There is no doubt from this and other accounts that Himmler could shine at social events when the company was congenial to him. He was not the invariably grim fanatic or ‘crank’ depicted in so many post-war memoirs. Of course on this occasion most of the guests were directly subordinate to him and could be expected to share his opinions; nevertheless he was obviously cheerful and expansive. Höss’s description of the evening which so surprised him actually tallies with Kersten’s account of dinners with Himmler, his staff and guests at field headquarters; service matters were not discussed,
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