An account of Martin Niemoeller's face-to-face discussions with Hitler and the story of his eight-year imprisonment.
Martin Niemoller (1892-1984) was a prominent Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps. He is perhaps best remembered for this quotation...
First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.
There are several variations of Niemoller's "First They Came" poem, some made longer to include other groups that "they" came for, but the impact is the same.
"To say that this is a good book is to say nothing. To advise one to read it for entertainment is sacrilege. To urge its reading for information, or even for inspiration, is to reveal a lack of insight. This book is a revelation of hell on earth, of the existence of a malignant wickedness and evil in this world. If any man can read it and not be stirred to his depths, it is because he has no depths."
-- Norman Vincent Peale, from the forword
Martin Niemoeller...
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