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

CHANCELLOR AT LAST 541whether the S.A. would not assume the powers of a state police force,Minister of the Interior Frick replied in a press conference of January30: '. . . The integration of the S.A. with the state played no part in theformation of the cabinet, and there are no existing plans to integrate theS.A. with the Prussian police.' Hitler announced in his press that theReichstag would meet on February 7, when he would issue thegovernment's statement and demand the necessary powers.In order to assure himself of these powers, he lectured Kaas for twohours on the morning of January 31. He told him that all he wanted wasthe Center's consent to a law enabling the government to work for oneyear 'without the vicissitudes of parliamentary obstruction,' for this wasthe 'last and only constitutional possibility of meeting the danger of ruinto our people and our Reich.' Kaas wanted a clear promise from Hitlerthat he would hold strictly to the constitution, and, though Hitler spokefor two hours, he gave no clear answer. It was agreed that the CenterParty should repeat its questions in writing. This was done on the sameday; Kaas asked the new government for 'Guaranties . . . that itsmeasures would remain within the limits of the constitution'; bindingassurances that no unconstitutional measures would be taken 'on thebasis of a so-called state of emergency.' An express promise was alsodemanded that the rights of the workers would not be impaired; thismeant that Hugenberg would not be given the power to smash the tradeunions. Every question meant: We don't trust you, but say somethingsatisfactory and you shall have a satisfactory answer. It was Hugenbergwho, up till then, had used all his power to prevent new elections; now itwas primarily Hugenberg, with his great plan for the salvation ofGerman economic life by his own economic dictatorship, whom theCenter wanted to stop. All Kaas's demands — renunciation ofemergency laws, settlement of peasants in the East, increase of exports— were directed against Hugenberg's known plans, not against Hitler'sunknown and actually unformulated and uncertain aims. Now Hitlercould tell his minister of economics that there was only one way toshake off the yoke of the Center: dissolution of the Reichstag and newelections.For months Hitler had lost election after election — in spite of