Evening star., 1932-08-11
A Hitler Chancellorship2

III
much sham in the weird political game
now being played in Berlin 1t Is diftl-
cult from this remote point to judge
with accuracy. On the face Of things,
Adolph Hitler, leader of the National
Socialists, appears to have bluffed the
Hindenburg-Von Papen government into
imminent handing over the chancellor
ship to the Maj" car, on the ground
that he now heads the strongest and
most troublesome party in Germany.
If such a deal Is consummated, Chan
cellor Won Papen, according to reports,
would become vice chancellor and for
eign minister; Gen. Kurt Won Schlelch-
er. main prop of the present cabinet,
would remain as minister Of defense,
and two of Hitlers chief lieutenants,
Gregor Strasser and Wilhelm Goering,
would take Office as other 'Naz" MEM
bers of a coalition cabinet. The reten-
tion of Gen. Won Schleicher in his pres
ent post would be for the alleged pur-
pose of enabling that man of iron to
continue as the real power in the
government" and restrain Chancellor
Hitler from unconstitutional exceSses-
q malodorous and sinister suggestion.
This is the program as latest Berlin
dispatches depict it. Conferences which
President Won Hindenburg and Chan
cellor Won Papen are holding with Herr
Hitler today may determine the imne-
diate course of events. Negotiations
with the Roman Catholic Center party
of DR.. Bruening, which holds the bal
ance Of power between the Right ana
Left Reichstag groups, are also re-
quired to assure the formation Of
coalition government which can func-
ton. Hitherto the idea Of any sort
of cooperation with the National So
.ialists has been taboo among Bruening
and his colleagues.
II out of all this tortuous business
Hitler chancellorship emerges, the con-
clusion will be inescapable that the re-
doubtable "Nazi" leader has bluffed his
way to power, despite his failure to
capture the Reichstag. Ever since his
party rolled up its enormous vote in
the elections of July 81 and won 230
seats in the chamber, "NaA" defiance
has known no bounds. Riots and kill
ings, though not always inStigated by
the Hitlerites, have ragged throughout
the Reich, in most cases because OF the
insolence which has marked the pre-
tensions OF the German Fascists since
they vaulted into political ascendancy
twelve days ago.
For the past week the Hindenburg-
Ven Papen-Von Schleicher "no-party
government" has gore through the
form of sitting disorder and has threat
ened to WELD brutal power" to sup
press Brown Shirt arrogance. But
these repressive measures have not pre-
vented the massing of Hitlers storm
troops near Berlin for the obvious pur-
pose of coercing the Reich authorities.
Behind -the-scenes maneuvers now in
progress at Berlin indicate that the
MAI" strategy is about to accomplish
its end. The alibi for yielding to
''Nazi" pressure Is that to make Hitler
the head OF a coalition cabinet would
be far less dangerous for domestic peace
than to leave him the leader Of
formidable and menacing movement
without political responsibility.
The only question which an incredu-
lous outside world will ask itself is
whether from the very moment the
democratic Bruening cabinet was igno-
miniously booted from Office on June
l the militarist-monarchist government
group now trucking to Hitler did not
contemplate exactly such deathblow
to the Republic as "Nazi" chancel-
lorship would represent. If it comes to
pass it will not be an event that augurs
we'll for either the tranquility OF Ger
many or the peace Of Europe.