Evening star., 1933-02-19
What Will Hitler Do?
BY RICHARD Won KUHLMANN,

BY RICHARD Won KUHLMANN,
Former Foreign Minister of Germany; Author
of Thoughts on Germany"
n Vow that Adolf Hitler has come
~ into power as chancellor OF
VI the Reich, how much will he
4 be able to mold events accord
ing to his personal inclinations
and to the doctrine of his party?
In attempting to answer that ques-
tion the one most important thing to
be remembered is that the power OF
the chancellor Is comparatively limited
by the Weimar constitution, and that
it Is mainly the cabinet, working in CO.
operation with President Paul Won
Hindenburg, which is able to decree
far-reaching measures. The cabinet
which Adolf Hitler has built around
himself is actually much more OF a
Hugenberg cabinet than Hitler cab
met. The only Hitlerite who Is serv-
ing with his master in the new cabinet
is DR.. Frick, South German, who has
long been an official in the Munich
police administration. Being one OF
the few members of the Hitler crowd
who have had any practical experience
in government at all, Frick some time
ago was made premier-minister In
Thuringa, where the NaZis had obtained
a majority. But his rule there was
far from being a success, and after a
short while the other parties, thoroughly
diSgusted with the weak admlnlstra-
ton of the Nazis, voted to change the
regime.
So far as the vice chancellorship is
concerned, considering all of his tradi-
tions and all of his sympathies, Franz
Won Papen, who abdicated the chan
cellorship to make way for Gen. Won
Schleicher, is certainly much closer to
Hugenberg than he is to Hitler.
Now let us consider the remainder OF
the cabinet.
Two of its members have retained
their offices in the Won Papen, Won
Schleicher and Hitler governments.
They are the foreign minister, Baron
Won Neurath. former Ambassador in
Rome and London, and the finance
minister, Count Scherwin-Krosigk, a
man of great ability and charm of
manner, who has grown up in the work
Of the treasury and who undoubtedly
Is the ablest expert in financial matters
that Germany now possesses. These
two men have special position in the
cabinet. They do not come from pol
itics, they have no seat in the Reichstag
and belong to no party.
Called Conservatives.
They might both be styled moderate
conservatives. Both enjoy President
Hindenburg's personal confidence and
friendship so that these two, together
with Won Papen, for whom the old
field marshal shows a marked partial
ity, form what I may. call the perna-
nent presidential element in Hitlers
cabinet. Nor must it be forgotten that
the Reichswehr, which is the only per-
manent paramount force in Germany,
Is represented by Gen. yon Blomberg, a
brilliant soldier who has had the preci-
Gus training Of being for years Ger
manys technical expert ct the Geneva
Disarmament Conference.
All these elements might be consid-
cred as cabinet brakes and safety valves
should Adolf Hitler and his lieutenant,
DR.. Frick, try to steer the German ship
Of state into too stormy waters.
The Hitler-Papen-Hu -Hugenberg coali-
ton, having no majority in the Reichs-
tag, had to depend on the support or
liberation" of the Center. This group
under the able leadership of DR.. Kaast
and former Chancellor Heinrich Bruen-
ing, is likely for some time to come to
hold whip hand in any combination
that might be tried in Germany The
Center, in the main, is extremely heX-
ible; its general attitude is moderately
conservative. They, too, will serve as
a brake to prevent too violent jerks on
the German state machine
1t was uncertain, up to the last min
ute, whether they would join the Hitler
Hugenberg combination. They had not
declined in principle, but reserved the
right to decide whether the guarantees
Hitler was to give for the maintenance
OF orderly rule could be considered suffi-
eiently binding. But the negotiations
must have broken down, with the result
that the Hugenberg- Hitler cabinet could
not have had a majority in the Reichs-
tag. But President Hindenburg solved
the difficulty by granting Adolf Hitler
a decree to dissolve the Reichstag
Only few days before Hindenburg had
refused to give such decree to Gen
Won Schleicher.
New elections are to be held March
s.. and Hitler, in radio speech with
which he opened the campaign, has
sketched the outlines of future pro-
gram. He plans two economic four
year plans, the one to relieve the trou-
bles of the farmers, the other to dc
away with unemployment.
Five Held in 1882.
So Germany, after having fought
through five elections in 1882, will
now be plunged into another electoral
battle. Considering the great bitter
ness that exists between Nazis and
Communists, who certainly will be still
more embittered by the Nazi plans for
suppression and dissolution of the Com
munlst party, it is likely that rioting
and bloodshed, which have assumed
HE since last Summer, will increase
1t would be premature to give any
forecast on the possible result of the
coming election. All will depend or
how party coalitions will be worked
out and how far Hitler may be able
to use the influence of the oficia
machinery for his own ends.
To understand more fully Hitler.
programs and what chance he has fol
bringing them to success, let us go back
to the night of November 9, 1923.
The scene is laid in Munich, in one
OF the large halls in which Bavarians
used to assemble to drink beer anc
discuss politics. Rumors had been cir.
culatlng for some time that something
extraordinary might happen on thi.
night, that a revolution was in the
dif, ana Lne keller was packed with
a record crowd. Seated in the throne
was the head of the BaYarian govern.
ment, Minister Kahr, and the head Of
the Bavarian Reichswehr, Gen. vor
Lossow.
Suddenly a dark-haired, rather
dreamy looking young man sprang from
his seat and moved forward to thu
speakers platform. 1t was Adolf Hit.
Ter. Pulling pistol from his pocke1
| he fired two shots into the ceilins
| of the hall and proclaimed the exist
ing Bavarian government abolished anC
his own dictatorship established. Mem
bers of the Bavarian government VIII
were present were Immediately taker
into custody.
Gen. Erich Won Ludendorff, tn
much admired chief of staff for Gen
Hindenburg during the war. Just hap
pened to be present in the keller
and at once joined hands with Hitle
for the establishment of the new Ba
yarian government. This, Hitler ant
his cohorts believed, should be tn
| nucleus from which the central pnv