This is CBS Eye on the World. Here's John Batchelor.

It is August 13, 1932, Berlin. I welcome Timothy Ryback. He's the author of a new book, Takeover, Hitler's Final Rise to Power.

Tim is the co-founder and director of the Institute for Historical Justice and Reconciliation at the Hague.

He speaks to me from Berlin itself, and we're speaking of moments between August 13, 1932 and January 30th, 1933,

in which everything changes for Germany, for Europe, and I will say for the century,

the 20th century, and it's still underway the transformation of the maps and of loyalties these many decades.

Tim, a very good evening to you. Thank you very much. At that date, the Dow you report is at 41.22,

its lowest ever. Berlin is clear, a clear sky that day. And meeting, importantly, are two men whose fate will be intertwined forever.

One is Paul von Hindenberg, the 84-year-old statuess German military man who's become the President of the Reich,

giving him constitutional power to name and unnamed governments, to name and unnamed chancellors. He's being introduced to a man,

Adolf Hitler, who believes he's about to be the new chancellor of Germany. And he says to Hitler

at one point, without sitting down, are you personally willing to place

yourself at my disposal for participating in the government? Question mark, to which Adolf Hitler

answers nine. Please interpret that sentence and that scene.

Why is Hitler there?

Why is Hindenburg offering and participation in the government?

Why the nine?

Good evening to you.

Good evening, John.

Thank you very much.

Well, I think we know enough about Adolf Hitler to know what kind of man he was

and he was an all or nothing man

...