(Just a disclaimer, I do not sympathize with Nazi Germany or any other totalitarian regime for that matter. This is a mere alternate history I'm writing to try and get back my writer mojo, and I do not wish to offend anyone.)
August 30th, 1933
Berlin, Germany
“Chancellor Hitler, I have news for you.”
Joseph Goebbels presented himself before Adolf Hitler, who was sitting at his desk, his eyes darting across the papers he held in front of him.
“Yes, Joseph?” said Hitler, his eyes focused on his papers instead of Goebbels.
“Assuming that you haven’t heard the news already, the Jewish philosopher Theodor Lessing was recently shot a few hours ago by supporters of our party in the Sudeten village of Marienbad. Perhaps this could mean that we can start attracting the Sudeten Germans into the Third Reich?”
“The Sudetenland will be united with the Reich, but not now. We still have plenty of internal problems to address, so please return to your own duties while I attend to my own,” responded Hitler, his eyes still turned on to his papers instead of Goebbels.
“Mein Fuehrer,” said Goebbels as he left Hitler’s office.
Hitler now had his space to himself. He spent the next few minutes browsing over his papers, many of them regarding options on what to do with reforming the Reich, as well as the Jewish question at hand. A paper about how a newspaper article from the United States on the concentration camps also stuck out, but Hitler dismissed it as unimportant, since he considered Americans to be unreliable in gathering information. A few more minutes would pass with Hitler reading document after document, with the future Fuehrer growing weary of reading and writing papers all day, up until a quick glance at a nearby table caused something to catch Hitler’s eye. The World Set Free, by English author H.G. Wells and translated into German, laying by itself on the table.
Hitler, seeing as he was rather tired of reading documents all day, decided to take a quick look at it. He didn’t take much interest in science fiction, and non-German fiction at that, but he needed a break from official duties every now and then. Better than nothing, Hitler thought to himself. Hitler went over to get the book, and brought it back to his desk. Initially, he partly skimmed over the first few pages, but as the book went on to describe a weapon of great power known as the atomic bomb, Hitler became more engrossed in the book. He just could not put it down at this point.
Hitler thought to himself; what if this technology could actually be harnessed to bring forth the salvation of the Reich and the Germanic race?