Brüning's resignation came as a great shock to Sackett and took the personal meaning out of his mission to Germany. The ambassador had done all he could for the chancellor, the one person he and his staff felt was destined to prevent Hitler's rise to power in Germany. But now there was nothing they could do. Sackett was thwarted by American foreign policy, which prohibited direct involvement in European affairs. However, even if the United States intervened, there was nothing that could be done to help the chancellor. Not even if France were willing to offer concessions was there any hope of saving his government. The fact is that Brüning was compelled to resign because he had lost the support of the most powerful forces in Germany – forces that wanted a complete break with the Socialists, on whom Brüning was dependent. As Sackett put it, those who brought about Brüning's downfall wanted a sharp division with the Left.

Hindenburg deliberately ignored the parties of the political Right and the conservative interest groups when he appointed Franz von Papen to succeed Brüning. Instead, he turned to individual members of the conservative establishment – the officer corps, the civil service, and the aristocracy. Hindenburg also moved farther in the direction established by Brüning. Neutral experts, who could be relied on to insure that the government would be run efficiently, were favored over representatives of partisan interests. The hope was to restore authority and stability in the state by reviving the ideals of civic virtue and the political relationships of the Bismarckian compromise.The effort was another naive attempt to capture Hitler's support and tame his Nazi movement by meeting the supposed aspirations of his followers.