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Headline: Hitler Becomes German Dictator As Death Calls President Von Hindenburg
Sub-Headline: Former Corporal Takes Absolute Power Over Third Reich

Publication Date: Friday, August 3, 1934
Historical Event: Hitler Purges Storm Troopers, Executes Opponents
This database includes 2,331 articles about this event
Tags: Gannett full page downloadable
Article Type: News Article
Newspaper: The Asheville Citizen/The Asheville Citizen-Times
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Page Section and Number: 1
Author/Byline: AP
Article Text: (Copyright, 1934, by The Associated Press)

BERLIN, Aug. 2.—Adolf Hitler in a series of lightning-like moves made himself absolute dictator of Germany today.

He concentrated in his own hands the functions of president and of chancellor as soon as the aged president and patriot, Paul von Hindenburg, died at Neudeck.

Then he called for and received an oath of personal allegiance from officers and men of the entire army and navy. After these moves, amounting to a virtual coup d'etat, the former lunce corporal, who succeeded a field marshal, called for a plebiscite on August 19.

Although desiring the functions of the presidency, Hitler declined tonight to accept the title, holding that the "greatness of the deceased has given to the title of Reichspresident unique and non-recurring significance."

Rejects Title Of President

In a letter to Wilhelm Frick, minister of the interior, Hitler outlined his plans to assume the office without the title, saying he desired henceforth to be known as before as 'Fuehrer and Reichschancellor."

He directed that a "free secret election" be held at which the centralization of power in his hands and such other matters as may be necessary he voted upon.

"The necessity for regulating the question of the chief of state, caused by the national misfortune that has overtaken our people," Hitler wrote, "leads me to issue the following order-

"First, the greatness of the deceased has given to the title of Reichspresident unique and non-recurring significance according to the feeling of all of us, and in what it meant to us, this title is indissolubly bound up with the name of the great deceased. I therefore request care be taken in official and unofficial communications to address me just as heretofore, as Fuehrer and Reichschancellor only. This stipulation is to be observed in the future also.

Calls For Plebiscite
"Second, I desire that the vesting in my person, and thereby in the Reich's chancellor's office as such, of the functions of the former Reichspresidency as are decided upon by the cabinet and constitutionally valid, shall receive the expressed sanction of the German people.

"Steeped in the conviction that all authority of the state must proceed from the people and by them be justified in free, secret election. I request you immediately to lay the decision of the cabinet, with possible necessary additions, before the German people for a free plebiscite."

The rapidity of the action which concentrated authority over 65,000,000 Germans in the hands of one man recalled the speech with which the Nazis first came to power on the morning of January 30, 1933.

Once again the Germans showed they are a disciplined people, trained to obedience. The change from a country governed at least theoretically by constitution to absolute dictatorship seemed to cause no ripple.

It was another Incident In Nazi-
—(Please Turn To Page Eight)
History Unfolded Contributor: Charlene Y.
Location of Research: Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com)