From 22 Cells in Nuremberg by Douglas M. Kelley, 1947

. . .   While studying . . . the . . . problems of hunting in England, he acquired the bulk of his English upper-class mannerisms, including accent. Originally he was in the cavalry but in 1910 was assigned to the General Staff and became military attaché to the German Embassy in the United States in 1913.

His success in directing espionage and sabotage from Washington during the First World War is well known. After the war, he returned to his farm in Westphalia. Out of sympathy and out of favor with the Weimar Republic, he re-entered political life at the bottom. He became burgomaster, was elected to the Prussian Diet, and finally was asked by Hindenburg to form a government and act in the capacity of Chancellor in 1932. In this key position, he was able to watch the . . . maneuvers of Hitler ; and, in order to change bandwagons without again descending to the burgomaster level he fell in with Hitler�s demand for the Chancellorship.

Von Papen told me emphatically that he was strongly opposed to Hitler at this time—something I find easy to believe, because Hitler was actually displacing him as top man in Germany. However, von Papen . . . recognized the potentialities of this upstart party. Though he had much to lose, he obviously preferred to carry on as a small frog in a big puddle than to wind up a dead frog in no puddle at all. The excuse, used by so many others with so much less effect, �only for the reason that someone should act as curb to Hitler�s ambition,� earned him a full acquittal at Nuremberg.

So thoroughly did von Papen convince Hitler of his eagerness to be a good Nazi that he earned the position of Vice-chancellor. But, unable to control a penchant for conspiracy, he was accused by Hitler of plotting against him. He almost lost his life in the 1934 purge but got away with official dismissal.

Although Hitler had once apparently decided to liquidate him and had then formally dismissed him, von Papen still felt it his duty to �watch over the growth of this party.� And so—a few weeks later—he accepted Hitler�s appointment as minister to Austria. He obviously did not do too good a job of �checking Nazi activities� in Vienna, which Hitler had promised the Austrian Government would be done, for while von Papen was in charge there, Nazism flourished.

As history records and as he, himself, admitted to me in jail. Von Papen actually worked hard for the Nazis in Vienna in an attempt to bring about anschluss. He was engaged on this project for four years before he was recalled in 1938.

He frankly admitted to me his regret at this development, for his entire four years had been expended in perfecting a diplomatic maneuver whereby Austria would be taken into the Reich without bloodshed. Hitler apparently grew impatient, however, substituted Seyss-Inquart for Papen, and accomplished anschluss the very next month. Papen professed to be very shocked at the ultimatum-and �arms technique employed. His idea had been to take the country by undercover work and infiltration, but peacefully. Hitler�s idea was simply to take it.

Von Papen . . . naively offered his Austrian record of conspiracy as demonstrating his constant desire to block Hitler�s aggressive methods.

Papen achieved more success in his next job, in Turkey, where he was sent to prevent the encirclement of Germany. . . .

He was quite proud of this accomplishment and talked eagerly of it. It was his thesis that : �If Turkey had joined in with the Allies early in the war, millions of Turks would have lost their lives� etc.

New York : Greenberg, 1947, pages 115 � 117.