the tunnel, where a circular room contained the base of an elevator shaft. Hitler’s elevator was lined with brass and dark-green leather. It had been decorated with Venetian mirrors, a telephone and a large brass clock from a U-boat. The Untersturmfuhrer pressed the ‘up’ button and the elevator hummed quietly as they rose 500 feet inside the mountain towards the Kehlsteinhaus above.
Hitler was on the sun terrace, hands spread on the stone balustrade, staring across the border into Austria. The snow-capped granite peaks of the Hoher Goll, Watzmann and Hochkalter mountains soared into the clouds. Thousands of feet below, Himmler could make out the Konigssee. Surrounded by mountains on three sides, the surface of the King’s Lake shimmered in the cold morning sun.
Himmler hesitated, gathering himself before interrupting his leader. Adolf Hitler was the only man Himmler genuinely admired; the one man who could raise the Fatherland to its rightful place in the world. At the same time, he was wary of the Fuhrer’s notorious moodswings.
‘ Guten Tag, mein Fuhrer.’ Himmler clicked his heels.
‘Ah, Himmler.’ Hitler turned back towards the Alps, brushing at the black thatch of hair hanging over his left eyebrow. ‘You see that?’ he asked, sweeping his hand towards his native Austria. ‘Soon that will all be part of the greater Reich!’
Himmler nodded as he surveyed the vista of the Austrian Alps. It was a cold, clear day and, far below, the Berchtesgaden Valley reached towards Austria. It was as if they were on the roof of the world. Up here, the power of the Reich seemed limitless.
‘I have a proposal for you, mein Fuhrer,’ Himmler began, emboldened by Hitler’s ebullience. ‘We believe we may be able to discover new archaeological evidence that will prove the Aryan master race to be the driving force behind some of history’s great civilisations.’
‘Excellent!’ Hitler responded, slapping his thigh. ‘We’ll discuss it over lunch. I have some ideas for you as well, on this Jewish question and the Catholic Church.’
Lunch included one of Hitler’s favourite dishes: baked potatoes and curd cheese with unrefined linseed oil. The two men sat in the pine-panelled Scharitzkehl room, where an expensive Gobelin tapestry hung on the inner wall. The large window afforded both men views over the snow-dusted pine trees to the Austrian border.
‘I met with the Pope’s financial advisor, il Signor Felici, this morning,’ Hitler said. ‘He tells me that Pius XI’s health is causing increasing concern in the Vatican.’
‘Terminal?’ Himmler asked.
‘It would appear so. Heart disease and some complications from diabetes.’
‘A new pope will need careful watching, mein Fuhrer, and we can’t trust Felici. He’s very close to that pompous Cardinal Secretary of State, Pacelli, whom, I’m informed, is taking a close interest in our archaeological expeditions.’ Himmler was wary of the Vatican. It was not the first time Rome had intervened in the affairs of the Maya. In 1562, during the Spanish Conquistador’s conquest of the Yucatan Peninsula, the Catholic Church ordered that the priceless Mayan libraries be burned. The literary history of an entire civilisation was destroyed and only four codices had survived. Himmler suspected Friedrich Waltheim was right: the Vatican’s interest in the jungles of Guatemala was probably related to the Maya Codex.
Hitler nodded. ‘You are right. The Vatican is not to be trusted, but there are twenty-three million Catholics in this country, and once we return Austria and the Sudetenland to their rightful places in the Reich, there will be over half that number again. The German and Austrian bishops must be kept on a tight leash, and we stand a much better chance if Secretary of State Pacelli takes over as Pope.’
‘Do you know where Pacelli will stand if he’s elected?’
‘I’ve asked von Bergen to find out.’ Diego von Bergen had been Germany’s ambassador to the Vatican since 1920. ‘But if Pacelli wants me to sign a concordat so he can retain control over the German curricula in his precious Catholic schools, then he’d better support us. And I’ve told von Bergen to pass on to Pacelli that if the German Catholic Centre Party continues to oppose us in the Reichstag, there will be no concordat.’
Himmler looked thoughtful. ‘Do you think Pacelli… if he gets up… do you think he might side with the Jews?’
‘I think Pacelli takes the view that the Jews have brought retribution on themselves, so it will be useful for us if he succeeds Pius XI. But it’s one thing to exterminate the Jews here,’ Hitler added, looking towards the Austrian Alps. ‘There are a lot more of them across the border.’
‘ Jawohl, mein Fuhrer. As best as we can estimate, about 185 000.’
‘Which is 185 000 too many. The question is, what do we do with them?’ Hitler mused matter-of-factly. ‘Dachau is already full of them, not to mention all the homosexuals, squinters, gypsies and other subhuman species.’
‘We’ll need many more camps,’ Himmler agreed, ‘and I’ve already drawn up plans for the Austrian takeover. I’ve been informed that several camps can be built around Gusen, and we have a proposal for another large one at Mauthausen. There’s an old quarry there that can be brought back into use – the Jewish scum can quarry the stone.’
‘Preferably with their bare hands.’
‘You’ve only to give me the word, mein Fuhrer, and by the time Gusen and Mauthausen are finished, you’ll be able to walk around any quarter of Vienna and not encounter a single Jew.’
Hitler nodded thoughtfully. ‘Good. However, the Austrian Chancellor is somewhat obstinate. I’ve arranged a show of force on the border to compel him to comply. I’m also having an agreement drawn up for the Austrians to sign. Kanzler von Schuschnigg’s ban on the Austrian Nazi Party is to be lifted and our people in his jails are to be released!’ Hitler banged his fist on the table. ‘It shouldn’t be long before you start construction, Himmler.’
A cold smile spread across Himmler’s sallow face.
‘Now, what’s this archaeological evidence you were talking about?’
‘I’ve received a cable from our ambassador in Guatemala City. There’s a possibility the Aryans were instrumental in the rise of the great Mayan civilisation.’
‘That wouldn’t surprise me in the least. I’ve been reading Der Mythus des Zwanzigsten Jahrhunderts – it’s excellent, excellent,’ Hitler emphasised, slapping his thigh again. ‘Alfred Rosenberg has it absolutely right. The lower race of Jews has corrupted the Aryan culture, and we must pursue the purification of the master race with every fibre of our being. We are building the foundations for a Reich that will last a thousand years!’ Hitler’s eyes blazed as he warmed to his theme. He got up from the table and placed his hands on the window casing.