| Show 0 1 1 VON HINDENBURG DIES HITLER SEIZES REINS Nazi Chieftain Issues Issue's Call For Plebiscite to Confirm Him Elm in Increased Powers Chancellor Bec Becomes mes Pr President sid nt With P Passing of Great Creat j t War P Peace ac L Leader ader J FUNERAL RITES ARE SE SET t u New Oath of Allegiance I Is Given Soldiers rl By LOUIS P. P Copyright 1934 by A Associated Press BERLIN BERUN Aug 2 Chancellor 2 Adoll AdoU Hitler made himself absolute te and unquestioned unquestioned unquestioned un un- questioned dicta dictator r of Germany today to to today today day by a virtual coup Hitler became president as well as chancellor of Germany at 9 a. a m rn when President Paul Paul- von Hindenburg Hindenburg Hindenburg Hinden Hinden- burg year old field marshal died at his hs country estate at Neudeck Hitler announced tonight that he will refuse to assume the title Ue of He desires to be known only as fuehrer and Hitler Speaks H Hitler in a letter to Wilhelm Frick chancellor of the interior stated also abo that he wishes to have the fusion fusio of the presidency and the chancellor chancellor- r. r ship sanctioned by the plebiscite August August August Au Au- gust 19 The necessity for regulating the question of the chief of oZ state state- caused by the national misfortune that has overtaken our people Hitler wrote leads me to issue the foll following wing order order or or or- der First the greatness s of the deceased deceased de de- ceased has hilS given to the he title oi of president unique e and nd nonrecurring significance According to th II ig of ot all of at us and in iii what it m means ans tous to usi us this title tiU is indissolubly Dou bound d up up with the name of the great d deceased ceased I therefore request care be taken in official and unofficial communications communications to to address me just as heretofore as fuehrer and only This stipulation 1 is to be observed in inthe inthe in inthe the future also Second I desire the vesting In my ray person and thereby in the chancellors chancellor's office such of ot the functions functions functions of the former fonner as es are decided by the c cabinet binet to be constitutionality va valid d and shall receive receive receive re re- the expressed sanction of the th German Gennan people Steeped in the conviction that all authority of at the state must proceed from the people and by them be ratified in free secret c election I request request re rc quest you immediately to lay the decision decision decision de de- of th the cabinet with possible necessary additions before the German German German Ger Ger- man people for a fr free e plebiscite Election August 19 Hitler's cabinet ministers last night had prepared a decree decree- setting forth that their chief chie should be president when Von Hindenburg died Within seven hours of at the time time tImeo of the former presidents president's death the government government government gov gov- had decreed that the German German German Ger Ger- man public shall hold a presidential plebiscite August 19 19 destined to show shaw whether the country approves of its new president and the nazi government govern ment Arrangements were b begun gun lor or stately funeral rites rites' for Von Hindenburg Hinden burg It was decided that a great wide nation-wide burial service shall shaU be beheld beheld beheld held at 11 a. a m. m Tuesday at Tannen- Tannen burg where the field marshal turned back the invading Russians in 1914 Hitler will deliver the oration and aid the bo body ly will be laid in the Tannen burg monument Even with the cabinets cabinet's full ap approval approval ap of his presidency H Hitler made Hitler made assurance doubly sure by receiving from the the the standing army of Germany Germany Germany-an an oath ath of allegiance allegiance allegiance ance to him personally It was administered administered administered ad ad- ministered to the fighting lighting men by Werner von Blomberg It was expected that the presidential plebiscite will have the double purpose of expressing an indorsement of Hitler as president and of the pOlicies policies poli pOli- cies of the nazi government The president had been critically ill only since Sunday Physicians have expressed amazement at his hearts heart's stubborn resistance to disease and the infirmities of age When word came Hitler and his nazi cabinet were prepared In a guarded session last night the thc cabinet cabinet cab cab- inet met adopted a decree revoking a Continued on PAre Pace Three VON HINDENBURG I CLOSES CAREER 1 v 1 Hitter Hitler Becomes President I With Passing of Great German n L Leader ader Continued from Paie Pae One l o of 1932 under which the president d dent d nt of or the thc supreme court would become become be be- come interim president S Offices Are Merged Merced When news of ot Von Hindenburg's end was received Paul Joseph Goeb Goeb- bels beIs propaganda minister rushed to toa toa toa a microphone He announced to the nation that the two offices of ot president I dent and chancellor had iad been merged Hitler Hitter thus assumed absolute power over over the third retch reich I The lowering of or the flag to hall half taU staff at Neudeck told Germany and andr r the world of ot the death it had ex ex- F peeled Germany went into mourning on the twentieth anniversary of ot its it con con- rimlon of ot troops for the World vi war r Members of ot his immediate family I were at Von bedside They were his son Colonel Oskar von van Hindenburg and two married daughters daugh daughters Frau von and Frou Anna Marie von Bentz Von Hindenburg's wife died in 1921 A few hours before his death the former field marshal slipped into a acoma acoma acoma coma Mind l Wanders at Last Prostate trouble combined with in of ot age are caused his death One of ot his physicians said his mind wandered last night hours a alter after ter his end had been expected r The cabinet admonished admonish d the German Ger Ger- man marl people to go into general mourn mourn- ing Flags will fly at half haIt staff start from all public buildings and schools Ships of the nation will accord the leader a gun 21 salute tomorrow Amusement and other public places were ordered closed Traffic shops and factories will suspend operations for one minute during the funeral hour In an order to military forces General Gen Gen- eral erat Werner von Blomberg minister of at war said Hindenburg our leader In the great war has left us His heroic life liCe as as' a soldier imbued with a spirit oi ot of duty to folk of ot the fatherland is ended Everyone has faith in Hitler the leader of our people Takes Take Power by Decree The cabinet decree under which Hitler BlUer assumed power says merely The reich government has passed the following law which is hereby promulgated 1 1 The office oUke of ot the dent is united with that of ot the chancellor In consequence thereof powers hereto heretofore ore exercised b by the are transferred t to der fuehrer Hitler and the vice chancellor chan chan- cellar Franz Franr von He Hit CHit Jer ler determines who shall be his deputy Absolute power rests with Hitler r through the combination of the two Jobs Previously he had to go through I the formality of ot submitting to Von Hindenburg for approval v L Tl The long ago turned over all its power to Hitler and the cabinet Goebbels in his address lauded Von Van Hindenburg as a great leader of ot Germany Ger many in war and in peace one whose life because became of its uprightness will always be remembered by the fatherland father father- land I Berlin Is Paralyzed Crowds gathered throughout the nation t to discuss the national tragedy Activities s in Berlin were almost para Many conservatives were fearful They had long regarded Von Hindenburg Hinden Hinden- burg as a check upon extreme nazi nazi- ism Hitler by the cabinet decree attaIned at at tamed the office for foe which Von Hin Hin- Hindenburg denburg defeated him in inthe the general election of 1932 The two once were opponents but the rising power of ot the national socialist so socialist party for forced d the venerable president to call Hitler in and make him chancellor in January 1933 All AU troops will will wear wear mourning for 14 days except the regiment with which Von Hindenburg was associated ed cd which will observe the death for four weeks Germany which shouted the name nam Von Won during the war war- timo stress found comfort in it in the political strife strite of today and echoed that name with a national sorrow almost without parallel The whisper Von Hindenburg Is dead spread swiftly through the streets street which just 20 years ago der er the republic was Vas to stand a at t the head lead of at the German nation in the end nd to march away to Valhalla a legend while a a. a tormented Germany writhed in the pangs of at the third flamed with the excitement of ot nent ent war Sorrow Nation The public learned that the president dent had surrendered at l last t in iii his final nal battle first by a solemn broadcast broadcast broad broad- cast and later through bordered black extra newspapers Those newspapers over a stern picture of ot the in in which he sat with his chin crooked In n his strong fingers stated fingers stated not that Hindenburg was dead but that he entered eternity Soldiers Grieve For Par thousands of ot s soldiers who had hac fought in the world war the de death th was the passing of ot a man who had been their comrade as well as their leader For these men inca especially there were latent tears in the song I Iad 1 ad a Good Comrade which was in a broadcast following the formal announcement of the presidents dents dent's death For Forthe the general public th the death was Wal that of ot a man who through his very physical stature and his bis open and obvious strength had been a symbol of ot leadership and tr trust 1st No other man the German press declared in its editorials could be of ol as more typical of Germany The he various civic groups who had felt the strength of ot Von Hindenburg's support were especially grieved at atus his us passing Among them was the Protestant church organization |
