Thank God it’s Sunday. The shabat, the sabbath, but of course it’s Sunday 29thJanuary 1933, so not the Jewish sabbath but the Christian one. And the less I say about anything Jewish in a nice way the better. Anti-Semitism is pretty much a thing today.

The cold bite that has been freezing Germany for a few days now still isn’t really let up. Grey, overcast day. I don’t think it’s going to get any brighter. In a lot of ways maybe.

Today, at this minute, Germany is leaderless. Well Schleicher’s still technically the Chancellor but he’s just keeping the seat warm for the real chancellor who will be ….. – Franz von Papen perhaps. Perhaps even that man who was looking like a rank outsider just a few weeks, even a few days ago, Adolf Hitler.

This Sunday there’s no time for President Hindenburg to attend church as he usually does. He’s in his study and it’s only 10 o’clock in the morning. Right now, as I’m watching him, he’s telling his aide, Otto Meissner, to send an urgent telegram to General Blomberg. Blomberg’s in Geneva attending the armaments talks. About cutting Germany a bit of slack from all of the restrictions imposed on her at the end of World War I. Hindenburg’s telegram is telling Blomberg to return immediately to Berlin and report to the President. Wonder what that’s all about?

While he’s at it, Hindenburg is sending another telegram. This one to Schleicher, also summoning him to the President. Thanks to all of Schleicher’s spies, still working for him as the Minister of Defence, he’s just hearing that General Blomberg will be returning to Berlin – summoned by the President. Schleicher’s opinion. Blomberg’s not a man to think for himself. Schleicher’s wondering why he’s being summoned. Blomberg’s certainly not a man of my outstanding qualities – Schleicher thinks to himself.

I wonder what this is all about.

Tag words: Reichsbanner; Federation of German Trade Unions; the Workers’ Gymnastics and Sports Federation; General Federation of Salaried