In November 1937, German Fuhr Adolf Hitler announced to his closest advisors his international goals,

first of which were the annexations of Austria and Czechoslovakia.

But conservatives, like his war minister and the commander of the army,

feared Hitler was leading his country into a military confrontation with the allies. A confrontation

Germany could not hope to win. As fate would have it, some of the most prominent naysayers

would soon be out of his way,

and there would be no one left to stop Hitler from taking the first step in Austria.

Welcome to the history of the 20th century.

Music of the 20th century. Episode 304

Axis and Anshluss, Part 2.

Last week, I told you about a meeting held on November 5, 1937, between Adolf Hitler,

his foreign secretary, war secretary, and the heads of the three service branches,

at which Hitler laid out his ambitions for Germany's future, which included annexation of

Austria and Czechoslovakia.

Hitler left that meeting disappointed by the cool reception his vision had received from old-school

conservatives like Foreign Minister von Neurat and War Minister von Blomberg,

both of whom were holdovers from the Weimar days,

not to mention the old-school military commanders like Army Chief Werner von Fritch.

Back in the Weimar Republic days, these were the Nazis' right-wing allies who helped bring

Hitler to power and end the reign of the socialists.

But they were not true Nazis, and clearly did not

have the proper Nazi attitude. You know who else fits that description? Hjalmar Schacht,

...