Eduard von der Heydt was and still is often criticised for his actions during the Nazi era. He was a national conservative by origin and sentiment. In 1926 he joined the monarchist organisation Der Stahlhelm. After the 'Gleichschaltung' of Der Stahlhelm in 1933, membership of the NSDAP was an obvious choice, and he joined its foreign organisation. Von der Heydt initially saw Adolf Hitler and his party as an opportunity to strengthen national conservative forces in Germany. It is known that he was not ideologically convinced by National Socialism and was personally disappointed in 1934. Nevertheless, he remained well-balanced and did not publicly distance himself from the regime.
Eduard von der Heydt became a Swiss citizen in 1937 and lost his German citizenship. He was also expelled from the NSDAP. He fought successfully against this and was able to resign 'face-saving'.
Eduard von der Heydt was a member of the supervisory board of August Thyssen Bank until 1943. He himself had founded the bank in Berlin in 1925. It was only saved financially when the Thyssen brothers took it over in 1930.
The bank was close to the Nazis and had links with the Abwehr. In his role, von der Heydt carried out financial transactions for the Abwehr. After being questioned by the Swiss Federal Police in October 1943 on the basis of information from the American authorities, he resigned from the supervisory board of Thyssen Bank in November.
In 1946 Eduard von der Heydt was tried by a military tribunal. The case concerned payments made by Thyssen Bank to the German military intelligence service. He was acquitted in 1948 for lack of evidence. It is now clear that von der Heydt must have known who the money was intended for. These actions and the acquittal cast a shadow over von der Heydt's life, and the stigma of opportunist remains attached to him.
