Schuschnigg had begun to negotiate an agreement with Germany in which, in exchange for Hitler’s pledge to keep Austria independent, Austria would make its foreign policy consistent with Germany’s and allow Nazis to hold official posts. Fritz and Starhemberg lamented that the agreement would isolate Austria diplomatically and encourage other European countries to view Austrian-German relations as a purely internal affair of the German people. More than anything, they believed it was a ploy to weaken Austria for Hitler’s invasion. Hitler would have men on the inside of the Austrian government
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