I only did my duty to my country when I tried to oppose the criminal folly of Hitler.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
At the time I belonged to the socialist party, and Hitler came to power.
As governor of my country, I have been an enemy to its enemies.
As a German citizen, as a German professor, and as a political person, I hold it to be not only my right but also my moral duty to take part in the shaping of our German destiny, to expose and oppose obvious wrongs.
I have done what I felt to be my duty.
I know I am not only the bad conscience of the Nazis. I am also the bad conscience of the Jews. Because what I have taken up as my duty was everybody's duty.
On the contrary, I tried on numerous occasions to convince the American president not to go to war. I did what was within my capabilities to avoid that happening.
During the past few years I have led a sometimes hard battle for German foreign policy.
I was a student in Germany when Hitler came to power.
In my own sphere I did everything that could possibly be expected of a man who believes in the greatness of his people and who is filled with fanaticism for the greatness of his country, in order to bring about the victory of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist movement.
My duty to the army and to the republic whose battles we were waging forbade me assuming a position of seeming hostility to any portion of the brave men under my command.