Hindenburg and Hitler The German constitutional crisis unfolds slowly. Close
as Herr Hitler has been to the Chancellorship he is evi- dently unable to guarantee a Parliamentary majority for his Cabinet, and the President on the other side has so far declined to contemplate a Presidential Government— an administration dependent on the President's emer- gency powers—under Hitler, partly because he is Hitler, partly because lie wants a non-party man. Though the Nazis, the Centre and a few odd fractions could muster a bare Parliamentary majority between them it would give them no secure position even if they could agree on a programme and accept Hitler as Chancellor. So far that agreement has not been reached and it is likely enough that the President will either turn once more to Herr von Papen and form a new Government on the model of the old or go further afield and offer power to a man like Dr. Schacht, the former President of the Reichsbank (who would, however, immediately plunge into trouble over the import quota plans) or Dr. Bracht, the present administrator of Prussia. There are forces of some importance still working for a more moderate administra- tion under such a man as Herr Gessler, the former Defence Minister, with Ilr. Bruning at the Foreign Office, but the signs of that so far are few. On the contrary the Presi- dent's fixed resolve seems to be to keep Baron von Neurath in charge of foreign affairs and General von Schleicher as Defence Minister, no matter who may be Chancellor.
Previous page
