Not at all. Many of Hitler's associates were remarkably intelligent (IQ scores):

1 Hjalmar Schacht 143

2 Arthur Seyss-Inquart 141

3 Hermann Goering 138

4 Karl Doenitz 138

5 Franz von Papen 134

6 Eric Raeder 134

7 Dr. Hans Frank 130

8 Hans Fritsche 130

9 Baldur von Schirach 130

10 Joachim von Ribbentrop 129

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuremberg_trials#Intelligence_...

130 is about 1 in 50 people.

Which perhaps is still remarkable, but I think it is a much higher frequency than most people would intuit from the number.

this doesn't really mean anything? you would find similarly high iq people around anyone with the power and the money to acquire them.

Is disobedience correlated with intelligence? Especially when the superiors are not less intelligent than the one who is receiving orders?

The "openness" trait from big five personality research (pretty legit) correlates with IQ. More open people are both more likely to question the status quo and are more likely to be more intelligent (in the strict sense of the word) than average. This suggests but doesn't necessarily mean that anything would come of it.

There's also the question of whether or not the genetic changes they attempt to make would increase intelligence independently of openness, which is likely possible, but that would require a deeper understanding and familiarity with the subject.

Personally I tend to feel less respect for people who are noticeably dumber than I am. I think that's basic human nature, or at least my nature.

Tyrants know this. You see it when they feel threatened and start purging their subordinates. If they don't respect you they can fear you instead.

"That Cassius over there has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Men like him are dangerous." [1]

1: http://shakespeare.mit.edu/julius_caesar/julius_caesar.1.2.h...

We are talking about a population engineered to be more intelligent, so the assumption is that the rulers would also be more intelligent, so this gap would not exist

So find the smartest person and make them the dictator. Problem solved.

This project will produce a lot of fairly intelligent drones who will know to color inside the lines. I doubt that any Feynmans will emerge.

It's no more contradictory than a dictator wanting to promote economic development, increase literacy and education, or a number of other things that often lead to democracy.