862.00/2874: Telegram
The Ambassador in Germany (Sackett) to the Secretary of State
[Received December 1—2:30 p.m.]
223. It has been evident for some days that the President was determined to appoint a presidial Cabinet headed by a Chancellor possessing to an extreme degree his own personal confidence and that the only two men whom he was willing to consider as having this requisite qualification were Von Schleicher and Von Papen (see last two paragraphs Embassy’s telegram 218, November 17, noon).43
Although the appointment of Papen would constitute open defiance to a large part of the population and would be a gratuitous looking for trouble the President has been reluctant to discard Papen as a possibility. On the other hand, although the German Republic has, I believe, never been in so bad a muddle politically speaking, there has been considerable hesitation to try at least to bring matters to a head by the appointment of Schleicher as Chancellor. This may be due in part to the fact that in view of the seriousness of the situation the President wishes to explore every possibility of Reichstag toleration for the impending Cabinet but probably more to the fact that Schleicher is extremely reluctant to take over the Chancellorship under such difficult conditions. There has been some realization that Schleicher’s appointment would not be too well received abroad.
As a result of many days’ barren wrangling it now appears that Schleicher at best could definitely count on the toleration of some 155 Reichstag deputies and Papen far less than that. From practically every other serious point of view, including the important one of the [Page 319] attitude of the Nazis who would certainly combat a Papen Cabinet with far greater vigor, Von Schleicher’s appointment would appear to offer a better chance of carrying out the President’s policies than that of Papen, so it seems that this solution cannot much longer be deferred.
- Not printed.↩