Himmler met with Count Folke Bernadotte in the cellar of the Swedish consulate in Lübeck, proposing German surrender on the Western Front, but not on the Eastern Front. The Western Allies were careful not to consider Himmler’s peace proposal; however, the offer was publicized in the press, and on April 28, Radio London announced: “The Reichsführer of the SS claims that Hitler is dead and that he is his successor.” In Berlin, Hitler, in a fit of uncontrollable rage, relieved him of all his political and military duties and also ordered his arrest and execution, but these were not carried out due to the difficult stalemate affecting all units of the Third Reich’s army.
