After the fall of Brüning's government on 30 May 1932, Brüning himself recommended to President Paul von Hindenburg for Goerdeler to succeed him. Hindenburg rejected Goerdeler because of his former membership of the DNVP. (From 1928, under the leadership of Alfred Hugenberg, the DNVP had waged a vituperative campaign against Hindenburg and had even labeled him as one of the "November Criminals" who had allegedly "stabbed Germany in the back" in 1918. As a result, by 1932, no current or even former member of the DNVP was acceptable to Hindenburg as chancellor.)