Der Fuehrer - Hitler's Rise to Power (1944) - Heiden

THE RACE WITH CATASTROPHE 497not so intended; the meaning was, as State Secretary Otto Meissnerwrote to Hitler three days later, that 'as a rule the presidial cabinet wouldcarry out the necessary governmental measures without previousconsent of parliament'; this type of cabinet 'in general needs parliamentonly to sanction or tolerate these measures.' Disparaging as this mightsound, the presidial cabinet also required parliament. A few paragraphslater, Meissner admitted that 'Papen's pure presidial cabinet' hadresigned 'because it could not find a majority in parliament to tolerate itsmeasures.' Meissner, Hinden-burg's voice, continued: 'Consequently, anew presidial cabinet would be an improvement only if it couldeliminate this deficiency.' These half dictators still felt dependent onparliament.The consent of parliament would have to be obtained, even if theChancellor were a man enjoying Hindenburg's special confidence.Hitler did not even come up to these requirements: 'You have declared,'said Hindenburg, 'that you can put your movement at the disposal onlyof a cabinet headed by yourself as the leader of your party.' To grantthis, Hindenburg continued, 'I must insist that such a cabinet have amajority in the Reichstag.' Go and look for this majority, Hindenburgconcluded, a 'secure working majority with a solid, coherent programfor work in the Reichstag,' and if you find it, report to me in five days.Hitler did not look for such a majority, for obviously he could nothave found it. He spent several days in the fashionable Hotel Kaiserhof,debating and bickering with Goring, Strasser, Frick, Rohm, andGoebbels. Hindenburg demanded a majority, but tied his hands withconditions. One of two things was possible, wrote Hitler, in letters toHindenburg and Meissner; if the Reichstag should confirm him asChancellor in accordance with the constitution, the constitutiondemanded that he be free in the choice of his collaborators; on the otherhand, if the President wished to prescribe his collaborators, he mustalso, basing himself on his questionable emergency rights, support himif necessary against the Reichstag. Meanwhile, Strasser, Goring, andFrick looked around to see whether a parliamentary majority might notbe obtainable, after all; Kaas of the Center said to Goring: Certainly, ifHitler governs constitutionally with parliament, the Center will not re-