German Leadership

Mussolini meets money man.

The Duce presents an Italian decoration to Franz-Xaver Schwartz, long-time Treasurer of the National Socialist German Workers Party, in the course of his 1937 visit to Berlin. Schwartz is a somewhat enigmatic character. A very early member of the Nazi Party (1922, original Party no. 6), and a Beer Hall Putchist (note somewhat unusually worn Blood Order medal on right breast). He was evidently an ultra-loyal Nazi, and ran the Party's finances for many years, both before and during the Nazi accession to power, with an efficiency testified to by the lack of known scandal associated with this function. However, as he died in prison before he could be properly interviewed (let alone tried), and as most of his papers were burned at the end of the war, our knowledge of how exactly the Party's finances worked is patchy, to say the least. Apart from his status among the "oldest" of the old Party fighters, he enjoyed the distinction of being one of only four people afforded the rank of Oberstgruppenfuhrer-SS (Colonel-General), and the only Oberstgruppenfuhrer whose rank was counted as honorary. Best regards, JR.