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I left the old town by the shortest route and with difficulty made my way through the jubilant crowd. At the Gruppenstab things were very animated. The same officer welcomed me: “Oh, it’s you again.” Finally, Brigadeführer Dr. Rasch received me. He shook my hand cordially, but his massive face remained severe. “Have a seat. What happened with Standartenführer Blobel?” He wasn’t wearing a cap and his broad domed forehead shone under the lightbulb. I briefly described Blobel’s collapse: “According to the doctor, it was due to fever and exhaustion.” His thick lips sketched a pout. He leafed through the papers on his desk and took out a sheet. “The Ic from AOK Six wrote to me to complain about his remarks. Apparently he threatened some officers from the Wehrmacht?”—“That’s an exaggeration, Brigadeführer. It is true that he was delirious, he was making incoherent remarks. But he wasn’t after anyone in particular, it was just an effect of the illness.”—“Good.” He questioned me on a few other points, then signaled that the discussion was over. “Sturmba
Thomas was a good friend, I was really glad to see him again. We had been friends for several years; in Berlin, we often had di
I went to see Thomas. I was pleased he was leaving with me: as a student, he had spent several years in France, and his French was excellent. “What a face!” he said when he saw me. “You should be happy. A mission—they’ve given you a mission, that’s all.” I suddenly realized that in fact it was a godsend. “You’ll see. If we succeed, that’ll open quite a few doors to us. Things will start moving, soon, and there will be room for people who know how to seize the moment.” He had gone to see Schellenberg, who was acting as Heydrich’s main advisor for foreign affairs; Schellenberg had explained to him what they were expecting of us. “All you have to do is read the papers to know who wants war and who doesn’t. What’s more delicate is to gauge the actual influence of the various groups. And especially the actual influence of the Jews. The Führer, apparently, is convinced that they want to lead Germany into another war; but will the French stand for it? That’s the question.” He laughed openly: “And also in Paris you eat well! And the girls are beautiful.” The mission went off without any obstacles. I found my old friends—Robert Brasillach, who was getting ready to tour Spain in a mobile home with his sister Suza