862.00/2685
Memorandum by the Under Secretary of State (Castle)
The German Ambassador9 said that now that President Hindenburg had definitely decided to run for President he felt quite sure that he would be elected. He said that Hitler was trying, apparently, [Page 287] to get himself made a German citizen, which suggested that he might be planning to run himself. The Ambassador felt, however, that if this should happen it would hurt the Hitlerite cause rather than help it inasmuch as nobody would vote for Hitler who was not definitely a member of the party, whereas a great many outsiders might vote for some well known Conservative German who would be expected to carry out Hitler’s ideas. He said, however, that he had almost no doubt of Hindenburg’s election since most of the party, for example, the Centralites and Social-Democrats who had voted against him before, would now vote for him. The Ambassador feels, of course, that it is very important to get the political situation quiet, in order that the real work of discussing reparations may be taken up in the proper spirit.
- Friedrich W. von Prittwitz and Gaffron.↩