> A WELL KEPT SECRET" - Hjalmar Schacht > > http://www.thefreemason.com/feature.htm > > Picked Up in Passing Presented by T Hargreaves > > Hjalmar Schacht, a genius in financial affairs during the Hitler war > years, was generally disliked by the Nazis because he was a > Freemason. > > After the war years he was acquitted as a war criminal at the > Nuremberg tdals. Schacht was a member of "Zur Freundchaft" Lodge and > as early as World War I had published articles on the obligation of a > Mason in his heart and spirit, to the people with whom he lived. > General Werner Von Blomberg was minister of war in the Hitler Cabinet > from 1933 to 1938 and Schacht wished to honor him on one of his > birthdays. > > In 1933 Freemasonry was dissolved in Germany, and Lodges taken over > and their contents confiscated. Among these articles was a very fine > painting of Gebhard Lebrecht von Bluecher, General Field Marshal in > the Prussian Army. > > Bluecher was a very ardent Mason and after the battle of Katzbach in > 1813 he declared, "Masonry is holy to me and it will be so until I am > called to the Eternal East and any Brother is near and dear to my > heart." The oil painting of Bluecher was made during the years 1802- > 1806 at the time that he was the Master of his Lodge "Zu den 3 > Balken" in Muenster, Germany. > > The painting depicts the Marshal in uniform with all of his military > orders and decorations, and you can also see around his neck a large > blue ribbon with a square of the end. He is standing before an Alter > on which is a book with a sword lying thereon. He holds a gavel in > his right hand. > > One can distinctly see the Masonic insignia. Schacht found that this > painting was available for a very low price and bought it. It would > have been extremely dangerous to give Von Blomberg this painting > since he was a strong Nazi so Schacht found an artist who painted > over parts of the picture so that it would be impossible to see the > Masonic paraphernalia. > > But the artist was unaware that the jewel around his neck also > indicated Freemasonry and left that part untouched. On one of his > birthdays Von Blomberg received the painting from Bro. Schacht and > felt very honored that Schacht had compared him to the famous Marshal > Bluecher and placed it in one of the largest rooms of his villa for > all to see. > > It has to be said to the honor of all Masons that they recognized the > picture belonging to a Lodge in Muenster but not one gave the secret > away. To the end of the Hitler regime it remained a well kept secret, > and at the same time became a source of hearty laughter in the circle > of our Brothers.
