The Stahlhelm [Steel Helmet] was a right-wing veteran’s paramilitary group that was nearly half a million strong. Despite its formidable membership, the organization remained deeply divided over whether to support the National Socialists or other, conservative parties. Theodor Düsterberg (right), who ran as the German National People’s Party [Deutschnationale Volkspartei or DNVP] candidate in the 1932 presidential election, was mistrustful of the Nazis, and the revelation of his Jewish ancestry weakened his influence within the organization that he co-founded. Franz Seldte (left), on the other hand, later became Hitler’s Reich Minister of Labor, a position he retained until the end of World War II.