memorandum of August–September 1936 is remembered above all as an economic policy statement.63 Indeed, it is universally referred to as the ‘Four Year Plan memorandum’, providing Goering with the warrant for his new economic programme. But Hitler’s statement has as much to say about grand strategy and armaments as it does about economics. This was typical of Hitler’s rambling style. But given the questions facing Germany in 1936, a wide-ranging response was clearly called for. The argument was no longer about the balance of payments. What was at stake was the future of the Third Reich.
