Yes, what I've read seems to indicate that his mission was entirely on his own initiative, and Hitler was pretty PO'd about it. Had he ever returned to Germany, he likely would have been executed as a traitor.
I don't think he was necessarily entirely trying to help his own cause within the party, I think he genuinely believed that what he was doing was for the good of Nazi Germany. As I said, there are indications he wasn't mentally stable, and his actions were entirely his own, without any knowledge of anyone else in power. It seems plausible that he thought he was acting for the greater good, misguided though he may have been.
While he may not have had any real power within the party, he was still a noteworthy public figure. I still think most will find it very distasteful to have an achievement which involves emulating a prominent Nazi regardless of how powerful they may or may not have been, which was really my main point