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Yes, Frederick (see his comment below) is absolutely right. The man on the right of Hitler is Arno Breker, Hitler’s favourite sculptor, who accompanied Speer and the Fuehrer on their lightening, three hour early morning tour of Paris, 70 years ago this month.
Hitler wanted these ‘artists’ to accompany him so that they could see the glories of Paris, and thus be sure to construct bigger glories back in the German capital in response. And Hitler’s words to Speer that same evening (which Speer recorded in his autobiography ‘Inside the Third Reich’) give a chilling insight into the mentality of the German leader. ‘In the past I often considered whether we would not have to destroy Paris,’ said Hitler, ‘but when we are finished in Berlin, Paris will only be a shadow. So why should we destroy it?’
As Speer said, the idea that Hitler had considered destroying Paris merely because he didn’t want the French capital to overshadow Berlin reveals that he was most certainly a ‘ruthless and mankind-hating nihilist’.
A realisation that didn’t stop Speer serving him subsequently as armaments minister though, did it?
“A realisation that didn’t stop Speer serving him subsequently as armaments minister though, did it?”–absolutely, and to the end since he visited Hitler in the bunker on April 24–six days before Hitler’s suicide. A clever, revolting individual who got away fairly easily at Nuremberg–he should have been hanged with the others.
Who’s surprised when someone is offered power that they forget all their principals? Isn’t that the human condition. The people who turn it down are the exceptional ones – the martyrs, the religious leaders – the few real ‘greats’in our history.
Speer was lucky he didn’t hang. He was as guilty as hell.