The following extracts are from the diary of NSDAP propaganda chief, Dr Joseph Goebbels. Here he talks about the NSDAP’s poor showing in the November 1932 Reichstag elections, where it lost rather than gained seats:

December 4th 1932

“General Schleicher has completed his cabinet. Not a single outstanding mind is among them. I give this cabinet at most two months. I speak before the party office holders in Karlshorst. They are again in excellent spirits. The Fuhrer has returned to Berlin. We visit him in the Kaiserhof in the afternoon. He had a consultation with Dr Schacht; he is as always on our side. In Thuringia we again had losses. Nor did we throw ourselves into this operation with full zeal. Strasser, for instance, didn’t speak at all. This defeat comes at a very inopportune time. There must be no more elections in the future in which we lose even a single vote.”

December 5th 1932

“In the Kaiserhof, we have an extensive conference with the Fuhrer. We confer about our attitude toward the Schleicher cabinet. Strasser takes the position that Schleicher has to be tolerated. The Führer has fierce clashes with him. Strasser as always in recent times portrays the situation of the Party in the blackest colours. But even if that were the case, one must not surrender to the resignation of the masses. By accident we learn of the true reason for Strasser’s policy of sabotage: Saturday evening he had a conference with General Schleicher in the course of which the General offered him the post of vice-chancellor. Strasser not only did not rule out this offer but made known his decision to set up his own list of candidates if there are new elections. This is, therefore, a perfidious betrayal of the Führer and the Party. This is not unexpected… Finally, he delivers to the Führer Schleicher’s threat: If we don’t tolerate his cabinet, he would again dissolve the Reichstag…

Meeting of our parliamentary fraction: The Führer speaks very sharply on the spreading addiction to compromise. There can be no question of giving in. It is not about his person, but about the honour and prestige of the Party. Whoever now acts treacherously only proves thereby that he hasn’t understood the greatness of our movement… Only for the time being the dissolution of the Reichstag is to be avoided, if possible, as we do not now have good prospects [in another election].”