General Wilhelm Grüber ignored the glass of brandy in front of him, for he was more interested in the man who sat across from him than in drinking. It was his third meeting with Adolf Hitler, and as always, Grüber was mesmerized by the man who had led Germany out of a crushing depression to become a world power. To Hitler’s left sat Heinrich Himmler, the head of the SS, and to his right Hermann Göring, minister of the economy. As Hitler exchanged small talk with the others, Grüber allowed his gaze to rest upon Himmler, an ex-police chief from Munich. Heinrich Himmler was anything but an inspiring figure. He was an awkward man, regarded as a meddling but generally well-meaning fussbudget before his rise to power. He wore a heavy coat that overwhelmed his spare frame, emphasizing his narrow shoulders and thin chest. Himmler’s pinched face with its modest mustache and thick round glasses displayed none of the fervor of a revolutionary.
