Leader Personality Assessments in Support of Government Policyhave to be brought up one day. That is the way German
justice should be handled. Either acquittal or beheading."
e. Bleucher: The driving force against Napoleon and a symbol
of German faith and courage, General Bleucher, also known
as "Marshall Vorwaerts," was an inspiration to Hitler. It
was Bleucher's technique of perpetual attack that in
Hitler's judgment led Napoleon to lose his nerve.
f. Napoleon: Napoleon was the figure in European history of
greatest interest to Hitler. Hitler was clearly intrigued by,
and sought to emulate, Napoleon: "Napoleon the Jacobin,
Napoleon the soldier, the propagandist, the coiner of
phrases, the tyrant, the Imperator." Hitler modeled his own
leadership style after Napoleon, who demanded that his peo-
ple follow his model, such that "Napoleon became France
and France Napoleon." Like Napoleon, Hitler particularly
directed his appeal to the youth of the nation. While depre-
cating the aged and the rich, Hitler built his followership of
"little Hitlers." Both leaders, being mediums of the inner
wishes of their respective nations, were "like avalanches."
Napoleon considered himself the "flagellum Dei" while
Hitler saw himself as "the scourging Messiah."Speechmaking TechniqueListed under the final heading of "speechmaking technique" were the
following topics: preparation of speech, entrance, interruptions,
speech, posture, oratory, end of speech, avoidance of names and per-
sonages, and exit technique.
Recognizing the power of his oratory, Hitler was meticulous in
the preparation of his speeches, working on each one for four to six
hours and using cues on ten or twelve foolscap sheets. The notes were
for cuing only; he would never read a speech, recognizing that to do
so would lose spontaneity. He was extremely concerned with audi-
ence reaction, so each aspect of his speech—the entrance, the exit,
the martial music—was carefully orchestrated. The average length of
a speech was two and one-half to three hours, during which time he
was not concerned with applause but instead sought to convert the
audience to his ideas. There was a rhythm to his speeches, with the
first two-thirds in march time. Often questioning his own ideas, he