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

498 DER FUEHRERfuse its participation. This seemed a great success, such as Papen hadbeen unable to obtain. But the party of the junkers and heavyindustrialists — for this is what the German Nationalists were at thattime — consciously blocked the party of the Uprooted and Disinheriteda step before their goal. Hugenberg declared that he would notparticipate in a government with the Center, that he would have no partwhatsoever in this game of majorities — and without Hugenberg therecould be no majority. These conservatives had a profound inner distrustof Hitler's method of combating masses with masses; it became one oftheir main tasks to prevent this newly rising mass from governing. ThusHitler was unable to bring Hindenburg a majority; again, as in August,he demanded special powers; again, with an overtone of triumph,Hindenburg answered, through the voice of Meissner: This was partydictatorship; and Hindenburg did not feel he could 'answer for this tothe German people.' But, at the end, a more conciliatory note: Hindenburg,Meissner wrote, repeats 'that his door stands open to you atany time'; he would always be ready to give Hitler a hearing, and hedoes not abandon the hope that in time it will be possible 'to win youand your movement for collaboration with all other constructive forcesof the nation.' Meaning to say: you will grow smaller.Angry and embittered, Hitler retorted — against his own betterknowledge — that he would not grow smaller. He drove to Schleicher,shouted at him as if he were his subordinate. He would, he cried,prevent anyone else from governing; and since Schleicher was thinkingof making Hitler's friend, Hjalmar Schacht, Chancellor, Hitler produceda written declaration by Schacht saying that only one man could becomeChancellor today, and that was Hitler, and he should not be obstructedin his great task by conditions. 'If Hitler does not become Chancellortoday,' wrote Schacht, 'he will in four months. He can wait.' AndSchleicher, Hitler went on, should nourish no hopes of becomingChancellor himself; for whoever became Chancellor would beoverthrown by himself, Hitler, with the help — as he several timesrepeated — of the Communists.Next day he had a calm and friendly conversation with Kaas, theleader of the Center. Both gentlemen agreed that the country