Abstract
As president, Hindenburg relied heavily on a small circle of
advisors. His camarilla included state secretary Otto Meissner,
chancellors Kurt von Schleicher and Franz von Papen, and his son, Oskar
von Hindenburg (1883-1960). His son was a colonel in the German army and
served as his father's adjutant, essentially accompanying him
everywhere. Although Oskar initially opposed the idea of a Hitler
chancellorship, he ultimately advocated Hitler’s appointment and acted
as mediator between his father and Hitler in a series of secret meetings
at Joachim von Ribbentrop’s villa in January 1933. This image, which
shows both father and son in uniform, illustrates how deeply the German
army was entangled with and influenced German politics at this
point.