On Friday, March 15, 1935, Hitler departed his mountain retreat and returned to Berlin.He immediately convened a Cabinet meeting and also assembled members of the Army'sGeneral Staff. He then announced a major decision he had just come to - Germany wouldopenly defy the military limitations set by the Treaty of Versailles and re-arm.

No one in the room objected or voiced any concern. After the announcement, Nazi legalQfficials quickly set to work drafting the necessary laws, while Pmpag-anda MinisterJoseph Goebbels worked with Hitler to compose the actual proclamations to be read toNazi Party members and the German people.

On Saturday, March 16, the Cabinet and Generals met once again and listened to Hitlerread the finished proclamations, after which all of those present gave a hearty 'threecheers' for the Fuhrer. The proclamations were then announced to the world by Goebbelsat a hastily called press conference.

The press was told the Fuhrer had decided Germany was going to reintroduce militaryconscription (compulsory enrollment) and build a new Army consisting of 36 divisions,totaling 550,000 men.

This was actually a flagrant violation of Part V of the Treaty of Versailles signed byGermany back in 1919 after its defeat in World War 1. Breaking the Treaty was an affrontto Germany's former World War I enemies, France and England.

Everyone waited to see how they would respond to the news. Some of Hitler's morecautious Army generals thought there might even be an immediate military attack byFrance. But absolutely nothing happened, except for a few diplomatic protests.

Hitler, for the first time in his career, had gambled against Germany's old enemies andwon. He knew France was suffering from serious political in-fighting and that Englandwas in the grips of an economic depression. He wagered that the two countries, giventheir internal problems, didn't have the stomachs to respond militarily. And he was right.

But Hitler still found it necessary to soothe the jangled nerves of the world's democraciesand Germany's next door neighbors. On May 21, two months after the conscriptionannouncement, he appeared before the Reichstag in Berlin and delivered a conciliatoryspeech. "Germany wants peace ...None of us means to threaten anybody, " Hitler declared.He then announced a thirteen point peace program containing all kinds of promises suchas: Germany will respect all other provisions of the Treaty of Versailles including thedemilitarization of the Rhineland; Germany is ready to cooperate in a collective systemfor safeguarding European peace; and the German government is ready in principle toconclude pacts of non-aggression with its neighbors.

Hitler's method of diplomacy in dealing with the gun-shy Western democracies was thusestablished. His original bombastic announcement was usually made on a Saturday to

catch other governments off-guard. It came in the midst of an ongoing action, or after thefact, and was followed by a conciliatory speech full of reassuring promises.

Between Hitler's gambles, there would be a considerable lapse of time, during which hereturned to Berchtesgaden, contemplating his next move like a chess master pondering allof the potential outcomes.

Hitler's next big move in the game of international diplomacy didn't occur until a yearlater and it would be one ofthe biggest risks of his entire career. Beginning at dawn onSaturday, March 7,1936, three battalions of the German Army crossed the bridges overthe Rhine and entered into the industrial heartland of Germany known as the Rhineland.This demilitarized area included all territory west of the Rhine River extending to theFrench border as well as a portion east of the river including the cities of Cologne,Dusseldorf and Bonn.

At 10 a.m. that morning, Hitler's Foreign Minister, Constantin von Neurath, summonedthe ambassadors of France, Britain, and Italy, and handed them a lengthy memorandumstating that the German government had "...restored the full and unrestricted sovereigntyof the Reich in the demilitarized zone of the Rhineland. "

At noon, Hitler appeared before a hastily called Reichstag assembly, accompanied byseveral visibly nervous Army generals. The six hundred Reichstag members inattendance had no idea what was happening. As soon as Hitler informed them thatGerman troops were on the march into the Rhineland, they jumped to their feet amid wildcheering for the Fuhrer and shouts of'Heil!'

When they calmed down, Hitler solemnly promised: "First, we swear to yield to no forcewhatever in the restoration of the honor of our people, preferring to succumb with honorto the severest hardships rather than to capitulate. Secondly, we pledge that now, morethan ever, we shall strive for an understanding between European peoples, especially forone with our Western neighbor nations ...We have no territorial demands to make inEurope! ...Germany will never break the peace. "

Once again, the whole world waited to see how the French and British would react.German troops entering the Rhineland even had orders to scoot back across the Rhinebridges ifthe French Army attacked. But in France, the politicians were simply unable toconvince their generals to act, and were also unable to get any British support for amilitary response. So they did nothing. The French Army, with its one hundred divisions,never budged against the 30,000 lightly armed German soldiers occupying the Rhineland,even though France and Britain were both obligated to preserve the demilitarized zone bythe Treaty of Versailles and the Locarno Pact of mutual assistance.

It had been a tremendous gamble for Hitler, one that might have cost him everything ifhis troops had been humiliated by their old enemies. Later, Hitler would privately admit:

"The forty-eight hours after the march into the Rhineland were the most nerve-racking inmy life. If the French had marched into the Rhineland, we would have had to withdrawwith our tail between our legs, for the military resources at our disposal would have beenwholly inadequate for even a moderate resistance."

Some of Hitler's top Army generals had gotten cold feet during the maneuver. OnlyNeurath, his Foreign Minister, had calmly assured him: "You can risk it. Nothing willhappen." Hitler would never forget the fearful behavior exhibited by some of his topgenerals during his first military venture. As a result, their cautious advice would often beignored in the future.

In the Rhineland, German Army troops marching under the Swastika banner were met byGerman priests conferring blessings upon them and women tossing flowers into theirpath. In Cologne, the people went wild with joy. Inside Cologne's Catholic Cathedral,Cardinal Schulte even praised Hitler for "sending back our Army."

A few weeks later, on March 29, a nationwide referendum was held in which 99 percentofthe registered voters in Germany went to the polls and gave a 98.8 percent "Ja" voteapproving Hitler's reoccupation of the Rhineland. The Fiihrer had reached new heights ofpopularity.

After this victory, Hitler. once again went back to his mountain retreat at Berchtesgadento relax and ponder his next move. Meanwhile, in Berlin and throughout Germany,preparations were underway to host the coming Summer Olympics. For the Nazis, theBerlin Olympics would be an opportunity to show offthe New Order to people from allover the world. It would also be a chance to impress everyone with the natural superiorityof Nazi athletes.