I remember a scene from one of the “Bunker” movies where Himmler is pondering whether he should salute or shake hands when he meets Eisenhower to negotiate an end to the war.
:rolleyes:
Speer was not in Berlin at the Führerbunker when the collapse began, but he chose to fly into Berlin shortly before the fall of Berlin, simply to say farewell to Hitler. He then flew out again.
That’s an awfully risky two-way trip for someone to take, and I would say that by his actions Speer showed that he had considerable respect or liking or what you will for Hitler.
To his associates Hitler seems to have been a reasonably hospitable host. He didn’t try to extend on vegetarianism or near-teetotal abstention from alcohol on others of the inner circle, though he did have a standing offer of some reward for any of them who quit smoking. I forget what the prize was exactly, other than that it was some sort of attractive and expensive gift.
Obviously, foreign diplomats and heads of state found him less pleasant when he was trying to wrest their countries away from them, but outside the arena of politics and diplomacy he seems to have been a reasonably tolerable man to be around.
Except for the flatulence, of course (see for example the Toland biography).