Figure 1.--This portrait was taken in Berlin we think in Hitler's living quarters. A source suggested 1936, but based on Dieter's age we think that 1940-41 is more likely. Frick has brought his Deiter to see Hitler. But notice there is no colegial relation, claerly Frick is being treated as a low-level subordinate and Hitler does not see particulsrly taken with the boy which is not the case with many photographs og him with young children.

After World War I, Frick as director of the Munich Criminal Police Force came in contact with World War I veteran Adolf Hitler who became involved with the fledgling NAZI Party. Hitler required police permits to hold political rallys. Munich descended into Chaos as the Communists attempted to create a Munish: Râterepublik -- Red Bavaria. Following the supressionm of the Communist effort to seize power, people were vetted to weed out the Bolsheviks. Right-wing groups had been crucial in defating the Communists. Frick was impressed with Hitler and was drawn to his beliefs. He became Hitler’s contact in the Munich Police Department. He joined the NAZI Party (September 1923). He thus claimed to be one of the original NAZIs. Frick was imprtant to Hitler because he was a a well-respected individual at a time that the NAZIs were considered to be uneducated street brawlers. Hitler wrote about Frick after the Putch, saying he was one of the few men he knew who 'had the courage to be German first and then officials'. [Hitler] Incredably after beuing foiund guilty of treason, Frick won a seat in the Reichstag (1924). As a MP, he became one of the most important NAZIs. He would become the leader of the NAZI Party parlimentary delegation. As such the must have has extensive personal contavct with Hitler. And then it was Frick who provided the administrative expoertise to convert NAZI policy into action and German law. this began with Enabling Act and concentration camps and culminated with the Nurenmberg Laws. Again this must have required consideranle interaction with Hitler. After this the interaction appoears to ahve declined. Hitler no longer needed law. The system Frick put in place no longer needed to operate within the law. Hitler as he increasingly focused on the military and more forcful actions against Jews no longer needed Frick. He was spending more time with Himmler, Heydrich, and the military. We don't recall seeing Frick in Eva Braun's Berchtesgaden home movies. Frick was a vicious anti-Semite, but we are not sure he advocated the mass murder of millions of people including children. This was the work of Himmler, Göring, and Heydrich amd all done as extra-judicial action. Which they would have discussed freely duscussed with Hitler. After the War began and Germany began occupoying other countries, again he prepared the legal system for depriving Poles pf their basic rights and property. We are not sure to what extent he had direct contact with Hitler. Hitler gradually increased the role of Himmler and Heydrisch and ultimately removed Frick from the Interior Ministry. We are not entirely sure why, but suspect that Frick wanted to operate under some legal system, however, unjust. And it is not clear if Frick countenced mass murder, although he must have known about it and did not take any action to opppse it. Notably, Frick told his intrviewer at Nuremberrg, "Hitler was undoubtedly a genius but he lacked self-control. He recognized no limits. Otherwise the thousand-year Reich would have lasted more than twelve years." [Goldensohn, March 10, 1946.] .

Sources

Goldensohn, Leon. "March 10, 1946," The Nuremberg Interviews (History: 2007).

Hitler, Adolf. Mein Kmmpf.

Created: 12:50 AM 8/19/2020
Last updated: 12:51 AM 8/19/2020